Alien [2023] #3 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 3, March 2024

Considering that instead of depicting the fatal fall of Weyland-Yutani's base camp in any great detail, Issue Three of “Alien” starts with a terrified Miguel simply smashing his two-seater spacecraft straight into the sea of LV-695, many a collector of this four-part mini-series probably thought they’d either inadvertently skipped a page or a complete edition of this publication somewhere. Sadly however, this feeling of 'missing out' on action sequences occurring 'behind the scenes' only gets progressively worse, as the submerged survivors also suddenly become haplessly involved in some interplanetary species war between the original Xenomorphs and their frosty-white kin who were born on the deserted Ice Moon; “What in the name of god am I looking at?”

Such utter bemusement arguably sucks away any impact the subsequent battle between the Corporation and the aliens infesting the U.S.C.S.S. Boreas has, whilst also making the team’s decision to raise the huge derelict despite having lost all contact with the exploration squad on board, all the more illogical. Indeed, even the notion that the deadly extra-terrestrials are bound to clamber along the thick tow-cables of the booster ships and decimate their pilots at close quarters, seems obvious from the moment the ramshackle research vessel is raised. Yet the audience are supposed to believe that none of the experienced pilots realise their danger until after Max has stepped outside and started zapping away at the numerous drones with a blaster-rifle..?

Happily though, what perhaps this comic lacks in convincing dynamic action, writer Declan Shalvey makes up for with an intriguing glimpse into Dayton’s past, courtesy of the Irish illustrator himself pencilling the synthetic person’s previous exploits at the Cloughleigh Mining Colony in 2168 A.D. These flashbacks strongly suggest the android was once shockingly willing to ally himself with the Xenomorphs against humanity, and also explains just how Zasha Zahn’s ‘father’ lost his left arm before meeting the central protagonist’s mother, Batya.

Artist Andrea Broccardo also needs to take a bow for the claustrophobic conversation held between the arrogantly leering adolescent Yutani and “the mysterious Cole”, due to their pencilling providing all the cast members involved with plenty of emotion – including unit 227-N, who having permanently jury-rigged himself to a power socket can do little by sit and gape at the company executive, as the baseball-cap wearing boy has his super-strong aide back-hand Zasha into semi-conscious and demand the artificial person’s memory banks.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #3 by Javi Fernandez & Matthew Wilson