"Photo Finish" Part 1 Return to Jurassic Park #7 (Topps Comics) Written by Tom and Mary Bierbaum Pencils by Armando Gil Inks by Steve Montano Cover by Michael Golden

The U.S. Army gains control of Isla Nublar and Derek and Abby return as part of the InGen crew.

Story Summary

Not long after the U.S. Army takes over Isla Nublar, Abby and Derrick (last seen in "Heirs to the Thunder" Part 2) return to the island to assist in the efforts to care for the dinosaurs. Abby, in her usual obnoxious fashion, quickly makes an adversary of General West.

While out in the field, Abby witnesses two Army helicopter pilots, Bieber and Shandy, taking pictures of the dinosaurs, despite the fact that all cameras have been forbidden on the island by the General. Abby turns them in and the General has their belongings and the copter searched, but no evidence is found. The two pilots turn things around and tell the General it was they who saw Abby behaving suspiciously in a restricted area. The General has his men search Abby's quarters and a camera with exposed film is found. She protests that Bieber and Shandy must have planted it to frame her. But the General isn't having her excuses and has her evicted from the island.

Bieber and Shandy themselves are assigned to fly her back to the mainland and she quickly surmises that they must have the real film rolls hidden in the mail bag on board where they can be retrieved away from the General's prying eyes. She grabs the mailbag and throws it out the door, where it lands in the jungle. The pilots circle around and land to search for the bag and Abby manages to use her self-defense skills against the two and make her escape.

Quickly, she runs to the employees' dormitory and grabs Derrick, telling him, "You and I are gonna prove I'm innocent."

TO BE CONTINUED IN RETURN TO JURASSIC PARK #8

Didja Know?

I have placed the "Photo Finish" story in between issues 1 and 2 of Jurassic Park: Raptors Attack ("Rush" and "Animals/Men") because this story appears to take place around the same time as Grant and Ellie's imprisonment in Rafael's Columbian compound.

Didja Notice? 

As the helicopter carrying Derrick and Abby flies over the coastline of Isla Nublar, there appears to still be some remnants of Dr. Gustavus' Quonset hut (which slid down the cliff into the sea in "Heirs to the Thunder" Part 2) being battered by the tide on page 1, panel 4.

The dinosaur looking up at the copter on page 1, panel 5 may be a compy (Procompsognathus).

The dinosaurs on pages 2-3 are Brachiosaurs.

The dinosaurs on page 4 appear to be Parasaurolophus.

The bipedal, sail-backed dinos on page 6 may be a species of Iguanodontia, Ouranosaurus.

On page 6, panel 6, the friendly Ouranosaur who was licking Derrick's face now appears to be rubbing its head on him, like a  cat. Cats perform this action not only as a sign of affection, but because they have scent glands on their head that help them to mark something as "theirs". Perhaps this dinosaur is engaging in similar behavior.

The dinosaur on page 7 is a Triceratops.

The dinosaurs running in the foreground of page 9, panel 2 may be compys again.

On page 9, General West tells us that the tabloids have been offering thousands of dollars for pictures of what is on Isla Nublar.

On page 10, panel 2, General West appears to have a dinosaur-themed pen holder in his office on the island. Probably it is a leftover decoration from InGen's occupation of the island.

On page 12 we learn that Abby's last name is Nakajima.