Creators: Joshua Williamson (writer), Andrea Milana (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer)
Story: Picking up where last issue left off, Risk is fighting the ghosts of his pasts as Crystal Ball (the Cobra hypnotist and paranormal scientist) tries to torture him but he fights them off. Crystal Ball then ups the ante. Meanwhile, after a brief skirmish, Destro and Baroness decided to a temporary alliance in order to get out. Risk encounters more ghosts of his past and ends up in a fist fight with Mercer. The two come to terms and also decide to work together. Destro and Baroness find more energon and Stalker and Chameleon hooked up to some machines. Mercer is then taken out and Crystal Ball decides to face Risk himself.
Writing: Williamson keeps this story moving, rarely with any downtime. The Baroness and Risk get a bit more of their backgrounds explained and we start to see a classic Baroness/Destro relationship emerge (though whether it lasts or not, who knows!). Like what he did with Raptor (the Cobra falconer), Williamson is also making Richard "Crystal Ball" King a much more interesting and threatening character than we've seen in the past.
Art: Art is excellent. We get to see "energon ghosts" throughout the place that have a bit of creep factor to them. Getting to see Crystal Ball ready for combat at the end with his spectrally-charged sword, D.I.R.E. (Dread-Inducing Responsive Energy) Tech-projected monster mask & hypno-shield was cool too (using his new G.I. Joe Classified Series #159 figure as template). With a haunted mansion vibe going, there are a lot of dark colors as well.
Overall: A fun issue that keeps the story and action moving; it also lays a few hints at what's to come later on.
