Aliens Vol.1 #3

Apr 1991. Cover price £1.50.
52 pages. Colour & B&W.
Trident Comics, Ltd.

Edited by Martin Skidmore.

Painted cover by Denis Beauvais.
r: Endpaper from Aliens: Book Two.

Contents:

 2 Planet-X advertisement.

 3 Contents / Title Credits / Indicia

 4 Credits / Story So Far text introduction (uncredited).

 5 Aliens Untitled, part three, w: Mark Verheiden; a: Denis Beauvaus, lettering by Bob Pinaha.

r: Aliens (Dark Horse) #02 (Dec 1989).

29 Credits / Story So Far text introduction (uncredited).

30 Predator The Heat, part three, w: Mark Verheiden; a: Chris Warner, lettering by Jim Massara, colouring by Chris Chalenor.

r: Predator #01 (Jun 1989).

43 Credits / Story So Far text introduction (uncredited).

44 Aliens Vs Predator Untitled, part three, w: Randy Stradley; p: Phil Norwood, i: Karl Story, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Aliens Vs Predator (Dark Horse) #01 (Jun 1990).

48 Here are a selection of pages from Toxic! the all new weekly comic. ON SALE NOW! preview section.

r: page four of Marshal Law strip from Toxic! (Apocalypse Ltd.) #01 (28 Mar 1991). / page five of Accident Man strip from Toxic! (Apocalypse Ltd.) #01 (28 Mar 1991). / page three of Mutomaniac strip from Toxic! (Apocalypse Ltd.) #01 (28 Mar 1991).

51 Editorial Editor Vacancy (quarter page) / O.U.T.L.A.N.D. Mail Order Comics (uarter page) advertisement. / Crime Doesn't Stand a Chance (half page) advertisement for Uncanny Comics.

52 Do Your Friends Have Mad Comic Disease? advertisement for Toxic! #01 (28 Mar 1991).

When a cover appears to depict an alien which has lit its fart on fire, there's a problem.

Attempting to present the characters here with the same intensity as the cinematic versions is compromised when the first impression is so ridiculous, however well intentioned, and it is an image so strong that everything which follows is tainted by association. Though it is meant to be dramatic, the framing is such that the comedic value presents instantly and refuses to dissipate. Which is unfortunate, as the strips are very good indeed.

When I joined the Marines, I was proud to serve my country. They want that - they want you to think you're doing something right and noble.

Sometimes you believe it. Sometimes it's even true.

Powell was second-in-command, reporting directly to General Spears. He had followed me into the lower decks of my stranded cargo ship because he needed me.

Spears believed, and the purity of his belief was terrifying

Powell reveals to Hicks that the General has transformed the civilian terraforming base into a breeding station, killing everyone living there, and intends to utilise the aliens as living weapons. Being in the military compound is no guarantee of safety, as it has been wired - staff monitoring senior officers round the clock. When the General is angered by the behaviour of his men, as he is every few days, they soon disappear. Being told about the experiment and seeing it are two different things, and Hicks is soon confronted with incontrovertible evidence of the insane techniques with which the general has managed to bring his creatures under control.

The Queen understands what is happening. She watches as her offspring are burned by the General. She waits.

Attempting to wrest control of the facility before Spears' return, Hicks rounds up the soldiers loyal to the General, though things soon go wrong. An alien is freed from captivity, Hicks and Newt running for the Docking Bay. Spears arrives in the nick of time, his flamethrower bringing the aliens under control - and orders traitors executed and transports readied for a return journey to Earth.

The cynicism which runs through this title is refreshingly overt, though the running theme of untrustworthy officials is becoming tired. Should a genuinely concerned figure of authority be presented, it would be a twist on the formula. As it is, the General is a twisted, unhinged parallel to Apocalypse Now's military figure exposed to the darkness and unable to return to civilisation. His plan, to fight aliens with more aliens, is at once completely mad and yet, in a way, entirely logical.

As much as I want to see the return to Earth prevented, I'm also intrigued by the notion of a battle between two factions of aliens in the middle of a city.

Cops in New York tend to get used to things.

Like the time some livewire tied a cow to the chairman of "Federal Beef" and pitched 'em both off the Chrysler building.

It was supposed to be some sort of protest against chemically treated meat, but when that Jersey pancaked into Lexington Avenue, all Hell broke loose.

City sanitation must have gone through a dozen mops cleaning up the mess, but they didn't care - free steaks for Christmas.

The point is, that's the job. You learn to deal with it.

Schaefer, after coming face-to-face with the Predator, is thrown from the fifth floor of the building. His fall broken by clothes lines and trash, Schaefer alive, he is seriously injured, though the experience allowed him close enough to steal something from his assailant - its mask. The Predator also managed to give him something - a tag on his neck which the officer decides must be a tracking device of some kind. Discharging himself from hospital against doctor's orders, he travels to Rasche's home to convalesce.

A confrontation with his captain convinces Schaefer that he won't get answers through any official channels, and may even spend time in jail if he keeps pushing his investigation. Returning to Colombia, where he once worked narcotics, and where his brother disappeared, to see if the killings in his city are connected. A guide leads him through the jungle, and he is astonished to find a giant crater - where locals say the sun appeared at midnight.

Tying things closer to the film, three years on, we don't get an answer as to why a Predator is hinting in a new location. Such an alteration to tradition is something which warrants a passing mention, at the very least, and it is something I hope isn't brushed over.

The interaction between Schaefer and Rasche is rather underplayed, though the camaraderie between the men is evident here in small touches - splitting them up so soon seems to be dictated more by the plot than their personalities, and Schaefer's departure comes across as a random connection instead of deductive reasoning. That they are so different, and their reaction to what is happening so downplayed, that there seems to be a build-up to Rasche uncovering what is actually happening.

The Aliens and Predators haven't actually met yet in the back-up Aliens Vs Predator series, and the plot is so slow to move forward that I'm reluctant to pass judgement.

For a title which is named after the Alien franchise, it is unfortunate that the highlight is a follow-up to Predator.

#02

Aliens Vol.1

#04