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Alien by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Alien, Vol. 1: Bloodlines
The iconic cinematic terror makes its Marvel debut! Gabriel Cruz gave his life to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation — almost literally, thanks to an alien attack he barely survived! Recently retired, Cruz is trying to patch things up with his abandoned son with the help of his friend, a Bishop-model android. But his re-entry into civilian life is not going smoothly, and his encounters with the deadly Xenomorphs are far from over! Now, Cruz has only one chance to save his son from the horrific fate he barely escaped. The clock toward total collapse is ticking. The aliens are loose! Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Salvador Larroca team up for an all-new tale of the sci-fi/horror titan that has terrified audiences for decades. No one is safe. No one is innocent. And no one can hear you scream.
143 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2021
85 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
About the author
Phillip Kennedy Johnson
520 books96 followersPhillip Kennedy Johnson earned a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, where he served as Teaching Fellow for the Department of Jazz Studies, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Eastern Kentucky University. SFC Johnson has performed with the Lexington Philharmonic, Dallas Opera, Washington Symphonic Brass, and the Moscow Ballet, and was a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 2004 to 2005. SFC Johnson remains active as a composer, arranger, teacher, and clinician, and also enjoys a second career as a writer of comics and graphic novels. His work has been published by DC Comics, Marvel Comics, BOOM! Studios, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
January 18, 2022
This started out well enough, but then there's this thing with new Alien writers where they always want to add their own "new" form of the xenomorph.. so here we get the alpha, and of course it looks like the most fanboyishly overwrought thing you've ever seen.
It's an alien, but now it's METAL !!! \m/ \m/
It looks ridiculous.
We get the usual set of Weyland-Yutani-flavoured betrayals and twists, one including a character that needs a little footnote box to remind us who the hell this person is again. Always a good sign.
There's some guff about 'free androids', which feels really lazy.
All that said, this is the first Alien comic in years where the xenomorphs look like xenomorphs.
Well, except for the alpha, which looks like a couple of xenomorphs stapled together.
It's an alien, but now it's METAL !!! \m/ \m/
It looks ridiculous.
We get the usual set of Weyland-Yutani-flavoured betrayals and twists, one including a character that needs a little footnote box to remind us who the hell this person is again. Always a good sign.
There's some guff about 'free androids', which feels really lazy.
All that said, this is the first Alien comic in years where the xenomorphs look like xenomorphs.
Well, except for the alpha, which looks like a couple of xenomorphs stapled together.
June 6, 2022
Weyland-Yutani, aka The Company That Never Learns Because Then There’d Be No Aliens Franchise, has a space station orbiting Earth that’s definitely not got a biolab containing Xenomorphs in it. And said Xenomorphs would never break free and run rampant around the station while dudes with guns flap around getting gored by the Xenomorphs. Naaah, this is a totally original, fresh take on… yeah, no, it’s the same old bollocks all over again.
Marvel has snapped up another stale franchise, this time Aliens, which was at Dark Horse for the longest time, only to do nothing new or interesting with it. That’s thanks in large part to the uncreative team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, a writer who seems only able to produce what’s gone before but less memorably, and Salvador Larroca, who draws all the familiar things you’d expect to see in an Aliens comic: oh yeah, that’s what a space hulk looks like. And there’s Bishop. And the Aliens of course. Ho hum…
Normally captions from the editor in the corner of a panel point out an obscure comic you’ll never seek out that a character is referencing in a scene. This book literally has a caption towards the end reminding you who one of the supporting characters is from earlier in the book. I’ve never seen that before but that’s how forgettable the story seems to know it is!
Alien, Volume 1: Bloodlines is a thoroughly boring and unimaginative product - a blandly by-the-numbers retelling of an overfamiliar story with zero entertainment value. Right again, Marvel!
Marvel has snapped up another stale franchise, this time Aliens, which was at Dark Horse for the longest time, only to do nothing new or interesting with it. That’s thanks in large part to the uncreative team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson, a writer who seems only able to produce what’s gone before but less memorably, and Salvador Larroca, who draws all the familiar things you’d expect to see in an Aliens comic: oh yeah, that’s what a space hulk looks like. And there’s Bishop. And the Aliens of course. Ho hum…
Normally captions from the editor in the corner of a panel point out an obscure comic you’ll never seek out that a character is referencing in a scene. This book literally has a caption towards the end reminding you who one of the supporting characters is from earlier in the book. I’ve never seen that before but that’s how forgettable the story seems to know it is!
