Alien [2023] #4 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 4, April 2024

Having inadvertently awakened “the huge, deadly Winterbeast” following the U.S.C.S.S. Boreas’ wreckage smashing back into Cocito’s frozen surface, many a bibliophile probably thought Issue Four of “Alien” was going to focus upon a titanic clash between the titular characters and the gigantic new alien Kaiju. Indeed, this twenty-page periodical’s solicitation synopsis does nothing but harp on about this native “evolutionary twist” purportedly threatening to bring about the final, fatal end of H.R. Giger’s deadly co-creation on the deserted ice moon LV-695; “Things are in motion, and there’s no stopping them.”

Somewhat disconcertingly however, much of Declan Shalvey’s storyline for this comic actually rests upon the decidedly tense stand-off between synthetic 227-N and the heir to the Yutani throne inside the remains of the Keg research base, rather than the supposed demise of the “apex predators”, and resultantly greatly reduces the savage battle for survival taking place outside in the freezing snow. Indeed, the dialogue-driven forty-year-old feud is easily this book’s biggest highlight, as the two sparring sides repeatedly chide one another for the devastation caused at the mining colony on Cloughleigh in 2168 A.D., and the super-rich youngster’s failed plan of “returning my cousins’ ship them [and] getting in their good graces.”

Disappointingly though, even this titanic tussle of wits ends with a debatable let down, as Zasha’s “Dad” launches a nuke from orbit to destroy himself, his foe and also his adopted daughter. This suicidal strike certainly wraps up the Irishman’s narrative rather neatly with everyone apart from the real Jun being either battered to death or blown to pieces. Yet Cole’s shocking decision to decline the chance to fly her way to safety in a spaceship and instead race back to meet her doom with Dayton, arguably makes little sense considering just how strong the female character’s instinct for survival has always been.

Quite possibly also adding to this aura of bemusement are some of Andrea Broccardo’s layouts, especially those which show the Winterbeast apparently racing straight towards Zahn’s location as if the creature knows it needs to stop 227-N before he destroys the planet. Just why the monstrosity does this, or why an alien chest-burster suddenly stops it dead in its tracks is never explained within this comic, and leaves a number of burning questions as to the entire point of the giant’s appearance in the first place.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #4 by Javi Fernandez & Matthew Wilson

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

Alien [2023] #2 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 2, February 2024

Easily living up to its New York City-based publisher’s promise of “bodies, bodies, bodies”, Declan Shalvey’s script for Issue Two of “Alien” contains more than its fair share of deaths as multiple humans across a couple of different time periods succumb to the horrible demise which awaits any creature who falls foul of a deadly face-hugger. In fact, much of this twenty-page-periodical’s early plot appears to have been penned simply to show how excruciatingly painful it is for a person to be impregnated by one of the Xenomorphs, and subsequently have a merciless chest-burster admirably live up to its name; “Okay, let’s open him up. Fast. See if we can cut this thing out. Oh my god!”

Once this disconcerting death-count ceases however, the Irish author predominantly focuses upon young Zasha Zahn’s desperate search for her synthetic ‘father’, as well as adds some extra mystery behind an adolescent Jun Yutani’s true motivation for visiting the “deserted ice moon LV-695” in person. Coupled with some downright suspicious behaviour by android 122-M some forty years in the past, and this canny concoction proves utterly mesmerising - especially once “Cole” makes her way back to her old, dilapidated home and starts gunning-down the murderous extra-terrestrials in a genuinely scary, running battle.

Indeed, quite possibly the highlight of this comic is Batya’s daughter recklessly entering the old Talbot Engineering Incorporated facility, as the Dublin-born writer avoids penning the protagonist as a highly unlikely, unstoppable killing machine, and instead depicts the woman as being determined but still entirely vulnerable to a whole posse of drones resolved to hunt her down. This characterisation makes the entire action sequence highly entertaining, and adds that extra element of concern for Zahn when she appears to be about to be overwhelmed by numbers.

Ably aiding Shalvey with some dramatically dark drawings and shadowy hues, are artists Andrea Broccardo and Ruth Redmond. Together this pair really help establish a hauntingly bleak tone to the considerable cast’s sombre surroundings, with the likes of the rust-covered hull of the U.S.C.S.S. Boreas clearly showing the time its spent lost beneath the icy waves, as well as its interior being under the ‘rule’ of the Xenomorphs and their resin-like hive webbing.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #2 by Javi Fernandez & Matthew Wilson

Alien [2023] #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 1, January 2024

Publicised by “Marvel Worldwide” as “Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo’s next and greatest Alien story”, this opening instalment to “Descendant” certainly should have pleased any fans of the science-fiction horror franchise, considering that the thirty-page periodical contains a number of its classic tropes. Indeed, the Dublin-born writer arguably ticks almost every recurrent theme imaginable in this comic, including the presence of an adolescent into the mix, despite the fact that the deserted ice moon LV-695 is well-known for harbouring a veritable army of deadly Xenomorphs.

