Alien Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN ANNUAL No. 1, December 2023

Described by its New York City-based publishers as “a frightening new chapter in the Alien mythos” which “launches a war between Xenomorphs”, Declan Shalvey’s storyline for this first “Alien Annual” is certainly crammed full of ferocious close combat and buckets of flesh-burning acidic blood. Indeed, considering just how many different extra-terrestrials are shown swarming across the frozen surface of Moon LV-695, only the most studious of franchise fans will arguably have the fortitude and patience to tally-up the thirty-page periodical’s horrendous kill count.

Such an unrelenting assault upon the readers’ senses is probably manna from heaven for any adrenalin junkies, considering that this publication almost entirely consists of panels depicting the different species lopping off one another’s heads or being lethally burnt straight through to their innards. But by the time the plot moves on to the original invaders’ Queen facing off against her prodigal sons’ equally-formidable monarch, many within the comic’s audience will surely have grown numb to such gratuitous violence and yearn for more sedentary scenes, such as when the satellite’s native inhabitants momentarily gather their wits by a drinking pool following their initial fracas with H. R. Giger’s deadly creatures.

Perhaps this book’s biggest hurdle however, lies with its complete lack of dialogue. This intriguing storytelling technique certainly seems to work at the beginning of the adventure, as the Irish writer pens the sudden, fiery arrival of a derelict interstellar spacecraft from the perspective of the planet’s giant, spidery-like denizens. Yet, as the narrative continues with sheet after seemingly endless sheet of six-to-seven panels, many a perusing bibliophile will debatably start losing interest; “Whrrrr! Hssssss! Skreee!”

Undeniably therefore shouldering the lion’s share of this one-shot’s workload is Danny Earls, who for the most part seemingly does a proficient enough job pencilling all the different competing lifeforms. In fact, one of the artist’s biggest successes is selling the surprising difference in size between the Aliens and their much larger intended hosts. This contrast is particularly well envisaged when one of the moon’s carnivores starts biting away at a swarm of incoming face-huggers, and to its horror receives a disfiguring shower of bright green acid for its troubles.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN ANNUAL" #1 by Declan Shalvey