Alien #3 Review

Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by: Julius Ohta
Colors by: Yen Nitro
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Björn Berends
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 23, 2022

Alien #3 takes Steel Team’s fight to the Xenomorphs on Tobler-9 when the colony’s survivors point out the Queen’s nest in exchange for a ticket to safety.

Is It Good?

Alien #3 is a solid entry in the series with soldier vs. Xenomorph battles, twists, turns, and a respectable cliffhanger to keep readers invested for the next issue. Arguably, this arc is as paint-by-numbers as it gets for an Alien story, but if you like Aliens (1986) and want more of the same, this is more of the same.

When last we left Steel Team (a military team comprised of synths), they fought through a first wave of Xenomorphs on Tobler-9 only to find the egg they were sent to retrieve was missing, and humans were still alive on the irradiated planet. Now, the survivors explain they’ve adapted to stay clear of the Xenomorphs who blossomed into a full colony after the egg Steel Team was sent to retrieve hatched.

Steel Team offers to get the survivors off Tobler-9 if they can help them retrieve an egg to save the agro-planet. Of course, retrieving the egg is easier than it sounds, and the survivors’ motivations are not what they seem.

This issue follows the tried and true Alien formula. Swarms of aliens with the ability to come out of nowhere? Check. One or more players with secret agendas? Check. Big action set pieces that always seem to lean in the Xenomorphs’ favor? Check. Seemingly impossible-to-survive cliffhangers? Check.

At the risk of calling this issue formulaic, it’s formulaic. However, it’s a formula that’s worked for decades, so your mileage may vary.

Julius Ohta’s art is excellent in this issue. The character designs (human and alien) are excellent, the action scenes are kinetic, and the panel compositions maximize the tension in every scene.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts:

Alien #3 kicks the plot into high gear with great art and plenty of soldier-vs-Xenomorph action. Aliens (1986) fans will have a lot to like in this issue, but the story is quickly becoming formulaic.