Written By: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art By: Salvador Larroca
Colors By: GURU-eFX
Letters By: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover By: InHyuk Lee
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 16, 2021

Gabe Cruz, Bishop, and Hamilton search for Danny and an embryo they can take back to Earth while trying to stay alive. During their search they discover what happened to the rest of the station’s personnel, and Gabe is forced to make the toughest choice of his life.

Was It Good?

It was good if you compare it to your average Alien film. All the piece parts are there – aliens popping up around blind corners, a nest, a frantic chase, and so on. What elevates this Alien story a little more is a surprise reveal at the end of a new kind of alien.

The art is consistent with earlier issue. Some folks have complained about the hyper-rendered style, but I don’t mind it at all and it gives the story a human element that makes the trials the survivors are going through a touch more relatable.

Overall, this is a solid entry in consistently solid arc.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Gabe Cruz, Bishop, and Hamilton make their way to through Epsilon Station to find the xenomorph nest in the hopes that Danny is still alive. Bishop lays out the gravity of their situation, Hamilton is in mild shock, and Gabe is holding out hope his son found a safe place to hide.

Gabe is wrong.

Among the scattering of dead bodies encased in the nest goo, Gabe finds Danny with a facehugger attached to him. While there’s some comfort that Danny’s alive, Gabe is overwhelmed by the grief of what Danny’s life will be like if they manage to save him.

Rather than suffer his own fate, Gabe raises his gun to give Danny peace. Suddenly, he’s stopped by both Bishop and the sudden appearance of Iris. Although they both want Danny alive, Iris is motivated by her feeling for Danny and Bishop is motivated by his programming to prevent a human from coming to harm.

The entire sequence is jam-packed with emotion Gabe feels compelled to put his son out of his memory but his own guilt over believing this was all his fault. The outsider will likely put the majority of blame on Danny and Iris, but Gabe’s anguish is understandable as a father.

Xenomorphs start taking notice, so the group frees Danny and bet a hasty retreat back to the shuttle dock. Jus as they make it to dock, Hamilton stupidly sprints to the shuttle, thinking they’re home free. Of course, a xenomorph is standing behind the last door and Hamilton is ripped apart.

Gabe remembers every executive room is an escape pod with a medical pod. Gabe orders Bishop and Iris to head to one and try to get it activated for launch while he carries Danny the long way around to the same room to buy them time.

As the groups splits up to enact their escape plan, we get a last page splash of a new Xenomorph (the alpha?) that’s got more horns than a water buffalo.

Final Thoughts:

Alien #4 hits all the right tropes for a decent Alien story with monsters hiding around the corner, a frantic chase, and a Hail Mary plan. That may sound like it’s a boilerplate story for the franchise, but the reveal of a new kind of alien at the end gives the overall interest a little bump.

8/10