Writer – Cary Bates
Artist – Carmine Infantino
Inker – Tony DeZuniga
Colours – Michele Wolfman
Letters – John Costanza

Landing in a place called Sparkling Springs, Julie and the resistance fighters who accompanied her on their stolen alien ship discover a bit of strangeness when meeting the locals. It turns out they were not expected and those who inhabit the town, though they be human, will brook no interference from outsiders as the deal they have with the invaders is one they will not break. Elsewhere, the most wanted man in Los Angeles – Ham Tyler and his friend Chris are currently trying to make a break for it at the marina and while running into a little opposition from some drug runners, they soon get away. It is not all smooth sailing though as they soon find themselves under attack by the alien scum that ambushed them in the previous issue and they surmise that when Chris was shot, a tracker was implanted in his arm which is allowing the aliens to follow them. Cary Bates and Carmine Infantino continue to give readers exactly what they would expect in a comic like this – some great action and tension to go with it as the resistance fighters on two different fronts find themselves in a whole lot of trouble. As for the invaders, leader Diana is not happy and she is tired of the failure that surrounds her. She finds that humanity might be rubbing off on her people and decides to make an example of her current captain, immediately replaced by another with the threat of death hanging over him. Bates gets back to Julie and the men who are soon locked up in jail and it is there they hear about the deal the townsfolk have with the snakes, something they find totally surprising and when it is all over, they know they have to escape or risk a more permanent fate. As for Ham and Chris, they manage to make short work of their pursuers, at least for the moment thanks to an arsenal of weapons discovered onboard. There was a lot to love about this book, from the characterization that Bates infuses his players with, making them relatable to the reader and thus invested in the story to the pacing throughout and again, the action which was quite exciting at times. A great package through and through.

4 out of 5