The nation of ©alifornia is reeling from the death of General Courtney Vesla. The government and the people must now deal with the aftermath of the fall of their beloved hero, in what’s being spun as an enemy action. Meanwhile, Richard must deal with the aftermath of the ousting (by him) of his former friend and business partner, Markus. It may have unintended consequences.

Plus, there’s a new group (new to us, the readers, at any rate) preparing for something big. It seems on the surface like just a few friends getting together for dinner. But this group of friends is well-trained, well-equipped, and highly motivated for… Well, you’ll just have to read and see.

There were a number of story threads in the first issue of this comic, and now there are even more. A couple of them seem to appear without introduction and/or fall off without explanation—but it’s all connected. There’s a lot that has yet to be explained, but we’re still fairly early in the comic’s run. I don’t know how many total issues are planned, but I have no doubt that there’s a plan for everybody in this complex and intricate story.

In the meantime, I love the world that the comic creates, and the motif of government-as-corporation, with leaders answerable not to their constituents, but to their investors, and to a board of directors. An argument could be made that it’s not that different from the way things are currently, which I’m sure was at least part of what inspired the story to begin with. But the difference is, in this near-future world, the corporate structure is more overt, and the ramifications of that shift are what drive the story and what make it such a compelling read. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in the next issue.

Creative Team: Arthur N. Ebuen (writer), Dave Law (illustrator/colorist), Justin Giampaoli (editor), Frank Cvetkovic (letterer)
Publisher: Studio 12-7
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