Tag Archives: alien vs. x-men

Mini Reviews: Umbrella Academy Plan B #5, Archie #2, Alien vs X-Men #2, Hello Kitty #3, Big Shakedown #2, Satanic Panic #1

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A comic book cover featuring two characters. One is wearing a tuxedo and looking surprised, while the other, wearing a crown and a hoodie, smiles and holds a plate of burgers.

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Umbrella Academy Plan B #5 (Dark Horse) – At this point, Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba are throwing a flurry of story darts on the board, and some of them actually stick in Umbrella Academy Plan B #5. This book succeeds in the quiet moments like Vanya being tempted by the white violin again, or Allison using her Rumor abilities to empower her daughter. The stuff with multiple dimensions, aliens, and a bloated ensemble cast doesn’t work so much, but it’s par for the Umbrella Academy course. Ba and Dave Stewart get to indulge in some hazy cosmic jive thanks to the Sparrow Academy’s spaceship being stolen, and the ensuing showdown should be interesting. Maybe, this is a series that will read better in collected form without the long gaps between issues. Overall: 7.4 Verdict: Read

Archie #2 (Oni Press) – Ben H. Winters, Fabio Moon, and Jason Wordie execute a nigh-perfect slice of life story, moral and all in Archie #2 from an opening triptych layout from Moon to a last sweet moment of possible redemption. Honestly, Archie stories are at their finest when he’s utterly hapless and not an apex of perfection, and that is exactly what Archie #2. Also, Winters and Moon nudge the fourth wall just slightly hinting at a future where these eternal teens are not so eternal. In addition to the main story, we get a delightfully weird/noir-ish Jughead strip, a look at the various domiciles of Riverdale, a gorgeous Veronica pinup, and even a maze activity. The Archie/Oni partnership continues to go swimmingly. Overall: 9.0 Verdict: Buy

Alien vs X-Men #2 (Marvel) – Now this is what you call a crossover! Kieron Gillen and Gerardo Borges go beyond xenomorphs vs mutants and throw in a whole bag of tricks featuring time travel, face huggers, power absorption, and much more. Several scenes include a strict grid layout and smart plans from leaders like Beast and Professor X, but of course, it all goes splat. The Brood backup from Chris Claremont and David Messina is just plain weird, but we get a peek into the mental world of the xenomorphs. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World #3 (IDW) – Even more items go missing in the third issue of Hello Kitty from Mariko Tamaki and Cody Lemieux. I love that this comic’s layouts look like a scrap book or the snapshots that its protagonist takes. Also, Tuxedo Sam’s anxiety is relatable, and I love how dapper he is. This issue feels a bit like padding, but it’s still cute and charming. Overall: 7.8 Verdict: Buy

Big Shakedown #2 (Dark Horse) – Big Shakedown gets seedier and seedier in its 2nd installment as Ester chases a lead with the pornographers, and Tim Seeley, Jordan Blum, and Scott Koblish give us more glimpses at her tragic past. Ester is a messy character, and she acts through sex and violence. The latter especially gets brought to life through the power of Koblish’s pencils as she pummels her way through the Beverly Hills sinkholes. But The Big Shakedown #2 isn’t all action digging into Ester’s psyche and ethics and giving us someone to connect with as well as a completing mystery. Overall: 7.9 Verdict: Buy

Satanic Panic #1 (Mad Cave) – Satanic Panic was just the gruesome comic book treat I needed for Halloweek. Matt Miner, Clay McCormack, and Oliver Mertz tell a story of othered outcasts fighting piece of shit jocks, but with several devilish twist and turns. Protagonist Naz is a total badass, and I want to be them when I grow up. Satanic Panic has creepy 80s B-movie vibes, but with better politics. It doesn’t skimp on the blood, gore, and punk rock though. Overall: 8.6 Verdict: Buy

Alien vs. X-Men #2 delivers a bleak outlook and a hell of a twist

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Alien vs. X-Men #2

HERE COMES CABLE! He’s come from the future with a handpicked team to put a stop to the alien decimation of Earth. But is it too little, too late for the surviving X-MEN…and all of humanity?! The new ALIEN QUEEN makes her terrifying presence known! Plus: The continuation of Chris Claremont’s flashback story featuring KITTY PRYDE versus the XENOMORPHS for the fate of the PHOENIX! Alien vs. X-Men #2 delivers another fantastic issue that’s full of surprises and building up the body count.

