There’s a bomb ticking in Minneapolis, and only six hours left until detonation. But don’t cross the river for St. Paul quite yet. The Activity is on this shit.

Here’s the official word from Image:

“BUTTERFLY EFFECT” There is a bomb in Minneapolis, and Team Omaha finds themselves poised to stop it – while back at the ISA headquarters, a grave revelation is about to come to light.

The Activity might be one of the best (and most underrated) comics being produced right now. The plots are drum tight, the action consistently compelling, and technical insight it provides is just plain fascinating — each issue is stuffed with geeky little facts about how an elite unit of Army spies would actually function. Issue #11 is no exception. We get a bomb threat, a cat-and-mouse game, and a resolution so creative and delightful that writer Nathan Edmondson once again sets himself apart as a sharp and imaginative writer. Not since Greg Rucka’s Queen and Country has there been an espionage title so solid.

Mitch Gerads is in top form with with issue #11 — his art makes Edmondson’s script pop, and is a joy to follow. His pen offers the reader enough detail to make the heavy artillery seem uber-real, but pulls back just enough to allow for an authentic a fluidity of motion. It’s the rare artist that can be so detail oriented that a Glock looks real, but so loose with his hand that characters can kick down doors and not look like stick figures with tight joints. But Mitch Gerads is that kind of artist and this book is a perfect fit for him.

My only criticism of  The Activity is its tendency to ignore the human drama of the soldiers it so dutifully profiles. Yes, we get awesome action and in-depth insight into military strategy, but missing is the messy and heartbreaking humanity of people who kill people for a living. Again, consider Tara Chace, the complex heroine from Queen and Country as an example. It was Ruka’s willingness to explore Tara’s emotional fucked-up-ness that helped Q&C transcended the spy genre. And it’s what made that title great. I’d love that for The Activity, too.

4.5 / 5