Richard Banks Comic Reviews

It takes a while to appreciate the artwork of Marvel's Alien, but it's a strong start for a new era for the franchise. I'm excited to see what's in store, and especially excited to explore the imposing new Xeno.

Im genuinely excited to see where were going with this series. Alien deserves a great comic run, and so far, this is ticking all the boxes.

A genuine treat for Alien fans, #3 is the best issue yet, packed with brutal action sequences and a few story revelations to boot.

I'm still really invested in Marvel's first dip into the franchise, but I'm starting to get worried about where this series is going. How long it can carry on with the 'infested space facility' shtick still remains to be seen, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy the ride.

While it's the first issue in a while I've not loved Larroca's character art (there's still something a little off about the human's facial movement and designs), I adore the design of the Alpha, to the point it's one of my favourite 'new' Alien designs in years. The last few pages offer some genuinely terrifying scenes, in which the creatures are at the forefront, and it's these moments Alien fans will relish.

It might come across like I've used every synonym available to describe The Maw's bleak tone, but to not full appreciate its moody and devastating nature would be a disservice. More than anything, it's incredibly tastefully done, dealing with difficult situations that many people find themselves in in real life. It's early days in the series, but #1 offers a compelling look into a horrific universe all too familiar to our own.

Into the Fire continues to be one of the most exciting and interesting comic arcs of the new Star Wars Canon.

I still want more of Stray Dogs. It's a beautiful but flawed start to the series that's left me pining for more. It's hard to judge Stray Dogs this early, but I'm excited to see where this five part series goes.

The House is an incredibly interesting series with plenty of scope, but its relatively short runtime does it a deservice. There's an opportunity here to build on the creepy, unsettling House and its origins, and I hope Zucker and Sevy get the opportunity to expand on their terrifying and original haunted house romp in the future.