New Discovery comic details and cover

io9 have posted an interview with Star Trek comics writer Mike Johnson, discussing the forthcoming Discovery comic series, co-written with Kirsten Beyer. They also revealed a sumptuous new cover for an issue in the series, from artist J.K. Woodward:

While skirting around spoilers, Johnson raised some interesting points about the series, and in particular how the new Klingons relate to those we already know, but also ow they explore new ground and show a culturally rich society:

I can tell you that our four-issue series tells the origin of T’Kuvma, the leader of the Klingons we meet in the first episode of the show. He has very strong ideas about what the future holds for his people, ideas that not all Klingons share.

This story stays strictly on the Klingon side of things, going into more detail about their perspective on the Federation and the state of play as the show begins. It’s a great opportunity to show that the Klingons are not villains. They are an alien species with their own civilization, filled with individuals with their own dreams, ambitions, and vendettas.

Perhaps most notably he identified Kahless as a major figure; while others have recently noted T'Kuvma thinks of himself as some sort of second coming:

Since Discovery takes place before the original series, we are taking cues about the Klingons’ past from what we have learned about them in subsequent shows. In our comic, this is particularly true when it comes to the legendary Klingon leader Kahless, who casts a long shadow over the events we will witness.

You can read the full interview on io9.

For full listings of all the upcoming Star Trek comic releases, and links to my previous coverage, hit the comics button on my 2017 schedule page. You can also find further comics series reading lists on Trek Collective Lists.