After announcing they’d acquired the license to make Alien and Predator comics based on the movie franchises of the same name earlier this year, Marvel has announced that they’ll launch a new Alien comic next March.
Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Salvador Larroca will work on the new title.
“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 told Marvel.com. “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.”
According to Marvel, the comic will feature “both new and classic characters from Earth and beyond.” The story will feature a Weyland-Yutani mercenary named Gabriel Cruz as he battles a new breed of xenomorph “with the survival of his child hanging in the balance.”
“Drawing this has been like a dream come true, and I am so grateful to be a part of this series!” said Larroca. “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!”
While this is the first new Alien comic by Marvel, they also announced in August plans to collect some of the material created over the years by the former license holder, Dark Horse, in an omnibus. That’s scheduled for release next April, so the springtime should be a fun time for Alien fans.