Dark Horse Comics #18

Against a blazing alien sun and rust-colored rock formations, an enormous Xenomorph dominates the cover of Dark Horse Comics #18, its sinuous tail arcing overhead while smaller, skeletal creatures cower at its feet — a striking image penciled and inked by Paul Mendoza. Inside, Mendoza also illustrates John Arcudi's "Alien Part 2," so fans of that strip are in for visual continuity between cover and story. Rounding out this 1994 anthology are chapters of Star Wars: Droids and Predator: The Hunted City, making this a genuinely satisfying package for readers who liked their science fiction dark and varied.