Alien, Volume 1: Bloodlines is a thoroughly boring and unimaginative product - a blandly by-the-numbers retelling of an overfamiliar story with zero entertainment value. Right again, Marvel!
February 2, 2022
Pretty bog standard Alien storytelling, truth be told. I had high hopes it was going to some weird wild places with the flashbacks from the lead character interspersed through the first issues but ultimately it was the same tale of claustrophobic horror and betrayal we've seen before, this time with that weird Guru eFX touch to give us a series of Lance Henriksen lookalikes.
Sorry, L.H., this is a forever gig now.
Not all that enthused by what I've seen so far, I could be persuaded to continue reading if the next volume gets decent reviews I guess.
Sorry, L.H., this is a forever gig now.
Not all that enthused by what I've seen so far, I could be persuaded to continue reading if the next volume gets decent reviews I guess.
January 14, 2022
This was pretty dope. The story follows Gabriel, someone who has worked for the Weyland group forever. However he is retiring or more like being forced out due to being sick. His son hates the Weyland group and is with an extremist group hell bent on taking his dad’s company down. They plan to sneak aboard the Weyland space station and cause some mayhem. This puts him, his dad and all the alien specimens on board on a crash course and it’s a good one. Great suspense, big action, nice plot twist and a big plot hanging out in the background that gets left in a cliff hanger that I’m on board to find out what’s going on.
August 15, 2022
A fair yet overreaching effort to expand on the Alien mythos with a forgettable rescue mission and a predictable yet entertaining twist.
December 8, 2025
PT Esta leitura de Alien teve um arranque bastante lento, mas acabou por ganhar ritmo e compensar mais à frente na narrativa.
É daquelas BDs que, sinceramente, ficaria mil vezes melhor a preto e branco. As cores digitais, excessivamente saturadas, arruinaram por completo a arte.
Ainda assim, foi uma boa leitura.
--
EN This Alien read had a rather slow start, but it eventually picked up the pace and made up for it later in the story.
It’s one of those comics that would honestly look a thousand times better in black and white. The digital, overly saturated colours completely ruined the artwork.
Even so, it was a good read.
É daquelas BDs que, sinceramente, ficaria mil vezes melhor a preto e branco. As cores digitais, excessivamente saturadas, arruinaram por completo a arte.
Ainda assim, foi uma boa leitura.
--
EN This Alien read had a rather slow start, but it eventually picked up the pace and made up for it later in the story.
It’s one of those comics that would honestly look a thousand times better in black and white. The digital, overly saturated colours completely ruined the artwork.
Even so, it was a good read.
July 29, 2021
Exactly what an Alien comic should be - space-based danger due to the bad faith and callous actions of Weyland-Yutani. Not sure how the momentum will carry in a second volume, but eager to find out.
February 27, 2022
The Alien franchise makes its mighty Marvel debut with this opening salvo, Bloodlines, penned by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, with art from Salvador Larroca. Anybody worried that the vicious creatures or grim space terrors would be softened by its departure from Dark Horse Comics can rest easy - Johnson's scripting is just as tonally pitch black as its ever been, and the violence is mean and shockingly gruesome.
Gabriel Cruz is brand-new to retirement, having taken his leave from Weyland-Yutani and the space station orbiting Earth that he's called home for decades. He's forced to return to Epsilon Station after a group of anti-fascists assault the base with the intent of exposing the company's darkest secrets. Naturally, they find way more than they bargained for, as does Cruz, whose son, Danny, is among the invaders...
I really dug Johnson's approach with using an anti-fascist group as an antagonist to Weyland-Yutani, and I suspect different readers will find different characters to root for here. It's an elegant way of forcing readers to question their presumptions on who are actually the more diabolical forces, shading everyone's motivations with various levels of gray and greed. Obviously, Weyland-Yutani is the negative specter looming large over all things Alien, and it's hard to disagree with the motivations and idealism that have driven Danny to join up with this anti-corporate group even as their actions quickly prove abhorrent. Equally questionable is whether or not Cruz is the rugged hero he's initially painted as or just another corporate Yes man. There's some neat shocks and reveals along the way to add additional perspectives, and I'm curious to see how the larger story arc unfolds in subsequent volumes.
Bloodlines is hardly perfect, though, and there's a few quibbles to chew on. First of all is the premise of what seems to be an uber-queen, somewhat like the Borg queen from Star Trek, I guess?, that controls all of the xenomorphs. It's a tired trope made worse by the even more questionable choice to make this humanoid-alien hybrid sexy, which seems designed solely to please the lowest common denominator. I'm not sure who's out there thinking, "Yeah, I like the xenomorph queen, but I'd like her even more if she were hot and had tits!," but that seems to be the general aim Johnson is going for here. I really hope there's more to it, but it falls pretty flat story-wise.
