I think horror stories can be used as a metaphor for virtually anything.
Perhaps finding the right allegory applies to many forms of fiction, but horror seems to have all kinds. From sociopolitical commentary on the sanctity of motherhood, to the incompetence of the military-industrial complex, to the horrors caused by corporate greed. It’s just part of the Alien series, but I think you get my point.
Embracing religious ideology also provides interesting insights into ourselves.
“I… I pray that You would forgive me my sins.”
Alien – Salvation, by Dave Gibbons, Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan, Matt Hollingsworth, and Clem Robbins, depicts the plight of a shipping company’s cook after his ship crashes on a small planet. The captain goes mad, his crew is likely dead, and they are forced to take a long journey through a demon-filled hell to find salvation.
Dave Gibbons puts us inside the mind of Selkirk, the cook of the Nova Maru, which crashes due to cargo complications. He seems to be a very religious person, filtering his experiences through the lens of repentance for having done terrible things. This is a perspective that attempts to show the difference between himself and the crew, the captain who basically decides to save only himself from the crash. About the native creatures on the planets they collide with, about their fight for survival, and about the xenomorphs he casts as demons. And also about the kind of temptation he encounters later on.
Mike Mignola, Kevin Nowlan and Matt Hollingsworth work their magic on this image. Mignola’s layout and line art are great. He feels like he was born to draw gorgeous monsters, from planetary pterodactyl-like creatures to xenomorphs. Inking Nowlan’s work is a combination of two phenomenal artists. It captured the light and shadow of Mignola’s work and added smoothness to the lines. Hollingsworth’s coloring makes it an experience that is practically religious in itself, especially during a haunting sequence in which Selkirk’s mind attempts to reconcile the experience of the Xenomorph as a demon and the xenomorph as a surprised angel. is remarkable. Clem Robins’ lettering provides an interesting computer font.
“I had to stop him. He was possessed.”
The struggles that Gibbons, Mignola, Nowlan, Hollingsworth, and Robbins present in Alien – Salvation are about what it means to achieve salvation, whether one can be spared from doing terrible things, and the loss of control. It’s a puzzle about how someone can become a puppet of such powerful forces. You wonder if the physical angels and demons you face are the be all and end all, or if there’s something more to it. And whether the world is being observed by a merciless God.
The film uses the Xenomorph’s fear, madness, and fear of doing what it takes to survive as the ultimate metaphor for the real evil that we also see in our daily lives. It’s like greed and corporations.
Classic Comics Encyclopedia: Alien – Salvation
Alien – Salvation
Writer: Dave Gibbons
Penciler: Mike Mignola
Inker: Kevin Nolan
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Author: Clem Robbins
Publisher: Marvel Comic (Reprint) Dark Horse (Original Publisher)
Release date: January 11, 2022 (reprint) | November 1993 (original)
Included in Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus – Volume 2.
Read the past works of the classic manga encyclopedia!
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