Star Trek is beloved like few other media properties, so it makes sense that from the start, the franchise has included tie-in comics to give fans even more stories from the Final Frontier. These comics helped build the Star Trek universe, offering fresh insights into classic characters and missions, and even continuing series after they left TV. While some of them have been rendered out of continuity by later TV shows, others were actually ahead of the curve, introducing concepts that are only now making it to the screen.
However, not all Star Trek comic runs were created equal. Some runs are masterpieces all fans of the franchise should seek out, while others aren't worth your time as anything more than curios. What makes it difficult for fans is how much the Star Trek license has bounced around from publisher to publisher, making it harder to identify what's what. Here are the ten best Star Trek runs so far - ranked by how essential they are to every Trekkie's collection.
10 Marvel Comics' Star Trek: The Motion Picture Line (1979-1981)
Shortly after Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Marvel obtained the rights to produce new comics based on the franchise. The first few issues adapted the movie’s story, but the remainder were all-new. Marvel’s Star Trek comic should have been successful; Marvel had caught lightning in a bottle with its Star Wars comic - so what was stopping it from doing the same with Star Trek?
The answer lies in the license, which severely restricted what kinds of stories Marvel could tell. The license only allowed the publisher to use characters and concepts that were featured in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That meant no Romulans, no Tholians, and zero drama. Marvel tried to do the best with what it was given, but it was simply not meant to be, and Marvel’s first foray into the Star Trek universe came to an end in 1981.
9 Star Trek Newspaper Strips (1979-1983)
A true curiosity in the history of Star Trek comics, the syndicated newspaper strips are all but forgotten by fans today. Much like Marvel’s comics, the newspaper strips commenced shortly after Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and ran for a respectable four years, concluding after the release of The Wrath of Khan. There were two such strips, one that ran daily and another that ran in the Sunday editions. Syndicated by the Los Angeles Times, a number of comic professionals, such as Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko, worked on the strip.
Today, however, these strips have receded into obscurity. There is one collected edition currently in print, collecting the first half of the strip’s run. It was published in 2012 with a follow-up volume, now out of print, a year later. The Star Trek newspaper strip remains largely ignored in the history of the franchise, making it a hidden gem for fans.
8 Malibu Comics' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1995)
When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine premiered in 1993, Malibu Comics won the right to publish titles based on the series. This came as something of a shock to fans, as DC Comics had been publishing a series of highly successful Star Trek comics, and it was assumed the publisher would pick up the rights to Deep Space Nine as well. However, despite this surprise, Malibu’s Deep Space Nine series got off to a promising start; it was written by Mike W. Barr, who had penned many Star Trek stories at DC, and captured the tone and drama of the popular new series, as well as exploring new fan-favorite characters. The series ran for two years, ending in 1995. Malibu announced plans for a Star Trek: Voyager comic, but it never came to fruition, mainly because Marvel bought Malibu around the same time.
7 Gold Key Comics' Star Trek (1967-1979)
The first company to produce Star Trek comics, Gold Key’s first issue premiered roughly a year after the show, and the publisher held the rights for 12 years. The earliest Gold Key issues were notorious for their lack of faithfulness to the source material - characters looked different and acted different. These problems resolved themselves as the run went on, and in time it attracted top talent such as Len Wein and Arnold Drake. Gold Key’s run, despite its flaws, helped pave the way for Star Trek to thrive in comics. Gold Key’s Star Trek comic was no doubt helpful in helping keep the franchise alive during the 1970s.
6 Marvel's Paramount Comics Imprint (1996-1998)
In 1996, Star Trek’s 30th anniversary, Marvel Comics obtained the license to produce a new line of comics based on the franchise. Unlike its first stab at Star Trek, which came with a restrictive license, Marvel’s second attempt was much more successful. Debuting with new Deep Space Nine and Voyager comics, Marvel’s 'Paramount Comics' imprint also featured quarterly titles focusing on the Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
What separated Marvel’s second attempt from its previous books was the debut of original titles not based on an existing show. The first was Star Trek: The Early Voyages, which featured the adventures of Captain Pike as well as a Starfleet Academy title; these books mixed old characters with new ones. In some ways, Marvel was ahead of the curve, anticipating future live action shows. In 2023, Pike has now appeared in Strange New Worlds, and a live-action Starfleet Academy show is in the works.