Written by Kieron Gillen, Alien vs. X-Men #2 brings in the calvary with a team from the future headed up by Cable. The comic hits a familiar formula as Cable drops how things play out and what the future looks like and why he and his team have come back to stop what happens. Yes, a lot of the comic is formulaic and been done many times before. But, Gillen gives us grisly details that really play into the combination of Xenomorphs and mutants. And, the comic delivers a twist at the end that’s unexpected and feels like a shock. It’s a fun horror comic that delivers the best of both the Alien franchise as well as the X-Men, taking great aspects from both.

The art by Geraldo Borges is solid. With color by Andrew Dalhouse and letters by Travis Lanham, the comic nails the dread and horror of the Alien franchise. Seeing the heroes struggle, Wolverine beaten down, Beast scared, it delivers the emotions and reactions you’d expect and each panel is packed with fear. The comic also does a fantastic job of continuing the franchise’s style in not focusing too much on the gore of it all. You see Chestbursters, you get the Facehuggers, but it never feels like it lingers on the blood and guts. Even Wolverine broken down by acid still feels tame. The visuals also nail down the chaos of what’s happening with the surviving X-Men trying to figure out what’s going on and moments spent showing what happened to the original team. It is perfect when it comes to the scares and tension visually.

There’s a back-up story written by Chris Claremont with art by David Messina, color by Rain Beredo, and letters by Lanham that focuses on Kitty Pryde and Ilyana Rasputin. That story is just ok relying on X-Men history and feeling a little disjointed in its storytelling. It’s ok overall but most likely really plays towards the hardcore fans.

Alien vs. X-Men #2 is a fantastic second issue that packs a punch and has no problem upping the body count. It’s a story that will kill off anyone that can move the story along. Everything is on the table here and that adds to the excitement and anticipation.

Story: Kieron Gillen, Chris Claremont Art: Geraldo Borges, David Messina
Color: Andrew Dalhouse, Rain Beredo Letters: Travis Lanham
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Alien vs. X-Men #2

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Alien vs. X-Men #2

(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Geraldo Borges

HERE COMES CABLE! He’s come from the future with a handpicked team to put a stop to the alien decimation of Earth. But is it too little, too late for the surviving X-MEN… and all of humanity?! The new ALIEN QUEEN makes her terrifying presence known!

Plus: The continuation of Chris Claremont’s flashback story featuring KITTY PRYDE versus the XENOMORPHS for the fate of the PHOENIX!

Cover of 'AVX: Alien vs. X-Men' comic issue 2, featuring a muscular character holding a weapon, with dark and dramatic artwork. The title is prominently displayed at the top.
Comic panel depicting characters at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. A group of superheroes is gathered around a computer, discussing a serious situation, with a close-up of a blue, beastly character's face on the screen.
A comic book panel depicting characters in a dark, eerie setting. Several figures are seen in the background, while a creature with an elongated body and multiple appendages looms prominently in the foreground. Dialogue bubbles convey a tense conversation about retreating from the creature.
Comic book panel featuring several characters in a dark, eerie environment, with a focus on dialogue about friendship and fear. One character displays a strange, organic-looking creature while expressing distress. The scene conveys a tense interaction among the characters.

Mini Reviews: Badrock #3, Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie #1, Adventure Time Halloween Special, lien vs X-Men #1, Hello Kitty #2

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Cover of 'Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World' comic featuring Hello Kitty with a magnifying glass, My Melody, and Kuromi holding a bag, with colorful background and playful elements.

Sometimes, the staff at Graphic Policy read more comics than we’re able to get reviewed. When that happens you’ll see a weekly feature compiling reviews of the comics, or graphic novels, we just didn’t get a chance to write a full one for.

These are Graphic Policy’s Mini Reviews and Recommendations.

