Marvel has just announced Alien: Black, White and Blood, a new Alien anthology comic series! Marvel mainstays such as Deadpool, Moon Knight and Wolverine (which also features a storyline written by Alien: Thaw & Descendant writer Declan Shalvey) have all enjoyed their own Black, White and Blood series, and now it’s the Xenomorph’s turn!
Featuring three different stories taking place across the four issue limited series, Alien: Black, White and Blood is set to hit comic book store shelves in February, presumably running alongside Alien: Descendant.
ALIEN: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD will be four issues of unbridled violence with shocking stories crafted by some the industry’s hottest talents. Previous BLACK, WHITE & RED installments have spotlighted deadly icons, from Wolverine to Darth Vader. Now, it’s time for the Xenomorphs to be unleashed in this epic format!
Marvel Comics and 20th Century Studios present this kill-fest of an anthology in chest-rending artistic detail, brought to life in bold, black, white, red—and, when things get extra dangerous—GREEN!
Here are the tales fans can look forward to in the debut issue:
- Superstars Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) and brilliant artist Michael Dowling (BLACK CAT, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) kick off “Utopia,” a generations-spanning saga that will be told across all four issues! Soaring through space to find a perfect world, a society descends into darkness as they’re shaped by their fear of the Xenomorphs!
- Fan-favorite writer Ryan Cady (WINTER GUARD) and Marvel newcomer Devmalya Pramanik explore the limits of compassion in “Maternal Instincts.” On a deep space vessel, a small child is the sole survivor of a Xenomorph slaughter and her only hope for salvation is the ship’s comforting and guiding AI computer unit.
- Rising stars Stephanie Phillips (CAPWOLF & THE HOWLING COMMANDOS, COSMIC GHOST RIDER) and Marcelo Ferreira (MOON KNIGHT: CITY OF THE DEAD) deliver a tale of guts, glory and the most exhilarating of games in “The Hunt.” Xenomorphs become the main attraction when Weyland-Yutani gives wealthy thrill-seekers a chance to hunt down the galaxy’s deadliest species.
The first issue of Alien: Black, White and Blood is currently expected to release on the 7th of February 2024.
For obvious reasons.
Did you ever discuss that with the powers that be?
Everything else in Black, White and Red is forgetable stories with some cool art.
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Next up is "The Hunt" by Stephanie Phillips - Fun short tale of revenge, aliens and rich assholes
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Final story in issue 1 is "Maternal Instinct" by Ryan Cady with Devmalya Pramanik on art duties. Another beautifully drawn short story using MU-TH-R as the main protaganist.
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The next story is the first short from Issue 2 "Morsel" by Paul Jenkins with art by Luigi Teruel.
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The final short in issue 2 is "First Day" by Stephanie Williams and drawn by artist Jethro Morales. Some wildly stylized alien art in this one but a quick story of
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Next is the first short from issue 3 "Gear In The Machine" by Cody Ziglar and Claire Roe on art duties. Very enjoyable short with
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Last short from issue 3 is "Lucky" by Steve Foxe with artist Tommaso Bianchi. Considering I'm a husky owner (father lol) I have a soft spot for this story and it's
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Onto issue 4 we have "Hide & Seek" by Bryan Hill and Chriscross on art. A grim tale showcasing Wey-Yu's propensity to ensnare desperate people into dangerous contracts.
The final short of the series is "Mother" by Pornsak Pichetshote and art by Partha Pratim. Which is actually a sequel to the Issue 1's short "Maternal Instinct"
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Overall this was a really fun anthology series and potentially my favorite Marvel release thus far. The range of shorts explored multiple themes from the franchise in new ways which I really enjoyed.
And actually using green colour is the best variant cover. I always imagined how it would look like if dome was partialy peeled off the head.
Inserting the Gibson version of the UPP into the universe continues to be a mistake. The story they're in, is okay so far however.
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Maternal Instinct was meh. Not bad, not good. Gave a Mother computer WAY too much personality.
Zen donut story was entirely disposable. Ditto the story with the two marines. Employed by the Company apparently? What mars the writing a lot in these stories in how it strays from the source material rather than building on it.
All that said, the art is all pretty great in every story.
As for the tracing, at this point expect this to be the norm until the higher ups start paying their artists more and lessen the deadline timing. There is a saying "work smarter, not harder" so if there is an Alien figure that they can use to convey the action and thought of the being without spending so much time, they will do it.
