Star Trek – Hell’s Mirror One Shot

Writer – J.M. DeMatteis

Artist – Matthew Dow Smith

In this one-shot, DeMatteis and Dow Smith take us back to the Mirror Universe and aboard the I.S.S. Enterprise. The Terran Empire has a firm grasp on the galaxy, as planets fall under their might. However, there have been a few unforeseen events since we last visited Kirk and his crew. Spock has defected from the Empire and is now working with Khan Noonien Singh. KHANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Khan has rallied rebels trying to overthrow the Empire to his side and they have liberated one-third of the galaxy from Terran Empire rule. Khan has a plan to destroy the Empire once and for all and it involves something called the Satori Project. When Kirk finds out that the chief architect of Project Satori, Dr. Daystrom, has been rescued from K7 Space Prison, Khan ends up in the crosshairs of the Captain. Will Khan see his objective of uniting the galaxy under one Federation come to fruition? Can he trust Spock? Will Kirk triumph over his adversary?

I have been slowly getting into the Star Trek line of books from IDW Publishing recently and I have liked what I have read so far. I randomly picked up an issue of Star Trek: Year Five last month and I enjoyed it so much, I ordered the next issue to see how the story arc finishes up. Hell’s Mirror had a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and which I thoroughly enjoyed. Project Satori isn’t what you think it is and the reveal made me furiously read through until the end to see its effectiveness. After reading this issue, I’d like to revisit the Mirror Universe episodes of the Star Trek franchise to refresh my memory on some plot points touched upon here.

The phrase on the cover of the book is a bit misleading – before diving into the issue, I thought “a whole new universe to win” meant the Mirror Universe counterparts had found a way to conquer the Prime Universe somehow, but that isn’t the case. After finishing up the book, it applies to Khan and his reaction to the Terran Empire after waking up from suspended animation and seeing how everything has changed for the worse. Just giving you that little tidbit before you pick up this issue.

I know we have some Star Trek fans aka Trekkies here at the site and I cannot recommend this one shot enough. This is a perfect opportunity to catch up on these comics since Star Trek Discovery’s season recently drew to a close or if you need a break from your TNG and DS9 rewatches.

I give this one-shot 4 out of 5 Spock Goatees. This book will make you set your phasers to fun. A new perspective of the Mirror Universe through the eyes of Khan. Is he the same man we know from the Prime Universe or is there something more heroic about him this time around? Is he fighting for the right reasons or only for himself? There’s only one way to find out. Check this book out now!