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Mike Johnson Embraces the Spectrum Throughout the Final Frontier in “Star Trek/Green Lantern” [Interview]

By | June 22nd, 2015
Posted in Interviews | % Comments

The Green Lantern Corps exists to protect and defend all the various sectors of space. The Starship Enterprise is on a mission to discover new worlds and civilizations. It only makes sense that these two intergalactic entities would meet at some point, right?

That’s the hook behind ‘The Spectrum War,’ a new crossover happening in an IDW/DC joint miniseries called “Star Trek/Green Lantern.” Written by “Star Trek” scribe (and former “Supergirl,” “Earth 2: World’s End” and “Superman/Batman” writer) Mike Johnson and illustrated by Angel Hernandez (“Infinite Crisis: Fight for the Multiverse”), this miniseries looks to satisfy fans of both properties, and set up some interesting conflicts along the way. We talked with Mike about his history with both franchises, his hopes for the series, and which GLC members match up best with Enterprise crew members.

These are two properties that fit so well together, it is crazy that no one has thought to combine them before. Before we get to the collaboration, which of these iconic properties were you a fan of earlier?

Mike Johnson: Tough to say! I was born after the original Star Trek series aired, but the reruns were always on, and I had the big Mego action figure of Spock. I don’t remember a time that I wasn’t obsessed with superheroes, and my big brother was a big Green Lantern fan and had the old Super Powers figure with the lanter-raising action, which meant that I became of big Lantern fan. So I guess the seeds of this crossover were planted a loooong time ago.

I grew up a huge Green Lantern fan, and always appreciated that the character worked equally well on Earth as well as in space. Star Trek fans are much less enamored with the Earth-based adventures of the Enterprise crew, so can we presume that this event will be mainly space-based?

MJ: Yes indeed. Given that we are using the new movie Enterprise crew, and since the last two movies both involved Earth directly, we are going in the opposite direction for this crossover. As much fun as it would be to have Kirk and Hal race fighter jets through the Grand Canyon, this story begs for an outer space setting. Maybe we’ll see the Grand Canyon race in the sequel.

You’re quite experienced in handling space-based stories – what are some of the challenges and opportunities to setting your stories off-planet?

MJ: One of the big challenges is the very thing that makes both Trek and Lantern so cool: the idea that anything could be out there waiting for you in the stars. It pushes your imagination to the limit. But therein lays the opportunity to create anything, and when you factor in the kind of combinations of characters and mythology that these franchises provide it really becomes a dream to write.

Let’s play a little game of mix and match – I’ll name a Green Lantern Corps member, and you pair them with a Star Trek character that complements them well, and why:

Guy Gardner – I’d love to see Guy and Bones together in a buddy movie, getting on each other’s nerves.

John Stewart – I think John and Spock would get along well. Something about being the calm in the middle of the space-storm.

Arisia – Chekov, because they both embody youth and hope on a grand adventure.

Killowog – My first instinct is Worf, but to keep this in the spirit of the original series I will say Sulu. You want them on your side in a scrap.

Kyle Rayner – Scotty. Both ingenious creators in their own way, who have used those skills to save the day many times.

G’Nort – Keenser. Both criminally underestimated.

Tomar Re – I think both Tomar and Uhura have a quiet strength that others rely on. In a lot of ways they are the heart and soul of their respective teams.

Mogo – The Enterprise. Both epic characters that give life to others.

Boodikka – I’m going to draw from our ongoing Star Trek comic series and say Eurydice, the sexy space pirate who almost sold the Enterprise for profit. She and Boodikka would make a formidable pair, and could pass for sisters.

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Hal Jordan – It’s gotta be Kirk. The alpha male space jockeys. We’ll see just how that partnership plays out very soon.

Angel Hernandez is an inspired choice for this series – having seen some of his pages, what can you tell our readers about what he’s bringing to this project?

MJ: Angel is the Industrial Light and Magic of this project. He is blowing us all away with his ability to capture the essence of both franchises, while combining them in new and amazing ways. These are some of the coolest pages I have ever seen on any project, and I can’t wait for fans to see them.

Because of this type of event, you’re going to be attracting fans that are more familiar with one franchise versus another – how much do you worry about making the book accessible to all readers, or at some point, do you have to assume a certain base-level of knowledge that allows you to tell the story that you want to tell?

MJ: It’s been a fun challenge. It’s definitely accessible to new readers because the story is not tied to current continuity except in the very broad strikes. Vulcan no longer exists, thanks to the 2009 Star Trek movie, and we embrace the mythology of the different colored Lantern Corps, but these are all presented in the story in a new-reader-friendly way.

It can be tricky to create a tone for an event like this that doesn’t lean particularly hard on one of the properties. Is there a particular crossover that you used as a guide, tone-wise, for something like this? Or were you ok with it being a Green Lantern story set in the Star Trek universe, or vice versa?

MJ: That’s a great question. Because I’ve written so much Star Trek, it felt natural to set it primarily in that universe. But I would say the underlying plot is very much based in Lantern mythology, hence the title “The Spectrum War.” I’ve done my best to give each franchise room to shine, and I hope readers enjoy seeing these two universes collide.

“Star Trek/Green Lantern” #1 hits stores on July 8.


Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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