It occurred to me while reading Extinction, the fourth and final volume of Joshua and Jonathan Luna's series Girls, that this story really isn't about a horde of identical gorgeous naked alien girls seducing men, laying eggs and feeding women to a giant sperm monster.

It's about people, and how they react when the chips are down.

The basic scenario here isn't uncommon, particularly among slasher movies -- people are cut off from the rest of civilization and are exposed to a growing, inescapable horror. (Full marks to the Luna boys, the specific horror in this case -- the aforementioned horde of identical gorgeous naked alien girls -- is pretty unique.) But the truly fascinating aspect of the Pennystown tragedy is the way in which its residents respond. There are heroic moments, sure, and maybe even one or two genuine heroes, but for the most part people react with fear. Anger. Lust, obviously. Isolation. Suspicion. Hatred -- sometimes directed at the alien girls, sometimes directed at their friends and neighbors. There is unspeakable violence, and it's not always directed at the enemy.

And Ethan, who sparked the whole scenario by having sex with the first naked alien girl, seems to be having visions.

Extinction doesn't answer all my questions, but it puts a satisfying conclusion on a tense, page-turner of a series. And Girls, gratuitous nudity notwithstanding, is an excellent read, boasting fine storytelling and art as well as character development far beyond the norm. Great job, guys!