Aliens: Dust to Dust #1
Writer, Artist: Gabriel Hardman
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review by Cory Webber
Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 tells the story of a mother and son living in a mining colony on a distant planet. When the colony is evacuated, these two must make it across town to the spaceport. Now, the only thing between them and their destination is just some measly aliens. No big deal, right? Wrong! It’s a very big deal! They’re freaking aliens!
Gabriel Hardman pulls double duty on Aliens: Dust to Dust #1. He has recently become a favorite of mine after reading Green Lantern: Earth One and Invisible Republic. So, I was eager to check this one out. Mind you, I’m not much of an Alien fan, much less horror, in general. I think I saw the first three movies and then AVP, but I digress. At any rate, after thoroughly enjoying Hardman’s previous works, I just had to give it a shot.
While I did rather enjoy Aliens: Dust to Dust #1, there were a few action panels that I couldn’t quite follow. Nevertheless, the story and action moved at a great pace overall, and I was hooked from the get-go. The action and intensity are basically non-stop. As a result, we move so fast through this story that we don’t get to know the characters too well. Yet, I’m sure we will in upcoming issues since character-work is one of Hardman’s strong suits.
And, for all you Alien fans, there are plenty of the franchise’s hallmark moments. And, these moments occur organically as critical plot points, rather than as required story beats to check off a list.
Hardman’s art is perfectly suited for this type of story. He uses a lot of dark shadows and soft, frenetic lines to set the tone early on. Beredo’s use of muted colors with the occasional pop of flashy, bright colors make a great complement to Harman’s art.
Verdict: Buy it.
While I had a couple of minor issues with some confusing action sequences early on, I really enjoyed this first issue. Aliens: Dust to Dust #1 does a great job of setting up a near-impossible survival situation, and I can’t wait to see how things work out for this mother and son.
