The "Alien" universe has been strangely devoid of screams lately as Disney absorbs the storied franchise into their empire after purchasing the "Alien" IP as part of their merger with 20th Century Fox last year. Disney has hinted at a possible reboot of the film franchise, with plans for at least one TV series confirmed last month.
But just when you thought the xenomorphs have stretched their jaws and dripped acid blood onto the decks of doomed spaceships for the last time, plans for a newly-resurrected "Alien" comic book series have just hatched from Marvel Comics, whose parent corporation is Disney.
As recently announced by Marvel, a swarm of all-new "Alien" comics is headed to our galaxy starting in March of 2021 with "Alien #1," a flagship series written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson ("Marvel Zombies: Resurrection") with artwork from Salvador Larroca ("Doctor Doom").
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Check out the fearsome first cover for "Alien #1" by InHyuk Lee!
Planned as a vehicle to expand the reach of the "Alien" legacy that first erupted from director Ridley Scott's seminal 1979 movie, "Alien #1" will showcase new and classic characters from Earth and beyond. This sounds like it has all the makings for a perfect jumping-on point for both hardcore fans and newcomers uninitiated into its visceral sci-fi horrors.
The new plot features a fierce Weyland-Yutani mercenary named Gabriel Cruz as he clashes with a lethal breed of xenomorph with the survival of his child hanging in the balance.
"Just as a reader and fan, I was as excited as anyone when I heard the franchise was coming to Marvel, and when they asked me to WRITE THE LAUNCH, I was floored. I've been training my whole life for this gig without knowing it," Johnson said in an official press release. "Ever since seeing Ridley Scott's "Alien" at way too young an age, I've been OBSESSED with the xenomorph, the single most iconic representation of terror on film."
Artist Salvador Larroca considers this gig to be a dream come true and is grateful to be a part of this new "Alien" series.
"I've devoured every "Alien" story I could in every medium available and spent a lot of hours in the back of a classroom sketching out ideas for what happened before, after, and in-between the chapters we got to see," Larroca adds. "Now I have the opportunity to bring my favorite nightmares to life. And with my insanely talented friends at Marvel and some of the greatest artists in comics telling these stories with me, I can promise you: our nightmares will be yours."
Watch for Marvel Comics' "Alien #1" invading comic shops in March of 2021.
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