In addition, this book contains some nice nods back to the title’s preceding mini-series, with Zasha Zahn returning to the facility where her family were killed some thirteen years earlier, and in doing so unknowingly passing the frozen corpse of former Weyland-Yutani employee Wendell Theen as she does so. Of course, much of this continuity will be lost on those readers new to the past exploits of Batya’s daughter. Yet for those ‘loyal’ bibliophiles who have followed the green-eyed survivor from the start, these moments of continuity are rather enjoyable; “I know you took the same walk, Dayton. I’m going to find you just like you found me.”

Sadly however, despite all this positivity, there’s debatably still something missing with the Eagle Award-winner’s storyline, courtesy of some slightly head-scratching leaps of logic. For example, if Zasha knew there were still Aliens aboard the derelict U.S.C.S.S. Boreas and purposely left her crew-mates there as “bait”, why did she bother to save two of them from a drone whilst they were busy canoodling in one of the sunken spacecraft’s corridors..? Furthermore, knowing that Jun Yutani III wishes to meet with her, Zahn reaches her appointment’s destination beforehand, only to then bizarrely depart to search for her ‘dead father’ just moments before the young woman’s illustrious employer arrives..?

Adding even more confusion to the narrative though are Shalvey’s persistent flashbacks to Planet HD 202206bk on the Outer Veil, which appear to carry no correlation whatsoever with what’s previously occurred on the aforementioned “world infected by the universe’s greatest killers.” Pencilled by Declan himself, this mining operation is clearly earmarked to go horribly wrong once its synth-hating supervisor discovers a face-hugger and foolishly sticks his nose straight in front of it. But whatever mystery its well-penned plot produces is somewhat diluted by its disconnection with the comic’s main adventure.

Writer: Declan Shalvey, and Artists: Andrea Broccardo and Declan Shalvey

Alien [2023] #5 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 5, October 2023

Unrelentingly brutal in its sheer savagery, Declan Shalvey’s penmanship throughout Issue Five of “Alien” must have caused even the most hard-hearted of readers to have had nightmares for weeks, as young Zasha has “one last chance to escape the thaw!” True, the Irish illustrator arguably makes it incredibly difficult for any within the comic’s audience to actually like “the runt” due to her utter lack of gratitude towards the synthetic who single-handedly saved her life. But this book’s blood-soaked body count alone should still cause many a bibliophile to momentarily look away in horror once the Xenomorphs close in upon a hapless Wendell Theen or surviving Weyland-Yutani Corporation commandos.

Indeed, with just one notable exception, every character introduced throughout this mini-series meets an incredibly gruesome end during the protagonists’ “last-ditch effort to escape the moon.” Whether it be having their head literally sliced clean off whilst they’re waxing lyrical about how they selfishly just want to escape all the mutilated violence alone in an escape craft, or disconcertingly shot through the brain by one of the last people you’d expect to be able to fire a hand-gun under extreme stress. Perhaps this twenty-page plot’s most haunting demise though, occurs to poor Wendell, who having somehow endured walking upon a partially severed leg, succumbs to a face-hugger once he’s reached the very limit of his endurance; “This was supposed to be a simple… simple assignment.” 

Furthermore, in between all the death and destruction, the author also manages to continue making shocking revelations as to the fast-dwindling cast’s motivations. The foremost of these is possibly the realisation that Talbot Engineering Incorporated’s chief scientist had been hording mutilated alien body parts for years and then using their remains to stabilise her pregnancy. However, Daytona’s admission that he was actually a defective android who the Zahns repaired so as to conduct the “dirty work” is almost as disturbing, especially once he replaced Zasha’s biological father following the man fatally falling off the facility’s platform.

Artist Andrea Broccardo’s prodigiously-pencilled glimpse into Batya’s butcher’s shop should also be lauded, due to the splash page being slightly reminiscent of Ellen Ripley’s discovery of the U.S.M. Auriga’s clone laboratory in the 1997 movie “Alien Resurrection”. The Italian does a good job of providing all the personalities within this comic with plenty of emotion and jaw-dropping moments, even when a razor-sharp tail strikes one of them halfway through their victory speech.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #5 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Alien [2023] #4 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 4, September 2023

Incredibly fast-paced and impressively continuing several different plot-threads simultaneously, there was probably plenty for fans of Twentieth Century Studios’ science-fiction franchise to enjoy with Issue Four of “Alien” upon its release in July 2023. Indeed, Declan Shalvey’s twenty-page long narrative must have kept many a bibliophile utterly hooked with some truly gruesome demises, plenty of deadly xenomorphs slowly battering their way into Talbot Engineering Incorporated’s beleaguered base on LV-695, and a seriously surprising conclusion which would have had many a viewer spluttering out their popcorn if this comic’s storyline was being shown upon the silver screen; “You can come out now. It’s safe. Nothing’s going to hurt you. I promise.”

One of this book’s main intriguing elements is arguably scientist Batya Zahn’s revelation that her pregnancy is much more complicated than it ever seemed, with the woman’s unexpected baby emerging as an extra-terrestrial hybrid. Admittedly, this disclosure possibly came as no surprise to those bibliophiles already suspicious of the woman conducting “some covert work on the side.” But for others caught up in the hope that the unlikeable character’s sole saving grace was the Doctor’s love for her family, this plan to sell the “bio sample” to Weyland-Yutani so she could get “off this rock” is as shocking as her duplicity despicable.

