Aliens: Special is a one-shot anthology comic book that was first published by Dark Horse Comics in June 1997. Published in black and white, it featured two all-new stories: Aliens: 45 Seconds, written by Darko Macan and illustrated by Frank Teran, and Aliens: Elder Gods, written by Nancy A. Collins, pencilled by Leif Jones and inked by John Stokes. The issue was edited by Philip Amara and Scott Allie, with cover art by Teran.
In Dark Horse's Aliens comics line, Aliens: Special was preceded by Aliens: Border Lines, published concurrently with Aliens: Havoc, and was followed by Aliens: Purge.
Publisher's Summary[]
Dark Horse provides readers with an exciting Aliens Special, featuring two all-new stories by two great creative teams. Grendel Tales and X-wing Rogue Squadron writer Darko Macan and Punisher and X-Men artist Frank Teran tell the tale of a Colonial Marine sent to clean out an infestation. He's got a job to do, a pulse bomb with a 45-second detonator, and the clock's ticking. Then, in "Elder Gods," a religious sect uncovers what they believe to be a holy idol. But everything turns to holy hell when they realize the true nature of the enormous statue! Swamp Thing writer Nancy A. Collins and Negative Burn artist Leif Jones offer a twisted story about the strength — and weakness — of blind faith.
Stories Included[]
Reprint History[]
Dark Horse Comics[]
Both stories from Aliens: Special were eventually collected, under their individual titles, as part of Aliens Omnibus: Volume 6 in December 2008.
Both stories were released digitally through Dark Horse Digital on August 14, 2013, collected with Aliens: Border Lines and Aliens: Once in a Lifetime and reusing John Bolton's cover art for the novel Aliens: Labyrinth.
Marvel Comics[]
Following Marvel Comics' acquisition of the rights to Alien comic books, the comic's contents was collected as part of Marvel's Aliens: The Original Years Volume 3 collection, alongside many other later Dark Horse stories. The collection was released on November 22, 2022.
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