There are a lot of comics out there but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we take look at Marvel Comics’s “Alien.”
Who’s This By?
The world of “Alien” is getting expanded by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, artist Salvador Larroca, colorist Guru-eFX, and letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles. Johnson is an Eisner-nominated writer, probably best known for his work on “Batman: Secret Files,” “Marvel Zombies,” and “The Power of the Dark Crystal.” As someone who comes from a place of deep love and devotion for all things Alien, Johnson is the perfect choice to bring about the next era of comics for the franchise. Artist Salvador Larocca is someone with a deep rooted connection to Marvel Comics.
If there’s a Marvel character you love, Larocca has probably brought them to life on the page. His character designs are always stunning, and he has the ability to bring a darkness to his visual storytelling; something right at home with this series. Colorist Jochen Weltjens, better known the comics world as Guru-eFX, is another artist with a long history at Marvel. Anyone who reads Marvel at all has held one of his books in their hands. He’s worked on every Marvel hero and villain, has made the leap to other Disney owned franchises like “Star Wars,” and is now breathing life into one of the scariest franchises to ever make the leap from screen to page. Rounding out the all-star creative team is industry legend Clayton Cowles. Multi-award nominated letterer and artist, Cowles has worked with every major comics publisher. His lettering work can be seen in countless books from nearly every genre.
What’s This All About?
“Alien” picks up in 2200, twenty one years after the events of Aliens seeing the destruction of Hadley’s Hope, the loss of the Colonial Marines dispatched to LV-426, and the disappearance of Ellen Ripley. Weyland-Yutani, the evil corporation that’s caused all of the problems with the Xenomorph since the very beginning still controls vast planet colonies, and many space-ways. Loyal company man and retired colonial marine, Gabriel Cruz returns to Earth after years stationed on Epsilon Station.
While seemingly unaware of the true nature of the events on the Nostromo in 2122 or Hadley’s Hope in 2179, Cruz has had his own run in with the nightmarish creatures during his time as a marine and is looking to get his life back to normal. Once home, he tries to reconnect with his estranged son Danny, but things don’t go as planned. In secret, Danny and his girlfriend Iris are part of an organization determined to take down Weyland-Yutani once and for all. Once again lack of knowledge and the company’s evil plans for the Xenomorph come together in disaster as the plot spins out of these overlapping scenarios. Things come to a head with the galaxy’s deadliest, and most perfect, organism on the loose.
We are still very early on in the run, but “Alien” is already setting out to expand on the knowledge we have from the films, and using it to great effect without relying on total fan service. We see familiar things, but it is all used to craft the best story possible rather than leaning on it as a crutch begging for people to like it.
So, Why Should I Read This?
The brain child of Johnson, a self-proclaimed Alien mega-fan and expert, this latest iteration of expanded canon from the beloved sci-fi/horror franchise is set to be the ultimate sequel outside of the films. Johnson’s goal for this series is to have fans to want to slide the books onto the shelf between their copies of Aliens and Alien 3. Where as the two later sequels follow Ripley’s continued story, this series is taking fans in a whole new direction. What’s going on on Earth? Who and what else are the Xenomorphs terrorizing? The series is already doing an incredible job of crafting a spiderweb of narratives that are weaving together as tensions rise.
Continued belowFans of the franchise can jump right in, no matter their level of knowledge or devotion to the canon. Do you know Ripley’s daughter’s name? This is the series for you. Do you simply know that the Aliens are those guys with the big heads? This is the series for you. Another thing that really works in the series favor is its ability to be tied so directly to the first two films and still stand on its own. And if you’re a fan of the many novels and comics already in existence, this doesn’t seem to be going out of its way to strike those down either. In an interview with the Perfect Organism podcast, Johnson made it clear that while Fox are not tying themselves to the pre-Disney canon, they’ve also given Johnson the OK to call back to it if he so wishes. His knowledge and respect for the source material is what got him this job in the first place so fans can rest easy knowing this series is in good hands.
Larroca’s character and environment designs feel right at home with films. Because of the time period this is set in the book does tend to lean more towards James Cameron’s aesthetic and world building style, but we are twenty one years beyond that film as well so he does have some freedom for growth and change as well. Overall his work is stunning and for the most part feels quite cinematic. And with a colorist legend like Guru-eFX giving it his finishing touches, every panel feels like it’s ripped out of the film series. Every page is incredible.
How Can You Read It?
Issue #3 releases today, 5/26/21, so you don’t have far to catch up. Fans of the entire film series will have something to love within these pages. “Alien” is available anywhere comic books are sold.
