Dark Horse Comics is ready to meet the growing demand for all things Alien with the publication of several Aliens projects beginning in June. The publisher has assembled an impressive array of the industry's best talents to bring these stories to life.
Aliens/Predator: The Deadliest of the Species, originally published as a twelve-issue series by Chris Claremont, Jackson Guice, John Beatty, Eduardo Barreto, and John Bolton is now collected in a limited hardcover edition and features a twelve-cover gallery and a tip-in signature plate painted by John Bolton and signed by Bolton and Chris Claremont. The hardcover is foil stamped and Smythe sewn with a dust jacket illustrated by Bolton. The full-color, 320-page book goes on sale June 25 for $99.95.
John Bolton's art also graces the cover of the Aliens: Stronghold trade paperback. John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke (Lobo vs. The Mask), along with Jimmy Palmiotti and Duncan Fegredo, tear up the galaxy with this tale of biotechnology gone horribly wrong. This "remastered" version of the original collection features an art gallery by Mahnke and Fegredo. The full-color, 112-page book will be available July 9 for $16.95.
Aliens Special is an exciting one-shot featuring two all-new stories by two great creative teams. Grendel Tales and X-wing Rogue Squadron writer Darko Macan and Punisher and X-Men artist Frank Teran tell the tale of a Colonial Marine sent to clean out an infestation. Swamp Thing writer Nancy A. Collins and Negative Burn artist Leif Jones offer a twisted story about the strength -- and weakness -- of blind faith. Aliens Special also features previews of forthcoming Aliens projects -- a must-have comic for any devoted Aliens aficionado and the perfect introduction to the creatures for those who've not yet had the pleasure. Teran provides the cover art for this black-and-white, 32-page one shot. Look for it June 4, priced at $2.50.
Finally, all hell breaks loose with Aliens: Havoc, a two-issue miniseries that features an incredible cast of creators -- over forty of them! Some of the biggest names in comics illustrate Eisner Award-winner Mark Schultz's story of a haunted space cruiser infested with Aliens.
Mark Schultz comments on the challenge of writing this unusual Aliens story: "Aliens: Havoc, besides being a rousing thriller, was designed to showcase a different artist on every page. I took this as a challenge: Could I script a story with a logical reason to support that page-to-page change in perspective? It's been a joy to see the pages of the various artists come in, all pulling together to make the story work. I think the reader is in for an entirely unique, very enjoyable experience."
The credit listing for Aliens: Havoc reads like a Who's Who of comics luminaries. Schultz is joined by Leif Jones, John Stokes, Duncan Fegredo, D'Israeli, John Totleben, Arthur Adams, Gary Gianni, George Pratt, Igor Kordey, Paul Lee, John K. Snyder III, Mark A. Nelson, Pete Bagge, Brian Horton, Dave Taylor, Kelley Jones, Guy Davis, Kellie Strom, Jay Stephens, Jerry Bingham, Kevin Nowlan, Frank Teran, Joel Naprstek, P. Craig Russell, Aidan Potts, Sean Phillips, Rebecca Guay, Jon Muth, Kilian Plunkett, Ron Randall, John Pound, Gene Ha, Vania Zarouliov, John Paul Leon, Derek Thompson, David Lloyd, Moebius, Dave Cooper, Mike Allred, and Tony Millionaire, with covers by Kent Williams and Duncan Fegredo.
The first issue of Aliens: Havoc will be out June 25. The full-color, 32-page book will sell for $2.95.
Dark Horse will publish the comic-book adaptation to Alien Resurrection, which will dovetail with the theatrical release. The two-issue miniseries is written by Harvey Award-winner James Vance, and illustrated by hot European artist Eduardo Risso. More details on this miniseries will follow closer to publication date.