Similarly as well-penned though is the handling of this publication’s secondary cast, with the Irish author debatably doing a good job in imbuing the likes of Doc Cleary, Harrison, and their Sergeant some solid moments in the spotlight. The facially-traumatised Harrison is especially electrifying, as he coldly leaves his fellow soldier to die with a face-hugger wrapped around his head, and then savagely states he’ll happily allow young Zasha to “burn or freeze” without a moment’s hesitation.

Possibly, this comic’s sole disappointment therefore comes in the shape of Andrea Broccardo’s pencilling, which at times arguably appears a little too Manga-like to convey the disconcerting darkness of Shalvey’s grim narrative. This ‘art-style’ is particularly irksome during the scenes featuring Zahn and her daughter, where the couple’s doe-shaped eyes jar with everything else – most notably when the panels surrounding them feature either company troopers racing towards the facility’s sole life-pod, or the Xenomorphs tearing towards the icy planet’s survivors.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #4 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

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

Alien [2023] #3 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 3, August 2023

Splitting its storyline between the surviving crew of the USCSS Boreas bravely battling a lone Xenomorph, and Batya Zahn attempting to escape the clutches of her Weyland-Yutani captors. Declan Shalvey’s script for Issue Three of “Alien” certainly seems to ‘juggle an awful lot of plates in the air’ so as to keep its audience entertained. Disappointingly however, despite all these high-octane action sequences featuring “a trail of gore and eviscerated bodies”, some within this comic’s audience probably still felt the book was lacking somewhat when it comes to the horror franchise’s famous claustrophobic feeling of terror and suspense.

True, the Irish writer certainly establishes a compellingly chilling set of scenes for any perusing bibliophile to navigate through, courtesy of a hapless security team being forced to slowly creep down a seemingly endless series of restrictive corridors looking for the chest-burster which killed their comrade-in-arms. But despite this ‘classic’ premise, and the fact that the outclassed company men eventually face a fully-grown killer alien, the furious firefight, grisly demises, and insane savagery on show arguably just doesn’t quite land with the impact this title’s creative line-up probably felt it would.

Much of this impotence is quite possibly due to the layouts of Andrea Broccardo, which whilst proficient enough, appear a little too Manga-like to genuinely give the comic’s pencilled proceedings the gruesome gravitas envisaged by H. R. Giger when he first began sketching the deadly extra-terrestrials and their suffocating environment for Ridley Scott’s ground-breaking film in 1979. Likewise, Triona Farrel’s colours are both too bright and flat-looking, making many a sequence appear rather one-dimensional, even when its clear there’s some sizeable distances between the figures in view.

Resultantly, it’s possibly not until towards this twenty-page periodical’s conclusion, that the comic actually catches its readers out with a seriously shocking gut-punch, by having Dayton heartbreakingly sucked beneath the planet’s icy waves when the spaceship he has commandeered catastrophically falls through a fast-appearing crevasse. This incident is wonderfully depicted, and despite Zahn’s character not being the most sympathetic in the cast, doubtless caused the odd bookworm to momentarily feel for the scientist and her husband’s tragic loss; “After everything you gave me… I let you down when you needed me the most. I couldn’t save you.”

Writer: Declan Shalvey, Artist: Andrea Broccardo, and Colorist: Triona Farrell

Alien [2023] #2 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 2, July 2023

Crammed full of human suffering and ground-shaking explosions, Declan Shalvey’s narrative for Issue Two of “Alien” certainly would seem to show why the Irish author so enthusiastically stated that "It's incredibly exciting to take on such a brilliant franchise” when “Marvel Worldwide” first handed him the gig. Indeed, plenty of the science-fiction horror films’ fans would probably have preferred to see the ear-shattering exploits depicted within this particular twenty-page periodical ‘up on the big screen’ rather than those penned by John Logan and Dante Harper for the 2017 movie “Alien: Covenant”.

Foremost of these high-octane set-pieces has to be the eventual grisly demise of Weyland-Yutani’s entire excavation team, who arrogantly seem to feel that their supposed expertise and advanced technology will do a much better job of discovering LV-695’s frozen secret than poor, one-armed Dayton Zhan’s “rinky-dink operation.” Mercilessly sliced into so much mutilated flesh by the Xenomorphs or burnt alive in the ensuing fireball which engulfs their convoy whilst fleeing the deadly extra-terrestrials’ nest, the multiple deaths of these engineers may well prove controversially satisfying to those bibliophiles who dislike big companies muscling their way through much smaller enterprises.

Likewise, this publication’s plot is not shy of rehashing old tropes so as to generate a similar response when it comes to the mega-corporation’s gun-toting troopers panicking wildly when faced with just a single Chestburster. The bullies’ egotistical bravado, such as threatening to beat-up the much smaller, adolescent Zasha if she doesn’t come quietly, genuinely grates upon the nerves as they barge their way through Batya’s home looking for the incarcerated scientist’s secrets. So it comes as something of a relief when in their fright they blow themselves up by firing bullets directly into a plethora of fuel containers; “C’mere, you little… whatever the hell you are. Christ! Get smoked! Eat lead you --!”

