Aliens The Original Years Volume 3

Aliens: The Original Years Volume 3 (1992-1994)

Epic Collection, Marvel, 2025

So, Marvel comics, which now owns the rights to the Aliens franchise, has begun reprinting the old Dark Horse comics from the late 1980s and 1990s under Marvel's 'Epic Collection' imprint. Three Volumes, all trade paperbacks, now are out, with Volume 4 scheduled for a Fall, 2026 release.

I never was much of a fan of the Dark Horse Aliens comics from the late 1980s, so I haven't paid much attention to Volume 1 or Volume 2. But with the comics compiled in Volume 3, you have some good stuff, stuff I bought when it first came out in the early 1990s, so I sprang for Volume 3 as an alternative to digging through the boxes in my basement.

[I purchased this book from MyComicShop, an online vendor whose prices might not be the very lowest, but they don't ship plainly used copies masquerading as 'new,' and their shipping boxes and packaging always are top-quality.] 

The outstanding entry in Volume 3 undoubtedly is 'Aliens: Labyrinth,' from 1993 - 1994. Written by Jim Woodring and featuring amazing art by newcomer Kilian Plunkett, this four-issue story combined grue with intelligent plotting and dark humor to deliver what I consider the best of the Dark Horse Aliens comics. 

What's great about this Volume 3 is that includes the shorter prologue, 'Aliens: Backsplash,' that appeared in the monthly anthology 'Dark Horse Comics.' 'Backsplash' was a true mix of Aliens with splatterpunk !

Another of the better 1990s installments of the franchise, 'Aliens: Sacrifice,' is here included. Relying more on an atmosphere of creeping dread than gunslinging action, it remains one of the more memorable graphic novels of Dark Horse's early days.

The remaining contents of Volume 3 are a mixed bag. 'Aliens: Rogue,' from 1993, has a reasonably convincing storyline, but the artwork, by Will Simpson, had a sketchy quality that didn't come across all that well, particularly when it received one of the less appealing coloration schemes seen in an early-1990s era comic book. As coloring goes, it's as bad as what you'd see in a Vertigo comic from that year.

Also underwhelming is the comic book adaptation of the third film in the franchise, Alien 3. The color scheme tries to reproduce the dark palette of the film, but the state of comic book coloration wasn't up to the task, back in '93. And the artwork by Christopher Taylor, who for some reason preferred to render human heads as Cuboidal Objects. 

 

A real oddity here in Volume 3, are all 12 issues of something called 'Aliens: Space Marines.' Not to be confused with the series 'Aliens: Colonial Marines' (which is going to be reprinted in Volume 4), 'Space Marines' apparently is a minicomic that was packaged with early 1990s Kenner-brand Aliens toys (or, err, 'action figures'). I'd never heard of 'Space Marines.' The series suffers from being reproduced at its original size; keep your reading glasses handy for these comics.....

Rounding out the collection are the series 'Horror Show,' and the one-shot 'Earth Angel.' 

 

Who will want 'Aliens: The Original Years Volume 3' ? Well, with the four hardcover 'Aliens: The Original Years' omnibuses (omnibi ?) long out of print, and having steep asking prices, these Epic Collection trade paperbacks are a more affordable way to access these comics from 30+ years ago. Just be accepting of the fact that there are some lesser entries in these compilations, that's all.............