Dark Horse Comics 2019
Written by Brian Wood
Pencilled by Kieran McKeown
Inked by JL Straw
Coloured by Dan Jackson
Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot
The fate of Amanda Ripley! Following the events of Aliens: Resistance, Alec Brand, the colonist rescued by Amanda Ripley and Zula Hendricks, has grown up into an elite Colonial Marine. A secret mission brings him back to the alien-infested moon where he was rescued . . . and face to face with the past.
Brian has very quietly become this master of the Aliens franchise. I am so not going to say a negative thing about that either he's been such a phenomenal job keeping this train of thought moving forward. How the characters a representative of previous arcs and continue to use and bring back characters with history in the Aliens universe. The whole thing is being done by some mad bloody genius and it is why I keep coming back time and time again.
The way that this is structured is incredibly well done. The opening here is one that is so well done in how it grabs the readers' attention and makes the want to keep going. I love the characterisation that we see in Brand as he is questioned by Bowden. We see his reaction to what's being asked and how he answers them with the right reverence and respect for Amanda and Zula. The story & plot development and how we see it with the character development intertwined and through the pacing to create that perfect ebb & flow is just a testament to Brian's skill and talent as a writer.
I very like that we see the back story for Brand as well and how it is he came to meet Amanda and Zula. It has been so long since we've seen Earth in this franchise and to see it when Brand was a young man has this powerful effect. Both in terms of story, upbringing and how it's being told through words and visuals. I like how the past and the present are so well done in that then and now style as they pertain to the immediate story at hand and their placement is impeccable. There is also a very good moment where we see PTSD coming into play. Facing ones demons as it were and I appreciated that a lot, as only one who suffers it can understand.
The interiors here are out of this world. How we see the linework being so crisp, clean and showing a strong and steady hand is fantastic. How the varying weights are being utilised so that they create this stupendous attention to detail and it isn't just in the characters themselves either which makes this all the more impressive. Seeing where Brand grew up is the first wow moment of the book for me and it showcases that each person working in this kind of harmony produces stunning work. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a wonderfully seasoned eye for storytelling. The way backgrounds are utilised is superb! This is how you utilise backgrounds throughout a book effectively. The colour work is strong as well and I love the way hues, tones and variations are seen through the effect of the light sources.
The set-up for what's to come has been done beautifully. This makes me excited because not only is there more Aliens but also because Brian is writing this. The anticipation of seeing the Xenomorphs again is a delicious kind of tension because you that's coming but not quite when. Of all the film franchises that have been made into comics I do believe this is the only one that is consistently both unique and ties into the franchise perfectly.