... It's an Avian! It's a starship! It's going where no man has gone before!
Fans of Star Trek are certainly no strangers to comic books. Many of our greatest comic heroes have more than a dash of sci-fi added to the mix, from radioactive spiders to escapes from exploding planets, to mutant abilities that set our heroes apart from the rest of us not only physically, but philosophically and politically, as well. While one man flies about brazenly in a cape, another skulks in the shadows and rids the streets of the slime that prey on the innocent; still others fight to protect humanity whether humanity appreciates them or not. Right makes might.
The thing that sets superheroes (and supervillains) apart from the rest of us are abilities that are far superior to those of mortal men. Sometimes they gain them by accident, sometimes by birth, sometimes by intent. In the Star Trek universe, let's just say that it's a matter of being in the right place at the right (or wrong!) time. With hundreds of known inhabited worlds, the galaxy is full of species, all adapted to their home planets and environments, but able to visit other worlds, as well, where their differences set them apart, just like a certain Kryptonian on Earth, or a Martian manhunter. Imagine that, even with vast federations offering peace and tranquility, not everything is perfect all the time. Some things still need a hero ... or some things still breed a villain.
The challenge for February is to create a comic hero, or villain, in the context of Star Trek. It may be a single character, or it might be a team, but it has to be based upon the idea that, amongst all those worlds out there, someone has both the capabilities and the determination to stand out from the crowd and make a difference. Maybe a Klingon uses his superior strength to honorably defend a weaker race from invasion, or a Borg separated from the collective is able to infiltrate technology and turn it against its creators. Maybe a shapeshifter finds that his mimicry is a perfect tool to divide a house of terrorists. Trek has always had characters like this - they've just usually worn a Starfleet uniform, or been defeated by a captain who did.
So get out your pencils, or your tablets, or your modeling apps, and show us what "the supers" look like in Star Trek, everything from Batman to Buzz Lightyear, from the Legion of Super Heroes to the League of Extraordinary Gentlebeings. There are lots of species to pick from, and maybe more we haven't thought of. This would be one of those times where a bit of backstory wouldn't hurt, either (but keep in mind, it's all got to fit into one image when you submit your final entry
). Spandex is optional, but try to make your character(s) bigger than life, somehow.
Here's a sample, from a few years ago, just to add some imagery to the idea:
Make sure those entries get mailed in by midnight, Feb. 28, to ptrope at gmail dot com. Nuff said! ™
Fans of Star Trek are certainly no strangers to comic books. Many of our greatest comic heroes have more than a dash of sci-fi added to the mix, from radioactive spiders to escapes from exploding planets, to mutant abilities that set our heroes apart from the rest of us not only physically, but philosophically and politically, as well. While one man flies about brazenly in a cape, another skulks in the shadows and rids the streets of the slime that prey on the innocent; still others fight to protect humanity whether humanity appreciates them or not. Right makes might.
The thing that sets superheroes (and supervillains) apart from the rest of us are abilities that are far superior to those of mortal men. Sometimes they gain them by accident, sometimes by birth, sometimes by intent. In the Star Trek universe, let's just say that it's a matter of being in the right place at the right (or wrong!) time. With hundreds of known inhabited worlds, the galaxy is full of species, all adapted to their home planets and environments, but able to visit other worlds, as well, where their differences set them apart, just like a certain Kryptonian on Earth, or a Martian manhunter. Imagine that, even with vast federations offering peace and tranquility, not everything is perfect all the time. Some things still need a hero ... or some things still breed a villain.
The challenge for February is to create a comic hero, or villain, in the context of Star Trek. It may be a single character, or it might be a team, but it has to be based upon the idea that, amongst all those worlds out there, someone has both the capabilities and the determination to stand out from the crowd and make a difference. Maybe a Klingon uses his superior strength to honorably defend a weaker race from invasion, or a Borg separated from the collective is able to infiltrate technology and turn it against its creators. Maybe a shapeshifter finds that his mimicry is a perfect tool to divide a house of terrorists. Trek has always had characters like this - they've just usually worn a Starfleet uniform, or been defeated by a captain who did.
So get out your pencils, or your tablets, or your modeling apps, and show us what "the supers" look like in Star Trek, everything from Batman to Buzz Lightyear, from the Legion of Super Heroes to the League of Extraordinary Gentlebeings. There are lots of species to pick from, and maybe more we haven't thought of. This would be one of those times where a bit of backstory wouldn't hurt, either (but keep in mind, it's all got to fit into one image when you submit your final entry
). Spandex is optional, but try to make your character(s) bigger than life, somehow.Here's a sample, from a few years ago, just to add some imagery to the idea:
Make sure those entries get mailed in by midnight, Feb. 28, to ptrope at gmail dot com. Nuff said! ™
), I can post that along with the image in the final poll.
