To celebrate the 40th anniversary of STAR TREK, TOKYOPOP and CBS Consumer Products have joined forces to produce STAR TREK: THE MANGA, based on the original STAR TREK TV series. Like the television classic, these new journeys venture into the terrain of social politics, personal reflection and bare-knuckled brawls between Captain Kirk and the galaxy's most cunning alien species. Vulcan science officer Spock's unflappable logic, Doctor "Bones" McCoy's flare for drama, chief engineer Scott's perpetual struggle to keep the warp engines online and the never before told origin story of one of the STAR TREK universe's most popular adversaries, will all be included.
Top artists and writers gathered to create the five STAR TREK mangas include Joshua Ortega (Top Cow Comics, THE NECROMANCER), Jim Alexander (DC Comics, BIRDS OF PREY), Chris Dows (Malibu Comics, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE), Rob Tokar (COMICULTURE MAGAZINE), Mike W. Barr (DC Comics, STAR TREK), Jeong Mo Yang (CHRONICLES OF KORYO), EJ Su (TRANSFORMERS), Gregory Giovanni Johnson (RISING STARS OF MANGA), Michael Shelfer (RISING STARS OF MANGA) and Makoto Nakatsuka (JUROR 13).
Five all-new "episodes" follow the last survivors of a gender war that live on as spirits in machinery and take control of the Starship Enterprise; in an attempt to combat a fatal disease, a dying race unwittingly creates an unstoppable villain that may seem eerily familiar to readers; a small colony tries to cheat death by uploading their consciousness into a satellite and reconstructing their bodies on another planet; warring planets exchange peace offerings via the Enterprise, but one "gift" may be more than what it seems; and lastly, a group of teen, warrior-robot pilots becomes restless in times of peace, turning to pillaging for thrills.
According to TOKYOPOP editor Luis Reyes, "We've tried to make the individual stories resonate with the spirit of the original show, with Gene Roddenberry's interest in social and political dynamics, with the fan fascination in the idiosyncrasies of these characters, and with the way the original series used science fiction as a sounding board for larger ideas."
In a salute to the 40th anniversary of STAR TREK, TOKYOPOP has created three different collectible covers for STAR TREK: THE MANGA: one for the retail book chains, one for the independent comic book stores and one exclusively for STAR TREK convention-goers.
STAR TREK: THE MANGA will be available on Sept. 5, 2006.
TOKYOPOP is a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation. The company's global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with recent offices opening in the U.K. and Germany and upcoming partnerships in Australia and China, in addition to its original Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Enterprises, manages the worldwide licensing, merchandising and video activities for a diverse slate of properties owned or controlled by the CBS Corporation. Additional information is available at www.CBS.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
