Alien, Vol. 2: Revival

Alien by Phillip Kennedy Johnson

by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Writer), Salvador Larroca (Illustrator), GURU-eFX (Colorist)

Fresh horror from a galaxy full of nightmares! An off-world terraforming station manned by an Appalachian religious sect has been mysteriously sabotaged with an outbreak of Xenomorphs! Now, an aging woman dying from a rare disease must defend her flock against the Aliens — the galaxy’s most perfect killing organisms! This gentle soul, facing her last lonely days trapped inside a failing body, must take on a creature that she both hates and envies: the perfectly evolved survivor and “mother.” But what at first seemed like a curse may prove to be a blessing in disguise. And Callan will soon find that she still has something worth living for…and worth fighting for!

COLLECTING: Alien (2021) 7-12

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Science Fiction, Marvel, Fiction, Aliens

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

Phillip Kennedy Johnson earned a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, where he served as Teaching Fellow for the Department of Jazz Studies, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Eastern Kentucky University. SFC Johnson has performed with the Lexington Philharmonic, Dallas Opera, Washington Symphonic Brass, and the Moscow Ballet, and was a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 2004 to 2005. SFC Johnson remains active as a composer, arranger, teacher, and clinician, and also enjoys a second career as a writer of comics and graphic novels. His work has been published by DC Comics, Marvel Comics, BOOM! Studios, and more.

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 1 out of 5]

It must be hard to write a story in the Alien universe without it following the same old story tropes that have been done numerous times before.

That mustn't have bothered Phillip Kennedy Johnson, as he serves up the same old shit. So we get a community overrun by xenomorphs, with stock characters spending most of the arc trying to escape. That these are religious people isn't used in any interesting way. Weiland-Yutani does the same evil things it always does. Double-crossings! Bad synths! Colonial Marines!

What does the Alien writer do who can't come up with an interesting and/or thrilling story? They invent a new form of xenomorph. So you have the beautiful, sleek, horrifying designs from the original film, and you think you'll add a dog-sized black sausage on legs with a lamprey-like mouth and a prehensile tongue. It looks ridiculous, like a child designed it. And what does this add? Why is this here?

The artist is a strange one - his xenomorphs look pretty great (except for the black toothy sausage), but his humans have been through the mangled face machine.

Six issues and we get a non-ending. Shockingly bad, this.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of Alien #7-#12 and Alien Annual 1, does contain one complete story and a short story.
An offworld Terra formed station becomes a new testing ground for the alien and the company behind it even if the colonists do not agree being part of an experiment.
Another chapter into the Alien annals and with a good story and some great art

A good continuation story that is visual pleasing to the eye, the horror is well shown.
For fans only.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien Vol. 2 Revival collects issues 7-12 and Annual 1 of the Marvel Comics series written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Salvador Larroca.

Euridice is peaceful terraforming planet inhabited by a religious sect who are in the process of securing their freedom from United Americas. The Weyland-Utani vessel carrying the diplomats to complete the contract and treaty crashes lands on Euridice after an Xenomorph outbreak. With the perfect killing machines on the loose, the colonists must do everything to protect their new home planet.

This was a fun read with a unique rural setting that we haven’t seen before (unless it was covered in any Dark Horse Comic series which I haven’t read). I thought the contant praying and singing of hymns got a bit repetitive by the end. I really liked the annual which revisits Gabriel Cruz’s character from Volume 1. I’m still not a big fan of Larroca’s art as it always seems so static and lacking fluidity and emotion. I’d like to see another artists tackle the series. Phillip Kennedy Johnson continues to build upon the mythos of the Alien universe with great new story and characters. Glad to see he will be continuing the relaunch.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

So…it’s basically Aliens if the Marines were a bunch of ultra religious hicks and Ripley had a degenerative nerve disease.

I won’t complain too much as it ticks all those creepy, thrill-y boxes we come to expect from a story in this franchise but the weird faces and unwillingness to try anything too new means I will definitely let Vol. 3 lie, if there is to be one.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not quite as god as volume 1 but still solid. So this book doesn’t carry and ongoing narrative from the first book. Instead me move ahead two years on this moon out in deep space somewhere. On this moon is a religious group called spinners. There were sent here by the U.A. to terraform this moon and they were successful. In being successful they were promised the could keep the land/farm they had been living on. But of course nothing’s that easy. The ship that was coming bringing more supplies and people had a xenomorph on board put there secretly by the Weyland-Yutani group as well as a mole within the community that had been there from the start. Of course everything unravels and goes down hill from there. Now it’s a mad dash to try and find any survivors and get the hell off that moon. The annual seems to be the story Gabe kept mentioning in vol 1 that he never actually told. Pretty jacked up what happened to him. Volume 3 up next.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid art and a good spin on the classic, never ending Weyland-Yutani is bad trope. Not bad, Marvel. Not bad

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad it is not a continuation of the first volume, following the son. This is its own story, still connected to the same events and corporations. The last chapter is a prequel of Cruz, but it actually confuses me as it's not the story that we see in the flashbacks of the first volume, meaning this story predates those flashbacks. Cruz has been dealing with the xenos for a long time, I guess.
The main story in this one is about a Amish-lile colony. It was really interesting. I love that they brought diseases up as it's something that's been used a couple in other books. I definitely want volume 3 to follow this group a little, even if it is just one update chapter like Cruz's prequel.

