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With Friends Like These

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Overview

     Security Chief Garibaldi and hotshot pilot Warren Keffer plunge
     into deep space, following a cryptic clue that may explain why an
     alien outpost was wiped out. Ambushed and forced to crash land on a
     remote planet, Garibaldi recalls his first meeting with Babylon 5's
     former commander, Jeffrey Sinclair.
     
                   Issue 5 (June 1995, released April 4)
                                      
   Setting: Before [7]"The Coming of Shadows"
    Writer: Tim DeHaas
   Premise: J. Michael Straczynski
    Artist: John Ridgway
  Colorist: Robbie Busch

     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
Synopsis

   Garibaldi finds Londo and Vir in the Zocalo and tells Londo he knows
   that the Narn outpost in Quadrant 37 (destroyed in [8]"Chrysalis") has
   been the subject of many of Londo's transmissions. Londo, taken aback
   that Garibaldi has been listening in on him, says he's just staying
   informed. G'Kar, arriving on the scene, notes, "It seems every time
   you are informed of something, others pay with their lives," pointing
   to the destruction of the Narn cruiser in [9]"Revelations." Londo and
   G'Kar nearly come to blows before Vir drags Londo away for a scheduled
   meeting with Delenn.
   
   But it's not Delenn waiting for Londo; it's Morden, who tells Londo to
   be more careful in his off-station communications, and asks that Londo
   tell him if Garibaldi should decide to investigate further.
   
   Garibaldi is in a security office. He's sifting through ambassadorial
   communications, looking for something suspicious, something he's
   apparently authorized to do randomly. Shortly after Ivanova arrives,
   Garibaldi finds Londo using a comm channel, though without tipping
   Londo off to the tap, Garibaldi can't see who's on the other side. It
   turns out to be Refa; the two discuss the Emperor's health (poor.)
   Londo wants to meet with Refa in person to discuss misgivings about
   the "source" who helped him with Quadrant 37; they agree to meet in
   two hours at some predetermined place.
   
   Garibaldi decides that Londo's source is definitely something Earth
   needs to know more about. He rushes off to beat Londo to the meeting
   place, whose location he learned from previous transmissions. As he's
   trying to sneak out with a flyer, Keffer catches up to him and invites
   himself along. "Somebody has to bring you back alive," he says.
   Garibaldi reluctantly agrees.
   
   Londo is on his way to his ship when he runs into Morden. Morden tells
   Londo to cancel his meeting with Refa and instead pay a routine
   diplomatic visit to a Centauri colony. He demands that Londo tell him
   where the meeting was going to take place.
   
   Keffer and Garibaldi emerge from a jumpgate near a planet. Asked why
   he went along, Keffer says, "You needed help. You don't have many
   friends on the station." Garibaldi agrees that Sinclair was the only
   one he knew he could trust.
   
   While they wait for Londo and Refa to arrive, Garibaldi explains why
   he trusts Sinclair in a way that he can never trust Sheridan. It was
   years earlier, back on Mars Colony. Garibaldi had started a shuttle
   transport service, mostly transporting people who didn't like being
   asked questions. He was sitting in his office, nursing a bottle, when
   Lieutenant Commander Sinclair came in with two junior officers and
   enlists Garibaldi's services for a flight. He's a little apprehensive
   about Garibaldi's drunkenness, but Garibaldi accepts the job.
   
   The story is interrupted by the abrupt appearance of a Shadow fighter.
   Keffer heads at breakneck speed for the planet, dodging shots left and
   right, but their ship is hit and goes spinning half out of control.
   Keffer manages to stabilize the ship somewhat, but it's still headed
   for the ground. "Hope the foam-protect still works," says Garibaldi,
   as the ship disappears behind a small mountain range...
   
Backplot

Unanswered Questions

Analysis

Notes

     * Beginning this issue, BABYLON 5 is upgraded to DC's Fracote
       Format, featuring a coated paper stock. Painted cover by Scott
       Hampton.
       
jms speaks

     * I have to say I'm very pleased with issue #5. It came out very
       well, and nicely captures both the look, feel and dialogue of the
       show. There were some bumps along the way in issues 2-4, so I
       didn't say much, but THIS one I can highly recommend.
     * About the new paper and price...I did the first issue, and while
       the pencils were quite good, and the inks okay, when they put the
       coloring in the paper just absorbed the hell out of it and it
       looked like crap, from my POV. (And I'm not speaking out of
       school; I said much the same to DC.) Parts were nice, but other
       parts...yikes. I felt, strongly, that we needed a better quality
       of paper, otherwise a lot of the good work that was being done was
       going to be lost. It would cost more, but finally DC -- which, to
       be fair, has only been VASTLY supportive of B5, and the comic and
       their only intention is to make it as good as possible -- decided
       to go with the better quality paper. The main question was whether
       or not there was enough of a reader base to warrant it; there was,
       and they did.
       

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      Last update: February 5, 1996

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