Ruling in Hell begins with Khan's crew being left on Ceti Alpha Five and Khan reflecting back on the events that led to them starting a new life on this planet. This recap was, of course, detailed in the ST:TOS episode “Space Seed”. The early part of the story details a month by month look at Khan and the group's struggles to adapt to the planet and its environs. As the four-issue mini-series progresses, events alluded to in Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan fall into place. Highlights include the explosion of Ceti Alpha Six, the death of Khan's wife and the story of a power struggle within Khan's group. The mini-series concludes with the arrival of Captain Terrell and first officer Pavel Chekov from the U.S.S. Reliant

Scott and David Tipton do an extremely good job of plotting. The writing and dialog fill in the story of Khan and his people very well. The voices of Khan, Joachim, Marla McGivers and the rest are very strong and easily identifiable. The pacing is also quite well done, as the story flows smoothly from event to event. The art of Fabio Montovani is first rate. All of the characters are fairly easily recognizable and do not detract from the flow of the story. The alternate photo-covers were nice, but could not measure up to the wonderful artistry on display by Michael Stribling's painted covers. All in all, an excellent four-issue effort, well worth the time and money at an average of $3.99 per issue.

(Contributor, Mike Suess has been reading comics off and on for 40 years, has been a Star Trek fan since his parents introduced it to him in the late 60s/early 70s, and a general science fiction fan for 34 years. He has worked for Hero House Comics since October 2010. You can also check out Hero House Comics on Facebook.)

Pick up the entire series of Star Trek: Khan - Ruling in Hell in paperback form here.