The detail is phenomenal on every level and in every panel.

The Xenomorphs are awesome, huge, and imposing with a ridiculous amount of detail etched over their carapaces. This is an issue that leans on the art heavily, with the devastation starting to be unleashed. The family itself isn’t shown much in this chapter as the outbreak of Xenomorphs takes priority, but being so separated and the drama in this issue highlights the danger they are in. It can take longer for what’s happening to sink in. Whilst sometimes there are loud screams due to the barbaric nature of the violence, much of the time Shalvey chooses to use quiet instead. But it is interesting to see how the fear is written into the dialogue. That is due to how physical this issue is, with Shalvey choosing to focus on the action. The characters and the dialogue don’t carry so much weight in Alien #2. The pace and the action aren’t frantic, but that unrelenting sense of oncoming death makes them horrifying. Only a couple of the iconic monsters make their real presence known and already cause carnage. The group is scattered at the moment, with the main family of the book split up. Not just that, but there is also an absolutely enormous amount of Xenomorphs. It’s already evident that there’s nowhere to go, and what little options there are is fading fast. What makes this incarnation of the series especially creepy is the location, and the isolation of the harsh landscape. But now we have seen them, it is just time for the descent into madness.

Waiting for the danger to come, the knot in the stomach will always hit from the first sight of a Xenomorph. The first issue of the horror comic was all about the pressure and the build-up. The Xenomorphs that were under the ice are beginning to thaw out and make their way out of the frozen lake. Alien #2 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Declan Shalvey, art by Andrea Broccardo, colors by Tríona Farrell and letters by Clayton Cowles.

Marvel comics comixology