Interstellar space travel is infinitely cooler when the ship you’re travelling on gets attacked by violent extraterrestrials. This is known throughout the land, far and wide. From Battlestar Galactica to The Fifth Element, Galaxy Quest to practically any of the Star Trek movies, people love it when small pockets of humanity are imperiled by aggressive aliens in the icy confines of outer space. This principle continues to hold true for Alien Vs. Predator, written by Jeremy Barlow, illustrated by Doug Wheatley, colored by Rain Beredo and lettered by Michael Heisler, with a vivid cover from Chun Lo. A simple yet time-tested plot sets up Dark Horse Comics’ latest look at two of our favorite murderous alien species:when the bad guys invade, humans try to survive. In this instance the humans are assisted by an android, and anyone who follows the various stories involving xenomorphs knows that androids don’t have the best history keeping humans alive.
Nothing ruins a space cruise like aliens
The story takes place on the USSC Double Down, a luxury starship. People are getting drunk and generally being rich, as you do on a cruise through outer space. Our protagonist is Tyler, a boy who loves cartoons and his big sister. Tyler is not a boy, however, but an android, tasked with making sure his human sister is safe after something gets on board the Double Down. He heads down to what appears to be a holo deck, where a beach simulation is being enjoyed by the various passengers, including his sister Maria, who seems to be a real jerk of a teenager. Tyler struggles to convince her of the danger they may all be in, until the emergency lights kick on and a Predator drops down and decapitates a fat guy in a Speedo with a laser-whip. Alien Vs. Predator dives right in to the violence, and why wouldn’t they?
Alien Vs. Predator means dead humans
Once Maria realizes that Tyler is in fact correct and they need to flee, they boogie on over to a service lift, where Tyler tells her that he has been ordered to get her off the ship. She slaps him and tells him he has to listen to her, and we see that she is definitely a jerk. Poor Tyler. She commands him to take them to her parents, and they head to the forward lounge, where many bodies are hanging upside down, guts a-dangling. They find her parents, and her father, the captain, admits that he changed course, taking them through an uncharted system. Smooth move, Pops. There are apparently at least two on board, which means that our heroes will end up killing one, making the other one(s) very upset. Maria’s mother sends her and Tyler off to escape through the main entrance as a Predator shows up and beheads dear old dad. Zapping the alien with some kind of taser, Mom buys her kid a little more time, only for her to be caught just as the doors close, in what is probably the most horrific of all the panels in the comic.
Elevator amputations and familial frustrations
Just as the doors close on their mother forever, the Predator jams a big arm and leg though, trying to catch Tyler or Maria. Tyler grabs hold of the monstrous arm and orders Maria to get the elevator moving. It does, and this causes the limbs to be shorn from the creature, spraying that iconic green blood everywhere. Tyler forces open the doors and they head towards the entrance, until Maria decides she wants to go save her friends instead. She says mean, dehumanizing things to Tyler even though he is not human, and he puts her in an arm lock and implies that he will carry her off the ship against her will. She apologizes and they head to the airlock, only to discover that it is blocked by the boarding ramp of the Predator ship. The final page shows a captive xenomorph hanging in a weird shibari position, possibly implying that the Predators are going to release the Alien onto the cruise ship.
A promising new look at fan-favorite material
The Predators and the xenomorphs have met before, on the big screen, to somewhat mediocre critical acclaim. This comic has everything necessary to make a good story, and thus far it has been. One hopes that future issues will carry on with the suspense and terror that make these alien species so much fun to watch in the first place. Let us know what you thought about the issue in the comments section below.
[…] the last issue, Tyler the android and his human “sister” Maria attempted to escape the luxury […]