Star Trek Vs. Transformers #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Today’s Family Comic Friday selection brings together two beloved cartoons from my childhood. Welcome to Star Trek Vs. Transformers!

Star Trek Vs. Transformers #1
Written by John Barber
Art by Mike Johnson
Published by IDW Publishing

From 1973-1974, the crew of the USS Enterprise concluded it’s five year mission in animated form. Along with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, this 30-minute series featured a three-armed and legged creature named Arak and a cat person named M’Press as part of the Enterprise crew. Though I wasn’t born yet, I grew up watching the acclaimed Saturday morning cartoon in rerun on Nickelodeon in the early-to-mid 1980s.

At the time Star Trek: The Animated Series was being aired in syndication, a new dynamic series was being aired new to young American audiences- Transformers. This series saw the friendly Autobots fighting the deadly Decepticons on planet Earth during the Me Generation 80s. Never in all the years of watching both franchises did I ever think I would get to witness these two cartoons ever crossing paths until now thanks to this fantastically retro comic book from IDW Publishing.

The story opens with the Enterprise receiving a distress call from Cygnus Seven. The planet, which orbits extremely close to Klingon territory, is also home to a dilithium mine. Kirk and his crew are asked to help the miners from a Klingon attack on the colony.

When Kirk beams down to Cygnus Seven, the captain finds the camp not attacked by Klingons but unmanned vehicles from Earth’s past. Suddenly, a fiery red and blue tractor trailer appears on the scene. Just whose side is it on?

Using their phasers, the away team defend themselves and they incapacitate the driverless truck. But when Kirk and his team go to inspect the vehicle, Mr. Spock discovers that there is more than meets the eye with this piece of ancient earth machinery.

OMG! This was such a great opening chapter. Generally with a team-up, the two parties never officially meet until the very last page of the first issue! Not here- instead Federation representatives and Transformers are facing off with each other by page two of this story! And don’t worry- those dastardly Klingons are lurking around here too!

I’m not sure why the Transformers from 1984 are now present at Stardate: 5892.7. But that’s okay as that is a part of the adventure and mystery that I have to look forward to in this four-issue miniseries. In fact, I’m actually glad that IDW decided not to go the route of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and have the Enterprise crew going back in time to the 80s again!

John Barber and the artist Mike Johnson have captured the spirits of both classic kids cartoons so very well in this book! I can hear the voices of all of the original actors in this first issue clear as day. Plus, I love how Johnson draws the book to look like it was a cartoon and not a comic.

There’s plenty of temptation to draw the characters in such fluid ways in this action filled opener. But that’s not how these characters were animated originally. When Kirk rescues a crew member from being zapped by a laser, he looks like an old action figure being thrown by an angry toddler. That’s not poor illustrating. That’s a master craftsman staying true to the original source material; something that is rarely seen in today’s comics.

With exception of one minor swear by Doctor McCoy, this was a great read for kids aged 6 and up. If you love Star Trek and they love Transformers; this is the book you have been praying for to share with the young readers in your life! IDW has a nostalgic hit on their hands! Excellent work! I felt like I was watching a lost episode of two of my favorite cartoons from long ago!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Star Trek Vs. Transformers #1 debuted in stores and digital platforms on Wednesday, September 25, 2018.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.