Aliens #1

Dark Horse's 1988 launch of Aliens — issue one of six — arrives with a cover by Mark A. Nelson that immediately earns its tension: two heavily armed soldiers in full combat gear crouch in a cramped, industrial corridor, weapons ready, while a massive Xenomorph looms directly overhead, claws extended and jaws dripping. The oppressive, shadow-drenched composition captures everything unnerving about these creatures — their patience, their closeness, the awful geometry of being hunted in tight spaces. Writer Mark Verheiden and artist Nelson promise a six-issue series that takes the franchise seriously, and this opener sets a tone that's hard to shake.