Spoilers for Alien #1 ahead!
The Alien franchise has returned to comics, with new and terrifying Xenomorphs, and in Alien #1, Marvel has revealed a dark conspiracy behind their return.
Starting with Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979, the franchise has proven to be one of the most popular in science fiction history, stretching across eight feature films as well as numerous novels, comic books, video games, and more. Late last year, Marvel announced it would be publishing a new line of Alien books, taking over for Dark Horse Comics, the line’s home for the last three decades. The first title, simply called Alien, just debuted, introducing a new and horrifying variety of Xenomorph. The book also reintroduces readers to Weyland-Yutani and the world of 2200, including a conspiracy that will spell doom for Earth.
In Alien #1, by writer Philip Kennedy Johnson, artist Salvador Larroca and colorist Guru-eFX, readers meet Gabriel Cruz, a Defense Agent for the Weyland-Yutani corporation, and a survivor of a Xenomorph attack. He is estranged from his son Danny and, seeking reconciliation, invites Danny to his house, an offer he accepts. Before Danny goes to meet his dad, however, readers see him and his girlfriend talking, and the truth is revealed: Danny is part of an anti-corporation movement and is going to use his dad to find a way to strike at the megalithic Weyland-Yutani. Danny is successful in stealing secret files regarding a corporate research base in Earth orbit, one that allegedly specializes in cyber warfare and psyops, but when Danny and the rest of his group travel to the facility to destroy it, they learn the company is actually holding an army of Xenomorphs in stasis. A trigger-happy member of Danny’s group fires a gun at one of the researchers, but it instead hits one of the tanks containing a Xenomorph, triggering a chain reaction that will free the Xenomorphs - including a special one named “Alpha.”
The Alien movies have revealed that Weyland-Yutani sent the Nostromo on its mission to retrieve the Xenomorphs for their potential to be used as weapons, and now fans are seeing the fruits of the company’s labors. The issue did not reveal if Weyland-Yutani had modified the Xenomorphs, but the existence of an “Alpha” does not bode well for Danny and his friends. While he and his anti-corporate friends thought they were doing the right thing, they have accidentally unleashed something far worse, and innocent people are going to pay dearly for their "good" deeds.
The world of Alien is dark and gritty, a world where corporations have their own defense forces and the people resisting them can be just as bad—and now this world of rot and decay must content with a potential Xenomorph invasion. The issue is available now in stores and on participating digital comics platforms.