What do you think?
Star Trek: Kelvin Timeline (IDW) #2
Star Trek: Spock - Reflections
In the follow-up collection to the smash hit Star Trek: Countdown movie prequel, we discover what could drive a man to abandon all he knows and go to live with the Federations sworn enemy. Discover his real motivations and how he looks back at what brought him to this stranger place in his life.
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
July 30, 2017
Right in the goddamn feels.
November 3, 2019
This is another really excellent Star Trek comic from Scott and David Tipton. We visit all eras of Spock's long life and all his most important relationships, with Sarek, Kirk, T'Pring, Picard, Chapel, etc. You'll recognize moments, characters, and uniforms from several movies and tv serieses.
It is a very poignant capstone to the story of Spock. I'm just going to go keyword search "Star Trek Tipton" at the library and get everything they have!
It is a very poignant capstone to the story of Spock. I'm just going to go keyword search "Star Trek Tipton" at the library and get everything they have!
March 14, 2011
I picked up this book one day when browsing a Barnes and Nobles...and read it in one go.
As a follow up to Star Trek - Countdown (well, actually it's more of a prequel as far as timelines go), this book was fantastic, and the art style was just as consistently good in "Reflections" as it was in "Countdown." As an artist, I REALLY appreciated the visible blending of traditional pen-and ink techniques with digital coloring, and the illustrator of this book excels in his multi-directional hatching. Holy. Cow.
Okay, so art geekiness aside, I really liked this graphic novel. It takes place between the Star Trek TNG episode "Unification" and the graphic novel "Countdown." The story itself was interspersed with flashbacks, transitioning from pane to pane so effortlessly, it could have been used as a storyboard for a movie. The flashbacks trace from Spock's childhood to his first time serving on the Enterprise (under Captain Pike), to the friendship that became famous among fans for the phrase "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." Featured in these flashbacks are scenes that avid star trek fans only wished they could have seen at the time, such as when Spock, now a captain, visits the Enterprise B to see where his friend finally fell - and sees the plaque that was put there in Kirk's honor.
Now, I don't cry easily, but there were three points in this book that made me tear up, right there reading in the aisle of Barnes and Nobles. The scene mentioned above, and two others that were absolutely beautiful.
As a follow up to Star Trek - Countdown (well, actually it's more of a prequel as far as timelines go), this book was fantastic, and the art style was just as consistently good in "Reflections" as it was in "Countdown." As an artist, I REALLY appreciated the visible blending of traditional pen-and ink techniques with digital coloring, and the illustrator of this book excels in his multi-directional hatching. Holy. Cow.
Okay, so art geekiness aside, I really liked this graphic novel. It takes place between the Star Trek TNG episode "Unification" and the graphic novel "Countdown." The story itself was interspersed with flashbacks, transitioning from pane to pane so effortlessly, it could have been used as a storyboard for a movie. The flashbacks trace from Spock's childhood to his first time serving on the Enterprise (under Captain Pike), to the friendship that became famous among fans for the phrase "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." Featured in these flashbacks are scenes that avid star trek fans only wished they could have seen at the time, such as when Spock, now a captain, visits the Enterprise B to see where his friend finally fell - and sees the plaque that was put there in Kirk's honor.
Now, I don't cry easily, but there were three points in this book that made me tear up, right there reading in the aisle of Barnes and Nobles. The scene mentioned above, and two others that were absolutely beautiful.
April 20, 2012
As I conclude my reviews of the Star Trek movie tie-ins, I am going to tackle the toughest of the three. First off, I'm really glad this exists. While Spock is on a mission in this story, it is essentially flashbacks and character moments. That kind of quiet and contemplative story is too rare in comics beyond a single issue. The problem is that I am not the ideal audience for this book. I only have seen the movie and know almost nothing about the various TV series. While I learned a lot about Spock, many of the emotional moments did not resonate for me as much as they would with a less casual fan. I had no idea Spock had gone through so much in the various Star Trek series. That did make me respect him as a character even more however. The art is also fantastic like each of the tie-ins. Reflections is essentially all people talking, but I think every character looks really great. This is the one volume of the three move tie-ins that diehard Star Trek fans will like more than a casual one like me.
