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[Comic Book Review] “Aliens: Fire & Stone” #2 Is A Bloody Good Time

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I felt a slight sense of fatigue going back into “Aliens: Fire and Stone”, having been through all four “Fire and Stone” titles and “Prometheus” twice now, I had a slight moment of hesitation as I tried to recall what was going on in this book.  Then I opened it and immediately fell back in love.  All you need to recall from issue #1 is spelled out fairly clearly on the first page: a mining crew on another moon got overrun by aliens and escaped to LV-223 where they are trying to survive and avoid the aliens.  This issue makes the biggest leap to connect the series to “Prometheus” the film and does so expertly while maintaining the tension that characterizes the “Fire and Stone” series.  Get ready for a bloody good time.

aliens

WRITTEN BY: Chris Roberson

ART BY: Patric Reynolds

PUBLISHER: Dark Horse

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: October 29, 2014

Review By Eric Switzer

The narrator of this issue is a Hadley’s Hope crew member that has discovered and captured one of the drones left behind by the Prometheus crew from the film.  He goes about examining the device and starts to discover what had happened and eventually finds the temple and the remaining Engineers cryo-pod.  What I really like about this issue is not only how it connects us to the film but how all the while the rest of the crews story is going on in the background.  The drama between them and their struggle with the aliens hunting them is de-emphasized in favor of the grander plot.  Our narrator is literally separated from them to tell the more important story, and in fact eventually goes back to tell them about the truth he has uncovered and they can’t be bothered; to busy out running aliens and arguing over who is in charge to understand the significance of what he has discovered.  I may be reaching, but I think there are some social implications here worthy of examining.

I can’t get over how brilliantly crafted and connected these four books are.  Even their release schedule seems to be significant, as each issue released gets us a little bit closer to seeing the whole picture.  I can’t say I am enjoying any one title over any other because they all feel like one massive story.  I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time and I’m pinching myself still that we finally have it.

It feels as though now it is sort of a race to see how many answers we will get about the origins of the aliens and engineers between this crew gets completely hunted down.  It gives the aliens a deeper level of implied motive as they hunt our characters seemingly to keep them (and us) from discovering what they really are.  I doubt this is actually the case, but as a plot device it works really well.  Part of the strength of these franchises and what keeps us coming back for more is how enigmatic the creatures are.  I think I want all the answers, but I’m not sure that is what I really want.  Time will tell I suppose, meanwhile I am absolutely loving this series.

Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles.  His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality.  He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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