Comics have become quite expensive in Australia as of late, probably due to the financial crisis that is effecting everything from printing costs and the affordability to the end user. Comics such as Marvel’s Avengers or DC’s Justice League of America have a price tag of $2.99USD which depending on conversion and shipping costs, roughly translates to around $6.00AUD. Although the comics are considerably well written and contains some wonderful art, most readers will easily finish the book in under 10 minutes. Thankfully, this is where the Manga genre comes into the picture that is generally a 200 page comic with a few different stories in the book.

TOKYOPOP is responsible for some of the best Western Manga available with Star Trek the Manga: Uchu one of their latest releases in Australia, in conjunction with Madman. The most noticeable difference with Manga compared to Western comics is the artwork which features that classic anime or Manga style and the art is generally black and white.

Star Trek the Manga: Uchu is based in the original Star Trek universe and features four stories of our favourite Starship captain, James T. Kirk and his number one, Mr. Spock. Although many of the actors who appeared in the original series are past their prime, although William Shatner is still wooing people in Boston Legal, it’s impossible that we’ll see these actors reprising their original roles which is where the world of comics and books come into play.

The first story in this book is the Art of War which is written by former Star Trek actor, Wil Wheaton who played the annoying Wesley Crusher in Star Trek the Next Generation. Thankfully Wheaton is a Star Trek and comic fan which is where his talents comes into play.

He truly captures the spirit of the original Star Trek series in Art of War which  Kirk and a Klingon captain reluctantly join forces to solve the predicament they have landed themselves in. Artist Ej Su captures all the characters perfectly and when you see Captain Kirk, you actually see a young William Shatner. His mastery of the pen truly recreates the action of the Star Trek universe.

The next story is written by David Gerrold with artwork by Dan Hudson that is a tongue and cheek story about an alien species known as the Bandi that actually look like big teddy bears. Unfortunately these creatures are quite powerful with their emotions that effects the crew in a variety of ways and once again threatens the U.S.S. Enterprise. This story Bandi is quite reminiscent of the Trouble with Tribbles which was also written by David Gerrold. It’s a classic light hearted and comedic Star Trek story that works extremely well in the Manga format.

Following the story Bandi is the Humanitarian which is written by Luis Reyes with artwork by Nate Watson and has Mr. Spock in charge of the Enterprise as he attempts to evacuate a planet. Unfortunately when something goes awry, he needs to make the difficult and emotionless decision that often portrays him more human than Vulcan.

The last story is Inalienable Rights which is written by Nathanial Bowden with artwork by Heidi Arnhold. This story involves the U.S.S. Enterprise visiting a new world who has finally developed warp drive technology, similar to Star Trek First Contact, however when Kirk encounters Jeena, an alien with a hidden agenda, things may not be so dry cut. Kirk once again beds another female alien! Although not the best story in this book, Heidi’s artwork is pure Manga.

In conclusion, Star Trek the Manga – Uchu features your classic Star Trek characters that not only pays homage to Gene Roddenberry’s vision, it also works perfectly well with the Manga genre. At almost 200 pages and with a recommended retail of $15.95, this Manga book is definitely worth the admission price alone and can be found at all good book stores or comic and collectible stores.