[Damian Herde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 was disappointing, although the art - particularly the cover art, was outstanding.

V2 is a new story with a new setting and characters separate from V1. This story is set on a terraformed world, and the people are members of an anti-technology religion that reads as a re-skinned Christianity with the names of things swapped. The characters are not memorable.

The dot point overview is that the company doesn’t want them to own the planet and sends their bioweapon to clear them off. Some colonists survive the journey and steal a company ship, leaving the company people to the aliens. Some of the colonists had been synthetic and helped the aliens. The story hits beats that are familiar, with added sprinkles from the Walking Dead and the movie adaptation of World War Z. So, nothing outstanding there.

The most frustrating aspect was the addition of a new phase to the xenomorph lifecycle that made no biological sense in how it could have worked, or how it could be perpetuated.

Sadly, it seems that this story arc is not over, and V3 will have us continue on.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 | #12

Total review score: 2.583

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the aliens being turned off by a disease is good but it doesn't go anywhere, the religious colony aspect adds nothing to the story, and the characters are completely uninteresting. That leaves us with another pretty generic Alien story that at least has some decent action. The art is better than the prior Marvel volume but I still don't think it's a good fit for Aliens.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading this as single issues. It was on the whole fairly forgettable. Adding in a new strain of xenomorphs based on some other alien lifeform is fine, but when it doesn't really go anywhere satisfying in terms of narration and wants to establish a sudden cliffhanger at the end regarding the surviving characters and a new antagonist I'm yet again unfamiliar with (or didn't recognize from the earlier arc of this series), then I'm not going to get all riled up for the next volume. The art is fine -- it reminds me a lot of Plunkett's art back in things like Aliens: Labyrinth, albeit with the sheen of something newer. I wanted the themes around faith and legacy to feel a bit more thought-out, and for the ending that takes place across the final two issues to feel less detached and not so hurried.

Ed.: I’m not going to change my overall rating, but I did get my hands on the completed volume finally. It includes the Annual, which is fine. It brings back Ash which…feels silly and mostly pointless, and seems to be depicting Cruz’s first encounter with the xenomorph where he was sole survivor? Though I’m not Aurelie how that lines up with the vision of the feminine xenomorph…creature from the first volume of this run?

[Donavon · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far the Marvel series is not doing it for this life-long Alien fan.

V1 was a marine story and for most part was interesting.

V2 deals with religious colonists, something Dark Horse did many times. The set up issues were not bad, but then it just goes nowhere and is confusing. It explains why Aliens do not want to breed with someone, but that does not explain why they would not just kill them. Also yet another Alien version, this time squirrel sized lamprays.

Looking forward to next volume by new creative staff.

[Martijn Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great gore and some good action scènes. The lack of characters to root for and the story wich is a okay re-run of a bit to familiar trobes make this a so-so read.

[Valentin Derevlean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ei, în ciuda a ceea ce spun unii, o poveste chiar mai bună decât prima. Avem și aici niște ciudățenii și diferențe față de canon așa cum mi-l amintesc eu, dar nu foarte importante. Cert e că ai o poveste cu o planetă terraformată, cu o gașcă de coloniști cu propria religie și biblie și preoți și o atmosferă dubios-țărănească, în care o navă e sabotată și aduce pe planetă câțiva xenomorfi. Știm ce urmează și nu e rău deloc. Există însă niște semne de întrebare pentru că în situații cheie, coloniștii noștri ucid cam ușor „alieni”, față de ceea ce îmi amintesc din filme, comics etc.

Cover-urile sunt superbe, combinația de xenomorfi cu găini, cuibare și țărani e mai mult decât nimerită și îmi amintește de picturile lui Grant Wood sau de atmosfera din filmele lui Hitchcock.

Ediția asta conține și o poveste separată (Annual 1), în care ne reîntâlnim cu unul dintre personajele principale din prima poveste Alien by Marvel: șeful securității Gabriel Cruz, care e trimis să rezolve problema unei stații ocupate abuziv de teroriști. Și, dacă tot ajunge acolo, să testeze și una dintre bio-armele companiei, și știți voi care. Și știți sigur că totul va merge prost, ca de fiecare dată.