Logan

Badrock #3 (Image) – Badrock went from being heartfelt, nostalgic, and a little badass to dumb in a hurry. Rob Liefeld, Seth Damoose, and Pedro Estouco serve up reheated Cold War leftovers in a half-assed dystopian world in Badrock #3. I’m also surprised Disney hasn’t sent their lawyers to take out the blatant Deadpool ripoff aka Vandel. But, hey, the action is still pretty cool, and Damoose set up a nice tech vs brawn battle when Badrock and the generically Asian superhuman Chynamo (Wtf is that name?) throw down. Overall: 5.7 Verdict: Pass

Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie #1 (Dark Horse) – This is my first entry into Eric Powell’s Hillbilly stories, and it didn’t disappoint. He re-tells the tragic backstory of Rondell the Witch Killer and sets him off on a new adventure trying to get a magic hat from a particularly spry witch for the titular Twelve-Toe Maggie. There’s a folk poetry to Powell’s writing style, and I love all the digressions and talk of biscuits and molasses. This is basically Appalachian Hellboy/Witcher, and I’m here for it and want to go back and read the previous volumes. Finally, Eric Powell’s art style finds the right balance between pretty and ugly, and I love his design for Leon the wood booger. (I think he might be Mothman.) Overall: 8.8 Verdict: Buy

Adventure Time Halloween Special (Oni Press) – Finn and Jake come face to face with the grey areas between heroes and monsters in the dungeon crawling spectacular Adventure Time Halloween Special from Jeremy Malloul, Adam Seats, and Rebecca Nalty. Jake’s desire to fill up his adventurer punch card backfires, and he and Finn end up as minions in a dungeon with Seats twisting them into stranger shapes as the story progresses. However, walking in the monsters’ shoes basically upends their entire worldview. I love Adam Seats and Nalty zine-style art work and all the RPG references. It’s a fun bizarro version of Adventure Time, and Skeleton Princess is my new fave. Overall: 8.4 Verdict: Buy

Alien vs X-Men #1 (Marvel) – The xenomorphs cut through Marvel’s merry mutants with glee and green gore in Kieron Gillen and Gerardo Borges’ Alien vs X-Men #1. I love the blending of the Astonishing X-Men and Utopia eras, and Gillen and Borges’ take no prisoners approach to character deaths. There’s some crazy body horror stuff going on too. In the Chris Claremont/Dave Messina backup story, Kate Pryde becomes besties with the Brood Queen. This story is a little overwritten, but I’m here for the evil, villainous sapphic vibes between Kitty and Magik. Overall: 8.1 Verdict: Buy

Hello Kitty and Friends: Hello World #2 (IDW Publishing) – Hello Kitty #2 is a super cute celebration of community and also a darn good mystery. Seriously, Mariko Tamaki and Cody Lemieux pull out all the classic mystery stops, including red herrings and one heck of a cliffhanger. They also go deep into the Sanrio bench in this issue while focusing on My Melody’s daily life. (She’s totally me when I’m planning for events at work even though I have more of Kuromi’s sense of style.) This comic is truly my monthly oasis from all the bad things in the world. Overall: 8.9 Verdict: Buy

Alien vs. X-Men #1 is Summer Popcorn Entertainment to Just Roll With and Not Ask Questions

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Alien vs. X-Men #1

They went looking for a Phoenix egg. They found something else. The X-Men return to Earth with deadly cargo, and a violent battle between mutant and alien begins. And will an unexpected ally turn the tide in the X-Men’s favor? In this special crossover decades in the making, the next evolution of Marvel’s mightiest mutants begins! Will anyone survive the experience? Alien vs. X-Men #1 delivers an exciting start but it’s also best to not think to hard about the details.

The concept of the X-Men battling xenomorphs sounds awesome on paper. And, the comic would likely be entertaining enough to just have a battle between the two forces. But, writer Kieron Gillen takes it all a bit further with a debut issue that not only gets to the action and horror we want but adds in an even greater hurdle for the X-Men. It’s not just xenomorphs they’re battling, it’s xenomorphs who have absorbed mutant powers and now have access to them. It’s something interesting and different, but also some of it you just need to roll with.

There’s a lot to like about the debut issue, Alien vs. X-Men #1. Gillen does a great job in setting the concept up and really getting the ball rolling. This isn’t a first issue that builds until an end teaser. Instead, we get a team of X-Men wiped out and another team having to battle these superpowered xenomorphs.

The issue hits a lot of solid beats like a warning video, the shock of the first engagement, and the realization at how deadly this new enemy is. It also does a good job of recognizing the X-Men already has the Brood… and it’s all a little familiar.

What’s great is Gillen thinking through how the xenomorphs would impact the mutant powers. What would actually protect people against the acid blood? Who is more agile and faster? But there’s also some questionable choices. A xenomorph with Wolverine’s abilities gives them adamantium claws and not bone? Small details like that will get some to be taken out of the otherwise solid start.