The next issues I had with the book lands squarely with Larroca's art. It's been a long, long time since I was able to enjoy this artist's work, and his heavy-handed reliance on tracing is always a drag. His aliens look good, the space ship looks good, the backgrounds are nice, but his human characters always have such a tremendous uncanny valley effect, and it's genuinely off-putting. Bloodlines, at least, isn't nearly as bad as his trace work on the Star Wars books, but it's not exactly high praise, either. Larocca is at his best when he puts his actual skills and talents to work, but once it's clear he's just photoshopping actors faces and alien bodies into the scene, his panels quickly grow awkward. I spent too much of the book trying to figure out if he was using Javier Bardem or Fred Armisen as his fill-in for Cruz, depending on whatever facial expression he was aiming for. Larroca's visual style, if you want to call it that, is too much of a distraction and pulled me out of the book far too frequently.
Taken on the whole, though, Bloodlines is mostly a pretty worthwhile diversion. I good and truly dug Johnson's "no heroes allowed" sensibility, and I'm eager to see how this book's denouement plays out in subsequent volumes. This is a fine start to the series, but the next volume or two will be the real testament to how worthwhile this relaunch really is.
Gabriel Cruz is brand-new to retirement, having taken his leave from Weyland-Yutani and the space station orbiting Earth that he's called home for decades. He's forced to return to Epsilon Station after a group of anti-fascists assault the base with the intent of exposing the company's darkest secrets. Naturally, they find way more than they bargained for, as does Cruz, whose son, Danny, is among the invaders...
I really dug Johnson's approach with using an anti-fascist group as an antagonist to Weyland-Yutani, and I suspect different readers will find different characters to root for here. It's an elegant way of forcing readers to question their presumptions on who are actually the more diabolical forces, shading everyone's motivations with various levels of gray and greed. Obviously, Weyland-Yutani is the negative specter looming large over all things Alien, and it's hard to disagree with the motivations and idealism that have driven Danny to join up with this anti-corporate group even as their actions quickly prove abhorrent. Equally questionable is whether or not Cruz is the rugged hero he's initially painted as or just another corporate Yes man. There's some neat shocks and reveals along the way to add additional perspectives, and I'm curious to see how the larger story arc unfolds in subsequent volumes.
Bloodlines is hardly perfect, though, and there's a few quibbles to chew on. First of all is the premise of what seems to be an uber-queen, somewhat like the Borg queen from Star Trek, I guess?, that controls all of the xenomorphs. It's a tired trope made worse by the even more questionable choice to make this humanoid-alien hybrid sexy, which seems designed solely to please the lowest common denominator. I'm not sure who's out there thinking, "Yeah, I like the xenomorph queen, but I'd like her even more if she were hot and had tits!," but that seems to be the general aim Johnson is going for here. I really hope there's more to it, but it falls pretty flat story-wise.
The next issues I had with the book lands squarely with Larroca's art. It's been a long, long time since I was able to enjoy this artist's work, and his heavy-handed reliance on tracing is always a drag. His aliens look good, the space ship looks good, the backgrounds are nice, but his human characters always have such a tremendous uncanny valley effect, and it's genuinely off-putting. Bloodlines, at least, isn't nearly as bad as his trace work on the Star Wars books, but it's not exactly high praise, either. Larocca is at his best when he puts his actual skills and talents to work, but once it's clear he's just photoshopping actors faces and alien bodies into the scene, his panels quickly grow awkward. I spent too much of the book trying to figure out if he was using Javier Bardem or Fred Armisen as his fill-in for Cruz, depending on whatever facial expression he was aiming for. Larroca's visual style, if you want to call it that, is too much of a distraction and pulled me out of the book far too frequently.
Taken on the whole, though, Bloodlines is mostly a pretty worthwhile diversion. I good and truly dug Johnson's "no heroes allowed" sensibility, and I'm eager to see how this book's denouement plays out in subsequent volumes. This is a fine start to the series, but the next volume or two will be the real testament to how worthwhile this relaunch really is.
February 10, 2022
A good new Aliens comic. True to the two movies that matter, even containing a shared character. Giving us other interesting characters and facing them with harsh consequences. Expanding the chronology into the future. Considering the topics of monsters and humanity. With beautiful art too.
