Jericho Season 3 - Civil Wars: Issue #1

Synopsis (SPOILER ALERT!): The issue opens with six military jets from the ASA infiltrating Texas airspace in preparation for a sneak attack. Then we cut to Jake who is recalling the events that brought him to Texas to assist in a stand against the ASA's attempts to spread their yoke across the entire country. He recalls the nuclear attacks on 23 cities that brought the nation to shambles and isolated the town of Jericho from the rest of the country. Then we see Hawkins' recollections of his involvement in what has transpired previously. He had worked as a double agent who's job it was to infiltrate the terrorist cell and he had taken and hidden one of the bombs intended for the initial attack. Their recollections come together as their thoughts drift to the ASA which wants to control the entire country and is currently on the verge of civil war with the eastern states with Texas as the wildcard. Then we go to a meeting at Lackland Airforce Base between the Texas leaders and representatives of the United States. It seems that the US is not quite ready to stand up to an attack from the ASA and they need Texas on their side (they claim the state is still part of the union). They also need "something else" to help stand against the ASA, though they do not know what that is. Hawkins may have an idea though, as he gets a message from John Smith asking for help. At that moment, though, the ASA fighters arrive at Lackland and launch their attack, destroying the facility as well as the nearby oil fields. ASA leaders communicate with each other applauding the success and plan on contacting the existing US government in Columbus Ohio with an offer of surrender. We then switch briefly to the town of Jericho where Major Beck is monitoring the information on the attacks. He receives a message on his cell phone then passes information along to the resistance leaders in the town that Jake and Hawkins are still alive but they are not coming home yet. The issue ends with Hawkins telling Jake that with Texas crippled from the attack, they must head into New Mexico (ASA territory) to free John Smith who is apparently a captive. Jake asks why and Hawkins explains that they will need him because he helped build the beast that is the ASA and now he can help dismantle it.

Comments: The comic book reads very much like an episode from the series, in fact the first issue may be too much like an episode. I found it a bit confusing to follow at times and had to reread several pages. I can see where the script here would work well as a television episode, but it does not flow as as well in comic book format. Still this is a relatively minor quibble and did not detract too much from the story and I believe the writers will correct this as they get more accustomed to writing for comics.  All in all, issue #1 gives us a strong start to a series that should have a promising run and that will carry on the story of the television while maintaining the level of quality that fans will expect.