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Debt of Honour

by Chris Claremont, Adam Hughes & Karl Story

- graphic novel review (1992)

A relatively new development in the last few years has been the "graphic novel", a sort of grown-up version of the comic book. Indeed, most so-called graphic novels are nothing more than several issues of a comic book, bound together in a glossy cover. An example of this in the DC comics Star Trek title is the "Mirror Universe" saga (DC - around the £10 mark). Some graphic novels however are especially written for the format; Frank Miller's extraordinary re-working of the Batman myth in "The Dark Knight Returns" was probably one of the first to give the format its current respectability and was responsible in great part for the rehabilitation of Batman as a serious character after the (wonderfully) camp 1960s incarnation. Such one-off stories are generally much more successful than the necessarily episodic collections. "Debt of Honour" is one of these specially written stories, and is hugely successful.

The writer, Chris Claremont, is perhaps best known to comic book readers as the writer of the X-Men during their finest period in the early eighties. He has a sure grasp of character and situation and his plots are satisfyingly complex and character driven.

He has excelled himself here, coming up with a story that spans the entire history of Star Trek from several years prior to The Cage to sometime before the events of Star Trek V. As well as the regular crew he uses many old friends from the original series (some of whom we had almost forgotten) and introduces new characters, as well as giving us some great old-fashioned "bug-eyed monsters" and a plot which involves violent action, covert operations, an alliance of enemies, heartbreak, tragedy. All this, and the story still finds time for romance, humour and thoughtfulness.

The book begins and ends with Kirk at sea, taking a vacation with Gillian Taylor (and George and Gracie) after the events depicted in Star Trek IV. Betweentimes, the action switches from era to era. We see a young Lieutenant Kirk on board the Farragut, coming to terms with his own sense of failure after the attack of the "cloud creature" ("Obsession" - TOS). That danger past, another intervenes, and Kirk must fight once more to save his ship. In this he is helped by a strange but beautiful ally. Again and again, as Kirk's career progresses, he finds himself running into the same danger; immediately following the events shown in "The Doomsday Machine", in the aftermath of the V'ger mission, and finally, he must face (and destroy, if he can) a deadly threat not only to the Federation but to all spacefaring races.

In this he has allies; not only his own crew but two people who by rights should be enemies - Kor, the Klingon captain from "Errand of Mercy", now disgraced and banished to the fringes of the Empire, and T'Cel the beautiful captain of the Romulan bird of prey Phoenix. In T'Cel, Claremont has created a memorable partner for James T Kirk, perhaps the only woman he has ever truly loved - and can never have.

There are many deft touches in the writing and Claremont's knowledge of Trek continuity is faultless - there is a lovely sub-plot involving Jaime Finney, who we last saw as a young girl, the daughter of Ben Finney in "Court Martial", now a Lieutenant aboard the Enterprise - and his use of established characters is excellent. There are also numerous echoes of classic dialogue from the series and the movies. The regulars ring true on every page (check out the chess match between Spock and McCoy!) and their relationships are beautifully drawn in every era.

Complex and satisfying though the plot is, Claremont goes further still. The story gives us one of the closest glimpses yet into the soul of James T Kirk, from the first dream sequence to the final self-revealing elegy for the 'old' Enterprise. This is a quite brilliant portrayal of the complex individual that is James Kirk. Claremont truly understands the man. As he has Spock say at one point: There is a predatory aspect to the captain's behaviour I have not seen in many years. An aspect of himself that emerges when he...'walks on the wild side'. When the ship is in danger. When the explorer gives way to the warrior. That's good writing by any standards.

Finally, a word about the superlative artwork, on which any graphic novel must be judged. Tom McGraw's cover is a beautiful hint of the delights within, and in the interior artwork I have rarely seen such a detailed and accurate portrayal of both the characters and the equipment in all the eras shown (even I'd forgotten the hokey "rayguns" of "The Cage"-era Trek). The characters' faces are always recognisable (not by any means an easy task!) without ever falling into static "photo-realism". The layout is dynamic and easy to follow and there are several panels which make you gasp - Enterprise in Spacedock, and the Enterprise's drop out of warp to rendezvous with Kirk's shuttle being particular standouts.

Last issue, I gave the novel "Prime Directive" a rating of six stars. At the risk of it becoming a habit, I have to give "Debt Of Honour" the same number. Not just a great graphic novel but up there with the very best Star Trek. What a film this would have made! Read and enjoy.