January 21, 2023
3,5. Nu i-aș da chiar 4, chit că m-a ținut în priză până spre final. Prima serie Alien scrisă sub oblăduirea Marvel, ceea ce recunosc că m-a speriat inițial. Pentru că m-am gândit și la filme și cum Marvel înseamnă Disney deja vedeam un Star Wars Reloaded.
Dar nu e așa rău. Ba din contră, arta lui Salvador Larroca e suficient de violentă și întunecată acolo unde trebuie, chiar dacă un alien alpha arată dubios rău de tot și mai e și un sexi alien queen sau ceva asemănător care seamănă cu regina din Starcraft, dar, hei, cine sunt eu să comentez atâta...
Povestea încearcă să se lipească de canon, ai corporația rea care face experimente și un grup de teroriști care vor să distrugă munca corporației ca spre final corporația să ți se pară de treabă și teroriștii cam nasoi. Întorsături de situație, lupte pe culoare întunecate, luminate în roșu-de-avarie-intermitent, o reîntâlnire plăcută cu Bishop, și mulți xenomorfi. Ai și o poveste intimă și tragică, suprapusă peste povestea mare a corporației care se străduiește să experimenteze cu creaturile alien și de fiecare dată o dă în bară, o poveste personală, dureroasă și care sfârșește prost ca mai toate din univers.
Una peste alta, o poveste mai mult decât decentă.
Dar nu e așa rău. Ba din contră, arta lui Salvador Larroca e suficient de violentă și întunecată acolo unde trebuie, chiar dacă un alien alpha arată dubios rău de tot și mai e și un sexi alien queen sau ceva asemănător care seamănă cu regina din Starcraft, dar, hei, cine sunt eu să comentez atâta...
Povestea încearcă să se lipească de canon, ai corporația rea care face experimente și un grup de teroriști care vor să distrugă munca corporației ca spre final corporația să ți se pară de treabă și teroriștii cam nasoi. Întorsături de situație, lupte pe culoare întunecate, luminate în roșu-de-avarie-intermitent, o reîntâlnire plăcută cu Bishop, și mulți xenomorfi. Ai și o poveste intimă și tragică, suprapusă peste povestea mare a corporației care se străduiește să experimenteze cu creaturile alien și de fiecare dată o dă în bară, o poveste personală, dureroasă și care sfârșește prost ca mai toate din univers.
Una peste alta, o poveste mai mult decât decentă.
June 27, 2022
5 stars. This is damn near perfect.
Salvador Larroca strikes against with his neat lines, photoreal aesthetic and smooth, action packed sequential storytelling. It’s deftly bolstered by Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script. This guy really gets the IP. Without spoiling too much, the central theme of the movie Aliens has to do with parenthood. All sequels beyond that have really done the ole swing-and-a-miss with that. Not Marvel Aliens. This just really gets the big idea and runs with it. Surprises, subtext, outstanding and complex character development, and good old fashioned drooling and visceral Xenomorph horror. I could practically see their lips curling in rage. Very kinetic comic work.
I 💯 loved this and I 💯 need more.
Salvador Larroca strikes against with his neat lines, photoreal aesthetic and smooth, action packed sequential storytelling. It’s deftly bolstered by Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script. This guy really gets the IP. Without spoiling too much, the central theme of the movie Aliens has to do with parenthood. All sequels beyond that have really done the ole swing-and-a-miss with that. Not Marvel Aliens. This just really gets the big idea and runs with it. Surprises, subtext, outstanding and complex character development, and good old fashioned drooling and visceral Xenomorph horror. I could practically see their lips curling in rage. Very kinetic comic work.
I 💯 loved this and I 💯 need more.
December 22, 2021
I was a huge fan of the Alien movie franchise and was heavily into the comics when Dark Horse first started producing them. After a time, I realized nothing new was being added so I quit reading them.
Fast forward to now, when Disney/Marvel acquired the rights and started producing their own comics. Decided to give it a try.
And...disappointed again. This particular story rehashes the same ideas and scenes from the original Aliens movie: The "Company" still hellbent on developing/researching the xenomorph, a lab where they get out of control, a "parent" trying to save their child from the alien, questionable motivations of the androids, and soldiers who still haven't learned they should wear some type of armored facemask to prevent impregnation.
Same. Story. Again.
The one new idea, is a dumb idea . But what I really hate is the design.
I've also decided I don't really care for Larrocca's art. Will not be revisiting this series again.
Fast forward to now, when Disney/Marvel acquired the rights and started producing their own comics. Decided to give it a try.
