The Activity 2“Victory is coming home.” – Weatherman
 
     In Volume 2, Nate Edmondson and Mitch Gerards take us more in-depth with The Activity.  We know the characters now.  We are invested in their fate.  Showcased in this volume is the tragic reality that so many who have ever donned the American military uniform are all too painfully familiar with . . . you can’t save everyone.
 
     Starting off with a flashback in 2003 in the Congo, we get a glimpse into Fiddler’s origin, when she was with Army Civil Affairs.  Her team was sent in to help with setting up a bit of infrastructure for a tribal leader – but things don’t go exactly as planned.  She has to use her brains, and her bravado, to escape capture.  Putting the lives of her team above her own, she manages to exfiltrate successfully.  Others in the village aren’t quite as fortunate.  There is a brief cameo in the Congo with one of her future team-mates in The Activity.
 
     Then on to present day, the team travels to Uzbekistan to try and turn an enemy agent.  They have the “goat” (as they call him) scared out of his mind and running from them.  But on their end, the entire operation is orchestrated chaos.  But, the leak again begins to drip blood on their plans – things never seem to go right for the ISA!  Worse than that; however, Bookstore has been ordered to no longer see her serious boyfriend.  Could he be the infamous leak?
 
     No time to reflect on her predicament, Bookstore and the rest of the team are sent to Somalia. There, the team works with the British S.A.S. to rescue a comrade who is deep in the hornet’s nest surrounded by the enemy.  But, an early Tomahawk strike by the non-special operations community almost kills the entire team.  Mind you, the team that was “painting” the target so the “smart bombs” could hit where they needed to.  Exposed in this issue is the contempt, some say jealousy, of the non-SOF community versus Tier One operators.  Fiddler also makes a new friend.
 
     The less said about the Philippines, the better.  I think you should experience everything that happens in the issue for yourself.  Simply put, if you only get to read one section from this volume, this should be it.  Powerful and disturbing, the pragmatic nature of doing business in the US military is displayed in bright red as Weatherman faces the truth . . . you just can’t save them all!  Sadly, I know this first hand.
 
     Finally, the team is back home in Minnesota, and they must operate to thwart an imminent bomb attack in the city.  They go under “overt cover,” as FBI agents, and Nate shows the sneaky ‘nature’ (pun intended) of how the ISA operates to detect the bomb.
 
     The entire Volume 2 there is more about the leak, and at the end it is finally plugged . . . with more shocking revelations!  But the real secrets are revealed in Issue #13 – maybe I will review that one next week, if you ask nicely.
 
     Again, be sure and follow @TheActivity on twitter and check out their web site: WarfareWithoutWarning.com
 
And remember, while these spooky troops can’t always save everyone, some day they may be saving you . . . and you will never know it, because they don’t exist.

Related posts:

Advance Preview: Oni Press' Do-Gooders (August 26th)
Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #2 Advance Preview
Britannia #1 Nine Page Preview
September 28th Titan Previews: Vikings Uprising #1, Tank Girl: Gold #1, and Assassin's Creed Last De...
Valiant September 2016 Solicitations: Britannia #1, X-O Manowar #50, Faith #3, and More
Garfield #23 Preview