Chris Sotomayor’s colors hit the dark and gritty visual spectrum that I’ve come to expect from alien comics in recent years. The design of the Alien itself is spot-on with Giger’s original, albeit with the new concept for this particular Xeno. This is only a minor issue, but it is noticeable. Facial animations and expressions can go from tight to looking a bit rushed. Watcher’s character work is solid, but admittedly a bit inconsistent. The retro-futuristic technology and used future designs are spot-on. Dave Watcher’s art crafts Aftermath’s aesthetic and does a solid job placing us in this familiar universe. Keeping the aesthetic and design language of the Aliens universe intact is the top priority for an Aliens comic. Outside of its solid political core, Aftermath does little to make itself worthy of the work it pays tribute to. Percy throws in nods to Cameron’s film left and right, and while they’re sure to please diehards such as myself, they’re just bait. The new form of xenomorph that shows up is a cool concept, but it’s introduced with no context. The atmosphere and pacing feel on par with the films, but the rest of the book can’t match up. Percy’s script just doesn’t give its characters enough time to live up to that legacy. What’s worse is that we’re meant to care about these characters because of their connection to the original Aliens cast. Among its many other points, Aliens works so well because its characters feel so believably human. A film that is a veritable masterwork of the genre. However, this is meant to be a direct sequel to the original Aliens film. In a random Alien one-shot, I would be okay with this. The entire cast of Aftermath is wholly disposable in the same manner as a low-budget slasher flick.
Unfortunately, this is where the inventive thinking ends. Percy pays heed to this core concept in a manner that hasn’t been seen in this universe. At its core, Alien has always been about the callous greed of corporate profit outweighing the lives of human beings. The idea that there are open rebellions and protests against their actions is a welcome topic. It’s common knowledge that Weyland-Yutani is the true ultimate villain in this franchise. He actually sets up an intriguing angle from page one. In true Alien fashion, Ben Percy introduces us to a motely crew of misfit space travelers. The script for Aliens: Aftermath #1 focuses too much on references and not enough on character or plot. A renegade crew of investigative journalists are heading towards the moon that Weyland-Yutani has wiped from all records, and they’ll bring back the truth even if it kills them…and what remains in that bombed out site will try to do just that.” Writing & Plot “It’s been 35 years since the tragedy of the Hadley’s Hope colony, but what happened to that ill-fated venture has been shrouded in mystery. However, with a flimsy script that focuses too much on concepts rather than characters and some solid but inconsistent art, this is an idea that should have stayed in the oven. Along with colorist Chris Sotomayor and letterer Ariana Maher, this one-shot acts as a semi-solid follow-up to the 1986 film. For the 35th Anniversary of the landmark film, writer Benjamin Percy and artist Dave Watcher have created Aliens: Aftermath #1.
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