Dark Horse Entertainment kept the Alien franchise alive when movies couldn’t do it. They even added in Predator, which 20th Century Fox took as soon as the studio could. It’s not the only franchise the publisher treated better than anyone else; it’s just one of their most durable. With Disney’s impending takeover of 20th Century Fox IP (Aliens among them), there’s been a fear from fans that Dark Horse would lose the licence. I don’t think that’s going to happen — Fox has had a stake in BOOM! Studios for a year or so, and never pulled the xenomorphs over there. My hope is that it’s not like Conan or Star Wars — nobody has done it except for Dark Horse, and nobody could do it better.
If I’m wrong, then Dark Horse is going to go out with a bang. Tapping creator Gabriel Hardman to do the next Aliens mini-series should prove interesting and disturbing in all the right ways. Hardman seems poised to become a comics fan favorite a la Jonathan Hickman this year; in addition to Aliens: Dust to Dust, DC entrusted him with Green Lantern: Earth-One. This will be worth taking a look.
From Dark Horse Entertainment:
For those who grew up on James Cameron’s 1986 blockbuster Aliens, it’s impossible to forget the intensity and terror as Newt and Ripley fought an infestation of xenomorphs and the emotional rollercoaster of the motherly feelings Ripley develops for the terrified little girl. Now, writer and artist Gabriel Hardman (storyboard artist for Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, Logan, Dawn of Planet of the Apes) weaves an Aliens story harkening back to the classic film with the terrifying coming-of-age story Aliens: Dust to Dust. The spine-tingling variant cover is by artist Carlos D’Anda (Star Wars).
In deep space, the Trono colony on the planet LV-871 finds itself under attack by mysterious and deadly creatures of unknown origin. Emergency evacuations are ordered and shuttles are taking off as the massacre sweeps the colony. All that stands between twelve-year-old Maxon and his mom making it to the safety of the spaceport is a horde of Aliens! You’ll be gripping the edge of your seat as a mother and son fight for their lives against the deadliest monsters in the galaxy.
Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 (of 4) goes on sale April 24, 2018, and is available for preorder at your local comic shop.
