Frank Tieri is a writer who will always get my money when he’s writing a comic book. I’ve been a fan of his since he wrote epic stories starring Wolverine, Deadpool, and Weapon X. Each of them was full of action, but the dialogue within it all is what truly made them great.
His recent work, Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk, is proof that he hasn’t lost a step. In fact, he's gotten better. That’s why I was all in on him writing Alien vs Captain America, and the first issue didn’t disappoint.
*** WARNING! SPOILER FOR ALIEN VS. CAPTAIN AMERICA NO. 1 AHEAD! ***
Alien vs. Captain America No. 1 starts with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes looking to stop Red Skull’s newest plan. The scene quickly switches to Baron Strucker and Hydra carrying out the mission of getting weapons from the Inhumans. A reluctant townsman takes them to Attilan so that Hydra can find weapons made by what some call gods. As the guide dies (after being shot), he says, “ You fools wanted to see gods, but I took you to meet demons instead.”
As Hydra’s expedition continues, they learn that the Inhumans left the Himalayas behind. Soon, they (and the readers) learn why. According to the hieroglyphics left by the Inhumans, their people were killed by a plague of creatures from outer space. Two of them (the king and queen) were in a coffin with their rib cages burst open from the inside. If you're a fan of the Alien franchise, you know what that means.
Within the next couple of pages, the Xenomorph eggs appear, and Hydra is attacked by Facehuggers. Unfortunately, the last thing anyone needs happens. Not only does Baron Strucker escape, but he also captures one of the facehuggers.
Alien vs Captain America No. 1 creative team
- Writer: Frank Tieri
- Artist: Stefano Raffaele
- Colors: Neeraj Menon
When you’re looking for content featuring horror movies' greatest apex predators, the Xenomorphs, there are things you expect. Chief among them is the reveal of the eggs. It’s a classic moment in each of the movies that must be replicated, even in the comics. Thankfully, the creative team for Alien vs. Captain America knew this and recreated this flawlessly.
If you're familiar with the lore, you are aware that a lot of people are about to be attacked by facehuggers, thus starting the onslaught of Xenomorphs. Otherwise, you were shocked when the faceless, bug-like things started attaching themselves to faces.
Putting this scene together so well says a lot about the creative team. Even a novice of the Alien franchise like myself understands the importance of this moment. You have to make this memorable, and they did just that. If it wasn’t good, there would be critics ready and willing to tear it down. That won’t be the case here.
I won’t spoil the rest of the issue, because it’s definitely worth reading. And while you may say that the big parts were mentioned, you haven’t seen anything yet. Things are going to get way more violent and chaotic than anything we’ve seen in any Alien project. Considering the things that have already happened in the movies and shows, that says a lot.
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