October 8, 2017
What a great character piece for Spock, kind of a "Lonesome Dove" feel as the Spock in the era of TNG finds out about the events of Star Trek: Generations. Great character bits in flashbacks, not a lot of dialogue which can be extraneous in Trek sometimes. The pacing is ideal, comics being a visual medium works very well for this story. I don't think it would have worked as well in prose.
March 20, 2010
A movie prequel All About Spock and therefore automatically a must-read. We learn some more about this life.
April 27, 2021
On receiving an unexpected message from Captain Picard, Spock risk all to escort an old friend on his final journey.
A poignant look at Spock's life as he learns to accommodate humans into his Vulcan outlook, the story is well told and the images help provide a sense of dynamism and movement. Beautifully coloured, this graphic novel by the Tiptons is essential reading.
A poignant look at Spock's life as he learns to accommodate humans into his Vulcan outlook, the story is well told and the images help provide a sense of dynamism and movement. Beautifully coloured, this graphic novel by the Tiptons is essential reading.
October 17, 2011
I really liked this, the flashbacks gave spocks character depth and the parts concerning spock and kirk should be considered canon. I believe that it was a more fitting end to captain kirk (I admit I teared up a little) than shatners version.
March 25, 2018
Spock flies to Veridian III after Star Trek Generations to see Kirk's grave and remembers flashes of better Star Trek stories you wish you were reading about instead. It goes on for four issues. Intolerable.
November 21, 2013
don't remember it much.
inferior art, not too thrilling story, but good insights into the characters lives.
inferior art, not too thrilling story, but good insights into the characters lives.
February 13, 2023
The Star Trek Graphic Novel Collection Volume 4.
Two stories wherein Spock is the central character. Set shortly after the events of 'Star Trek: Generations', 'Reflections' sees Spock recalling formative moments from his past as he embarks on a pilgrimage to honour his best friend, James Kirk. The throwback story from the 1960s sees Spock being mentally controlled by incorporeal beings on a planet whose environment is ever-changing.
First of all I'll address the Gold Key Comics story from the 60s which, like most of the ones featured in the Graphic Novel Collection books, is utter garbage.
The writer clearly had little grasp of what made Trek what it is and the artist had even less of an idea (to be fair, Alberto Giolitti had never actually seen Star Trek when he illustrated these comics - but that doesn't make them any less off-brand).
Luckily, despite the low quality of the preposterously-named 'The Peril of Planet Quick Change', this book overall is largely redeemed by the main story; 'Spock: Reflections'.
I've noticed that the Tipton brothers, more than most of IDW's Trek writers, seem to have a genuine love of the source material that infuses their stories with genuine heart that is missing from others. Here we get to explore how Spock, who has worked hard to free himself of his emotions, is affected by the discovery that Kirk was brought back from apparent death, only to die once more on Viridian 3 (in 'Generations').
Whilst the story claims to be a prelude to J. J. Abrams' awful reboot, in reality it's a love letter to Spock as he was portrayed across the decades by the great Leonard Nimoy (I'm sorry, by Zachary Quinto never even comes close). As a lifelong fan of The Original Series and its movie continuations (even more so), this was just the right amount of nostalgia and pathos for me.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Two stories wherein Spock is the central character. Set shortly after the events of 'Star Trek: Generations', 'Reflections' sees Spock recalling formative moments from his past as he embarks on a pilgrimage to honour his best friend, James Kirk. The throwback story from the 1960s sees Spock being mentally controlled by incorporeal beings on a planet whose environment is ever-changing.
First of all I'll address the Gold Key Comics story from the 60s which, like most of the ones featured in the Graphic Novel Collection books, is utter garbage.
