Once again, I'm a bit underwhelmed by Amanda Conner's cover. It's funny that her covers are done in such a different style from her interior artwork. I'm not the biggest fan of that, either, but at least it's clean and consistent. This symbolic, slightly psychedelic look doesn't work for me.
The variant cover by Josh Middleton is more successful, in my opinion. Despite its simplicity, it is rather hypnotic and quite erotic. So erotic, in fact, that I'm actually surprised DC allowed this to print. I'm glad they did, though, because this perfectly fits in with the more taboo themes of this comic.
This issue is narrated by Laurie writing a letter to Hollis Mason, whom she affectionately refers to as her "uncle." I'm a little surprised she has such a close relationship with him, especially since Sally went to great lengths to keep Laurie away from Hollis' tell-all book. I guess Conner and Darwyn Cooke really needed Laurie to have a parental figure through which she could indirectly tell her mom she's alright.
Anyway, Laurie and Greg have moved into a large, rundown home in San Francisco with a bunch of hippies. They both got small jobs, but mostly spend their time having sex and experimenting with art, music and drugs. Laurie loves her new life so much, that she feels compelled to protect it. Reports of violence against some of her fellow hippies inspires Laurie to suit up as Silk Spectre. She battles a knockoff Royal Flush gang and learns that their leader's name is Gurustein.
Unfortunately, Gurustein's master plan is pretty convoluted and silly. At a secret meeting with several top music groups of the '60s — including the Beatles and Rolling Stones — an angry, uptight businessman complains about declining album sales and blames it entirely on hippie culture. So he introduces a scientist named Mr. Owsley, who has developed a liquid that when combined with LSD will give people a strong subconscious desire to buy and consume whenever they hear stereotypical hippie words like peace, love and groovy.
I really have no idea why any of these bands needed to be brought in on this scheme. Couldn't the record label just start distributing this low-key mind control bug on its own? And for that matter, I don't see the purpose of this angry businessman in a suit and tie ranting about hippies. I guess Cooke and Conner really wanted a character to fit that mold, even if he doesn't necessarily advance the plot. In fact, he doesn't even have a name. That's right — Gurustein is actually this guy's boss. But he dresses like a hippie, which enables him to mingle with the youth at parties and personally distribute the drugs ... which were developed by that Owsley character, another guy who probably wasn't completely necessary for this story.
These needless complications thrown into a Saturday-morning villain's plot really bring down this issue. As do the cliché henchmen Silk Spectre has to fight. After the wannabe Royal Flush gang, she next battles a couple of knock-offs straight from Charlie's Angels. But I really do like how Laurie is written here. Instead of becoming lost in her unbridled freedom, she has very quickly learned how to be responsible. She's in a unique position to not only care for her friends when they overdose, but also investigate the forces that are exploiting and killing her friends.
I also appreciated how there were fewer daydreams in this issue. That could be a sign of Laurie starting to grow up, or it could just be Conner saving the really wacky stuff until next issue. This one ended on the cliffhanger of Laurie unwittingly consuming the laced LSD while Greg introduces her to his new friend, Gurustein.
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