Ably adding plenty of gore and fireworks to Shalvey’s storyline is Andrea Broccardo, whose well-practised pencils do a reasonably proficient job in depicting the stark shock experienced by all those who come within sight of the mass-killing titular characters. True, the Italian illustrator’s drawings of a massive mechanical rig falling into the aliens’ nest isn’t arguably all that convincing and somewhat stiff-looking. But the look upon certain cast members’ faces as they react to the murderous mayhem moving before them is very well sketched.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #2 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Alien [2023] #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 1, June 2023

Definitely delivering a distinctly icy chill to its readers’ spines, Declan Shalvey’s quite political plot for Issue One of “Alien” certainly seems to capture all the dread fans of the science-fiction horror franchise might expect from a comic focused upon a solitary scientific expedition discovering a frozen Facehugger trapped underground in long-forgotten glacier. True, no-one within this particular thirty-page periodical falls victim to the savage Xenomorphs from the moon LV-426, or actually even encounters a ‘living’ specimen of the deadly extra-terrestrial species which sixteen years ago mercilessly overran the colony known as Hadley’s Hope.

But rather cleverly, the disconcertion emanating from this book’s narrative is surprisingly caused by the selfish, almost conspiratorial behaviour of expectant mother Batya Zahn, and the sudden arrival of the extremely dislikeable Weyland-Yutani representative Wendell Theen. Indeed, between them, this pair of decidedly dodgy characters generate an utterly entrancing sense of distrust and duplicity, which completely ensnares the reader by the publication’s end when they agree a mutually advantageous exchange of information; “I’m offering a lifeline for you and your family. Take it. The sample. What do you know about it?” 

In direct contrast to these sinister shenanigans are the Irish “award winning” artist/writer’s highly cynical water conservationist Dayton and the ‘full of life’ Zasha, who between them bring a lot of heart-warming dialogue and discussion to the comic’s proceedings. The one-armed hapless husband of Batya arguably proves especially sympathetic, seemingly being the only sane person on the ice-covered satellite who wants to disintegrate the entombed Manumala noxhydria the moment he first lays eyes upon the “extraordinary organism.”

Perhaps therefore this book's sole disappointment lies with the look of its interior layouts. Admittedly, there is nothing specifically wrong with Andrea Broccardo’s proficient pencils, as they do a solid job in assisting Shalvey with his storytelling. Yet, the Italian illustrator’s slightly Manga-like drawing style, coupled with Triona Farrell’s slightly flat colours, don’t debatably provide the panels with the sort of impinging darkness many within this book’s audience might expect of a darkly twisted universe inspired by the work of Swiss painter and sculptor H. R. Giger – at least not until the Boreas lands from orbit and disgorges a plethora of heavily-armed Weyland-Yutani troopers to blow up the Zahns' “front door”.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #1 by Dike Ruan & Matthew Wilson

Alien [2022] #6 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 6, April 2023

Whilst Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s storyline for Issue Six of “Alien” arguably contains more than enough adrenalin-fuelled action to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty fan of Twentieth Century Studios’ science fiction franchise, it’s hard to imagine many won’t be shaking their heads in disbelief at the Eisner-nominated writer’s handling of the synth Eli. Indeed, having increasingly depicted the android as a psychopathic killing machine who is responsible for most of the mutilation found within this mini-series, it seems utterly bizarre that the artificial soldier would suddenly change his vindictive viewpoint at the last minute in order to save Tobler-9’s young sole survivor; “What the humans did to Steel Team changed you. Everything you believe of them is true of you now.”

For starters, this comic opens with the whack-job warrior holding a large, curved blade to the throat of his squad leader so as to stop her from helping the poor child he has mercilessly thrown smack into the centre of a xenomorph nest cluster. It’s perfectly clear from Eli’s disagreeable attitude that he’s perfectly willing to brutally murder Freyja. Yet once she escapes his clutches by quite literally blindsiding him with a piece of metal piping straight through the right eye, the audience are meant to believe he supposedly changes his mind and starts firing at the aliens attacking her..?

So sudden and unconvincing a change of heart, inorganic or otherwise, arguably smacks of being contrived simply so Johnson’s script can end on a happy(ish) family’s note with the war veterans replacing their adolescent ward’s dead parents by promising to raise him – at least once Freyja has repaired all the damage she caused Eli when he was threatening to slice her head clean off. Furthermore, it’s debatably unclear as to just why the “expensive toys with delusions of grandeur” allow the alien hybrid to survive after it has just gutted Lieutenant General George March and his landing party, or why the humanoid creature would strangely rather stab itself in the chest with its deadly claws than kill the badly battered android who betrayed/created it in the first place.

