Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 left us on tenterhooks with a tense cliffhanger for the finale ‘Hegemony’. It will be a torturous wait for the conclusion, expected to be over a year away. Don’t worry, though. A new adventure for Captain Pike and the Enterprise Crew is heading our way! It might not be Season 3, but it’s set to soothe some withdrawal pangs, at least for a while. Comic series Strange New Worlds – ‘The Scorpius Run’ Issue #1 warps in from IDW Publishing next week, kicking off a 5-issue run. And if you’re in the Annapolis (Maryland, USA) area you can get your hands on issue #1 early, with Sean Van Gorman’s exclusive cover. Find out how below!
A New Adventure for The Enterprise Crew!
Launching on August 23rd, Strange New Worlds – ‘The Scorpius Run’ will see Captain Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise head to the Scorpius constellation! As they venture into the unknown, Enterprise’s crew must learn what it truly means to traverse the strange and unfamiliar when they lose contact with Starfleet and find themselves trapped in unexplored space!
The new series is from Star Trek comic veterans Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott, with story consultant Kirsten Beyer (and SNW Producer) and art by Angel Hernandez. And as usual, each issue will have several variant covers from a host of IDW Publishing’s talented roster of artists.
Issue #1 launches with an extra special cover variant, a tribute to a classic from artist Sean Von Gorman! Sean took some time to give us a little insight into his process of creating a cover. Plus, a little hint at what fans can expect from the series!
Sean Von Gorman – A Tribute Cover
Q. How did you decide on the style for your cover?
It’s based on a cover for Star Trek #1 for DC Comics 1983
Sean Von Gorman
I’ve always loved that cover. It popped up a lot in my research, getting ready to do Trek comics. I’ve always thought the design of it was very striking and exciting. I only recently found out that this was a George Perez cover. He did Trek work for DC (Comics) in the 80s and would go on to become a legendary Comic Artist. I thought it would be cool to take a beat from Strange New Worlds. I wanted to bring something we enjoyed from the past with a modern sensibility to it, which is something the show excels at. It’s something I had the idea for before this project came up. I had been chipping away at it in secret before IDW gave me an SNW assignment.
When I send over cover concepts, I’ll usually send one that fits with the assignment I’ve been tasked to do. And then I will throw in a fun one that I think would sell. This idea was one I had pitched that was originally passed on. But I had a strong feeling that this would be something.
Starting out…
Q. How did you become a comic artist and what are some of your career highlights?
I’ve been working in Comics for a little over 10 years now. I started with a book called The Secret Adventures of Houdini which was an action-adventure story based on the life of the real Harry Houdini. To go along with that I would perform public stunts. Like breaking out of straight jackets and chaining myself to comics shops until we would sell out of the book. I’ve gone on to do creator-owned books like PAWN SHOP, and Toe Tag Riot. And have contributed to things like the Love Is Love Anthology. I’m working on a new project called The Pedestrian which is about a street-level costumed hero who never breaks the law to fight crime.
Sean Von Gorman
Q. How would you ‘tease’ (no spoilers) ‘this series ‘The Scorpius Run’ to fans?
This series was pitched to me as ‘The Cannonball Run‘ in Space with The Enterprise. I can’t think of a more exciting premise. Keep an eye out for my second Strange New Worlds – ‘The Scorpius Run’ cover for Issue #5!
Sean Von Gorman
For those who don’t know the reference, ‘The Cannonball Run’ is a 1980s Burt Reynolds movie about a crazy, illegal car race across the US. It’s packed with fun and action and some wild characters. Sounds right up Strange New Worlds street!
Creating the Cover
One thing that stands out about the recent crop of IDW Publishing’s Star Trek comics is the artwork. Not just inside, but outside too, and the wide variety of artists and styles. Some talented fan artists have even leapt, producing covers for IDW like J.J. Lendl and Steffi Hochriegl!
But where do you begin to create a unique comic cover?
I start with doing digital pencils and get all details just right and print them out on bristol in blue lines to ink digitally. This one was tricky because in the summer months, my studio gets very humid, and making fine details with ink is very tricky. That made inking the many actor likenesses impossible, so I went back and inked those elements digitally and then printed those out in black, and then added those to the final piece before scanning. After scanning I touched up/corrected some imperfections before sending them off to be colored.
Sean Von Gorman
This one was a beast. I had pitched this with a few other concepts!
If you want to see more of Sean’s work and how he creates it, head to Socials. Sean shares lots of videos on his process and shows how he creates his comic covers via Twitter (sorry ‘X’) and Instagram.
Special Signings
As any comic collector will tell you, getting our hands on some of the cover variants can be very tough! Fortunately, there are special signings coming up! For those lucky enough to be in the Annapolis area, Sean and IDW Publishing’s Trek Group Editor Heather Antos will be doing a special event! You can get the exclusive cover, plus have it signed this weekend at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, MA. Plus Black Cat Comics in Salt Lake City, UT is holding a signing in September. Full details are below!
Event Location: Third Eye Comics, 209 Chinquapin Round Rd Annapolis, MD 21401
Date & Time: Saturday, August 19 (2023) from 11am – 1pm
More info: thirdeyecomics.com/event/trek
Event Location: Black Cat Comics, 2261 Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Date & Time: Saturday, September 2 (2023) 11am
More info: blackcat-comics.com/
Order Online
For those who can’t make the signings, there are a limited number of tribute cover issues available to order online from Third Eye Comics including signed copies!
Upcoming Issues…
In Issue #1: Come back to Strange New Worlds with a never-before-seen adventure of the hit Paramount+ show! Set course with Captain Pike and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the Scorpius constellation! As they venture into the unknown, the Enterprise crew learn what it truly means to traverse through the strange and unfamiliar when they lose contact with Starfleet and find themselves trapped in unexplored space!
Release Date: August 23, 2023
In Issue #2: Let the race begin! After entering a crime lord’s starship competition to save an innocent pilot, the U.S.S. Enterprise jets through a gauntlet of dangerous environments in the unexplored Scorpius sector. But cosmic storms and sentient ship-eating asteroids aren’t the only obstacles the crew will have to survive!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
In Issue #3: Captain Pike’s crew must think on the fly as they race to the finish line, try to stay alive, and cover one another’s backs! But it’s not only the Scorpius region that’s unfamiliar to them. The people and ships they’ve been forced to join are strange, and they will have to get creative if they’re to make it through the mobster Zephyx’s rat race.
Release Date: Nov 1, 2023
Also available from:
You can pick up your issues of Strange New Worlds – ‘The Scorpius Run’ from your local comic book stories, either walk in and purchase or pre-order. It is also available via the IDW App and website, and keep an eye on their Exclusives section for special covers. Plus, you can order online print copies from a variety of outlets including Forbidden Planet (in the UK).
Previous Captain Pike Series From IDW!
This will be IDW’s 3rd series for Captain Pike and his crew! And if you’ve not caught the previous stories, you really have been missing out! Not only do they have fantastic artwork, but the stories are top notch too! And you don’t have to wait for individual issues to be released, or track down back copies. Both series will be available digitally or as graphic novels.
‘Aftermath’ is technically under the banner of Star Trek: Discovery. Its story is set just after the events of Season 2 before Strange New Worlds was announced. After discovering Michael Burnham’s personal log, Spock begins to unravel the story of Burnham’s journey from orphan to Starfleet officer—and the secret history of the Red Angel as well. But as he confronts the secrets of Burnham’s past, he’ll also have to grapple with his own. The 3-part series is available now as a graphic novel.
‘The Illyrian Enigma’ follows up on the events of Strange New Worlds Season 1 finale cliffhanger. With Una accused of unlawful genetic modification by Starfleet, Captain Pike sets out in search of evidence that could prove her innocence. But, when Captain Pike and the crew of the Enterprise get caught in the Pryllia colony, home to the illusive Illyrians, the mission objective quickly shifts from gathering evidence to exonerate Una to…breaking out. The 5-part series will be available as a graphic novel from October 10, 2023.
More From Trek Central
🚨 – REVIEW – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds “Hegemony”
🔥 – REVIEW – Star Trek: The Motion Picture – ‘Echoes’ Issue #4
🔍️ – Where Is Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3?
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