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"Encounter"
V #3 (DC Comics)
Written by Cary Bates
Pencils by Carmine Infantino
Inks by Tony DeZuniga
Cover by ?
April 1985 |
The Visitors
arrive early for their date in Sparkling Springs.
Story Summary
Continuing from last issue, the Visitor tanker ship lands on the
outskirts of Sparkling Springs, enthusiastically greeted by the
townsfolk. The two parties struck a bargain during the Visitors'
initial presence on Earth: the Visitors peacefully siphon up
tankers of the town's mineral water (which has an invigorating
effect on the aliens' physiology) in exchange for advanced
medical treatment and soil fertilization techniques.
Meanwhile, young Billy leads Willie and Boyce to the town jail
where Donovan, Julie, and Hart are being held. They bust in and
release the threesome. While escaping from the jail, Boyce is
killed by a Visitor laser blast and Julie and Hart are taken
prisoner and escorted to the tanker ship for delivery to Diana
on the mothership. Billy is also killed trying to help Julie and
Hart.
The townsfolk hold an impromptu funeral ceremony for Billy at
the local church and Donovan makes an impassioned, if unwelcome,
speech for the town's citizens to open their eyes and see what a
threat the Visitors are. They reject Donovan's arguments and he
and Willie set out to disrupt the Visitors' plans and free Julie
and Hart by themselves.
As the tanker ship hovers over the geysers to suck up the water
upon eruption, Donovan and Willie strap grenades to the geysers'
spouts so that they are flung to explode against the belly of
the craft. The strategy is successful, bringing the tanker to
the ground in smoke and flame. Angry Visitor soldiers emerge
with their weapons...and are met by the townsfolk who have
thought over Donovan's words and decided to fight.
As the fight progresses, Julie and Hart are freed and the squad
commander, Devon, makes his escape on one of the Visitors'
flying platforms, ruminating on an excuse to give to Diana for
his failure.
In an epilog picking up on Tyler and Chris' story from last
issue, Visitor mercenary Lorne brings their covered bodies to
Nathan Bates at his Science Frontiers office. Unknown to Bates,
the two former CIA men are alive under the sheet, planning to
exterminate him with extreme prejudice.
CONTINUED IN V #4.
Didja Notice?
Page 1 reveals that Sparkling Springs is located
on the outskirts of Death Valley.
As pointed out in the V-mail
column of V #7, on the
two-page spread of pages 2-3, panels 6 & 7 and 8 & 9 should be
reversed to make sense.
On page 4, a Visitor doctor mentions that back on
their homeworld they had great success with skull and brain
reconstruction.
Also on page 4, the Visitor doctor uses a device
with which he is able to instantaneously regenerate an old man's
forearm that had been severed in a tractor accident.
On page 11, Julie and Hart appear to have been
cuffed with some kind of energy-shackles by the Visitors, as we
see them giving off a glow.
On page 12, Donovan, while lecturing the
townsfolk who have made a deal with the devil, refers to the
Visitors as "servile invaders." Since servile means "submissive"
or "fawning", the verb applies to the townsfolk themselves
rather than the invaders.
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Although it looks like a typical
Visitor transport ship on the
outside, the tanker is
apparently of much larger
proportions. On page 15, we see
the interior...rather spacious!
On page 18, Hart refers to it as
being the size of an oil tanker. |
 |
 |
|
Tanker
transport exterior |
Tanker
transport interior. (And
what is the spacesuit that guy
in the bottom right is wearing?) |
On page 20 Devon uses an escape platform (though
it's not called that), one of the Visitors' flying platforms
with a chair mounted on it.
After the townsfolk have rebelled against the Visitors and plan
to dynamite their geysers so the Visitors can't extract any more
of the mineral water, Donovan and Julie agree that the
resistance is stronger today. (Yeah, until Diana decides to wipe
Sparkling Springs off the face of the map in retaliation!)
On page 23, we see a Visitor hovercraft in use on Earth.