Happily however, both Julius Ohta and colorist Yen Nitro’s layouts at least make some sense, most notably during the sequence showing March’s aforementioned demise when he overconfidently strides out to greet Nora from his shuttlecraft, and walks straight into the “new kind of Xenomorph”. The sheer look of terror, surprise and realisation as to his gory fate is incredibly well pencilled, as is the subsequent series of panels depicting the amazing speed at which the insectoid-like amalgam can move whilst cutting down her foes with her bare hands.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #6 by Bjorn Barends

Alien [2022] #5 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 5, March 2023

Enjoyably filled with various characters playing ‘the blame game’ with one another, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s narrative for Issue Five of “Alien” is surely a great example of how to pen some truly catastrophic consequences to a person’s previous ill-advised decision-making. In fact, almost all of this particular comic’s death and destruction, from Steel Team’s shuttlecraft crash landing through to a swarm of deadly Xenos penetrating the survivors’ settlement, can solely be placed upon the human-hating Eli’s prejudicial decision not to warn Lee that she was about to stung by an alien-infected insect.

Intriguingly however, none of this responsibility seemingly occurs to the increasingly deranged robot, who ultimately decides that all his mission’s calamities are as a direct result of his team-leader’s poor decision-making, rather than anything to do with his hatred of Mankind. Such a descent into self-righteous insanity proves incredibly enthralling, and debatably leads to a genuinely shocking cliff-hanger of a conclusion, when the now partially damaged android decides to cold-bloodedly murder the colony’s last-remaining radiation-proof child; “I won’t let you. I won’t let you save a single one. They did this to us, Freyja. They killed our family. And you let them.”

Just as beguiling as the Milkman’s fall from grace, is the way the “Eisner-nominated writer” deals with the eventual demise of Steel Team’s other members. Slowly whittled down one by one through repeated injuries or deadly ambushes, the veteran soldiers’ gruesome deactivations are rather ‘realistically’ depicted, and all intrinsically linked to the actions of “the monstrous Hybrid” created by Eli’s apathy - which once again reminds the reader that the mealy-mouthed killing machine is actually accountable for much of the carnage he’s desperately trying to deflect upon Freyja.    

Ably aiding Johnson in the storytelling is Julius Ohta and colorist Yen Nitro, who together produce some truly pulse-pounding panels throughout this tragic tale. Indeed, one of this twenty-page periodical’s many highlights is the way the creative pair lay out poor Astrid’s traumatic passing, as the artificial life form momentarily lets her guard down whilst ruminating about her home world’s natural beauty, and inadvertently stumbles into a deadly xenomorph trap.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #5 by Bjorn Barends

Alien [2022] #4 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 4, February 2023

Absolutely packed with cruel close combat, bullet-billowing gunplay and jaw-dropping betrayal, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s storyline for Issue Four of “Alien” must surely have pleased any fan of Twentieth Century Studios’ “science-fiction horror and action media franchise.” But whilst the action is definitely well-penned, some within this twenty-page periodical’s audience might have a few quibbles as to just how Eli justifiably takes the moral high ground when it comes to the treachery of “Steel Team’s human allies [who] have led them into an ambush”.

In fact, the dislikeable android’s ‘holier than thou’ attitude towards Freyja debatably generates such a strong sense of loathing in the reader, that it disconcertingly overshadows any sensation of sadness felt for poor Nora’s suddenly savage demise, or even Seth’s superbly touching realisation that he’d now never finish building the boat they were making together back home. However, such piety by the sanctimonious synthetic only gets worse when his willingness to allow one of the planet’s survivors to become infected by a mutated insect “carrying some kind of Alien protein” results in the mercenaries' shuttlecraft being totally destroyed and a new, highly intelligent Xenomorph being born.

Happily however, this tremendous emotional response arguably only makes the Eisner-nominated writer’s plot even more enthralling, especially when it’s pointed out that Steel Team still need to save Mel’s encampment simply so they can salvage General March’s beacon and be evacuated off Tobler-9. Indeed, by the time “a new kind of monster” arrives at the colonist’s base and gains entry along with a horde of fast-moving alien warrior drones, this publication is almost impossible to put down; “Seal the door! Seal the door! Everybody grab a--Yyyeeaauuuggh!”

Similarly as successful in both capturing and keeping any perusing bibliophile’s attention is Julius Ohta’s proficient pencilling, which manages to make all the pulse-pounding action genuinely leap off the printed page. Furthermore Lee’s traumatically painful transformation into some truly horrific, long-tongued monstrosity is so gratuitously graphic, that the images indelibly stay in the memory long after the creature has lost any notion of being even remotely human and violently massacred its former comrades-in-arms without a hint of compassion.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #4 by Bjorn Barends

Alien [2022] #3 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 3, January 2023

Considering just how much of this twenty-page periodical is dialogue-heavy discussion and sedentary story-telling, there’s arguably still a tremendous amount of tense, adrenalin-fuelled antics to be enjoyed reading Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s narrative for Issue Three of “Alien”. In fact, the persistently pervading atmosphere of dread and death sticks to this comic throughout, making every panel a potential depiction of someone meeting a truly gruesome demise at the hands of the latest alien strain; “Our time killing humans and gun-bots is done. This is the future of warfare. We escaped it for a while. But it found us in the end.”

