What If…? Aliens #1: The Real Story

It’s satisfying when the bad guy dies. And when Carter Burke apparently got killed by a xenomorph in Aliens after scheming to kill the remaining crew of the Sulaco, it was hard not to smile. But what if he didn’t die? What If? Aliens #1 kicks off a series that asks that very question. And thanks to creative writing choices, it’s a very compelling beginning.

What If? Aliens #1 opens during Aliens, right after Ripley and Newt escape the facehuggers and during the group’s confrontation with Burke over having tried to get them impregnated. The issue proceeds from there just as the movie happened until Burke comes face to face with the xenomorph which in the movie is implied to have killed him. His death is never seen in Aliens, though.

The comic cuts to Burke trapped in a cocoon in front of an egg. He is freed thanks to an explosion elsewhere. From there, Burke moves along through the background of events, eventually stowing away on the Sulaco with no one the wiser. Events proceed as they did in the movie. Burke surreptitiously contacts Weyland-Yutani and arranges a pickup. The issue reveals that Burke was responsible for the fire that got Ripley and company ejected at the beginning of Alien 3. Burke is rescued. What If? Aliens #1 then jumps ahead 35 years, to catch up with Burke living alone in a holographic environment in a Weyland-Yutani facility on an asteroid.

The brilliance of What If? Aliens #1 is that it doesn’t contradict anything that happened in the movies. The first two thirds of the issue tells a story that may well have happened behind the scenes in Aliens. In a way, these events feel as valid as the movies, and it’s surprising how much weight that gives the issue.

What If? Is traditionally a title that replaces the events that transpired. Something other than what happened occurs at a point of divergence and everything that follows is different. The divergence point in this story is only a divergence point because audiences have spent 40 years assuming a xenomorph killed Burke. And even though this change robs readers of the satisfaction of Burke’s horrible death, the story feels–for lack of a better term–real.

The writers’ choice not to try and rehabilitate Burke here is a smart one. There is really no way that could have been accomplished in one issue–assuming it could be accomplished at all. And while Burke does survive in What If? Aliens #1, there is still some satisfaction to be found in his punishment. The writers’ choice to slow walk that revelation is a clever one. Going into the scenes following the time jump, there is a general “of course the bad guy prospered” feeling. It’s satisfying when that expectation is undone as the holographic environment that keeps Burke sane vanishes panel by panel at one point. The bad guy survived, but hardly prospered.

Vilanova’s style is particularly suited for the sequences that take place during Aliens. He leans into his use of sharper lines over subtle shading for contouring and dimension. His sometimes thicker outlines play well in the darker settings. In general, Vilanova plays up his tendencies during these grimy, action oriented scenes. That choice works particularly well once What If? Aliens #1 makes the time jump and we catch up with Burke in a seemingly bright, sunny setting. At that point Vilanova backs off the intensity, and his normal somewhat heavier style choices feel right at home in the environment.

The art also captures the movie characters’ likenesses expertly, especially in the case of younger Burke. Getting his appearance so spot on helps inform the character after the time jump. Vilanova doesn’t just take young Burke and add lines while Nitro recolors. Burke’s face looks different. It wears all the years that have passed. As a result of spending time with Burke the way he originally looked, it’s easy to find the same person in Vilanova’s depiction of the older version.

The color work in What If? Aliens #1 is busiest in the first third of the book as Burke and the heroes escape the xenomorphs and the planet in violent, explosive fashion. Nitro layers red and oranges in a way that gives these effects added depth. He plays up the shadows during Burke’s escape particularly well also. The sequences where Burke sits in an otherwise dark room and is lit primarily from the video screen he’s talking into heightens the desperate circumstances he finds himself in.

What If? Aliens #1 is full to bursting with sound effects. Cowles assigns every type of sound effect its own font and color. Alarms are different from doors opening and closing. Gunfire is different from explosions and even explosions are somewhat different from each other depending on their size. And the xenomorph screams are radically different from everything. It’s practically eye candy at times, adding to the action sequences’ speed and chaos.