I think that horror tales can be used as a metaphor for practically anything.
That’s probably true of many forms of fiction, finding the appropriate allegory, but it seems like horror can run the gamut. From sociopolitical commentary on the sanctity of motherhood, through the ineptness of the military industrial complex, to the horrors that can be unleashed through corporate greed. That’s just part of the Alien franchise, but I think you get my point.
Throw in some religious ideology and you get some interesting reflections on self too.
“I…I pray that you will forgive my sins.”
Aliens – Salvation by Dave Gibbons, Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Matt Hollingsworth, and Clem Robins follows the plight of the cook on a hauler after his ship crashes on a tiny planet. His captain gone mad, his crew presumably dead, and a long road through hell full of demons to find salvation.
Dave Gibbons puts us inside the mind of Selkirk, the cook aboard the Nova Maru, after it crashes due to complications with the cargo. He appears to be a deeply religious man and filters his experience through the lens of performing penance for doing terrible things. It’s a perspective that tries to show differences between himself, his captain who decided to essentially save only himself from the crash, and the crew. Of the native creatures on the planet they crash on, of fighting for survival, and of the Xenomorphs that he casts as demons. And of a form of temptation that he comes across later.
Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, and Matt Hollingsworth work magic with the imagery. Mignola’s layouts and linework are incredible. It feels like he was born to draw gorgeous monsters, from the pterodactyl-like creatures of the planet to the Xenomorphs. Nowlan inking his work is a pairing of two phenomenal artists. Capturing the light and shadows of Mignola’s work and adding a smoothness to the lines. With Hollingsworth’s colours it practically becomes a religious experience in its own right, especially during the haunting sequences as Selkirk’s mind tries to reconcile the experiences of the Xenomorphs as demons and a surprise angel. Clem Robins’ lettering giving us some interesting computer fonts.
“I had to stop him. He was possessed.”
There’s a quandary presented in Aliens – Salvation by Gibbons, Mignola, Nowlan, Hollingsworth, and Robins of what it means to achieve redemption, of what can be absolved from doing horrible acts and potentially of being the puppet of forces beyond your control. Wondering whether the physical angels and demons you face are the be all and end all or if there’s something more. And whether the world is observed by an uncaring god.
It uses the horror of the Xenomorphs, of madness, and of doing what’s necessary for survival as an ultimate metaphor for real evil that we see in our everyday lives too. Like greed and the corporation.
Classic Comic Compendium: Aliens – Salvation
Aliens – Salvation
Writer: Dave Gibbons
Penciller: Mike Mignola
Inker: Kevin Nowlan
Colourist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Marvel Comics (reprint) | Dark Horse (original publisher)
Release Date: January 11 2022 (reprint) | November 1993 (original)
Available collected in Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus – Volume 2
Read past entries in the Classic Comic Compendium!
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