“Alien vs X-Men” Issue 1 Review – Delivers on the Body Horror

From writer Kieron Gillen and artists Geraldo Borges and Andrew Dalhouse, Alien vs X-Men issue 1 quickly set the stage for an exciting showdown between the Xenomorphs and Prof X’s students.

While we have seen Xenomorphs face Marvel superheroes before, Alien vs X-Men (or AvX) is the first story to have such an IP battle starring the iconic mutants. And with Storm being marketed to play a role in the narrative, of course, I was going to pick this series up. The Omega-level weather control makes Storm an effective threat against the formidable Xenomorphs. So, I was looking forward to seeing how Gillen would handle Ororo while also raising the stakes involving the X-Men standing against the Xenomorphs for the fate of Earth.

Turns out, the answer was quite simple. In order for such a story to work while keeping Ororo around, you simply tapped into an alternate reality where Storm had yet to overcome being depowered. And hey! If you have been following my comic book coverage, you would already be aware of my love for Storm. But you know what? Keeping Storm depowered and still a leader of the X-Men made sense. It might not be to your liking, but for the kind of story Gillen’s planning to tell, I can get behind seeing a depowered Storm trying to keep her team alive against the ever-expanding Xenomorph swarm.

Also, (and this might be me reading too much into it) a depowered Ororo surrounded by superpowered mutants (some of whom also wielded guns) gave me Ellen Ripley and the Marines vibes from Aliens. That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing how Ororo will continue to operate during such a dangerous mission and if, like Ripley’s development in the second movie, we will get to see Ororo pick up a gun to put an end to the Xenomorphs. Ororo unlocking her powers is also not out of the question, especially due to the sci-fi nature of such a story or if Gillen decides to explore Ororo’s Godhead.

Another thing that helped amp up the tension was the twist revealing that the Xenomorphs birthed from mutants were capable of tapping into their parents’ X-gene. During the attack on the X-Mansion, we got to see Xenomorphs unleashing Wolverine-like claws and phasing through objects like Shadowcat. Also, having Emma Frost’s Diamond skin secondary mutation being used by the Alien Queen… chef’s kiss!

The Xenomorphs acid was also depicted to be potent enough to not only bypass Cannonball’s energy field while flying but also melt through Colossus’ skin. Yeah, Gillen’s Xenomorphs mean business! And they have only just begun. Seeing Logan be a continuous alien-birthing vessel and kidnapping Multiple Man… so many enjoyably creative choices by Gillen.

Of course, an Alien-centric adventure won’t feel right without blood and gore. And that’s where artists Geraldo Borges and Andrew Dalhouse more than delivered. We got skin-burning acid, fatal attacks, and yes, even the chestburster. The overall visuals also opt for a darker palette, which helps maintain the somber weight of what’s happening.

Frankly, I haven’t had so much fun reading a Marvel comic book in a while now. I’m glad to have a new comic book series to review after months of unfortunate drought.

Did you read Alien vs X-Men issue 1? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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