For the first time ever, a visual presentation of the much-discussed, unrevised, unadulterated version of Harlan Ellison’s award-winning Star Trek teleplay, “The City on the Edge of Forever”! See the story as Mr. Ellison originally intended! Adapted by Scott Tipton and David Tipton with art by J.K. Woodward. Includes a new introduction and afterword by Harlan Ellison.
"A compelling new perspective on one of the finest Star Trek tales of all time..." — ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk
"You can't call yourself a real Star Trek fan without experiencing this work." — Trekcore.com
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"City on the Edge of Forever is the comic Star Trek fans have been waiting for." — ComicBookTherapy.com
STAR TREK: Harlan Ellison’s The City on the Edge of Forever The Original Teleplay Ellison • Tipton • Tipton • Woodward
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Original Teleplay by
Harlan Ellison® Adaptation by
Scott Tipton & David Tipton Art by
.J.K..&Woodward Letters by
Neil Uyetake Series Edits by
Chris Ryall STAR TREK created by Gene Roddenberry. Special thanks to Harlan Ellison, Risa Kessler, and John Van Citters for their invaluable assistance.
18 17 16 15
ISBN: 978-1-63140-206-7
www.IDWPUBLISHING.com
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Ted Adams, CEO & Publisher Greg Goldstein, President & COO Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Graphic Artist Chris Ryall, Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Matthew Ruzicka, CPA, Chief Financial Officer Alan Payne, VP of Sales Dirk Wood, VP of Marketing Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services Jeff Webber, VP of Digital Publishing & Business Development
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STAR TREK: HARLAN ELLISON'S THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER THE ORIGINAL TELEPLAY. JANUARY 2015. FIRST PRINTING. Star Trek is ™, ® and © 2015 CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. The City on the Edge of Forever (original Author’s version by Harlan Ellison) is Copyright © 1975 by Harlan Ellison; extended version copyright © 1995 by The Kilimanjaro Corporation. Art © 2015 Idea and Design Works, LLC. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 5080 Santa Fe St., San Diego, CA 92109. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Printed in Korea. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork. Originally published as STAR TREK: HARLAN ELLISON'S THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER THE ORIGINAL TELEPLAY issues #1–5.
Cover by
Juan Ortiz Collection Edits by
Justin Eisinger & Alonzo Simon Collection Design by
Claudia Chong
An Introduction by HARLAN ELLISON® Everyone lives and reacts to hyperbole, gossip, rumor, and supposition before you ever meet anyone—whether you’re Adolf Hitler, Mother Teresa, or God—an opinion has been formed; right or wrong, based on actual fact or crap, an opinion has been formed. There are those who have said I am difficult to work with; that I am abrupt; that I am rude; that I’m a monster. They may be right—I may be all of those things, or none. Those who know me well will differ with that harshest of judgments, which I enter here so that you know I am telling you the absolute truth.
I give praise with caution. When someone asks me how are you, I do not blow them off with a drift or a filler-answer, “Oh, I’m fine.” Many people say “Oh, I’m fine” when they’ve actually got someone dying of cancer of the lymph glands or they’ve got a relative in rehab, or they’re dead broke and cleaning out garbage cans for their dinner. I was brought up not to lie, I try to abide by a code of what was once known as chivalry, and I do not give praise foolishly or undeservedly.
I tell you all of the foregoing as introduction to this astonishing graphic novel because I want you to believe as deeply as you believe in anything that I am “over the moon” at what has been done with my original teleplay of “The City on the Edge of Forever.”
Beginning with my editor Chris Ryall, who is an astonishing person in my life, this project has been envisioned, put together, and carried out by a team headed by Chris so superlative that had I dreamed it in my most Arabian Nights fantasy, I could not have pictured it as perfect as it has turned out.
Bringing on board the Tipton brothers was a stroke of inspired originality by Chris, and the boys have been absolute paladins of my original dream. From the outset, they chose not to be hamstrung by what was done for the television series—even though there have been many who have excused what was done to my script by saying, erroneously, that the technology was not available fifty years ago to approximate what I had put on the page. Scott and David decided early on not to play to that outmoded, limited, self-limiting interpretation of what I had intended as a larger story. They have written a script for five issues, for this graphic novel, that had I been doing it now, I could not have done even one part as well. Then Chris stepped up his game even more, indicating what an astonishing editor he is—remarkable to this business—he went to J.K. Woodward, whose work I knew from his stint on Peter David’s Fallen Angel. But I had no idea that the depth of his inspiration could be so profound. J.K. reached inside himself on my behalf to tap resources that leave me with my senses reeling and my jaw agape. Out of all my years working in comics, television, film, and the visual arts, this is one of the absolute pinnacles. It is the city on the edge of forever of my imagination.
I am equally as impressed, astonished, and overjoyed at the two sets of covers for the five issues that were done by Juan Ortiz and Paul Shipper, each in his own way encapsulating aspects of my vision I could only have prayed for endlessly. I must also commend/mention letterer Neil Uyetake and all others who brought this series to life.
Finally, I thank Risa Kessler and John Van Citters, the people at CBS who were able to be brought on board by Chris Ryall’s brilliant managing of this project from start to finish. Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins, I thank you, too, and I don’t want to forget you. If anyone asks me, you’ve got my testament right here. Please enjoy this graphic novel one one-millionth as much as I do, because I’m over the moon. Yr pal, Harlan Ellison®
Juan Ortiz