And...disappointed again. This particular story rehashes the same ideas and scenes from the original Aliens movie: The "Company" still hellbent on developing/researching the xenomorph, a lab where they get out of control, a "parent" trying to save their child from the alien, questionable motivations of the androids, and soldiers who still haven't learned they should wear some type of armored facemask to prevent impregnation.
Same. Story. Again.
The one new idea, is a dumb idea . But what I really hate is the design.
I've also decided I don't really care for Larrocca's art. Will not be revisiting this series again.
October 4, 2021
Phillip Kennedy Johnson shows the proper respect for the source material and tells a new story with all the familiar trappings that made the original so compelling. Salvador Larroca's art is spot-on, detailing the technology, space environments, and some seriously creepy aliens.
Beneath the scary surface atmosphere of this story, and the cat-and-mouse chase and escapes, Johnson weaves in a story of paternal relationships soured by an absentee father who put work obligations before time for family matters. Retired security officer Gabriel Cruz feels the pain of that neglect when it comes back to cause hardship via a rebel son. Will he get a chance to make things up, or is it too late for recompense? That conflict made the perils experienced matter more to me as I read and empathized with the characters. Well done.
Of course, the multinational corporation is back, Weyland-Yutani, who started all the trouble with their greedy objectives regarding the Xenomorphs back in 2122, sacrificing the crew of the Nostromo for their bloody aims. LV-426, the moon where the events of the ALIEN film occurred and the ALIENS massacre 57 years later, is also the setting for this new story.
The only problem I have with this story, which occurs in 2200 (now 78 years since ALIEN), is that the Weyland-Yutani corporation still insists on getting their greedy paws on a specimen after all these years and apparently previously failed attempts. And, where is law enforcement/government in all this? Wouldn't the misdeeds of the corporation have been unearthed, exposed and publicly shamed by now? I didn't let this interfere with my enjoyment of the story, although it did pull me away from it for a moment.
I read this first story arc in the individual issues.
Beneath the scary surface atmosphere of this story, and the cat-and-mouse chase and escapes, Johnson weaves in a story of paternal relationships soured by an absentee father who put work obligations before time for family matters. Retired security officer Gabriel Cruz feels the pain of that neglect when it comes back to cause hardship via a rebel son. Will he get a chance to make things up, or is it too late for recompense? That conflict made the perils experienced matter more to me as I read and empathized with the characters. Well done.
Of course, the multinational corporation is back, Weyland-Yutani, who started all the trouble with their greedy objectives regarding the Xenomorphs back in 2122, sacrificing the crew of the Nostromo for their bloody aims. LV-426, the moon where the events of the ALIEN film occurred and the ALIENS massacre 57 years later, is also the setting for this new story.
The only problem I have with this story, which occurs in 2200 (now 78 years since ALIEN), is that the Weyland-Yutani corporation still insists on getting their greedy paws on a specimen after all these years and apparently previously failed attempts. And, where is law enforcement/government in all this? Wouldn't the misdeeds of the corporation have been unearthed, exposed and publicly shamed by now? I didn't let this interfere with my enjoyment of the story, although it did pull me away from it for a moment.
I read this first story arc in the individual issues.
November 29, 2021
Alien Vol. 1 Bloodlines collects issues 1-6 of the Marvel Comics series written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and art by Salvador Larroca.
Gabriel Cruz has recently retired as security chief of a Weyland Utani research station. He is forced to return to space in order to save his son, who with a group of radicals stormed the installation and unleashed what Weiland Utani was secretly researching - The Alpha Xenomorph.
This is a great series that I am glad is exploring new ground and not just retreading on Ripley's story. The book is actually really expanding the Alien universe (which for the most part is vastly different than what Marvel is doing with Star Wars). Even with the new setting and characters, it still feels like the Alien universe we know with the dreaded Weyland Utani and synths. The art is strong but does come off as stationary as if all the characters are posed mannequins. It doesn't feel fluid but it improves as the book goes on. I think the Alien series is in good hands with Marvel.
Gabriel Cruz has recently retired as security chief of a Weyland Utani research station. He is forced to return to space in order to save his son, who with a group of radicals stormed the installation and unleashed what Weiland Utani was secretly researching - The Alpha Xenomorph.
This is a great series that I am glad is exploring new ground and not just retreading on Ripley's story. The book is actually really expanding the Alien universe (which for the most part is vastly different than what Marvel is doing with Star Wars). Even with the new setting and characters, it still feels like the Alien universe we know with the dreaded Weyland Utani and synths. The art is strong but does come off as stationary as if all the characters are posed mannequins. It doesn't feel fluid but it improves as the book goes on. I think the Alien series is in good hands with Marvel.
