The third issue of Aliens: Dust to Dust loses some of the magic of the first two issues.

What drew me to the comic in the first place was the fact that it was taken from the viewpoint of a child. Things were happening that he didn’t quite understand. It would be like telling Aliens from Newt’s perspective. It was engaging and frightening in a fun way. Issue #3 falters, becoming an elongated chase scene picking off the adults, one by one. It’s a storyline we’re used to, that we know, and because the point of view shifts to and from the boy at the center of the story, we lose some of that magic, that innocence.

There are moments in this issue that work and that I wish had been expanded upon. There’s mention of a muddy through line in which maybe the Alien isn’t attacking the boy, because it was birthed from his mother. That’s really interesting! Get us to those parts of the story and focus down on that.  We don’t need to see every character getting picked off; we really don’t even know those characters well enough to care, and neither does the boy. That isn’t as interesting as exploring this angle. What the ultimate outcome of this series is going to be will be found out next issue. Where the issue leaves us will absolutely bring me back. I need to know what will happen.

When the story falters, Hardman’s artwork remains tremendous, giving us visuals that show the immediate danger this group of victims finds themselves in, creating a world that feels so much bigger than the boy can even imagine. When we see a swarm of Xenomorphs, we feel the fear that comes with it. I’m expecting the fourth issue to continue to be visceral in such a way and hoping it pays off the promise of intent presented in the first issue.

Creative team: Ganriel Hardman (Script and Art), Michael Heisler (Lettering), Rain Beredo (Colors), Mike Richardson (Publisher, Randy Stradley (Editor), Lin Huang (Designer), Matt Fryer (Digital Art Technician)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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