Continuing their run of recent Alien comics, Dark Horse Comics released the first issue of Aliens: Dead Orbit towards the end of Aliens: Defiance’s run. Defiance was an ambitious 12 issue long series that started off really strong but started to fall-down in the last half of the series. Aliens: Dead Orbit is a four part series written and illustrated by James Stokoe that brings us back to a simpler but immensely effective series.
The first issue was released on Aliens Day, April 26th 2017, with the final issue (after several delays) being released on the 13th of December. From the very first issue, it was quite clear to see we were in store for something really great with Aliens: Dead Orbit. Each issue continued to be impressive, so much so that as I turned the final pages on that fourth issue I thought that the delays in getting it were completely worth it.
Aliens: Dead Orbit opens with the lonely engineer Wascylewski waiting for his countdown to slowly tick down and we follow as he dons a spacesuit and crosses the damaged exterior space station Sphacteria. Throughout the series we jump from the lonesome Wassy in the present into the past to find out what had happened aboard the Sphacteria.
Surprisingly it had something to do with Aliens! The moving between between time-frames is largely coherent, using visual cues as jumping points to shift the narrative. It does become a little harder to follow during the fourth issue but after a double-take or two, it’s easy to pick up on the different style that Stokoe is using to convey similar action taking place in both time-frames.
Click here to read the review in full. Issues #1 to #4 of Aliens: Dead Orbit are available in store. The collected edition of the series is currently slated for release on the 7th of February 2018.
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I only know because it got it for my brother for Christmas. You'll find it on amazon
Fairly forgettable. Unlike the first one, which is burned into my brain.
Ah, right. I stand corrected!
I love how in OCP's mind the next step up from basically a robot man with a sidearm is apparently a nuclear-powered walking f*cking tank dripping with gatling cannons and rocket launchers... and an arc welder
Yes, Hicks and I have been doing our best to convince them to do comics of the unmade scripts, so the more prodding they get the better
They actually did comics for his original script for Robocop 3 as well. Released as Robocop Last Stand
I do love the first movie. I think I need to rewatch the second.
I might be completely wrong but I seem to remember something about that as well
And RoboCop (2).
Star beast ( lol ) I’d like to get the earlier screenplay of Alien with the pyramid and what not.
Alien: Engineers
Most of the Alien 3 scripts. Lol. Some would be mental.
Very true. Beautiful book as well. Bloody Star Wars gets all the best stuff.
Shame I cant stand Star Wars.
Take my money. I’d love to see Stokoe gives us his original pitch. Hopefully there is more than the one page of it in the Dead Orbit collection
It's William Gibson's Alien III all over again... except for the actually being made part
No he's done his Alien comic, he can do his Aliens comic lol
I think Ill have to get a trade for the artwork from the original pitch, which looks like it could have been a completely different story
Thank you for posting it for me, Hicks.
https://i.imgur.com/fPowdwI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sfmLGNI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Frgq5SA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1Y8RYuQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LEyPari.jpg
Great moment. One of the best in the series for me. So jealous you own this moment of Alien history.
Still want a fancy pants.
I’ll email you a pic of The art work after work tonight Hicks.
Nice.
May forego your kind offer to send me your single issues if this has bonus stuff.
Some snaps of the upcoming trade - https://twitter.com/nottoochaby/status/952980992997736449
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTmpVWqVwAAbmVh.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTmpYEAV4AIlJ1R.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTmpaQsVMAAI0d_.jpg
And most interesting, some artwork from the original pitch for the series
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTmpaRvVMAAMyE1.jpg
Thanks to Ultramorph for sending me the link.
I cant upload a pic though as my file is too large.
Ehhhh...moderate.
On the subject of the art. I have managed to procure the original art page of the Aliens abducting Wassy. It’s the page near the end of issue 2. Should be with me in a few days. I’ll post it up if anyone is interested.
My review is up.