Arta e ok, uneori pozițiile în care sunt surprinși xenomorfii par dubioase și cumva prea împrăștiate peste tot. Dar e ok. Povestea te prinde. Asta e clar.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revival plays the same old Alien game, though it does an above-average of it. We're introduced to a colony world where a religious offshoot are on the cusp of taking control of their own destiny. They just need a ship to arrive carrying the contract they need to sign. And, of course, that ship couldn't possibly hold any xenimorphs...

There's one interesting character, the colony leader with a neurodegenerative disease, but everyone else is wallpaper, soon to be dispatched by a slick black blur. After the light world-building at the offset, Revival devolves into an Alien tropefest, with characters making bad decisions and xenomorphs lurking around every corner. Revival doesn't add much to the mythos. Still a decent ride, though.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read. I wasn't quite as invested in this one as the first volume but the art was still fantastic and I liked the story. I think the pacing for the majority of this was a little slower than the first volume which made it a little easier to put down. Still glad I read it and plan to read the third volume...but maybe not immediately.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just overall much better than the first volume. Story made sense and the art was stunning!

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story
A religious sect is allowed to terraform and then own a planet in a deal with the worst company in the world Weyland Utani. Was the religion simply a ploy to get humans out there and experiment on them. I liked this setting- I liked the characters and I hate the damn company

[Cienna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children of the corn but the children die instead of the visitors. Love the alien animals, the world building again, and the story telling. Perfection.

[Zach Coburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weyland Yutani doing their usual thing. Better than volume 1, story is still pretty generic but the art was really nice.

[Roeland Struik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of xenomorphs on a harvest world is really cool and the xenomorph art is gorgeous. The image on the cover alone is very evocative. Having spent my youth in a rural area, having aliens run through the woods and corn field brings it that much closer to home.

Both of the storylines are really dark, even for an Alien/Aliens-story. It's almost feels like Starship Troopers rather than an Alien/Aliens-story.

I had fun reading this and the images bring the story to life. Would recommend!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien is at its best when its wrestling with the religious aspects of cosmic horror and this volume makes for a very interesting treatment of the Xenomorphs-as-gods motif that the franchise likes to play with from time to time. The only significant mar on the experience is the fact that Larroca's art continues to be objectionable. I suppose that's personal preference, but it feels like the consensus view at this point, and it makes this series feel more like a Dynamite run than something from a premium publisher.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume of the Alien comic, a religious sect called The Spinners has terraformed a far off planet and expects to finally be able to live their technology-free lives there once Earth's representatives arrive on a ship with the rest of their followers. But unbeknownst to them, the sleeping passengers have been infected with xenopmorph embryos. When the ship crashes next to the Spinners' compound, it unleashes terrors they could never have dreamed of into the midst, and the new idyll is in danger of losing everything. As a bonus, the Annual edition of the comic is included with another story of Weyland-Yutani experimenting with those pesky xenomorphs on a ship bound for a deep space rotating station.
Both stories are tense and horrific and feel very organic to the whole xenomoprh mythos. They pull out all the stops to deliver some of the best and most grotesque artwork in comics today. This is some of the very best Alien storytelling today.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like with volume one of Marvel’s approach to the Alien universe I was pleasantly surprised by how good this series continues to be.
The premise, not wholly unique, works because whilst it treads similar beats to a typical Alien story it has some interesting caveats.
The comparison of devout religion against an all mighty threat is always a fun time. The story concludes how you expect it too with only minor deviations but whilst this series is still young I think it’s the right thing to do keeping things steady but safe.
The art remains excellent too and the gore, used sparingly, is always affective.

4/5.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like the 'Alien' franchise and if you enjoyed the run of comics from Dark Horse, then this is something you'll be familiar with. It's still a good little story.

It's another short story about how Weyland-Yutani is manipulating things EVERYWHERE to get what they want. It's a pretty bleak corporate future, but one that keeps creeping closer in real life.

Bonus: Never forget. Different species make different aliens. Dogs? Canine
Bonus Bonus: The way avoid a facehugger? Have a terminal degenerative disease, apparently.

[Jameson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story should have been the annual and the annual should have been these issues.

Oh, boy. I was excited for this because I liked the first volume. This, however, not so much. I guess it’s a personal problem but whenever my eyes see scripture and psalms and hymns and prayers they glaze right over. The fact that they’re for a fictive religion somehow makes it worse. I was not at all interested in these stupid hillbillies in space. Nothing against hillbillies. These ones weren’t any fun. Reminded me of the villagers in The Village. Bummer.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Return To Epsilon Station

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Чужий. Відродження” про релігійну секту, яка отримала можливість ізолюватись на віддаленій планеті та тераформувати її за допомогою мєрзких, проклятих богом машин. Все заради майбутнього врожаю хрущів в вишневому садочку біля хатинки. Але сектанти виявилися маминими черешнями, а хрущі приперлися якісь неправильні, з кислотною зеленою кров’якою та бажанням вбивати-домінувати. Оскільки це другий том серії, то традиційних зрад синтетів тут також в кількості дві штуки. Є також Ріплі-момент, що цитує третю частину кінофраншизи, тільки трохи у іншому контексті: головну героїню чужі не можуть заразити, бо у неї м’язова деградація термінальної стадії.

