Aliens: Fire and Stone #1
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Chris Roberson
Aritst: Patric Reynolds
Cover: David Palumbo
Robinson takes us back to one of the most infamous places in the Alien mythos – LV-426. From the moment the story begins it’s a frenzied attempt by the residents of Hadley’s Hope to escape from the xenomorhps that have overtaken the facility. Their only chance is to board a ship that wasn’t built for space travel, and hope they can make it off planet. However, the closest planetary body is LV-223, where all of this madness began hundreds of years ago.
The events here take place before Prometheus: Fire and Stone, which made its debut last week, but it immediately begins to tie their stories together. Roberson doesn’t bother introducing us to the cast in a conventional sort of way, instead jumping right into the middle of the carnage. He lets their actions speak louder, and in situations like this it’s a perfect way to get a glimpse of who these characters are. Since pressure usually brings out who a person really is, Russell is immediately shown to be the man in charge. He’s not the average hero type character, but an engineer trying to get as many people out alive as possible. There’s also a bit of focus on Genevieve and Cale as they help with moving events along the way.
When you pick up an Aliens comic, let’s go ahead and admit that you’re looking for the action and violence that these creatures have been famous for. Well, Patric Reynolds makes sure that you get that and more as he carries over the carnage from the script and makes it look great! The first page doesn’t hold back as the Aliens are everywhere in Hadley’s Hope, and the third panel is just brutal. The pacing of the story itself is pretty fast and intense, which Reynolds hits right on time with Roberson, and the book looks good consistently. It all ends with a very creepy and intimidating last page.
What has always been something to look forward to in the Alien mythos is that the characters who rise to the occasion are the ones that don’t usually fit the “hero” stereotype. Also, they have a habit of acting more like the average man/woman would in a situation like this, which helps to pull readers into the story even further. Hopefully that’s what Roberson is continuing here along with writing a great story.
Tying together two of the most recognizable places in this franchise is shaping up to be a story any fan of Alien should be reading! So you’ll want to get your copy on September 24th and see what Roberson and Reynolds are bringing to Fire and Stone!
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