‘Alien #5’ (review)

Written by Philip Kennedy Johnson
Art by Salvador Larroca
Published by Marvel Comics

And now we’ve reached the chase.

In any Alien story, at some point the humans are trying to outrun a Xenomorph attack. While it’s true the people are the prey and, therefore, always on the run, we get to a point in the rising action of the story where it’s down to the main character and their flight and/or fight with the alien.

Gabriel Cruz, who was more loyal to Weyland-Yutani than his family, has had all his choices collide now on Epsilon Station.

Cruz is running with his son, Danny, slung over his shoulder. Poor Danny, who broke into the station with an anti-WY organization, now has a facehugger attached to his unconscious body. The alien chasing them is following its connection to that embryo in Danny’s chest.

For Cruz, the moment has arrived to bury his regrets and save his son.

As Danny’s girlfriend, Iris, and Bishop rush to an escape shuttle in the executive quarters, Cruz runs in the opposite direction. He’s buying them time to prep the shuttle, plus the cryo-sleep pod that is Danny’s only chance of staying alive.

This is by far the best issue of the series so far, as the time Phillip Kennedy Johnson has invested in the characters and flashback teases begin to pay off. The threads are coming together on more of Cruz’s back story, including how his nightmare of being trapped in a cryo-sleep pod with ALIEN INSIDE written on it is a memory.

Also, we find out how Cruz surviving a Xenomorph implantation is connected to the history of Epsilon Station itself, and the alien currently hunting him.

The themes of lost time, of regrets, of horrible deeds and the last ride of the unforgiven work nicely here. A mirroring of Cruz’s son and the alien also works strongly, while still holding out more Alien lore and a tease of who that Xeno-woman hybrid in his waking dreams is.

Salvador Larroca’s art holds up the other end of the bargain here, with panel constructions and framings that heighten the emotion of each scene and horror unfolding.  Better geometry, better shadows, better use of negative spaces as well.

And that new Xenomorph, this “Alpha” chasing Cruz, Danny and Iris, ain’t nothing to sneeze at!