Writer – Bill Mantlo
Artist – Frank Robbins
Inker – Frank Springer
Colours – Janice Cohen
Letters – Irv Watanabe

There is a sound in the ocean coming from the crashed Gamma Sig space probe and it is one that only Mark Harris can hear thanks to his Atlantean heritage. Diving in after it, Mark is swarmed by a host of spores that only he can see and they pass through him, through his mind and he sees things, memories that he cannot possibly know or at the very least, does not remember. It shocks him and as he explains the situation to Elizabeth, that the probe crashed due to these alien spores that only he can see and that they need to get back to space in order to be reunited with their colony, she can do nothing but believe him. Most would think Mark crazy but Elizabeth has come to trust in Mark and she knows that what he says must be true. The same cannot be said of the spores who have no reason to trust anyone and when they hear doubt and the possibility of violence in the mind of Dr. Simon, they act as they must in their own self-defence. Bill Mantlo crafts a fine tale once more, something a little different than what has come previously which is always a good thing and skews it further into the realm of science-fiction. Though it starts out a little measured, the pace soon picks up and remains elevated for the rest of the issue as Mark and the spores race to accomplish what seems to be almost impossible. Taking Mantlo’s words and making them come alive on the page are Frank Robbins and Frank Springer once more and the book looks incredible, each page wonderful to pour over as the story progresses. As it is, the spores take control of Mark so that they might find a way to get home and he has no choice but to do as they command. Soon, the spores put Mark’s life at risk and when it comes to the very point of death, the spores learn just what the truth of it all is and with a bit of help from those they were about to spurn, they are launched once more back into space aboard the Gamma Sig probe. This was a fun issue that will hopefully lead to more out-of-the-box stories like this one.

3.5 out of 5