Usually I stay away from Star Trek comics (although I enjoyed
the television show), and nowadays John Byrne’s work has really been subpar (e.g.
Lab Rats), but boy is Star Trek Romulans Hollow Crown good! I mean, really good!!

Told during the time of the original Star Trek series (with
ridge-less foreheaded Klingons and the like), this book (and the previous issues)
gives us a view of the Romulan side of many classic Star Trek stories, primarily
focused on the effects from the classic story Balance of Terror from Star Trek’s
first season. The book contains several  “cameos”
(if such a word fits for a comic) of characters from the original series, and
plenty of little references to events from other Star Trek episodes.

But frankly, you don’t have to really know anything about
Star Trek history to enjoy this comic. In fact I’m sure I probably don’t
recognize many of the hints to Star Trek lore.

The character dialog is wonderful; Shakespearian in its epic
nature, in which secret agendas play off each others for the heart and soul of
the Romulan empire through control of the halls of power. So much of the story deals
with desires of vengeance from a wife, a son, and a manipulative Klingon empire.

I’m happy to say the art is also first rate. Expressive, clean,
and clear. It has been commented in the past that John Byrne’s art work doesn’t
lend itself to modern computer coloring methods. This comic really refutes that
claim. The pens and coloring work well together, creating a comic which is fun
to look at besides read.

I don’t typically read Star Trek comics, so I don’t know if
this comic undermines any “comic” continuity. (If someone could let me know,
that would be great.) All I can say is this story arc is excellent, and now I’m
eager to go to my comic shop and see what other possible Star Trek gems there are that I’ve
missed over the years.