Smith has written about Roswell, Texas for many years, back when it went by the title, Texas über Alles. What started as a project between Rex F. May and Smith bounced around for many years without a publisher. May, known to many libertarians as the artist Baloo, has published countless comics in magazines such as Reason, The Voluntarist, Liberty, and elsewhere. The concept of alternate history set in Texas in 1947 and dealing with aliens seemed like just a great idea until Smith discovered artist Scott Bieser, and they collaborated on the graphic novel version of The Probability Broach. Now rose an opportunity to finally bring his project into print, though in a different format. Initially the book appeared online, serialized a few pages at a time for a little over a year at Big Head Press, before appearing in print in the summer of 2008. The project added two more contributors—colorist Jen Zach and letterer Zeke Bieser.

Roswell, Texas opens with a brief flashback to the battle of the Alamo, in which one Santa Anna was shot and killed by a Tennessee sharpshooter, and history diverged from our time line. The story then jumps to 1964 as the new president of the Republic of Texas assumes office. President Charles Lindberg, Jr uncovers some interesting notes left behind by one of his predecessors—his father—dealing with certain events around July 4th, 1947. He summons his father's right hand man, “Wild Bill” Bear, who relates the events that took place 17 years hence. This is the kind of alternate history one almost wish really happened, with a cast of characters transformed into improbably wonderful new roles, in a world fine-tuned to signals audible only on clear nights when the air is chill and strange patterns among the planets reveal the truly unexpected (okay, that's not in the book, but the reviewer's mind).

I've probably read through all 260 plus pages of this novel four or five times by now, and each time I discover nuances in the text and images that make me flip the pages looking for clues and meanings. Undoubtedly there are many secrets still within the pages of the book, but beyond all the cameos and allusions lie the story, a classic alien invasion mixed with Smith's near non-existent state world where the right to arms and self-defense is integral. In that regard Smith stands alone, even among libertarian writers, to the point where even some libertarians have found the ever present side-arms distracting or embarrassing. Yet in the context of American history, the right to bear arms is an essential aspect of individual liberty. In a free society any person can choose not to carry a gun, but in a world where criminals care little about the laws on the books and police departments act as archaeologists or confiscators, sometimes self-defense means reliance upon the self for that defense.

When Wild Bill rides west with three noted Texas Rangers (including Malcolm Little and Meir Kahane) they are all armed, as are their enemies. As in any action adventure there are gun-fights, gorgeous women, and chase scenes. Humor is sprinkled throughout the pages by both the writers and artist. Texas has its own version of Mount Rushmore, with four famous Sams; Adolf Hitler migrated to Texas and became an artist, fathering a daughter who was elected president of Texas; Walt Disney runs a vast Empire in California; Gene Roddenberry flies in the air defense force about the desert of West Texas; and John Wayne goes under his real name as a cynical yet honorable marine serving in the California military. There is a special appearance by a legendary pin-up girl in our universe, who lives a more modest lifestyle in this one, but still plays a central role in the story. Bieser outshines himself in the artwork for this character.

As the Texas Rangers converge on Roswell, forces from other nations, both covert and openly hostile, also race to find the reported alien wreckage. When all these worlds collide fire arms heat up, and the massive shoot-out results in a vast shake-up of allegiances and purposes.

At times it seems like the novel contains too much of a good thing. The cast of characters makes keeping track of all the different entities and individuals almost impossible. Some of the dialog also tries to explain too much, and words are bolded or italicized such that the reader wonders at the importance of the highlighted words, a tough act when 25 to 50 percent of the text seems stressed in this manner. These few quibbles aside, I found this book one of the more enjoyable and exciting graphic novels, and alternate history ideas, that I have read in some time. This book is rife with entertainment and laughter, and while Smith's individualism continues to shine, in Roswell, Texas, it seems that th story is all about the characters. This is quite fitting, given the contributions of all five people to this book.