Earlier this year, Marvel Comics announced that it had obtained the rights to publish comics based on the seminal Alien film franchise after its parent, The Walt Disney Company, acquired 20th Century Fox. Having already begun republishing classic Alien comics, Marvel on Monday announced its first new Alien stories. Alien #1, the first issue of a new series, will debut in March 2021. Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Empyre: Captain America) writes the series, which features Salvador Larroca’s art (Doctor Doom). In a press release, Marvel states the series will include both new and classic characters from the Alien mythology.
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The synopsis provided by Marvel “the new story will feature a Weyland-Yutani mercenary named Gabriel Cruz as he battles a deadly new breed of xenomorph with the survival of his child hanging in the balance. No stranger to infusing horror with the classic Marvel storytelling, Phillip Kennedy Johnson most recently shocked readers in the terrifying Marvel Zombies: Resurrection series.”
Johnsons says, “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. 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.”
Larroca adds, “Drawing this has been like a dream come true, and I am so grateful to be a part of this series! Ever since I was young, Alien has been of my favorite sci-fi horror references, and I never could have expected to have the chance to draw this. Alien is a creative reference to a whole generation of artists, and I’m so proud to now be illustrating this series. I hope readers enjoy it as much as I do drawing it! Phillip’s story is going to be a delight for fans of this awesome franchise!
“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. 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.”
Alien #1 goes on sale in March 2021.
