Aliens: Harvest recounts the story of ground-breaking scientist Stanislaw Mayakovsky and his quest for the valuable--and hard-to-get--royal jelly of the alien queen. To some it's a contraband narcotic, capable of bringing intense pleasure to its user. But for Mayakovsky, it's the only escape from the interminable pain brought on by the spread of cancer.
For Jones, Aliens: Harvest represents more than a job well done by a seasoned comic artist; it's also a testament to Jones' triumph over a personal demon. "It's a miracle that I ever drew Aliens: Hive . . . because of the trauma I endured when I saw the original movie in 1979," says Jones. "It was dark by the time the film ended. When we got back to my car, my friend and I actually checked under the car and in the back seat before we got in, for fear of a giant bug-like monster with a double set of jaws lying in wait. I never wanted to see Aliens again. My phobia of this film rivaled my fear of math."
It wasn't until Jones read Jerry Prosser's "fantastic" script that the phobic artist decided to confront his Alien nightmares and conquer (artistically, at least) the beast. Read more about the making of this thoughtful, but terrifying series in Jones' introduction to Aliens: Harvest. The 120-page, full-color, trade paperback is available February 4 for $16.95 at retail and specialty stores everywhere.