Comics
Marvel Launching Brand New ‘ALIEN’ Comic Book Series This Summer
Man, machine, and the most terrifying creature in the universe all collide in a brand new ALIEN comic book series from Marvel Comics, announced this week and coming this summer.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson is back to write the new Marvel ALIEN series, which this time around will feature art from Julius Ohta. Issue #1 will go on sale beginning August 10, 2022.
Marvel details, “ALIEN #1 will kick off a new saga that will serve as a perfect entry point into the legendary horror/science-fiction franchise for newcomers and as a must-read for longtime fans. Packed with thrilling revelations and fresh insights into the ALIEN mythos, this new chapter promises to further explore the hard-hitting themes Johnson presented in the title’s first era as a new cast of characters must go deep into Xenomorph territory for a chance to combat human extinction.”
A small colony of synths have settled in secret on a backwater moon. When a company of United System soldiers come to them for help retrieving biotechnology on a hostile planet that could be the key to saving humanity, the synths must decide whether the prospect of peace between man and machine is worth the risk of betrayal.
“Writing Season 1 of Marvel’s ALIEN was a horror fanboy’s dream come true,” Johnson said. “We got to tell exactly the story we wanted to tell, bringing horrific new species of Xenomorph to life while also exploring the themes of family and corporate distrust that are such a crucial part of the films. And as much as I loved our Season 1, we’re outdoing it in every way in the new series.”
“The series kicks off a chapter called ALIEN: ICARUS, which heightens the action in a similar way to how James Cameron’s 1986 Aliens did after the original film,” he continued. “In ALIEN: ICARUS, readers will meet the legendary Synthetic Special Operations Team, led by one of my favorite original Alien characters so far: an unstoppable synthetic named Freyja.”
“When disaster strikes a crucial United Systems planet, the entire human population of the system relies on Steel Team finding the long-deserted Weyland-Yutani Research and Development outpost on Tobler-9, one of the most hostile environments in the known universe. Steel Team’s the most bad-ass strike team in military history, and they’ve never met an organic life form that offered them the slightest threat…but they don’t know what’s waiting for them on Tobler-9,” he explained.
“Julius Ohta is exceeding all expectations as series artist,” he added. “Every background, every facial expression and emotion, and of course, all the environmental creepiness and full-on body horror is lovingly rendered by Julius, who is at the absolute top of his game right now. I can’t say enough great things about him. Fans are going to be truly spoiled. Stay tuned for one of the best, most beautiful ALIEN comics ever made.”
“When I got invite to draw the new Alien series, I had a professional and standard reaction – I was glad to be invited and I was determined to make it the best work of my life. But then, a few minutes later, it came all at once – I understood that I was going to draw Alien… THE ALIEN. I freaked out (in a very good way) and then I knew the tremendous responsibility that is to be in this franchise,” Ohta shared.
“Even though, there’s a huge responsibility to bring the series to life, I couldn’t expect a better welcome from the creative team. It is been fantastic to work with Phillip, Sarah [Brunstad] and everyone involved,” he said. “Phillip is a genius and also a gentleman and is always looking for something to make the story better. When I started reading the script, I couldn’t stop until I reached the last page. I could talk about it forever… Sarah is such a kind editor and it’s been a dream to work with these guys!
“The Alien franchise influenced an entire generation and I’m among the people who were hugely influenced by the movies, designs, games and so much more. I hope readers enjoy the series we are bringing to them,” he concluded.
Check out Issue #1 art from Björn Barends below!
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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