Aliens/Vampirella #1

Writer – Corinna Bechko
Artist – Javier Garcia-Miranda
Colours – InLight Studios

Both Aliens and Vampirella are classic horror and science-fiction properties, each originating in a different medium but have come together in a new comic series from Dark Horse and Dynamite. And the best thing about it? It is really good. Written by Corinna Bechko who is no stranger to science-fiction properties having worked on Planet of the Apes and her own Invisible Republic, she tells a very exciting and compelling story that merges these two very different worlds into one. The tale finds Vampirella being transported to Mars so that she can translate what appears to be vampiric writing in an ancient building on Mars. Of course, things only go downhill from there as she and the scientists that accompany her discover an egg chamber which escalates into face-huggers but ends on the best possible cliff-hanger. While the book does feature many of the same tropes that are featured in every Alien film and comic, Bechko does something a little different and actually make the scientists that are on this expedition something most do not turn out to be – smart. It is a really refreshing change from the norm and it shows in Tucker, the head of the expedition who realizes what has happened and locks them in the chamber so as not to infect the rest of the crew or the ship. There are more great moments in the book and all of it drawn exceedingly well by Javier Garcia-Miranda. The book might have a slightly cartoonish look to it overall, but it is still proportionately dark and moody the way it should be. Whoever it was that came up with the idea of mixing Aliens with vampires and Vampirella more specifically, should be congratulated because the book hooks you from the first panel and does not let you go until the last. If the rest of the series is as good, it will definitely be a contender for crossover of the year.

4.5 out of 5

Silk #7

Writer – Robbie Thompson
Artist – Tana Ford
Colours – Ian Herring

For Silk, having just recently been freed from her captivity and gotten a taste of the wide world, for it to end now is pretty inconvenient and even a little bittersweet. There is a lot that she wishes she could have done and in those last few hours, J. Jonah Jameson knows exactly what it is she needs to do. The Spider-family of titles has been really strong at Marvel as of late and out of all of them there is a case to be made for Silk being the best of the bunch. It has that perfect combination of action, humour, drama, mystery and charm and even better is the fact that Silk is an all-new hero, even if she is a little similar to her spider-brethren. This last tale before Silk returns in a new rebooted book post-Secret Wars is light on the comedy and heavy on the drama as it deals with Cindy and her family, or at least one possible member of it. Long before Cindy was released from the bunker, her family had gone missing and she has been looking for them ever since her release. Now that she might have a possible lead, at the worst possible time, she cannot get there fast enough. The great thing that Robbie Thompson does is inject Silk with a ton of heroism and a personality to match for even though she is desperate to see her family, if it is indeed one of them, she stops each and every time she sees someone in trouble. She does not have to do so and many people would not, but that is the difference between those with powers and those without, between those that are heroes those that are not. So while emotions run high, there is always time for a little action and fill-in artist Tana Ford does a good job of making it exciting and keeping the story moving until that big finale. The only downside is that the title has to be rebooted after seven issues due to the big event taking place, but other than that, the book has been great with each and every issue and hopefully that will continue on into the future.

4 out of 5