Dark Horse Comics 2016
Written by Dan Abnett
Illustrated by Brian Albert Thies
Coloured by Rain Beredo
Lettered by Michael Heisler
This story takes place approximately forty-three years after the events in the motion picture Aliens (and just over a year after the events in Fire and Stone). Captain Paget and her platoon of Colonial Marines are dispatched to Tartarus to enforce a Weyland-Yutani claim on the planet, only to find more than they bargained for. The surviving claim jumpers reveal that they discovered a derelict spacecraft of extraterrestrial design—and a group of XT hunters who, after practically hunting the claim jumpers to extinction, have set their sights on the marines. Now Paget and her troops must battle an enemy they can’t see while balancing the objectives of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation with the necessity of getting off the planet alive . . .
So what is there that Dan cannot write and why haven’t we found a way to make him immortal so he can keep writing forever? I love what he’s doing here, keeping the Alien and Predator franchises so closely intertwined and making the story feel like it’s tailor made for the big screen through the dialogue is mind blowing. That these series are able to weave in and out of everything we’ve seen so far, stand on their own and tie into a bigger picture has me excited for what Dark Horse has planned for these franchises.
Having the Colonial Marines with a member of the Weyland-Yutani group on this world that we’ve seen before and act like the stepped out of the Alien franchise movies is brilliantly portrayed. The dialogue and mannerisms are down pat! I like how on site Captain Paget has her sights set on doing things properly and is bombarded by a greedy corporate type who knows nothing of the real danger happening around them. Heck even survivors on this remote world know better and while they come across as suffering from PTSD they still give those who are combat trained pause for moving forward.
Heck when we see the Predator out there hunting and we as readers know they hunt those with weapons things start going to a place from their franchise. The methodical way they hunt and are able to assess prey and move in is pretty unparalleled. It’s great to see Dan knowing all of this and using it in the process of scripting the story. I wonder how much research he had to do, movies and comics, to get such a hold on what these characters are like. It’s uncanny how much it feels like this what is supposed to happen and yet we still get surprised every now and again.
It took me a bit to become a fan of the interior artwork but the more I see it the more I really enjoy it. It’s got a very unique look, style and feel to it and while i wish we had a lot more use of backgrounds i’m okay with this. The characters look good and each has a distinct personality to them when we see them. I like that the violence is shown but not as gore while still kind of giving off that effect.
This is what I want to see more of from Dark Horse, these franchises. Oh and more Dan for sure!