June 25, 2025
Hope the new TV series takes some cues from the graphic novels. There's some great stuff that would work better than what's happened with the last however many movies. Favorite part here:
"Humans weren't the first organics to leave your solar system. When organic species grow arrogant enough to travel the stars, they find IT waiting. Prometheus' cleansing fire. The fire that keeps the universe clean from parasites like you."
I've typically been of the opinion that giving the aliens a motivation is a mistake, but giving them a *purpose* - even one they aren't cognizant of - works out well here.
"Humans weren't the first organics to leave your solar system. When organic species grow arrogant enough to travel the stars, they find IT waiting. Prometheus' cleansing fire. The fire that keeps the universe clean from parasites like you."
I've typically been of the opinion that giving the aliens a motivation is a mistake, but giving them a *purpose* - even one they aren't cognizant of - works out well here.
January 13, 2022
Still a huge fan of Aliens. I admit that I am purest and like the old Dark Horse series that built off of the movies before Alien 3. So all others are lesser in my opinion. This series was alright, artwork was super hard to follow at times. I am excited to see what comes next so I guess I did like this book after all.
April 28, 2022
Workable Marvel Comics version ...stands up well/ even better than Dark Horse comics
November 3, 2021
Hello! Coming in with a 2.5 star review for Alien: Bloodlines Vol. 1.
While this wasn't a bad comic it suffers from a lot of the problems most of the Alien universe has. It is a pretty generic Alien story with a few twists here and there. That's what all new alien properties do, which is fine, but the new ideas are never really that new and if they are it's like ?? but why was that the choice?
The Apex alien makes sense (my problem with him was that preatorians are already in canon, but whatever) and I even like that they're speccing more into the hybrids that can be created (like the goats and the cat cliffhanger) that's classic alien shit I can get behind. You start to lose me, however, when you introduce a completely new element, the "Prometheus' Cleansing Fire" is a complete miss for me. I'm all down for making a bigger bladder alien, like an originator kind of thing (it'd be better than David creating them), we've even met a Queen Mother Alien and King Aliens in the past. Baaaad move making this thing a sexy xenomorph, Marvel, that was a weird call. Even with the sexual scariness the alien is supposed to imply this is a bad take. I mean, we'll see where it goes and what her design might really look like (?) but it's very much not for me, at this point it seems like theyre doing a worse job tying in Prometheus and Covenant than Ridley Scott did.
The characters were also a little flat, Cruz has Ned Stark syndrome, but is less likable. And I don't care for this lead up plot with his son either, although better to make him the protag here than a W/Y shill. It's always nice to see a Bishop model android though, and it seems like they're going to do something interesting with the synths in the future, so that's cool, they're always underutilized.
I'd say this is middle class Alien lore. Read Aliens Phalanx if you want an exciting new take on the Xenomorph. Unless you want a comic. Then read Earth Hive, Dead Orbit or Defiance.
While this wasn't a bad comic it suffers from a lot of the problems most of the Alien universe has. It is a pretty generic Alien story with a few twists here and there. That's what all new alien properties do, which is fine, but the new ideas are never really that new and if they are it's like ?? but why was that the choice?
The Apex alien makes sense (my problem with him was that preatorians are already in canon, but whatever) and I even like that they're speccing more into the hybrids that can be created (like the goats and the cat cliffhanger) that's classic alien shit I can get behind. You start to lose me, however, when you introduce a completely new element, the "Prometheus' Cleansing Fire" is a complete miss for me. I'm all down for making a bigger bladder alien, like an originator kind of thing (it'd be better than David creating them), we've even met a Queen Mother Alien and King Aliens in the past. Baaaad move making this thing a sexy xenomorph, Marvel, that was a weird call. Even with the sexual scariness the alien is supposed to imply this is a bad take. I mean, we'll see where it goes and what her design might really look like (?) but it's very much not for me, at this point it seems like theyre doing a worse job tying in Prometheus and Covenant than Ridley Scott did.
The characters were also a little flat, Cruz has Ned Stark syndrome, but is less likable. And I don't care for this lead up plot with his son either, although better to make him the protag here than a W/Y shill. It's always nice to see a Bishop model android though, and it seems like they're going to do something interesting with the synths in the future, so that's cool, they're always underutilized.
I'd say this is middle class Alien lore. Read Aliens Phalanx if you want an exciting new take on the Xenomorph. Unless you want a comic. Then read Earth Hive, Dead Orbit or Defiance.
