NYCC 2015: New Ongoing Aliens Series Coming From Dark Horse
20th Century Fox’s Alien franchise is no stranger to comic books, nor is it new to Dark Horse Comics. One of the company’s earliest successful titles was an Aliens continuation back in 1988, when there was no Alien 3 and they could introduce the idea of a grown-up Xeno-kicking badass Newt (how I wish it had turned out that way onscreen). Now the tradition continues with Aliens: Defiance, a new ongoing series announced at NYCC during Dark Horse’s panel.
The new series will take place chronologically between Alien and Aliens, and center around an original character: Zula Hendricks, Colonial Marine. Most of the cast will be new, though Amanda Ripley (Ellen Ripley’s daughter, and the star of Sega’s “Alien Isolation”) is said to make an appearance.
“Alien was groundbreaking when it first debuted and has only grown in relevance and pop culture legend since,” says Brian Wood, writer for the new series. “Thirty-seven years is an impressive amount of time for any entertainment property to thrive, much less still top mainstream headlines and fuel speculation like it does. It’s an honor to be invited to add to that legend.”
“Few films are as timelessly terrifying, and the fact that it continues to grip audiences and affect them beyond any of its successors and imitators (of which there are plenty) is the strongest testament to how truly transcendent everything that went into, and came out of, Alien is,” says Tristan Jones, the illustrator. “Being asked to be a part of something so defining, and so instrumental to the creative development of not just me, but so many, many others, is a lifelong dream come true.”
Aliens: Defiance begins April 26, 2016. Twelve issues are planned so far.