Aliens: Aftermath, a new one-shot from Marvel, rewrites the ending of 1986’s science fiction Aliens. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by Dave Wachter and colors by Chris Sotomayor, the book arrives in stores and on digital platforms July 14 as part of the film’s 35th-anniversary celebration.
The first Alien film, made in 1979 and directed by Ridley Scott, stands as one of the greatest science fiction movies ever; its sequel, Aliens, directed by James Cameron, is just as highly regarded with some seeing it as superior to its predecessor. In Aliens, Ripley, the heroine of the first movie, is revived years after her first encounter with the Xenomorph. She is tasked to lead a team of soldiers to a distant colony overrun with the creatures. The movie ended with the colony nuked, leaving Ripley one of the few survivors. From there, Ripley would find herself on a prison planet in 1992’s Alien 3 where she died in the film's climax before being revived in 1997’s Alien Resurrection. But now, Marvel is showing readers a terrifying glimpse at what could have been.
Marvel has released more information on this one-shot, including a plot synopsis and interior art. Set 35 years after Aliens, the story begins when a group of investigative journalists, seeking answers as to what happened at the mysterious Hadley’s Hope colony they travel to the bombed-out planet, totally unaware of what awaits them there. The preview pages show the journalists touching down on the planet. They patrol the colony’s ruins, seeing nothing but destruction and death, covered in layers of snow brought about by a nuclear winter. The preview ends with one unlucky character stumbling upon a glowing Xenomorph. It's an enticing tease, but readers will need to wait until July to see exactly what the journalists find on Hadley’s Hope. Check out the preview pages for Aliens: Aftermath below:
By changing the ending of Aliens, Percy, Wachter, and Sotomayor are giving fans a proper sequel to Cameron’s classic. The follow-ups to Aliens are a mixed bag, as are the Aliens vs Predator films; fan reactions to the prequel films have been mixed as well. Aliens: Aftermath erases these films away and takes the franchise in a new direction, going so far as to introduce a potentially radioactive Xenomorph. What other horrors await these crusading journalists? And will Aliens survivors Ripley and make an appearance?
Since acquiring the comic rights to the Alien franchise, Marvel has taken it in bold directions, introducing new characters and concepts that serve to enrich the mythos. Now, they are rewriting the ending to a beloved entry in the series and giving fans the sequel they deserve in Aliens: Aftermath.