Issue one ended with a dramatic cliffhanger, as young Travon was saved from certain death at the hands of his neighborhood bully Zion, but abducted and taken into a spaceship by some of the aliens, or alien machines, I’m not clear. Either way, talk about out of the frying pain and into the fire.

Most of this issue is comprised of more flashbacks. We get a lot of Miss Wilamae, Travon’s foster mother, and his time spent with her and Marli, his foster sister. One night while stargazing Miss Wilamae talks about her own previous encounter with a UFO. We get some scenes from the alien invasion, as America’s military tried to fight back to no avail. Travon’s friends Daysha, Todd, and some unnamed Black boy that I don’t recall seeing before are still waiting for him to return to the school campus where they’ve been holed up since the invasion began. And then we see Travon in the spaceship, where the aliens have done something to his body as he was unconscious. When he comes to, revelations are made about the aliens, their intentions, and Travon’s background which are sure to drastically alter his life.

I described this book as “Boyz N The Hood meets War Of The Worlds” in my previous review but I see that it was too simplistic. Rodney Barnes is writing a much deeper story than that here with many layers still to be revealed. He’s telling an apocalyptic sci-fi story while making commentary on the human condition. And artist Alex Lins is just as comfortable drawing a destroyed urban city as he is an alien landscape. Great book.

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM