No George Perez this month, as he was dragooned into producing bonus material for Atari's Swordquest video game, but Elise discovers that she likes fill-in penciller Keith Pollard nearly as much! Too bad about the stories in these issues, though... First, we come to a turning point in the life of Sarah Simms, who almost dies in the crossfire between an ex-coworker's toxic sense of sexual entitlement and Vic Stone's subtler form of wounded masculinity. Then, the return of Thunder and Lightning, who have learned absolutely nothing about being part of a decent yarn during their absence. (Hint: hooking them up to the Hive doesn't help!)

 

As always, we are buoyed by the character moments and the knowledge that something really good is just around the corner.

 

Credits: Intro music:

Debbie Harry - "Comic Books"