Star Trek: Countdown #1-4 (2009)

Star Trek: Countdown #1-4 [Grand Comics Database links: 1, 2, 3, 4 ; Comic Book Database: 1, 1(a), 2, 2(a), 3, 3(a), 4, 4(a)]
(January through April 2009)
IDW Publishing
(Version read: Star Trek: Countdown trade paperback edition (2009) [LibraryThing] [Amazon])

Credits:
Writers: Mike Johnson, Tim Jones
Based On a Story By: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Penciller: David Messina
Inker: David Messina

Series Notes: Numbers 1-4 of a 4-issue limited series. Each issue originally released with both regular (drawn by Messina) and photo variant covers.

Comments: In this limited series from IDW Publishing, we get a prequel story to this year's big Star Trek movie. Focuses heavily on Ambassador Spock and Captain Nero, how they initially agree to work together to try to save Romulus and many other planets from a star about to super nova and how their plan goes awry, ending in them all traveling through a singularity into the past and Nero seeking revenge against Spock.

In many ways, this is a Star Trek: The Next Generation story. Taking place eight years following the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, the final ST:TNG movie, we get to see what has become of Captain (now Ambassador) Jean-Luc Picard, Lt. Commander (now Enterprise captain) Data, Geordi La Forge, and Worf (now a general in the Klingon fleet). Data's presence in this story, eight years after his "death" in Nemesis, is briefly addressed.

Not a bad lead in to this summer's movie. In essence a swan song for The Next Generation as well as a prequel for the new movie with its resultant brand new Star Trek timeline (although the original timeline will doubtlessly continue to be featured in various novels and comic books for many years to come).

This story is originated by the writers of the Star Trek movie, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who speak of their admiration for Star Trek: The Next Generation ("This book has had particular meaning for us in that we fell in love with Star Trek through the characters of The Next Generation").

(Note: This also has an entry on my Star Trek Blog.)