Review by Ian Keogh

Four years before this Ron Marz had written Batman’s rather underwhelming encounter with Aliens, or Xenomorphs to give them their true name. If you can accept this as primarily a Green Lantern story with a few aliens thrown in, then he compensates here, with many fine touches. Not the least is remembering that Aliens wasn’t just about aliens.

The present day sequences are set during a period when Kyle Rayner was the sole Green Lantern, Hal Jordan was undergoing more than a few problems, and those who’d previously comprised the Green Lantern Corps were rarely seen. At the time of publication, therefore, the opening chapter served as a welcome continuity implant with Hal Jordan and prominent Green Lantern colleagues facing the aliens. It concludes with an ingenious solution to an alien infestation from the Green Lanterns. Time and revisions have only diminished the charm slightly, and this chapter works as a decent standalone story.

When we move to the present day sequence Marz wastes no time in introducing Ripley. She may be named Crowe, and drawn by Rick Leonardi with short brown hair, but she’s in a vest, commanding a crashed ship and very familiar with what the aliens can do. The plot throws in some great setbacks – a surprise in every chapter, and whereas otherwise Rayner and a single power ring might make short shrift of an alien colony, Marz ensures this isn’t the case, and instead Crowe becomes the significant protagonist.

Leonardi’s art is a real surprise. It’s economical, yet without skimping, and provides a variety of interesting layouts. He is from the school of costumes being painted on super-toned bodies with muscles emphasised, some not existing in real life, but few artists are the total package, and this isn’t really important in context. There’s also some nice inking from Mike Perkins.

Hindsight hasn’t treated the 1990s run of Green Lantern very kindly, yet there’s little wrong here.