The art by Geraldo Borges is solid with color by Andrew Dalhouse and lettering by Travis Lanham. The team does a great job of giving a comic that has the feel of an X-Men story but with something a little sinister within. But, that actually makes the horror work even more. Where parts of the comic feel like any battle you’d see, things go horribly wrong for many and it all comes off even more shocking. There’s a chaotic aspect to the big engagement and the art helps enhance and amplify that.

But, there’s more than just that. Chris Claremont provides another story with Dave Messina on art, Rain Beredo on color, and Lanham again handling the lettering. This one has Kitty dealing with the Brood and feels like it plays a bit more to the hardcore fans who know the history of Kitty Pryde and the Brood. While not a bad story, it’s one that’ll really be measured by the overall arc.

Alien vs. X-Men #1 is a fun and entertaining start and goes further in ways I wouldn’t have expected. It’s summer popcorn fun in that it’s best to not think too much of the details and just go with the crazy directions. Here’s hoping it packs more surprises and lets face it, more xenomorph/mutant combinations.

Story: Kieron Gillen, Chris Claremont Art: Geraldo Borges, Dave Messina
Color: Andrew Dalhouse, Rain Beredo Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Preview: Alien vs. X-Men #1

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Alien vs. X-Men #1

(W) Kieron Gillen, Chris Claremont (A) Geraldo Borges, David Messina

X-MEN VERSUS XENOMORPHS!

They went looking for a Phoenix egg. They found something else. The X-MEN return to Earth with deadly cargo, and a violent battle between mutant and alien begins. And will an unexpected ally turn the tide in the X-Men’s favour? In this special crossover decades in the making, the next evolution of Marvel’s mightiest mutants begins! Will anyone survive the experience?

Plus: The first chapter of an all-new story by the legendary Chris Claremont featuring Kitty Pryde, the Brood and the Xenomorphs!

Cover of AVX: Alien vs. X-Men comic featuring Wolverine, characters in action with aliens, bold title design, and list of contributors.
A scene from a comic book set in deep space, featuring characters Cyclops, Beast, and others confronting a villain. They are demanding the Phoenix egg, while a captive character, who appears distressed, is depicted inside a glowing egg. The background shows a spacecraft and space.
A close-up of a character with long white hair, screaming in agony as metallic claws emerge from a bloody explosion, highlighted by a dramatic red background and the word 'SNIKT' in bold letters.
A comic book page featuring a tense scene with characters discussing a recent event. Wolverine and others are portrayed in a dynamic pose, with one character holding a bloodied weapon. The dialogue reveals underlying conflict and character dynamics.
A dark, sci-fi scene depicting characters in a mysterious, eerie environment with organic structures and an open doorway revealing figures outside. A conversation bubble hints at tension and curiosity.
A comic book panel featuring a group of characters, including a man in a blue costume with a visor, a woman with long blonde hair, and a character with claws, looking alarmed as they encounter a large creature. The creature has a blue face and intense yellow eyes, while slime drips from plant-like features above them.

Mutantkind Must Survive the Deadliest Species in the Galaxy in Alien vs. X-Men!

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This September, Marvel Comics and 20th Century Studios join forces for a special crossover saga decades in the making: Alien vs. X-Men!

Following the blockbuster success of Alien Vs. Avengers, Marvel’s bold Alien line of comics evolves, pitting the Children of the Atom against the universe’s perfect organism! Blending super hero storytelling with cosmic horror, the saga will be written by visionary X-Men writer Kieron Gillen and illustrated by acclaimed artist Geraldo Borges. The series will also feature a four-part bonus story by legendary X-Men creator Chris Claremont, who brings the Xenomorphs into conflict with his own parasitic extraterrestrial creation: the BROOD!

The X-Men went looking for a Phoenix egg. They found something else.

The X-Men return to Earth with deadly cargo, and a violent battle between mutant and alien begins. Will an unexpected ally turn the tide in the X-Men’s favor? Will anyone survive the experience? The next evolution of Marvel’s mightiest mutants begins!

Plus: A young Kitty Pryde faces her greatest nightmare when she’s hunted by two of the galaxy’s greatest terrors: the Brood and the Xenomorphs!

Check out covers by Ryan Stegman and Ivan Shavrin and preorder Alien vs. X-Men at your local comic shop today!