Tag Archives: megan levens

Preview: The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

Angel Unzueta; Mike Feehan; Ramon Rosanas, Marcus To

You’ve read the series, now revel in the art that brought to life the critically acclaimed and award-winning Star Trek and Defiant comic series!

Star Trek and Defiant have woven a story consisting of 65 issues’ worth of comics into one interconnected epic. This art book gives you an in-depth look into what made it all possible, focusing on cover art, concept art, and final interior art. Also included are interviews with a select number of artists talking about their process and what makes Star Trek special for them.

Artists include Ramon Rosanas, Francesco Francavilla, Declan Shalvey, Rachael Stott, Malachi Ward, JK Woodward, Liana Kangas, Ángel Unzueta, Angel Hernandez, Marcus To, Megan Levens, and more. In total, over 65 artists are highlighted for their contributions to the series!

The Art of Star Trek & Defiant

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts

Star Trek: Red Shirts

Written by Christopher Cantwell
Art by Megan Levens

The doomed Starfleet crew members, the Red Shirts, must track down spies on an isolated planet in this graphic novel.

Stranded on the snow-ridden planet Arkonia 89, the crew of the U.S.S. Warren has a small window in which to pin down spies seeking to steal classified secrets and keep Starfleet data out of their nefarious hands.

They face threats not only from their faceless enemies but from the brutalizing elements and wildlife of a planet far from home. In this complicated story of betrayal, loss, and redemption, the red shirts’ lives and Starfleet’s sanctity are on the line…and no one is safe.  

Star Trek: Red Shirts

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A) Megan Levens

Only two red shirts remain. The other ten crewmembers on Mission Squawkbox have plummeted hundreds of feet to the ground, been eaten alive by giant alien insects, or been exploded into a million tiny bits by falling torpedoes. Each death has dealt a blow to Ensigns Raad’s and Miller’s morale… Is Starfleet really the paragon of cooperation it claims to be? Or is it willing to expend its members’ lives for the sake of peace? With both Klingons and Romulans breathing down their necks, Raad’s and Miller’s loyalty will be tested. Are they for Starfleet? Or themselves?

Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A) Megan Levens

Only two red shirts remain. The other ten crewmembers on Mission Squawkbox have plummeted hundreds of feet to the ground, been eaten alive by giant alien insects, or been exploded into a million tiny bits by falling torpedoes. Each death has dealt a blow to Ensigns Raad’s and Miller’s morale… Is Starfleet really the paragon of cooperation it claims to be? Or is it willing to expend its members’ lives for the sake of peace? With both Klingons and Romulans breathing down their necks, Raad’s and Miller’s loyalty will be tested. Are they for Starfleet? Or themselves?

Star Trek: Red Shirts #5

IDW Announces Three New Hires and Two Promotions

From the sewers of New York to boldly exploring strange new worlds, IDW Publishing has big plans for 2026. And, as everyone knows, building comics takes teamwork. IDW has announced new talented people to the company while also recognizing the hard work of two exceptional employees.

Left to right: Jake Thomas, Darran Robinson, Corey Wells, Ryan Balkam, Cassandra Jones. Art by Megan Levens

Jake Thomas joins the team as Group Editor. With 11 years at Marvel and four years at Humanoids, Jake brings his passion for comics to the TMNT line while also supporting other lines, like GODZILLA and SONIC THE HEDGEHOG.

IDW proudly welcomes Darran Robinson and Corey Wells to the company. As Art Director, Darran will focus primarily on designs, logos, and much more for various IDW comics and projects. He worked at DC for almost eight years, and also worked on design projects for Disney, WWE, Activision, and more. As Fan Engagement Coordinator, Corey will expand IDW’s community engagement through social media, videos, events, and much more. Corey’s previous experience includes working in comic book shops (Fantom Comics, Showcase Comics) and TKO Studios.

Ryan Balkam has been promoted from Speciality Sales Manager to Director of Sales. With more than two years of experience at IDW, Ryan will focus on sales analysis, publishing and retailer strategies, and much more. During his time at IDW, he heavily promoted TMNT’s best-selling relaunch, crafted the hit TMNT #13 blind bag program, and built the engaging Whatnot partnership.

Cassandra Jones received a promotion from Editorial Assistant to Associate Editor. With almost two years at IDW, Cassandra will continue to help craft and coordinate comics from the STAR TREK and MONSTER HIGH lines, as well as select horror comics from the IDW DARK imprint.

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #4

Star Trek: Red Shirts #4

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A) Megan Levens

Ensigns Raad and Miller find themselves on a dark ship and face to face with… Klingons. The two red shirts are accused of being spies, and their captors brutalize and torture them for any information they can get on how the Romulans were able to access a Starfleet subspace antenna feed. Meanwhile, DeMatrio, Amiga, and Lanier engage in a tense starship battle with a Romulan Bird-of-Prey.

