Aliens: Life and Death #2

The cover painting by David Palumbo tells a quietly devastating story on its own: a lone man sits slumped and helpless on open ground, surrounded by Xenomorphs whose elongated skulls loom on all sides, while a massive alien form towers overhead — tagline "Left Behind!" leaving little doubt about his situation. Part ten of the sweeping seventeen-part "Life and Death" crossover, this second issue of four keeps the momentum building under Dan Abnett's direction, with interior art by Moritat and colors by Rain Beredo. Dark Horse's 2016 run was delivering some genuinely tense Aliens storytelling, and this cover alone makes a compelling case for picking it up.