September 2, 2021
I’ve been reading this as single volumes across the past four or so months (probably back to around April, actually). I have always counted myself a fan of the Dark Horse Alien comics over the years, but I’m also glad given some of their narrative missteps to see the franchise shifting back over to Marvel (despite those years of wild collaborations with DC comics!). This first run is fine — a balance of gore and flashbacks with a bit of the Prometheus mythology tied in but not too much. The stakes here seem monumental but the cast of characters feels almost comically limited and with almost no one to root for, I think the series is missing an anchor to keep readers connected. Maybe it’s meant to be Bishop in his various appearances throughout the narrative. I like that they’re trying to build out the mythology again, but if it amounts to more wheel-spinning, I’ll be pretty disappointed.
July 5, 2022
I'm not an Alien superfan, but I definitely appreciate the milieu and Bloodlines nails it. Weyland-Yutani continues to be up to shady shit with a new research space station containing - you guessed it! - xenomorphs. A newly-retired general is forced back to the station after an incident involving his son. Would you believe it if I told you the xenomorphs got loose somehow?
So, yeah, Bloodlines is singing the same tune as basically everything else in the Aliens franchise. If it works, don't fix it, right? Salvador Larrocca's art killed me in the Star Wars comic line, but it works better here since photorealism only makes the xenomorphs more terrifying. That said, all the characters are shiny, shaded, and stilted. Not a great look.
So, yeah, Bloodlines is singing the same tune as basically everything else in the Aliens franchise. If it works, don't fix it, right? Salvador Larrocca's art killed me in the Star Wars comic line, but it works better here since photorealism only makes the xenomorphs more terrifying. That said, all the characters are shiny, shaded, and stilted. Not a great look.
September 15, 2022
It's really hard to bring something new to an Alien story, but Johnson does his best. Even so, much of this was very humdrum, "seen it all before." But the final issue manages to pull in a couple of twists that had me interested in seeing what happens next, so that was a plus. The artwork is very strong throughout.
August 21, 2022
Im Dunkeln
Fazit: Für Neueinsteiger sehr zu empfehlen - Sci-Fi-Horror at its best. Gesamt: 5/5
Inhalt: Gabriel Cruz hat als Teil der Sicherheitskräfte des Weyland-Yutani-Konzerns das Grauen erlebt und überlebt. Nach dem Aufeinandertreffen mit den Xenomorphs kehrte er als Sicherheitschef auf die Epsilon-Station zurück, doch nun steht der Ruhestand bevor. Über die Rückkehr auf die Erde ist sein Sohn Danny alles andere als begeistert, denn er verurteilt die Arbeit seines Vaters aufs Schärfste. Gemeinsam mit einer Gruppe Oppositioneller plant der Cruz-Sohn einen Anschlag auf die Epsilon-Station. Niemand von Ihnen weiß, dass sie schon bald in höchster Gefahr schweben, denn auf der Raumstation lauert das Dunkel...
Bewertung: Erstmal vorab: Ich bin kein eingefleischter Alien-Fan. Um ehrlich zu sein, habe ich noch nie ein Spiel gespielt oder einen Film geschaut, der aus diesem Franchise kam. Und trotzdem bin ich heilfroh, dass ich die Chance genutzt habe und mit diesem Comic in die Weiten des Alls gereist bin. "Alien: Blutlinien" hat mich von Anfang an abgeholt. Ein toller Comic, der voll mit Grusel und Schrecken steckt. Das ganze Szenario war für mich neu und passt wirklich gut. Die bedrückende Enge der Raumstation mit Notbeleuchtung lässt alles viel beängstigender wirken. Natürlich gibt es einen rücksichtslosen Mega-Konzern, der Aliens als Bio-Waffen halten will. Der Protagonist steckt hier bis zum Hals drin und muss nun eine Entscheidung treffen: Ansehen oder Familie? Dieser Konflikt, der die letzten Überreste von Gabriels Familie zu zerreißen droht ist eindringlich und verständlich erzählt. Besonders hervorheben möchte ich auch die Flashback-Szenen, die logisch die Hintergrundgeschichte wiedergaben und so für mich als Neueinsteiger ein besseres Verständnis erzeugten. Über allem schwebt Larrocas famoses Zeichenwerk, dass wie schon in Star Wars mit einer Mischung aus Comic-Stil und Realismus aufwartet. Man merkt welches Medium man konsumiert, aber man fühlt sich in die Story hineingezogen, als würde man einen Film schauen. Die klaren Strukturen und düsteren Farben unterstreichen die Grundstimmung perfekt. Einen Bonuspunkt bekommt die mir vorliegende Ausgabe für die hochwertige Aufmachung. Ein sehr schönes Variantcover ist hier mit Original-Signatur verbunden. Grandios!
