Alien: Covenant is featured on a new Empire magazine cover that hearkens back to the classic original. Ridley Scott is following up the loosely-connected Alien prequel Prometheus with a return to a focus on the iconic (and terrifying) xenomorphs that have populated most installments of the Alien franchise. Although Covenant will contain some overarching connections to Scott's 1979 original, it appears to largely act as a loose bridge between Prometheus and the first Alien.
One of the distinct differences that sets Covenant apart from the original Alien and Prometheus is the presence of the new "neomorph" alien creatures, a cousin of the more familiar xenomorphs. Alien: Covenant will explore the origins of the queen and her offspring, but it remains unclear how much of a role the original xenomorph really plays in the film's narrative. But that doesn't mean that the mother of all xenomorphs can't be part of Covenant's promotional campaign.
Empire revealed its newest cover on Friday, depicting the xenomorph that is instantly recognizable to fans of the franchise. It features the alien, designed with "embossed cardboard" by graphic artist Jacey, and a memorable quote from the character Ash (Ian Holm) in the original Alien: "Unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality..."
Empire subscribers will receive limited-edition copies of the magazine with the special cover in the mail before it hits newsstands. Aside from the cover, the magazine will undoubtedly feature new exclusive details. Empire has been busy covering Alien: Covenant ahead of its release; they previously revealed photos of the mysterious new planet that the Covenant ship visits in the film, as well as images of Katherine Waterston's character Daniels.
This new Empire cover is practically a must-have for devoted fans of the Alien franchise, especially those who love the originals. As nightmarish as the new neomorphs may be in Covenant, it will be hard for them to measure up to the enduring terror that the original xenomorph unleashed. Nonetheless, the cover is a gorgeous and uniquely created design.
The big question for Alien: Covenant is how it will measure up as a film to the original. With Scott back behind the cameras, comparisons are inevitable. Alien is an all-time sci-fi/horror classic and it may not really be fair to compare Covenant to the seminal original, but covers like this one will invite such comparisons to be made. Still, Alien: Covenant does not necessarily need to be as great as the original Alien to be a great film in and of itself.
Source: Empire