The writer clearly had little grasp of what made Trek what it is and the artist had even less of an idea (to be fair, Alberto Giolitti had never actually seen Star Trek when he illustrated these comics - but that doesn't make them any less off-brand).
Luckily, despite the low quality of the preposterously-named 'The Peril of Planet Quick Change', this book overall is largely redeemed by the main story; 'Spock: Reflections'.
I've noticed that the Tipton brothers, more than most of IDW's Trek writers, seem to have a genuine love of the source material that infuses their stories with genuine heart that is missing from others. Here we get to explore how Spock, who has worked hard to free himself of his emotions, is affected by the discovery that Kirk was brought back from apparent death, only to die once more on Viridian 3 (in 'Generations').
Whilst the story claims to be a prelude to J. J. Abrams' awful reboot, in reality it's a love letter to Spock as he was portrayed across the decades by the great Leonard Nimoy (I'm sorry, by Zachary Quinto never even comes close). As a lifelong fan of The Original Series and its movie continuations (even more so), this was just the right amount of nostalgia and pathos for me.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
April 11, 2026
The art is not my favorite, but this miniseries of comics does a great job capturing the emotional connection between TOS Spock and Kirk, something that every newer live-action adaption really struggles with. This is a very convincing sequel to Star Trek: Generations. It did feel strange to have Kirk be resurrected and die dramatically in what was, ultimately, a schlocky film mostly for fan service, with no mention of Spock, who was still alive off-screen somewhere without the faintest idea. These comics give closure to both Spock and the audience It's a really sweet story and Spock would absolutely do this. I accept it as canon immediately.
June 1, 2018
This is an excellent comic if you're a fan of Spock's character. It showcased some moments in his life both when he was younger and as he grew older. I liked it well enough, but I couldn't help wanting more. While I do feel like it captured Spock's various struggles through his years, I would've loved seeing any more.
This is probably the first graphic novel I wanted as a novel. Or at least more time given to each moment reflected on here. Character development, and especially stuff that taps into the psychology of the character, is my jam. I'm always going to want more of it than I get.
This was still very enjoyable, though, and really showed the strength of the relationships Spock formed in his years.
This is probably the first graphic novel I wanted as a novel. Or at least more time given to each moment reflected on here. Character development, and especially stuff that taps into the psychology of the character, is my jam. I'm always going to want more of it than I get.
This was still very enjoyable, though, and really showed the strength of the relationships Spock formed in his years.
January 14, 2021
Este cómic se mantiene en la línea de los anteriores volúmenes sobre los que ya he escrito aunque me gusto mucho más que el tercero. Ahonda en la historia de Spock mostrando diferentes recuerdos de su pasado, me gustó mucho cómo se plantea y cómo se trata gráficamente.
En general muy entretenido, como en los anteriores contamos con una galería de ilustraciones al final y uno de los cómics de Golden Key. He disfrutado de la lectura y me ha proporcionado su ratito de entretenimiento pero poquito más, dudo que continúe con estos cómics a no ser que lleguen a mí de nuevo de forma aleatoria.
En general muy entretenido, como en los anteriores contamos con una galería de ilustraciones al final y uno de los cómics de Golden Key. He disfrutado de la lectura y me ha proporcionado su ratito de entretenimiento pero poquito más, dudo que continúe con estos cómics a no ser que lleguen a mí de nuevo de forma aleatoria.
August 15, 2017
I expect the ST Graphic Novel Collection to be hit and miss as it is supposed to incorporate all the previously published Star Trek comics out there. This didn't strike me as that good at first, but I warmed to it as I went on. Spock's journey is accompanied by memories of his past and shows good insight into his character. Definitely worth the read.
The Key Comic has a silly plot and not fantastic art, but the introduction to explains the context in which these older comics were written.
The Key Comic has a silly plot and not fantastic art, but the introduction to explains the context in which these older comics were written.