Fazit: Für Neueinsteiger sehr zu empfehlen - Sci-Fi-Horror at its best. Gesamt: 5/5
July 25, 2021
Na novou Vetřelčí řadu jsem se strašně těšil, možná o to víc jsem zklamaný. Respektive, nejde o žádný odpad, jenom to v ničem není nějak zajímavý. Každý Alien film je vyniká v tom, že každý vypadá i působí jinak. Tady je vizuál sterilní a neutrální takže to vypadá jako úplně průměrný sci-fi. Příběhově se to dost blíží k Aliens s tím rozdílem, že tu není žádná postava která by mě zajímala (navíc jich je tu strašně málo). Ale je to fajn odpočinkový akčňák. Jak jsem už říkal, kresba je nijaká, Larrocu nesnáším už od Star Wars, byť uznávám, že roboti i prostředí u něj vypadalo dobře. Tady je prostředí nuda včetně postav který jsou v detailu strašný (Twl ten Lance Henriksen :D), ale samotný Vetřelec vypadá dost dobře plus si dost cením snahy dělat nové designy, ale něco tu je trošku na sílu.
Myslím, že not great not terrible se na tohle hodí fantasticky :D
Ale jsem dost zvědavý co bude dál.
Myslím, že not great not terrible se na tohle hodí fantasticky :D
Ale jsem dost zvědavý co bude dál.
August 16, 2022
Great story, great art, lots of Alien action, and canonical. What more could a fan ask for?
April 11, 2024
Now that was a lean, mean, badass and kickass sci-fi horror comic! Genuinely atmospheric and frightening, this book reeled me in and kept me hooked. An awesome read. I’m off to get parts 2 & 3 now!
January 19, 2025
Conheci o trabalho nos roteiros de Phillip Kennedy Johnson nas histórias do Superman que ele desenvolveu, e que achei muito boas. Ele também está fazendo um bom trabalho no Incrível Hulk. Mas nem sempre ele é tão bom assim nos trabalhos que pega. A primeira série de Alien pela Marvel é um exemplo disso, não convence tanto como os outros trabalhos do autor. Também pode ser que eu esteja com ranço por causa dos desenhos do misógino artista espanhol Salvador Larroca, que acompanha Kennedy Johnson nessa série. Ele decalca os personagens principais com os rostos de Tommy Lee Jones e Christopher Walken. A história se passa num futuro em que uma amostra geneticamente modificada de um Alien é guardada na Terra. Até que um grupo de manifestantes acaba libertando-a por engano. Isso faz com que um velho combatente precise ser acionado para lidar com a ameaça ao lado de um serviçal autômato. Obviamente o combatente tem gatilhos de sua vida passada e é afetado por esse trauma, precisando encarar o passado ou deixar o futuro morrer. Realmente peguei um ranço irreversível do Larroca.
November 21, 2021
Unsettling and utterly terrifying in some moments.
A perfect continuation to the classic volumes.
Please, give me more.
A perfect continuation to the classic volumes.
Please, give me more.
November 2, 2021
Comics have been the best medium for this franchise for over 20 years and this continues that trend.
Read
December 4, 2023I don't think I've read any Phillip Kennedy Johnson before, perhaps confusing him with his fellow tripartite Johnson*, the insufferable Daniel Warren. But judging from this, I've not been missing much. Mainly it runs through the standard checkpoints - corporate ruthlessness, humanity realising it should have never ventured out into the dark - to the extent of having an unauthorised cat on the station because, well, cats in space is Alien, right? The main distinction is that instead of a female lead we get an ageing tough guy with a troubled past who wants to reconnect with his more idealistic son - because heavens know that's not a type of which we see enough in American action stories. When it does do anything halfway unexpected, one mainly wishes it hadn't; explicit Prometheus references are never going to be welcome, and the obligatory new xenomorph variant is uncomfortably reminiscent of something from the increasingly convoluted Venom mythos. On art, Salvador Larroca makes sense, having done well the last time Marvel regained the licence to something that fucks you up in a spaceship corridor - but in this more subdued setting, it can sometimes be tricky to distinguish between his humans. Even the lettering choices aren't brilliant: I can understand how it might seem horrific to have an alien crouching over a corpse be accompanied by 'CRUNCH SLURP', but for me the end result was more Beano. It remains possible that if anyone can make me care about this franchise again, Noah Hawley can, but in the meantime, I'm out.
*One better than snakes!
*One better than snakes!
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