В сюжет! У сектантів все виходить, планета стала садком, і от вже юристи та інші сектанти мчать до них юридично оформляти права та оселятися на незагаженій місцині. Ясно, що селитися будуть саме новоприбулі сектанти, хто ж до себе пустить юристів на постійне проживання?! Але хрущі і зрада корпоративна, звичайно ж, трапляються і тут!

І от вже сектантів жеруть еліени, але не всіх, бо головна героїня має драматично опинитися у іншому релігійному поселені (їх аж три на планеті), де також не все гаразд, а фейсхагери якимось чином заразили місцевих кротів, щоб на світ повилазили відразні чуженята.

Отже, і другий будиночок зруйновано, і виживальники прямують до третього, де ще більша зрада, масові вбивста та інфа про те, що, можливо, корпорація “Вейланд-Ютані” вигадала саме ось цю релігію, аби заманювати дурників куди подалі в космос, де ніхто не почує, як вони щось тераформуюуть (на старті) і кричать (на фініші). Цікавий хід, накину за це бал.

Бійки в коміксі якісь статичні, люди чинять опір лише в сюжетно виправданих місцях або ж криваво і красиво гинуть. Хоча от щодо бійні в полі кукурудзи автори дали маху і нічого не витягнули. Просто примітивна різанина, яка навіть у цитування класичних горорів не зайшла.

Пейне, я характерів не відчуваю! У головних героїв є набір навичок, але якісь відмінні психологічні риси чи вади відсутні (окрім смертельної хвороби, яка більше допомага, як би кріпово це не звучало). Вони можуть лише вірити або не вірити головній героїні. Хоча є там один чувак, який вмотивований врятувати тянку, і цей мінісюжет просто за вуха тягнуть з самого початку, щоб додати трохи драми. Але реакція персонажів на драму - ну, таке… Може, вони там просто всі на адреналіні після того, що вчинили інопланетні організми у їх селі.

А ще у збірку потрапив щорічник про персонажа з першої частини цієї серії коміксів, який за завданням компанії мав випробувати чужого на екстремістах, які захопили корпоративну станцію, але все пішло не так, а поряд дуже зручно був синт-андроїд, що означає у всіх цих історіях неминучу зраду з купою трупів.

[No_One · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

*Spoilers*

Solid, solid second arc.

Speaking plainly, the text ultimately feels anti-religion.

This arc’s text can be viewed as atheist (maybe even nihilistic), as on more than one occasion characters engage in prayer only to still meet a violent end.

Furthermore, if the previous first arc conveyed a sense of “down with bug tech and corporations” it is in this arc where it feels like it’s plain as day, as Weyland-Yutani is again coded as cold as a synthetic heart.

All this packaged with classic horror tropes and survival horror and Johnson tells a fine story of just that: survival.

There’s some clunky plot points (like Gregory being revealed to be a synthetic even though it should have been clear he was if he knew the Spinners for around 30 years and doesn’t age, or Jane lying about discarding the first synthetic’s head, which served no purpose), but overall it’s worth a read.

The ending of course, sees Jane leaving the planet she was on, having survived this horrid ordeal, but still may having to deal with another. All around, it’s a satisfying sci-fi horror tale trying to say something, and I can appreciate that.

Larroca’s art is not for everyone, as evident by a review or two here, but it’s objectively subjective. A matter of opinion. He does a great job with landscapes, environments and mechanical designs (the space ships have great designs) and while some panels illustrate the characters with faces that may seem a bit strange, there are panels where the characters look very good.

Shoutout to the colorist on these issues too, because some scenes look great throughout (especially the scenes where a sunset is occurring).

[Trever Hammel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alien: revival


The book was pretty good there were a few things I disliked but most of them were the same issues I had with the first book of the series though there were some things I did like more about this book than the first one in the series I liked how it had a lot more characters this time but once again I feel like the setting was closed off and short but it did have more areas in it than the first book did and it felt a little more interesting when I was reading it the plot twist at the end was good as well when the few survivors found out that the ship crashing with all of the xenomorphs on it was planned and that they were gonna wipe out the inhabitants of the planet that terraformed it for them but as a book series so far I wouldn't say I like how it jumps around so much like this book had pretty much nothing to do with the first book in the series. In the book, there are consequences for recklessly dealing with the new technologies just like in real life. If people don’t stop messing with things they don’t understand it will harm the world and our society today. overall I would recommend this book to anyone into sci fi horror it was a good and easy read.