Review – Star Trek: The Mirror War – Sisko (one-shot) (IDW Publishing)

Posted on June 22, 2022 in IDW Reviews

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Danny Lore
Artist: Hendry Prasetya
Colorist: DC Alonso
Release Date: 15th June 2022

Expanding upon the world of The Mirror War with a reasonably interesting investigation into an illegal Cardassian weapons deal on the intergalactic Black Market, there’s certainly nothing wrong with Danny Lore’s writing for this twenty-page spotlight upon Benjamin Lafayette Sisko. But whilst Intendant Kira Nerys’ “favourite toy” certainly gets involved in a short-lived fistfight with a band of miscreants and subsequent space-battle against Kaarak Tyr’s small fleet of ships, there’s disappointingly never really a moment where the titular character appears to be in jeopardy. Not even when he raises his voice to his Bajoran mistress as no other slave has ever done before; “You appreciate how fond I am of you, Benjamin Sisko. So you must not have meant to speak to me like that.”

In fact, despite much of this comic’s narrative focusing upon just how fragile life is for a Terran Privateer living within the borders of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, the worst fate that ever seems likely to befall Sisko is that he’s snatched away from the side of Terok Nor’s former Chief of Security and simply sent back to its mines. Such a fate is clearly a ghastly one and is something which is shown to play upon the “abrasive” human’s mind within this comic. However, considering that this book starts off by emphasising just how fearless Benjamin has become, as well as how easily he can outwit his mistress’s political opponents, even a temporary non-canon breaking spell back drilling for minerals at a rock face seems extremely unlikely.

What Lore’s plot for “Star Trek: The Mirror War – Sisko” does provide though is a straightforward romp through the alternative dimension’s criminal underworld, and an intriguing insight into just how cold-hearted a manipulator this incarnation of the captain can be in order to ensure the success of his mission. As with so many of this parallel world’s cast, it is debatably all too easy for a bibliophile to forget that its inhabitants are not the steadfast heroes depicted within the prime universe, and resultantly this publication can repeatedly catch them out by having its ‘central protagonist’ behave in an unexpected manner – such as him making it clear to Tesaks Reyes that he has knowingly ruined the half-human’s life by convincing the black marketeer to betray his Cardassian father.

Just as proficient as this comic’s penmanship is the artwork of Hendry Prasetya, which does a stellar job in bringing its script to life. All the television programme’s actors are easily recognisable in their various roles, with the artist’s illustrations of Avery Brooks and Nana Visitor arguably ‘stealing the show’. In addition, the freelancer manages to imbue Sisko with the steely edge such a ruthless scoundrel would need to survive the duplicitous life Nerys’ current lover maintains, and even projects a palpable air of sexual chemistry between the two whenever they’re in the same scene together.

[PREVIEW ARTWORK – CLICK TO ENLARGE]