Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: aliens, marvel

Marvel to Cash in on Aliens 35th Anniversary with Aliens: Aftermath

Published Mon, 19 Apr 2021 15:33:09 -0500

Marvel plans to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the movie Aliens in the only way they know how: by producing a one-shot comic to cash in. Aliens: Aftermath will be written by Ben Percy with art by Dave Wachter and with a cover by Phil Noto, which offers an interesting contrast from the regular Alien series from Marvel in that the Xenomorphs will presumably not be traced from an action figure. Hey, progress is progress.

From the press release:

This July, Marvel Comics will honor the 35th Anniversary of Aliens with a special one-shot by writer Benjamin Percy (WOLVERINE, X-FORCE) and artist Dave Wachter (IRON FIST: HEART OF THE DRAGON). Celebrating one of the most influential science-fiction films of all time, ALIENS: AFTERMATH #1 will be a double-sized issue featuring an all-new story set in the same terrifying universe of Aliens. The action will take place at Hadley's Hope and present a terrifying possible future for LV-426, the location of the groundbreaking 1986 film.

It's been 35 years since the tragedy of the Hadley's Hope colony, but what happened during that ill-fated venture has been shrouded in mystery. A renegade crew of investigative journalists are heading towards the moon that Weyland-Yutani has wiped from all records, and they'll bring back the truth even if it kills them…and what remains in that bombed-out site will try to do just that.

Sounds interesting, but you know what would have been more interesting? If instead of investigative journalists, it was comics journalists. Like they all show up with fanny packs full of snacks expecting a PR rep from Hadley's Hope to tell them what to do, then all hell breaks loose when they have to think for themselves and, worst of all, there's no cell reception on this moon so they can't access Twitter. But we're sure this story will be good too.

Here's what Ben Percy has to say about it:

When I was a kid, I had a door-length poster of a xenomorph crashing through the wood, tearing off the hinges, creeping forward with a drippy fanged smile. This is the image I would drift away to every night, which no doubt influenced my imaginative hard-wiring, along with the films and comics that I watched and read over and over and over. To this day, I can't grip a knife without wanting to lay my hand on a table and tick-tick-tick the point between my splayed fingers—I can't play a game of ping-pong or Clue without yelling, 'Game over, man.'—I can't scratch an orange tabby without whispering , 'You are my lucky star….lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.' I've been in love with these stories most of my life, and it's truly an honor and a delight to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Aliens with a script inked in acid blood.

Ben Percy sounds obnoxious to hang out with. Like, dude, it's been 35 years. Get over it!