October 23, 2023
Another look at Spock. I am uncertain why Goodreads has this in the Kelvin Universe series. It is set in the ST:TOS/ST:TNG Universe. It is set shortly after the movie Star Trek: Generations where the movie franchise switched from TOS to TNG. Spock mourning the death of a friend and reflection on his own life. Well done. Not sure why Hoopla has it listed as a different author/illustrator, but at least Goodreads got it right.
January 24, 2024
Some nice character work in places but lacks substance and doesn’t feel enough to fill 4 issues.
Structurally a bit of a mess.
Lack of detail in art leading to characters all looking the same and settings lacking any sort sense of place.
Not helped by terrible colouring, no variation on skin tone, scenes range from dull to very dull and no change in colour palate to help signify transitions and flashbacks.
.
Structurally a bit of a mess.
Lack of detail in art leading to characters all looking the same and settings lacking any sort sense of place.
Not helped by terrible colouring, no variation on skin tone, scenes range from dull to very dull and no change in colour palate to help signify transitions and flashbacks.
.
April 30, 2024
An emotional look at Spock
This book was all about Spock, as he left his duty on Romulus to make peace with Kirk's death in Generations. As he crosses into federation space, he reminisces on moments in his past that shaped him,
It was an interesting perspective, and filled in some cool gaps in the canon. It also gave some fun perspective into Old Spock's headspace.
It's kinda sad, really.
Life is sad.
This book was all about Spock, as he left his duty on Romulus to make peace with Kirk's death in Generations. As he crosses into federation space, he reminisces on moments in his past that shaped him,
It was an interesting perspective, and filled in some cool gaps in the canon. It also gave some fun perspective into Old Spock's headspace.
It's kinda sad, really.
Life is sad.
May 2, 2018
I will admit that the high rating corresponds mostly to my feels about older Spock. He's all alone and out on Romulus on his own and away from everything he knows. Then the reason for his travels is revealed and you kinda want to die. I enjoyed the flashback stories but the main one just breaks me.
September 28, 2018
A Solid Spock story told in flashback. As always, especially if you remember the Gold Key, the treat of the collection is from Gold Key, written and art that was often done by people who hadn’t seen an episode. This is one of the more interesting stories in terms of action and plot.
July 15, 2023
This wasn't nearly as interesting as the lead-in to the Star Trek reboot. It's cherry-picked moments from Spock's life as he ventures back to Earth to lay an old friend to rest. I like what the Tiptons are doing but there's just not a lot of meat on this bone.
March 10, 2024
As Spock is on his mission to take his friend home he looks back (reflects on) his life from a small child to his years on Romulus. It's a journey of remembering. An emotional trip for star trek fans. Very well done.
April 8, 2024
A moody Spock shuffles through a selection of set pieces from Trek's past while doing his titular reflecting. The art is a bit on the rough side, and I don't see anything here that adds to my enjoyment of either to the original material or to the IDW Trek comics.
March 22, 2026
I have a print version of this; I hadn't read it yet, was looking to downsize my physical books, so I borrowed the ebook version to read it that way--and wound up loving it so much, I bought that ebook and kept the print version too! It's a wonderful, moving story to me.
June 28, 2020
A series of vignettes (some of which directly foreshadow events in Star Trek 2009) anchored by a story of Spock returning to Earth following Kirk's death in Generations. pretty good actually.
April 4, 2021
I read the single issue but I got the graphic novel yesterday. Still good.
January 28, 2022
Fascinating
It was interesting to see the memories from Spock’s point of view, that Spock left Romulus just to bring Kirk home was truly touching.
It was interesting to see the memories from Spock’s point of view, that Spock left Romulus just to bring Kirk home was truly touching.
May 30, 2022
Great graphic comic!
April 19, 2023
A touching story about Spock looking back on his life.
May 3, 2023
A quick read about Spock leading into the reboot ST movie
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews