Pike, X-Men, and Early Voyages
Marvel Paramount (1996–1998)
When Marvel acquired Malibu in 1994 they inherited the DS9 licence, and by 1996 had consolidated the entire Trek comics operation under a dedicated Paramount Comics imprint — multiple ongoing series running simultaneously covering every active show. The standout by a considerable distance is Early Voyages: focused on Captain Christopher Pike commanding the Enterprise years before Kirk, it predated Strange New Worlds by more than two decades and ran for seventeen issues before the licence ended.
The run also produced two X-Men crossovers that sit in their own category entirely. Kirk meets the 1990s X-Men. Picard meets them a year later. Both are exactly what you’re imagining and both are worth reading in precisely the spirit you’d expect.
The best series this era produced. Seventeen issues following Christopher Pike, Number One, Spock, and an original crew aboard the Enterprise before Kirk’s command. Strong characterisation, ambitious stories, and a creative space — the Pike-era Enterprise — that nobody had properly explored in any medium before it. The licence ending at issue seventeen is a genuine loss. Never reprinted despite its reputation.
No collected editions exist for any series in this run. This includes Early Voyages, which has never been reprinted despite its reputation. All material is back-issue only. Early Voyages commands slightly more collector interest than the rest of the line.
Early Voyages #1 is the obvious starting point — the best the era produced and it stands alone clearly. For the crossover curiosities, the original Star Trek / X-Men from 1996 comes first.
You’re interested in the Pike-era Enterprise and want to see how it was handled before Strange New Worlds. Early Voyages is genuinely worth the effort to track down. The rest rewards completionism more than casual reading.
Review coming.