If all six remaining red shirts are going to make it off Arkonia 89 alive, someone is going to have to make a sacrifice — but for what? How many red shirts have died to ferret out the Romulans? There must be more to the story than Starfleet is letting on…

Star Trek: Red Shirts #4

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #3

Star Trek: Red Shirts #3

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A) Megan Levens

It’s a race to the top as the anti-Federation spies and the Red Shirts summit the towering antenna on Arkonia 89. The spies seek to escape a transporter disrupter and make it back to their ship with their stolen data, and Raad, Grash, Vesta, and Miller will try to stop them by any means necessary. The climb is made all the more difficult by fire raining from above via a cloaked Warbird captained by a young Romulan and a mysterious Tal Shiar officer.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Lanier, Amiga, and DeMatrio realize a hidden secret about the deceased Cromarty’s base. It just might be their ticket out of this mess alive, but as more lives are senselessly lost, the Red Shirts start to wonder if Starfleet would even care if they made it back at all.

Star Trek: Red Shirts #3

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #2

Star Trek: Red Shirts #2

(W) Christopher Cantwell (A) Megan Levens

After weathering the deaths of their crewmates, the Red Shirts who survived hurtling to Arkonia 89 in torpedo casings have rendezvoused with Lieutenant Cromarty in his underground base. Their mission: to bed down and wait for enemy spies to take the bait they’ve laid in a data disk at the base of a subspace antenna. But little do the Federation officers know, they aren’t the only ones looking for unsuspecting prey…

Star Trek: Red Shirts #2

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 shows us the classic cannon fodder at times survives to be badass

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1

Prepare for a heartrending Star Trek comic that is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Starfleet’s fearless and doomed crew members finally get their own story as main characters… and no one is safe. Featuring an all-new cast of characters, what is the true purpose of their deadly mission and who will survive? Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 is a fantastic start taking the classic punchline of “Red Shirts” and turning them into an expendable Dirty Dozen.

If there’s some things you can count on when it comes to science fiction, it’s that Star Wars’ Stormtroopers can’t hit anything and their armor is worthless while Star Trek’s Red Shirts die by the dozen. Writer Christopher Cantwell puts the spotlight on a group of Red Shirts recruited for an undercover mission to root out a spy.

Like classic films and shows that bring together a rag-tag bunch of screw-ups, Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 introduces us to each one by one highlighting their personalities and making sure we understand what sort of conflict they’re bringing to the mission that’s sure to go off the rails. But, Cantwell does more than that and delivers winks and nods and the inside joke of how expendable Red Shirts are and how unlikely you’ll meet one over the age of 30. The comic deftly uses the joke and turns it into a badge of honor making out its band of misfits to be more badasses than the color of their shirt denotes.

The art by Megan Levens is good with each character being unique and standing out. With color by Charlie Kirchoff and lettering by Jodie Troutman and the art feels like it’s a good match for the concept that’s both serious and not. The delivery method of how the crack unit gets to the surface is packed with humor but also a hell of a lot of action that you can imagine on the big screen and delivers a smile on one’s face. Like the overall concept of the comic, the art takes itself seriously and not at the same time.

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 feels like it’s in on the joke. It has moments that feel like it’s played totally straight and serious and others where it haves fun with its expendable concept. The combination creates some great entertainment where you’re not sure if you want the mission to get all cool, stealth, and full of action, or go completely FUBAR and watch the Red Shirts die in creative and hilarious ways. But, the first issue shows, you can actually have both.

Story: Christopher Cantwell Art: Megan Levens
Color: Charlie Kirchoff Letterer: Jodie Troutman
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.6 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus ComicsKindleGolden Apple Comics

Preview: Star Trek: Red Shirts #1

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1

(W) Christopher Cantwell
(A) Megan Levens
$4.99
July 16, 2025

The start of an all-new heartrending Star Trek five-issue miniseries by writer Christopher Cantwell (Star Trek: Defiant) and artist Megan Levens (Star Trek), featuring Starfleet’s most intrepid and doomed crewmembers: red shirts. Now, finally, they get their own story.

Led by an experienced officer embedded on the snow-ridden planet Arkonia 89, the crew of the U.S.S. Warren has a small window in which to pin down spies seeking to steal classified secrets and keep Starfleet data out of their nefarious hands.

They face threats not only from their faceless enemies but from the brutalizing elements and wildlife of a planet far from home. The red shirts’ lives and Starfleet’s sanctity are on the line… and no one is safe.

Star Trek: Red Shirts #1
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