Aliens vs. Avengers #1 is written by Jonathan Hickman and published by Marvel. Artwork is by Esad Ribić, colours by Ive Svorcina and letters by VC’s Corey Petit. Main cover art (left) is by also by Ribić.
Aliens vs. Avengers #1 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
ALIENS AND AVENGERS FACE OFF! It’s all led to this: Xenomorphs reach Earth! The perfect organism meets a planet of superhumans. Who will be first to fall? Legendary collaborators Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić cut loose in this four-part epic unmissable for Marvel and Alien fans alike!
Review
Time for a crossover event that I didn’t know I needed. Today Marvel continues to flex the muscle of its ownership over 20th Century Studios licensing with a series which could be a contender for series of the year. With Jonathan Hickman at the keyboard it’s time to strap ourselves in for the rollercoaster which is Aliens vs. Avengers.
One should always trust in the work of Jonathan Hickman. But when a series with two such high profile franchises comes along I can’t help but be wary of the scent of cash cows. Hickman obliterates any fears that this series exists for the sake of Marvel’s bottom line within pages. Within panels, in fact. It takes very little time to establish that Hickman has crafted an authentic story to bring these two pop culture juggernauts together. Giving credibility to both and compromising on neither.
We open with two Shi’ar scientists experimenting on a member of the Kree. It seems these two have been working their way around the various species of the Marvel Universe. Experimenting to find the perfect hosts for… you guessed it… chest busters. These two soon to be revealed characters have been looking for the perfect mechanism to create weapons of mass extinction. It’s diabolical but boy does it set the bar high just as Aliens vs. Avengers is getting out of the gate. Hickman’s confidence in the premise shines through immediately. It’s uncompromising and once things get going also little room to catch your breath.
With the setup out of the very nice and swiftly it’s down to business. The two worlds are already intrinsically connected by the time a Wakandan vessel approaches. I don’t want to dive too heavily in to spoilers but part of the authenticity in Hickman’s pitch comes from its setting. This isn’t necessarily the Marvel present. Nor is it Prime Universe Marvel. Hickman quickly establishes we’re somewhere else in the multiverse, near an Earth where Wakanda has spread out across the stars and Azari T’Challa, son of Storm and T’Challa is a young adult. Disconnecting the reader from the present day and the mainstream, recognisable versions of the Avengers character neatly adds some more narrative space for creative license. Another win for the book.
Aliens vs. Avengers is set for a relatively short lifespan. Clocking in at four-issues, there isn’t a huge amount of time to linger on setup. This was one of my other concerns coming in to a story which needed to setup weaving the two worlds together. But Hickman’s swift storytelling has us on Earth, bang at the end of humanity at just the right pace. Cherry picking the right aspects from both franchises can’t have been easy. You can’t have Alien without Weyland Yutani for instance. Likewise you can’t have the Avengers without Iron Man and Captain American. Although both are on the cover they are conspicuously absent from the book itself. There are new elements to be introduced. The Avengers trademark New York City setting is gone and replaced by a Weyland Yutani-built fortress. But the sacrifices on both sides feel key to making a story which works for all involved.
Much of our time post-intro is spent with an aging Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers. The two are able to convey the devastation of the Xenomorph infestation on Earth. Again Hickman is quick to setup the stakes ensuring the reader is never in the dark about the dilemma facing our heroes. This isn’t a feel good book which came as rather a surprise. Tonally it feels more in-keeping with an Alien series than a Marvel one. Another win in my opinion. Seeing the Marvel characters in this new, bleak world is pretty fun to read.
There is, of course, hope. This is Marvel after all. That hope comes in the form of Valeria Richard’s, daughter of Reed and Sue. It seems that Valeria is our last hope for humanities survival. The latter stages of this oversized issue are dedicated to her mission and its consequences. Leading us in to a cliffhanger which tips the scales more towards the Marvel side but showing a versatility in Hickman’s writing and the premise which will hopefully pay off in issue #2.
Esad Ribić‘s art and cover are fantastic. As someone who can easily tire of the Marvel aesthetic this book feels different. It’s unique and that is absolutely down to Ribić’s style of visual storytelling. With Ive Svorcina’s striking but muted colours Aliens vs. Avengers is really quite something to behold.
Verdict
Aliens vs. Avengers bursts out of the chest with a fun, tense and surprisingly effective crossover. The mixing of the two worlds is effortless in Hickman’s capable hands and I cannot wait to see where it goes next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