Furthermore, the “Eisner-nominated writer” does an excellent job in quickly establishing the personalities of Tobler-9’s surviving colonists and just how well they individually interact with Steel Team. Anger, resentment and distrust of one another debatably prevail in this sudden amalgamation of the living and synthetic. But the author also manages to crowbar in some much more tender interactions, as well as establish a common bond between the two groups when it comes to ‘searching the Xenomorph-infested planet for an alien sample that can save humanity.”

Of course, many within this book’s audience will simply be waiting for the ‘mythical Special Operations team’ to face-off against this publication’s titular antagonists, and when such a confrontation does eventually occur “Icarus” is not found wanting. Indeed, it’s difficult to count the sheer number of bullets blazing across each picture as both “the humans and synths strike an uneasy bargain” so as to lay waste to a fearsome alien queen’s opening salvo of warrior drones.

Helping to sell some of this plot’s sense of desperation and determination to succeed against almost impossible odds, are Julius Ohta’s layouts, which really do a good job in depicting the low-tech level of existence experienced by the colony’s few inhabitants despite all the futuristic equipment surrounding them. Moreover, the Brazilian illustrator’s prodigious pencilling of the various characters’ facial expressions is first-rate, and definitely helps sell each cast member’s emotions as they interact with one another; most notably Eli, whose initial hated of his would-be rescuers turns to something far more sinister when he knowingly neglects to warn Lee that she’s about to be bitten by a poisonous bug.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #3 by Bjorn Barends

Alien [2022] #2 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 2, December 2022

Whilst there’s undoubtedly plenty of tense, high-octane fuelled action on show within Issue Two of “Alien”, it’s doubtful many of the science fiction horror franchise's fans will feel that Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s latest pack of protagonists were ever in any real danger. Indeed, even when Seth is violently speared straight through the torso from behind by a Xenomorph Queen’s pointed tail, the android essentially shrugs off the gaping chest wound so as to escape “the top-secret wing of the storied Bioweapons Division” with the rest of his team-mates; “Yeah… No worries. Plenty of time left for Astrid’s Ruins of Civilization tour.”

Frustratingly, much of this lack of threat is due to the Eisner-nominated writer’s build-up in which he pens the “legendary, unkillable Synthetic Special Operations team” as being so incredibly formidable that “nothing organic ever tangled” with them “and walked away.” Coupled with the quintet’s evident super-human abilities to ‘jump tall buildings with a single bound’, converse with one another ‘telepathically’ over a silent network and later, even rip-off the head of the alien infestation's ruling sovereign with their bare hands, and it’s debatably difficult to believe anything this side of a nuclear bombardment will actually threaten Steel Team in any permanent way.

To make matters worse however, with perhaps the notable exception of Seth, who at least appears willing to be “a little grateful” to Mankind for creating him, none of this twenty-page periodical’s leading cast are likeable. In fact, quite the contrary with the antagonistic Eli proving particularly disagreeable due to his blinding hatred of all things human, and the ingrate’s egotistical belief that his superior mechanically enhanced might makes his opinions right over everyone else. Of course, having previously been played for a fool by General March and Weyland-Yutani it’s understandable that the robot has a ‘beef’ with those who betrayed him. But such is the soldier’s hateful demure that some readers will surely be hoping he’s the first of the squad to meet a gory demise.

Perhaps slightly less disappointing than its writing, is this book’s artwork by Julius Ohta. The “fresh young talent from Brazil with a dynamic, energetic and emotive style” is clearly a proficient penciller, especially when sketching the “Gearheads” exploration of Tobler-9’s dilapidated surface during this comic’s early stages. Yet, the artist’s highly exaggerated facial expressions persistently jar with the senses, making Freyja’s crew repeatedly lurch from barely repressed rage to open-mouthed, wide-eyed terror within the space of a frame or two.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #2 by Bjorn Barends

Alien [2022] #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 1, November 2022

Starting with a truly terrifying insight into the opening hours of a Xenomorph outbreak on the supposedly idyllic planet Tobler-9, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script for this re-launched “express elevator to Hell” definitely will hold its readers’ attention for the comic’s first few pages. But once the spotlight moves away from “the old Weyland-Yutani red site” and the palpable terror of its residents as they desperately attempt to board the metropolis’ last turbo-train, Issue One of “Alien” arguably becomes a bit too contrived for its own good; “Congress practically begged me to reinstate the Synth teams, starting with you. One last mission.”

Indeed, despite the plot momentarily moving across to a gratuitously-bloody assault upon a party of super-powerful synths hiding out on Europa-5 by a so-called crack team of human governmental operatives, a good deal of the Eisner Award-nominee’s narrative is actually ‘padded out’ with numerous textless panels of the heavenly world’s breath-taking landscapes, or an incredibly word-heavy argument between Lieutenant General George March, Freyja and the rest of the female android’s “family”.

