Name: Countdown to Darkness
ISBN: 9781613776230

Mike Johnson

Roberto Orci

The crew of the Enterprise unwittingly becomes embroiled in a decades-old conflict between factions on a remote planet, a situation made worse by a former captain of the Enterprise, long presumed dead.

Countdown to Darkness

Ken Gagne

I expected Countdown to Darkness to feature more of the characters and settings from the film Into Darkness, but it was a prequel in only the slightest sense. Kirk and Spock become embroiled in an alien civil war that tests the length to which they'll adhere to the Prime Directive. This experience is key to the opening sequence of Into Darkness, but as the comic does not feature either of the movie's villains, it doesn't really tie into the majority of the film.

The graphic novel also features a known Star Trek hero as a villain, suggesting this isn't an alternate reality as much as it is a mirror one, which is disappointing. References to the crew's other exploits, such as "the Archon incident" left me wondering what else I've missed.

Jay Carter

Nothing in this prequel to Star Trek Into Darkness enhances the story of the movie, unlike the prequel to the previous movie.