2 is better than 1
Don’t forget about your new favorite series! Here’s 5 second issues out this week:
DEATH OF X #2 by Charles Soule, Jeff Lemire, and Aaron Kuder
After the events on Muir Island, Cyclops and Emma Frost put their plans into motion. Storm and Medusa come together to find a solution for the deadly effects the Terrigen has on mutants. One of the clouds heads to Madrid, the site of the first skirmish between mutants and Inhumans.
RAVEN #2 by Marv Wolfman and Allison Borges
“The White Carnival” part two! As Raven settles into her new life in San Francisco, one of her classmates goes missing. Then another. When Raven begins to investigate, she is shocked to learn that disappearances have been happening all over the city…and now it’s up to her to discover the truth!
HADRIAN’S WALL #2 by Kyle Higgins, Rod Reis, and Alec Siegel
When an astronaut on HADRIAN’S WALL is murdered, pill-popping detective Simon Moore is dispatched to investigate the ship’s crew - including his own ex-wife. But if Simon’s not careful, what he finds could make the interstellar Cold War go red hot. In issue 2, Simon must break the crew’s silence.
From the creative team behind the critically-acclaimed series C.O.W.L. comes a gripping, locked room murder mystery where the secrets of everyone involved are as dark as the space that surrounds them.
ALIENS: LIFE AND DEATH #2, by Dan Abnett and Moritat
Leave no man behind! Up till now, the Colonial Marines have been reacting to attacks by the Predators and the Engineers. But having escaped LV-223, they make the decision to return and fight, against the deadliest adversaries in the galaxy! Aliens versus Colonial Marines!
TRINITY #2, by Francis Manapul
“BETTER TOGETHER” part two! Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman have uncovered a window into their very souls: and the power of temptation proves to be stronger than any villain they could battle! The bonds of friendship and trust between the most formidable heroes on the planet will be tested to their breaking point, with the lives of innocents hanging in the balance!
A comiXologist recommends… that you stand back, Jill!
Written by Dan Abnett, Art by Moritat
Aliens: Life and Death #1 feels familiar and fun. Of all of the Alien movies, spin-offs and games, Aliens remains my favorite. Ripley grows as a character and becomes more complex. Plus, the Colonial Marines are cool, the hordes of aliens are terrifying, and all of these come together to expand upon the original film. After Aliens, well, we won’t talk about that.
Life and Death #1, is worth mentioning; outside of a comic specifically focused on Ripley, this is the next best thing.
Right away, you are thrown into the action. Action is something that the author Dan Abnett knows from his various Warhammer 40K titles, so the Alien franchise appears to be an intelligent fit. The characters are introduced through adversity, where the reader gets the sense of who they are by how said character reacts. While this is good for the short term, it leaves the reader wanting more: What happened before? What is the background of the characters? How did they get there? Why are they there? Who are they? Perhaps this will be addressed in issue #2. I hope it is.
Many of the books I recommend are ones where I say, it starts off with many questions that are unanswered. Aliens: Life and Death #1 certainly fits into that category. I believe that it is also the nature of serialized storytelling – in order to entice the reader to continue buying a book, it must leave the reader yearning for more. Life and Death does that, though I may be interested because I like the franchise and the subject matter.
This issue starts off well, but I need to know more, especially with the characters, so hopefully #2 will deliver.
Dane Cypel is not a Coloinal Marine and has never been to LV-426, which is a shame but also a good thing.
A comiXologist Recommends
Predator Vs. Judge Dredd Vs. Aliens #1 @darkhorsecomics
by John Layman and Chris Mooneyham
What do the Predator, Aliens, and Judge Dredd have in common? If you answered, they were movies, you are correct- if you answered they are all in the same comic, then you are even MORE correct. The Predator and Alien have clashed before, here comes Judge Dredd enforcing post-apocalyptic law.
Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens evokes an image of grandiose conflict, though issue one is a tamer, archetypical series-beginner. It sets up the environment and the characters and attempts to hook the reader by showing off just enough to want more.
It begins with animal/human hybrids hunting the Predator. Yes, the Predator is the prey and is hunted by creatures straight from the Island of Doctor Moreau. These events do not occur on a lush tropical island, though. It takes place in Alabama. While I can suspend disbelief, it is difficult to justify why a Predator, an Alien, and a Judge would be in Alabama.
I am hoping that despite this location, they make their way to the Mega City. Perhaps the story unfolds with the Judge capturing the Predator and bringing him back as a prisoner, when the Predator is somehow infected with an Alien parasite…
Think of that! An Alien-Predator hybrid running amok through the Mega City, as the Judge and the Predators try to track it down. Somewhere along the line both parties join forces! … That is the story I want to see- a Predator-Judge alliance where they hunt Alien-hybrids. I HOPE issue two will get into that more.
And I will stick around for issue two. There’s enough within the book to have me interested and get my imagination going. It is, overall, a fun idea. While I am sure the story is not “canon” and it does not fit into any type of expanded universe, it exists similar to Archie vs. Predator. It is a solid “What If” where the creative team can have fun, try something new, and take chances. It is something I would like to see more of.
Dane Cypel is a production coordinator at comiXology. Did you know that the Predator’s species are called the Yautja? Neither did he, until now.
