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There's one mystery in Alien: Romulus that the movie won't solve, so Fede Alvarez teamed with Marvel for a prequel comic

In space, no-one can hear you wonder why the tie-in comic to Alien: Romulus is coming out two months after the movie itself

News by Graeme McMillan, Editor

Published on Tue Jul 23 2024

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Don’t expect all the mysteries of Alien: Romulus to be answered in the movie itself. In fact, audiences who want the whole story of what happens to the scavengers whose attempts to escape space squalor will have to wait until October, and the release of a one-shot Marvel comic spinning out of Fede Alvarez’s much-anticipated feature.

The one-off issue — titled, simply, Alien: Romulus #1 — is actually a prequel to the movie despite coming out two months later; written by Zac Thompson with art from Daniel Picciotto, the comic will, according to Marvel, provode “an illuminating backstory behind the film’s main threat.” That would presumably be the xenomorphs themselves, but it’s an Alien movie; for all we know, it’s a Weyland-Yutani shout-out. Who else would be a bigger threat than the corporation seeking to profit from everything, behind the scenes…?

Importantly, Marvel announces that the issue has been created “in close partnership” with Alvarez and Alien: Romulus (movie) co-writer Rodo Sayagues, suggesting that this might be an essential part of the mythology of the movie, as opposed to a tie-in with little impact on the overall storyline.

"The Alien franchise is responsible for my lifelong love of body horror, so needless to say, I’m ecstatic to be contributing a small piece to the canon,” Thompson said of the issue, in a statement provided by the publisher. “Working with Fede Alvarez to craft a prequel to Alien: Romulus was a genuine dream come true and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. The result is a thrilling, terrifying story that slowly gestates into something wholly unpredictable."

Alien: Romulus #1 will be released in two editions — one with a cover from Leinil Francis You, another with a cover by Björn Barends — on October 16. Alien: Romulus the movie will be in theaters August 16.

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.