James Stokoe’s Aliens: Dead Orbit sees a sizable vessel discover an unresponsive ship floating in the depths of space. As we’ve seen in prior Aliens books, the active crew decides to board the ghost ship and see if they can’t find any survivors. And they do, but the discovery is essentially made in vain, as an electronic mishap leaves three survivors burning inside their sleep pods. Unfortunately for our would-be heroes, an alien lifeform is quickly discovered, and as the first issue comes to a cliffhanger halt, these nasties lifeforms make their presence known in bloody fashion.

This is a strong debut issue from Stokoe. He’s got a slick artistic style that calls to mind some earlier Judge Dredd books, and his writing is particularly crisp as a result of Stokoe’s understanding and investment in dialog. Sometimes these books really come down to what feels organic and what doesn’t, and Stokoe has certainly delivered a story that brings characters to life… even if the majority of them are bound to experience a horrifying death.

Although this latest Aliens tale doesn’t do too much to deviate from the norm, it is a strong read. Stokoe’s unorthodox artwork works to endear the book to readers, and of course, anyone who reads this one will likely be anxious to get into the true guts and gore, which looks like is headed our way in the second issue. I’ll let you know soon – I’m about to dive in!

Order the book right here.

Rating: 3.5/5