The danger escalates as people are almost as evil.
Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Gabriel Hardman
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Michael Heisler
What They Say:
A boy faces threats and decisions that would reduce a grown man to tears. A terrifying coming of age story featuring the most frightening creatures in the galaxy!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While most books hit regularly from Dark Horse without any problem, when you do get that series where there are gaps between issues it tends to hurt more. Aliens: Dust to Dust had almost 2 ½ months between the first and second issue and now the third issue has almost four months between issues. And as I said before, it doesn’t matter how good the book is – that gap makes it hard to get back into. It’ll reinforce the whole reading better in trade form idea but thankfully it’s pretty damn strong in individual form as well. I really love the flow of the book as the action and tension carry forward well but Hardman’s artwork is almost intoxicating with its style and rawness, particularly with the setting.
Survival is key in these situations and it’s always a mixed bag when it comes to how people work together and then turn on each other. The hardwired fight or flight responses come into it and it’s never a surprise that when dealing with ordinary people in circumstances like this that some will want to just ditch as many people as possible in favor of their own survival. When one of them starts talking about how the xenomorph that they’re dealing with acts around Maxon, that raises this kind of problem. Since it spawned from his mother, the idea that it may have retained some of her traits isn’t far-fetched and at least shows some thinking since it seems like it’s somewhat protecting Maxon while killing the others. The problem is that some see this as a reason to stay close to Maxon while others want to leave him behind. I like this kind of tension and uncertainty since it fits within these ranks a opposed to a military group.
The opening sequence for the book gives us a good out in the winds and wilderness segment where more of the survivors from the crash are torn apart by the Xenomorphs before they arrive at the waystation facility. The place they want to get to with the shuttle isn’t that far away, a thousand meters or some such, but the obstacles are significant and the xenomorphs are closing in. Hardman ramps up the tension very well with the story itself and how the characters are reacting to all these problems but also just in the artwork. It’s so oppressive and claustrophobic in many scenes and Rain Beredo’s color work amplifies that will keeping the right details from the artwork to make the critical pieces clear. It’s one of the stronger Aliens projects I’ve seen in the last few years in the art department and that’s saying a lot as we’ve had some great talent on these works.
In Summary:
My frustrations with the publishing schedule are really my only problem with the book as it completely takes the wind out of the sales issue after issue. The story itself is definitely really well done with some nice nods to the familiar and enough twists and tweaks to make it its own thing, which is critical. The characters are basic but are exactly what’s needed while Hardman and Beredo put together a fantastic look for it all to take place in. With the next issue wrapping things up it’s hard to imagine it ending well for anyone but the journey has been strong so far and I can’t wait to see where it all goes.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 24th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