Admittedly, much of what the military officer has to say is absolutely crucial to establishing both the parameters of Steel Team’s final assignment, as well as the renegade robots’ motivations for once again agreeing to work for the duplicitous United Systems. However, it’s debatably a shame the American author couldn’t have relied upon another dynamic flashback sequence depicting the grisly fall of Weyland-Yutani’s covert bioweapons laboratory and its entirely innocent civilian population, rather than simply have the veteran soldier grimly stare down his former comrades-in-arms and mechanically state that they need to retrieve some biotechnology on a hostile planet in order to save humanity.

Cleverly chucking a bucketful of gore over this twenty-page periodical’s penned proceedings is Julius Ohta, whose ability to prodigiously pencil a person or two being horrifically eviscerated by a deadly Xenomorph clearly knows no bounds. The Brazilian illustrator also does a good job of imbuing the various synthetics with some notable individualism, such as Freyja’s evident air of authority over Nora, Seth and Astrid, as well as Eli’s obvious displeasure at having to leave “some of them alive for interrogation.”

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Artist: Julius Ohta, and Colorist: Yen Nitro

Alien Annual #1 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN ANNUAL No. 1, September 2022

Steeped in just the sort of Machiavellian machinations fans of the science-fiction horror franchise would expect of Weyland-Yutani Corporation, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script for this “double-sized one-shot comic book” certainly shouldn’t have disappointed most of its audience. But whilst “Alien Annual” undeniably contains plenty of deadly, Xenomorph-based action, courtesy of its narrative following the impregnation of a hapless marine through to the extra-terrestrial’s mass slaughtering of the rest of his military unit, the premise of its author trying to tie this title into the plot of both the films and “one of my favourite [video] games in recent memory” does arguably cause some disagreeable inconsistencies.

For starters, having previously established the character of Gabriel Cruz as a caring, devoted family man haunted by his long working relationship with “The Company”, the Eisner-nominated writer disconcertingly portrays the defence agent’s younger incarnation as a merciless, cold-blooded killer who seemingly has no qualms supervising the fertilisation of a fully-conscious political prisoner, nor the release of this ghastly murder’s subsequent offspring upon the unsuspecting dissidents who have taken control of Nishimura Station. True, the Second Hand Movement are terrorists, and this “Alien outbreak perpetrated by Weyland-Yutani” could be just one of the missions the future Security Chief regrets. But there doesn’t appear to be a moment’s hesitation or doubt as to this experiment’s morality in the soldier whilst everything is going to plan.

In addition, the reason things do go off the rails is because the “large British - Japanese multinational conglomerate” don’t supposedly know that one of their own space station’s actually has an offensive launch capability in the guise of anti-aircraft rocket launchers..? This oversight is debatably bizarre, and although it quickly leads to some seriously devious manipulation of fireteam’s survivors by a homicidal synthetic, the manufactured nature of the predicament repeatedly comes back to haunt the overall narrative, especially when Weyland-Yutani suddenly nuke Nishimura Station after it was initially explained one of their main aims was to recover the orbiting facility intact; “What is it? Intel would have known if these guys were packing rockets!”

Plot-holes aside however, Johnson’s tale does contain some excellent moments of classic "Alien" terror, most notably in the treacherous behaviour of Charlie, who obediently sacrifices his crewmates one by one whenever his programming permits. Salvador Larroca’s prodigious pencilling also does a first-rate job of depicting both the gruesome action, as well as the evident horror on the faces of this comic’s cast as they realise the ghastly fate about to befall them.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN ANNUAL" #1 by Salvador Larroca & Guru-eFX

Alien #12 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 12, July 2022

Quite literally loaded with plenty of death-defying devilries and criminally inclined government operatives getting their just desserts, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s narrative for this concluding issue of “Alien” certainly seems to deliver a satisfying finale to Jane Callan’s fear-laden flight from a planet-wide invasion of ferocious xenomorphs. Indeed, this comic’s sole disappointment only comes at its end, when the reader is left wanting more after they’re teased that perhaps Weyland-Yutani has something else in store for the terminally ill Spinner before her life inevitably comes to a sad end; “Whoever… This asset is… That certainly makes her worth a second look.”

Foremost of this comic’s hooks must be the sudden arrival of Doctor Palmer and his straight-talking, no-nonsense Sergeant Major. The veteran soldier’s undisguised contempt for Gamma Station’s robotic leader, Gregory, is palpable and enjoyably matches the same disdain the merciless “synth” previously showed his fellow colonists before he revealed his intention to have them all impregnated by the extra-terrestrials. As a matter of fact, despite the moustached military man clearly being a loyal supporter of the United America’s ‘deliberate orchestration of the infestation’, his gruesome demise once some adult warrior drones break into the supposedly secure settler’s facility is debatably disheartening, considering the verbal abuse he repeatedly gives the dislikeable “Pinocchio”.

Similarly as successful though, is the Eisner Award-nominee’s writing for Jane and her friends’ final fight against a group of facehuggers. Unarmed and already a man down, the group genuinely do not look to have a hope in hell of defeating the fast-paced swarm of parasitic lifeforms racing towards them. However, Johnson makes clever use of Callan’s increasing infirmity to suddenly give the woman a surprising edge over her numerous assailants, so that once the acidic blood starts spurting and eating through the locked room’s metal floor, the shaking survivors’ shocking departure out of danger is made plausibly possible.

