Picking up from the previous issue, Aspen has traveled to MURIA, the homeland of her undersea race, The Blue, with the corpse of the villain who attacked her, which she presents to their Ruling Council, looking for answers. To her surprise, the Council don’t seem as concerned about the events that happened as Aspen thinks they should be. But they do confirm Aspen’s research about The Typhos, a rival race who tried to wipe out The Blue millenia ago, but were defeated and many of their soldiers imprisoned in stasis throughout the ocean. We’re introduced toa female council member named Virydis, who appears to have some kind of personal vendetta against Aspen, and publicly accuses her of setting the Typhos member free on purpose.

Returning to San Diego, we see Aspen meet up with her boyfriend Chance, whom we learn is some kind of high-level Intelligence Officer working for the U.S. Navy. Although trusting Chance, Aspen has reason to be believe that there is something suspicious about the way he was sent to patrol the area of the ocean in which Aspen found the Typhos prisoner. But just as they’re walking down the street, Aspen is suddenly attacked by a female Typhos member, who somehow knows exactly who she is!

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I’ll just say that when this issue ends, Aspen’s status quo is drastically changed!

Another satisfying issue, which once again showcases writer Blake Northcott’s penchant for knowing how to craft stories with the perfect mix of action, drama and humor. I’ll point out that most of the battle takes place in a comic-book shop, which gives her some more opportunities to slip in some meta-commentary on the state of the comic-book industry. And I love the interplay between Aspen and her roommate Tyler. And once again, the artwork of penciler Marco Renna, inker Mark Roslan, and colorist John Starr make this issue as beautiful to look at as it is nice to read. If you were on the fence about picking up this miniseries, get off and do so now!.

Chacebook rating: 5 STARS

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