Chris Claremont paid ‘Debt of Honor’ in 1992

Word Balloons #1183: Writer among six to be honored by Harvey Awards

The Harvey Awards are inducting six into its hall of fame on Oct. 13 during New York Comic Con. The honorees are Chris Claremont, Bill Griffith, Walter Simonson, Louise Simonson, Marv Wolfman, and the late George Pérez. All have esteemed careers in comics; in today’s column, I will look at a small corner of one inductee’s resume: “Star Trek: Debt of Honor” by Claremont and Adam Hughes. 

Claremont is best known for his 16-year run on “Uncanny X-Men” from 1975-1991, during which that title became comics’ best-selling and most influential. Claremont also wrote “Sovereign Seven” for DC, “WildC.A.T.s” for Image, and “Aliens vs. Predator” for Dark Horse, among many others. After Claremont departed “X-Men,” having written the best-selling comic of all-time with 1991’s “X-Men” #1, 1992 brought “Star Trek: Debt of Honor” to shelves as an original graphic novel. This was the first “Star Trek” original graphic novel from DC Comics, who held the comic rights to the property at that time.  

Following the events of the film “Star Trek IV,” Captain James T. Kirk is ready for a break – and perhaps an opportunity to see the birth of the newest humpback whale in the 23rd Century. 

But a secret threat and an old flame both draw Kirk into a dangerous mission. He’s joined, nearly against his will, by his Enterprise crewmates and several other Starfleet officers who owe Jim Kirk greatly. Kirk will make alliances behind the scenes with both the Romulans and Klingons to face a threat that could destroy both empires, as well as the Federation. 

Adam Hughes shows great dexterity for likenesses in this action-packed and emotionally revealing graphic novel.  

The novel flashes back to Kirk’s time aboard the Farragut, where Kirk is a lieutenant and first encounters the buglike aliens he calls “the critters.” Also on the Farragut is T’Cel, a half-Vulcan, half-Romulan with whom a budding romance is implied. Though she and Kirk go their separate ways, their star-crossed romance continues to be a key part of the “Debt of Honor.” 

As the critters continue to destroy ships, often leaving no survivors, Kirk realizes the threat the critters pose to the Federation, the Romulans, and the Klingons – even if the respective bureaucracies do not. So Kirk must again go rogue, facing tall odds against a more powerful enemy with the fate of the galaxy in his hands.  

Original series fans will be pleased to see characters including Riley, Kyle, Garrovick, and even Janice Rand, whose career seems to have taken off after leaving the Enterprise, making appearances in “Debt of Honor.”  The graphic novel is text-heavy in places, as befitting Claremont, but he certainly understands these characters and portrays them well. Various revelations on “The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine” in places muddy or contradict the continuity of the graphic novel – but it’s nonetheless still worth a read more than 30 years after its release. 

“Debt of Honor” was reprinted by IDW in 2021. Coming up for Claremont is a miniseries, “Wolverine: Madripoor Knights,” with Edgar Salazar in 2024. 

Kraken Sale 2 continues!

Speeding Bullet Comics’ second annual Kraken sale is still underway. 

The Kraken Sale features 50 percent off hundreds of trade paperbacks.

Step into the “Kraken Sale” room with the undersea-blue walls and step into a world of savings!

Find amazing deals on titles including hardcovers, paperbacks, children’s books, and more from publishers including Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and more! Keep checking with Speeding Bullet Comics, 614 N Porter Ave. in Norman, OK, for more deals through October as the Kraken grows!

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.