As someone who’s been a fan of both Star Trek and Green Lantern for a long, long time the idea of a crossover between the two has certainly entered my mind on multiple occasions.  Both mythologies have so much richness that all it would take is the right writer to find the right balance between them.  IDW’s crossovers have proven that Mike Johnson is an excellent choice to bring these two beloved franchises together.  In this week’s penultimate chapter of Star Trek / Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds  readers are treated to the same kind of action packed space thriller that I’ve dreamed of since I was eight years old.

I really need to give Johnson a great deal of credit with how much he is in touch with the Kirk/Spock/McCoy dynamic.  Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry spoke of the triumvirate as representing three parts of the human mind, with Spock representing the logical mind or superego, Dr. McCoy representing the emotional heart or id and Kirk being the human spirit or ego who tries to find the balance between the other two.  The opening pages really capture the essence of that relationship which has been at the core of some of Star Trek‘s greatest moments and it was a treat to see it play out as the three debate the best course of action.

Khan as a Red Lantern continues to brutally chew scenery this issue as he makes his way through Kronos leaving a trail of destruction and broken bodies in his wake.  Having already killed Atrocitus he and his followers are no match for the Klingons as he reaches what is left of their leadership and makes an offer which could very well position him to once and for all have what he wants above all else.

Johnson brings all the players together on Oa and the craziness begins.  While the battle between the Enterprise, the Klingons, the Manhunters, Sinestro and Khan rage on the Green Lanterns race to get to the central power battery and the Guardians of the Universe unleash their own prototype weapon.  The pace of the story picks up with the turn of each page until we reach the end and Johnson unveils a moment that fans have likely wanted to see as much as Hal Jordan as the center seat of the Enterprise.

Angel Hernandez turns in another solid performance and with all the action that Johnson’s script calls for it gives him a lot to do.  I particularly like how Hernandez shifts from a more traditional panel layout to a more chaotic looking one when the the scene shifts to more frenetic action sequences.  His depiction of a Parallax powered Sinestro constructs is very much on point with what we’ve seen on if the DC universe proper and Hernandez uses that to create some outstanding visuals.

Star Trek / Green Lantern: Stranger Worlds #5 is an exciting science fiction romp that will leave fans of either franchise happy.  While I can’t wait to see how Mike Johnson ends this story I’m sad thinking that there’s only one more issue left.  Ten out of ten lanterns.