Villordsutch reviews Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #4…
You’d think that after seven years away in the Delta Quadrant (not including the Year of Hell) where the crew of Voyager came up against numerous foes, from the Kazon and the Hirogen to the Borg (and not forgetting the dreaded Phlox), they’d get at least five minutes to enjoy finally making it home to Earth. Apparently not. If anything, Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming from Susan and Tilly Bridges gives Janeway and co. the worst welcome-home parade anyone could have asked for. I hope the Federation party planners are taking notes; they definitely need to risk-assess a lot better next time.
Immediately, we’re straight into the ongoing story, running with a plasma-burning baton as fast as we can. Voyager now finds itself defending on two fronts: the away team is working rapidly alongside isolated Borg drones to secure the only way out of Fluidic Space, while Species 8472 throws every reinforcement it has at removing this Starfleet thorn once and for all.
With a last-gasp attempt involving Borg nanite-laced torpedoes, Species 8472 begins to lose both ships and lives. But is this enough to swing the battle in Voyager’s favour, or is it the final insult Species 8472 needs to eradicate Voyager, the Borg, and the Federation once and for all?
Consistently, this comic series leaves you out of breath and thirsty for more. You hit the closing page, and your first thought is, ‘No! You can’t end there!’ Tilly and Susan Bridges definitely know action, and they certainly know how to land a cliffhanger. More importantly, they know how to write a great Star Trek: Voyager story.
That shines especially in the crew’s voices, sometimes captured in a single panel — like in this issue, with a quick quip Janeway throws at Species 8472 when they board Voyager. It’s a small moment, but it breathes Voyager’s spirit into the page and makes this feel unmistakably like Star Trek.
The writing also brilliantly refuses to follow the usual sci-fi playbook. Where I expected a run-of-the-mill “they’ll let Voyager go because Starfleet sacrificed themselves for a wounded enemy — Species 8472 has seen the light!” moment… nope. If anything, we’re shown an even more brutal, darker side of Species 8472.
There are a couple of minor quibbles. One that really scratched the inside of my brain was a delirious Tuvok stumbling around and upsetting the apple cart. I’m unsure why the Doctor would allow a seriously ill, incoherent Vulcan to wander unaided onto the bridge. Granted, tensions were high, but it felt odd. I know Main Sickbay was damaged, but could they not have kindly used a good old “straight-to-sleep” Hypospray and dropped him off in the other sickbay?
That aside, I can’t really fault Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming. From the magnificent art and colours by Angel Hernandez and colourist Charlie Kirchoff, to the storytelling from Susan and Tilly Bridges, this is brilliant. It’s Star Trek: Voyager — and I love it.
Rating: 8/10
@Villordsutch
