👾👾 Happy Alien Day! - The History of the Alien Comic Franchise

DID YOU KNOW

In Today’s Email:

• This Week’s Retrospective - 👾👾 Happy Alien Day!

• This Week’s FOMO - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150

• Shortboxed Live 2024 is Next Week!!! 

• Comic Conventions You Need To Attend 

This Week’s Trivia Question (answer at the bottom): Who was Miles Morales named after?

THIS WEEK’S RETROSPECTIVE

Happy Alien Day! - The History of the Alien Comic Franchise

Launched by 20th Century Fox in 2016, Alien Day derives its name from the numeric designation LV-426, the planet (planetoid?) featured in Alien where space truckers discover that abandoned spaceship featured in most movies.

The Alien comic series have been published by various companies, each adding their own stories to the Alien universe. Here's a look at the history, publishers, and some interesting facts about the Alien comic books. How many of these books do you have?

History and Publishers

Dark Horse Comics:

Initial Launch: Dark Horse Comics began publishing Alien comics in 1988. They initially expanded on the stories from the movies, exploring what happened before and after the films. These early books are super collectible.

Other Notable Series: Their early releases included titles like Aliens: Outbreak (originally titled Aliens: Book One), which was a direct sequel to the movie Aliens and explored the fate of the colony on LV-426. This series set the tone for many future comics.

License Loss and Return: Dark Horse lost the rights to Alien comics in 2020 when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, and the rights shifted to Marvel Comics. Before losing the license, Dark Horse explored various cross-overs, including with Predator and even Judge Dredd.

Marvel Comics:

Acquisition of Rights: In 2021, Marvel Comics obtained the rights to develop and publish Alien comic books. They started fresh with new storylines that are separate from the established narratives of Dark Horse.

New Direction: Marvel's version started with an all-new narrative focusing on a Weyland-Yutani mercenary encountering new breeds of Xenomorphs and dealing with corporate espionage.

Notable Series and Story Arcs

Aliens: Outbreak: A pivotal series in the Alien comic book universe, dealing with the aftermath of the movie Aliens and focusing on the psychological trauma and relentless horror of the Xenomorph threat.

Aliens: Dead Orbit: Crafted with meticulous detail by James Stokoe, this series is known for its intense and claustrophobic storytelling, centered on a lone survivor facing off against the Xenomorphs aboard a doomed space station.

Aliens: Defiance: This series introduces a new protagonist, Zula Hendricks, who battles to prevent the Xenomorphs from being exploited as bioweapons, pairing her with a rogue synthetic.

Interesting Facts

Crossover Appeal: The Alien comics are notable for their crossover series, particularly with the Predator franchise. This combination was so popular it eventually led to film adaptations.

Influence on Films: Some elements from the comics, such as certain character types and plot devices, have influenced subsequent Alien movies. The below image shows how the Aliens sacrificed on of their own to escape in the second Alien series. This was replicated in the Alien: Resurrection movie.

Artistic Recognition: The Alien comics have been praised for their artistry. Artists like Dave Dorman, who painted covers for Dark Horse, brought a visceral and dark beauty to the portrayal of the Xenomorphs and their environments.

Variety of Storytelling: The series has explored themes ranging from corporate malfeasance and colonialism to deep space survival horror, showcasing the versatility of the Alien universe beyond just the horror elements.

THIS WEEK’S FOMO

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 5 #150, with 28 variants

Collectorz.com has a great roundup each week covering release from all publishers including the issue with the most variants - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 5 #150, with 28 variants, listed from 150A to 150AC!

New series:

And here are all the issues #1 for new series this week:

• Dick Tracy (Mad Cave) #1 with 15 variants

• Star Wars: Darth Maul - Black, White & Red #1 with 9 variants

• Deathstalker #1 with 8 variants

• Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! #1 with 8 variants

• Fame: Michael Jordan #1 with 6 variants

• Pooh Vs Bambi #1 with 5 variants

• Robot + Girl #1 with 5 variants

• Seven Years In Darkness: Year Two #1 with 5 variants

• Spectregraph #1 with 5 variants

• Bio Mechs #1 with 4 variants

• Operation Sunshine: Already Dead #1 with 4 variants

• Drawing Blood #1 with 3 variants

• Rick and Morty: Kingdom Balls #1 with 3 variants

• Snaps #1 with 3 variants

• Black Demon Tales: Descent #1 with 2 variants

Cool new exclusives:

Our picks of some cool new exclusive variants:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 5 #150X: Dave Wachter Exclusive Variant

• Harley Quinn, Vol. 4 #39G: R1C0 Exclusive Exclusive Variant

• Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 2 #4N: J. Scott Campbell Exclusive Variant (Ltd. 3000)

Read more on Collectorz.com

COMMUNITY SALES AND AUCTIONS

Shortboxed Live 2024 is Next Week!!!

Shortboxed is hosting their second annual convention on May 5th in Santa Clara, CA. Tons of artists, presentations, and giveaways. See below for info from their site. Looks like there are only a few tickets left so grab some if in the area or can make a short flight.

That’s right, we’ve got a stunning selection of Something is Killing the Children #36 variants that we’ll have available at the show (while supplies last), including this BOOM! Studio x Shortboxed convention exclusive variant cover by Jason Shawn Alexander – who will be AT Shortboxed LIVE.

Grab your exclusives, get a signature, and of course you can submit your books to CGC right on site. CGC will have a signature witness available, too!

There will be more than just the sweet SIKTC #36 convention exclusive. The first 250 attendees will receive a swag bag with a variant cover sent to us by our partner and convention sponsor BOOM! Studios

Attendees have the chance to find one of these variants in their swag bags:
(50) x Foil Stamp
(50) x 1:25
(10) x 1:50
(6) x 1:75
(5) x 1:100

Make sure to get there early!

THIS WEEK’S COMIC CONVENTIONS

April 26 - 28: Causeacon 2024 - Beckley, WV

April 26 - 28: Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo 2024 - Chicago, IL

April 26 - 28: South Texas Comic Con 2024 - McAllen, TX

April 26 - 28: Four State Comic-Con 2024 - Hagerstown, MD

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Trivia Question Answer: Miles was named after Miles Davis, the famous jazz musician, which is a nod to Brian Michael Bendis' love for music and its influence on his writing. This connection is subtly hinted at through the character's interest in music and his father's background.