Wasn't a huge fan of the second story, Morsel. I'm not sure I really understood what it was trying to do. As I was going through it it seemed quite standard fare, and then
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First Day left me with a smile at the end of it but wasn't too keen on it. I wasn't a big fan of the style of the Aliens to start with, but I loved
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I think the first issue was much stronger over all.
Fair, those outlines are obviously traced. Your GIFs too small for me to tell if the detailing has been too. But honestly, I'm not offended by these. Maybe it's because they actually look decent and fit within the perspective and feel of the panel. Maybe because they're not poses I instantly recognize, but these aren't winding me up like the figure tracing.
DEADLINES think of the DEADLINES
Too much work
It'd be funny if we one day see an Alien traced from a still in the films, or from promotional stills of the film Aliens. Why don't they just download the good looking models of Stompy and the Aliens from Fireteam Elite? Do some basic reposing in the software and there you go. Beautiful, consistent Aliens...
Just did. See GIF below:
https://i.imgur.com/JkcxdJt.gif
The first one seems to have slightly different arm positions and maybe the body angle is different by a few degrees. The second one seems completely traced, just from the back of the 3D model. That's disappointing But at least good looking, dynamically posed statues are being traced, not clumsily posed, wrongly proportioned figures. If you're gonna trace, trace the best looking, most dynamic stuff out there, so not bad actually...
Have you PSed them to match? They don't look traced to me, just too overtly referenced.
Does anyone have experience with the other Black, White & Blood books? Is it supposed to be a thing they only use those 3 colours? Because it really doesn't bother me. I loved all 3 art styles on display here.
Like Crew Expendable, I really really enjoyed the first issue. As soon as I thought it was going to be from the UPP perspective, I got excited. Love the moral quandary on display here, love the use of the Praetorian, and I'm eager to see that one continue (as it's a "to be continued").
The Hunt was a fun short too. I also agree it felt a little Dark Horse and I dig it. I liked where they took the character motivation with this one, felt like a nice little twist on it, but still felt very Alien.
Maternal Instinct was another good Alien short. Perhaps a little more I to the AI than we usually see MUTHUR depicted with, but I liked it, it worked for me. Also enjoyed the twists in it, it all paid off very nicely.
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They had the new predator issue 1 but not this and I'm definitely bummed about it since this had the 2 standalone shorts that I was really looking forward towards!
The first story Utopia was the most ALIEN feeling. It's always fun to see the universe from the perspective of the UPP.
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I've been going through the early Dark Horse era comics and The Hunt felt like a story from that time. At first I didn't think I'd like it as much but it's entertaining.
Maternal Instinct was great. Short, sweet, and incredibly tense.
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We'll have to see where this series goes but in my opinion this isn't something I'd sleep on as an Alien fan!
https://cdn.marvel.com/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/b/03/65b2685219d71/detail.jpg
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April 03, 2024
Writer:
Steve Foxe, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Cody Ziglar
Penciler:
Michael Dowling, Claire Roe
Cover Artist:
Patrick Gleason
THE STAR-STUDDED KILLFEST CONTINUES! In "Utopia," Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Michael Dowling take you through the collapse of a civilization that believed it could overcome the worst of human nature to live in permanent peace. But in the war against the Xenomorphs overtaking their home, the citizens of the ship Forward find themselves breaking every principle... Then, in "Gear in the Machine," Cody Ziglar goes guts-deep into the core of human evil, while in "Lucky," Steve Foxe flips the viewpoint in a way that will tug at the heartstrings of even the most seasoned Alien fan. An unmissable piece of the universe-spanning franchise!
https://aiptcomics.com/ezoimgfmt/i0.wp.com/aiptcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ALIENBLKWHBL2024002_cvr.jpg
OLLIN KELLY, JACKSON LANZING, PAUL JENKINS & STEPHANIE WILLIAMS (W)
MICHAEL DOWLING & MORE (A) • Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
VARIANT COVER BY ALAN QUAH • VARIANT COVER BY DOALY
THE ALIEN LEGACY CONTINUES IN A BOLD AND BLOODY ANTHOLOGY SERIES!
Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Michael Dowling's generations-spanning epic continues! Then legendary writer Paul Jenkins explores the chemistry of fear in a story that will leave you with a whole new and terrifying understanding of the Xenomorph species. And Stephanie Williams thrills with a story of a marine's first – and possibly last – day on the job. Marvel's landmark BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD series takes horror to another level!