Adding some serious “Clanng”, “Whunk” and “Skreeeeeee” to this publication’s dynamically drawn panels is outgoing artist Salvador Larroca, whose ability to project the sheer terror of their grisly predicament upon the faces of Simon, Leo and Sophie really helps the audience share in their dread. Likewise the Spanish illustrator does a first-rate job in depicting the claustrophobic panic of the marines when they realise they’re being attacked by the xenomorphs from above, and are about to be gruesomely cut down into bloody chunks where they stand.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #12 by Marc Aspinall

Alien #11 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 11, June 2022

Pulsating with plenty of pace, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script for Issue Eleven of “Alien” must surely have held the attention of many a reader with its cast’s headlong dash across Euridice’s extra-terrestrial infested surface. In fact, the sheer desperation of Jane and the few surviving Spinners is genuinely palpable, particularly at this comic’s cataclysmic conclusion when all seems lost despite the party’s almost superhuman efforts to reach Gamma station and the seeming safety of the United States Colonial Marine Corps.

Enjoyably, none of these adrenalin-charged flights from terror appear to be ‘plot-thin padding’ either, with even the colonists last stand against a swarm of alien drones in a wheat field providing a fascinating insight into Callan’s feisty determination not to have her ‘flock taken away’ from her by the formidable creatures. Likewise, the character of Leo also receives plenty of spotlight, whether the white-bearded settler is busy swinging a hand-axe against a swarm of heavily-fanged, rodent-sized Tubers, or standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jane in the face of overwhelming odds armed only with a shotgun; “No. I -- I won’t be food for these things. Kill me. Jane. Kill m --”

Ultimately however, this publication’s biggest moment comes with the sudden appearance of Gregory, and the disconcerting fate the organic-hating synthetic has in store for the decimated Spinners. Absolutely dripping in cold-hearted menace and a deep, resonating hatred for his “embarrassing” former friends, the Weyland-Yutani android is quickly established as being cut from the same cloth as the Nostromo’s science officer Ash, as he mercilessly guns down an unsuspecting Leo without a moment’s hesitation and later abandons the shell-shocked stayers at the very heart of an alien hive.

Also thoroughly deserving of “props” for the success of this twenty-page periodical is former “X-Men” illustrator Salvador Larroca, whose incredibly detailed and highly atmospheric layouts really help sell the soul-shattering emotional journey out of Sanctuary so many of this comic’s cast are dragged through. In addition, the Spanish artist does a first-rate job of imbuing Gregory with plenty of sinister menace once the overly-religious robot has cleverly been revealed by Jane as being as traitorous a mechanical creation as he is homicidal.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #11 by Marc Aspinall

Alien #10 - Marvel Comics

ALIEN No. 10, May 2022

Introducing a “new terrifying type of Xenomorph” following the impregnation of multiple rodent-sized Tubers, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s attempt to stamp his own creative mark upon the science fiction/horror franchise probably pleased the vast majority of this twenty-page periodical’s audience. For whilst the multi-limbed mass of teeth don’t actually make an appearance until the terrifying conclusion of this comic, once they do emerge having literally burrowed their way out of several hapless settlers’ bodies, the swarming creatures arguably appear as formidable a foe as their much larger extra-terrestrial brethren.

Happily, the same prodigious penmanship can also be found in the American author’s presentation of a deserted mining facility which the surviving Spinners initially believe could be their sanctuary from the Alien infestation. Devoid of all signs of life, with numerous partially-derelict buildings gruesomely sprayed with blood splatters, this harrowing location immediately conjures up just the sort of scary sufferings which befell Alpha Station, and makes it abundantly clear that Jane’s group will find no safety amongst its gory ruins; “There’s no way anybody’s alive in there. If you do this, you’ll die for nothing.”

Enthrallingly though, the sudden surprise betrayal by Simon in order to unsuccessfully rescue a woman he’s never even met, forces the famished farmers to not only enter the dilapidated site’s mine, but actually compels them to rush down its mist-filled shafts at breakneck speed. This moment of utter madness obviously helps Johnson ensure that this book’s dwindling cast commit themselves to a course of action completely against their better judgement. However, it also provides an intriguing insight into the fragile mentality of the radio operator who suddenly ‘believes’ a female voice on the end of a wireless is worth dying for – even when he neither knows what she looks like or whether she’s even down in the pit alive.

Adding plenty of stomach-tightening tension to this publication’s proceedings are the layouts of Salvador Larroca, which generate a palpable sense of claustrophobia to the scenes set deep beneath the world’s surface. In addition, the Spanish artist’s attention to detail at the start of this comic, when Jane unsuspectingly encounters the corpses of ‘infected’ Tubulars amongst the area’s jungle-like undergrowth, provides a visual warning to the reader as to the potential shocks to come.

The regular cover art to "ALIEN" #10 by Marc Aspinall