5 Wildstorm's Star Trek (1999-2002)
A criminally underrated run, Jim Lee’s Wildstorm decided to take a different approach to Star Trek comics. Rather than release regular, ongoing series, the company focused on miniseries and one-shots, a departure from previous efforts. Wildstorm did not skimp on talent either - noted science fiction writers K.W. Jeter, Scott Ciencin, Kevin J. Anderson and Keith R.A. DeCandido contributed stories; furthermore, artists such as Bryan Hitch and David Roach worked on the titles. Although Wildstorm’s tenure was short-lived, the publisher created compelling and edgy Star Trek stories. Not only did Wildstorm adapt the television shows, but certain Star Trek novels, such as the New Frontier books.
4 Tokyopop's Star Trek Manga (2006-2009)
In the early 2000s, Star Trek comics entered their "wilderness phase," with none being produced. 2006 marked the franchise’s 40th anniversary, and to celebrate, manga publisher Tokyopop released four volumes of Star Trek manga between then and 2009; three focused on the Original Series and one volume on The Next Generation. Tokyopop’s Star Trek manga was notable for featuring not only writers who had worked on the franchise in the past, such as David Gerrold and Diane Duane, but also Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on The Next Generation, and has written the franchise with multiple publishers. To this day, Tokyopop’s four volumes remain the only official Star Trek manga in existence, and a beloved take on the franchise.
3 DC Comics' Second Star Trek Line (1989-1995)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier premiered in 1989, and Paramount used it to negotiate a new license with DC, who had held it previously from 1984 to 1988. The relaunched line premiered in the fall of 1989, with new titles for Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. So what was different this time around? Paramount tightened up the of the license, prohibiting DC from using original characters; Paramount wanted the focus on characters from the TV shows. Furthermore, the publisher could not use characters from The Animated Series, such as Arex and M’Ress. Despite these limitations, DC’s second tenure was a success, lasting six years, even if it didn't rise to the same heights as...
2 DC Comics' Original Star Trek Line (1982-1988)
When DC Comics obtained the license shortly after the release of The Wrath of Khan, the publisher hit the ground running, releasing a new Star Trek title that picked up where the movie left off. DC’s first Star Trek line is notable for a variety of reasons: for the first time, the license was not restrictive, and the publisher was free to use whatever characters its creators wanted - and also allowed to create new ones. Acclaimed writer Peter David got his start on these books, and his story “Who Killed Captain Kirk?” is regarded as a classic. Despite everything that came after, many Star Trek fans feel DC’s first go produced the best Star Trek comics ever.
1 IDW Publishing's Star Trek (2006-Present)
Since 2006, IDW Publishing has held the rights to produce Star Trek comics - the longest publisher tenure in the franchise. The line kicked off with Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Space Between and has since set the standard for Stark Trek comics. IDW has produced a diverse array of titles, including comics for nearly every show (save Enterprise and Prodigy) as well as original titles. This past fall, IDW celebrated its 400th Star Trek comic with a special one-shot that seeded future comics, including a series which sees Sisko return to the mortal plane after ascending to godhood. At the same time, Star Trek: The Mirror War has explored and expanded the franchise's most fascinating alternate universe, while Star Trek: Year Five has explored the final year of the original USS Enterprise's mission.
Not only has IDW given fans everything they could want, but its new Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant series show stunning ambition, as Sisko and Worf take very different approaches to a powerful threat killing off godlike beings from across the franchise. IDW's Star Trek feels more in lockstep with the rest of the franchise's media than ever before, and even acts as a spiritual sequel to DS9 (while gathering together two new crews from across series history.)
It's a better time than ever before to be a comic fan who loves Star Trek, but as this list shows, even those who have consumed IDW's entire catalog have a lot more great Star Trek titles to tackle before they're through.
