Rob reviews Alien #3...
I've given Marvel's first foray into the Xeno-Verse a bit of a bashing over the last few weeks. I've moaned about everything from Larroca's wooden art to Johnson's "been there, done that" plot. However, Alien #3 seems to be somewhat of a turning point. Johnson has finally settled on where this story is going, and Larroca has finally painted Gabe Cruz with a slightly different facial expression...
We return to Epsilon Station as Cruz and his fellow Colonial Marines come under attack from the Xenomorph. It's a bit of a one-sided fight as the lone Xenomorph ploughs through Cruz and his team. What's more interesting is that when the Alien retreats it takes the wounded and near-death Lewandowski with it - minus his rib cage!?
This then leaves Cruz, Hamilton, and Dorsey alone with Hamilton quite rightly losing his cool. Whilst Cruz stops short on spilling the details on his deal with Wayland Yutani, we're treated to a flashback as we join Cruz on a rescue mission some 20-years earlier. During this mission, the Marines come across some space goats with some very strange markings. Whilst this doesn't mean too much, it seems to hint that things can be different to pre-established information...anyway.
Back in the present Cruz reveals that Dorsey isn't who she says she is and what follows is quite a tense conversation between the two. These two characters have a history aside from what connects them to the present happenings. As the tension between the two threatens to erupt, the group are once again attacked by the Xenomorph but are saved from an unexpected ally from Cruz' past.
Alien #3 quite surprised me. From the somewhat awful start, things seem to be picked up within this issue. Philip Kennedy Johnson delivers some pretty tense moments throughout this issue, which at least attempt to portray the mess that the team are in. Larroca's art is still incredibly wooden and has a somewhat forced feel to it. It's hard to explain, but you can see what Johnson is trying to achieve yet Larroca art doesn't show it. However, it's not all bad. The opening scene is pretty interesting and the use of the red warning lights bathes everything in a somewhat eerie glow. The fight with the Chestburster is also fairly well done and there's some great detail with the close-up shot. We're also treated to the 'Alpha' Xenomorph's mugshot, which is just a horror...and not in a good way.
It's still not perfect, but Alien #3 is somewhat improved over the previous 2 issues. It still has its problems with its strange art, but at least the plot is going somewhere. With Alien #4 being titled as 'Alpha', I feel this is going to be the "make or break" issue.
Rating: 5/10
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev
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