Comic Review: PROMETHEUS OMEGA

PROMETHEUS OMEGA #1

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: Agustin Alessio

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $5

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I feel like, at this point, I might as well just have Kelly Sue Deconnick sponsor our comic reviews. First it was Pretty Deadly, then Ghost, Bitch Planet and now Prometheus. What’s interesting is that I didn’t set out to make her work a priority; Pretty Deadly was a supernatural pulp western that could’ve flown under our radar but was brought to my attention specifically by a clerk at the local comic book shop. Ghost definitely belonged in the Destroy The Brain review section, belonging to that rare and fickle genre of supernatural horror vigilantes. Bitch Planet, though, felt like it was MEANT for Destroy The Brain. Now we have Prometheus Omega, the conclusion of the Fire And Stone saga which she helped organize and that we have covered extensively. With a nearly perfect track record, does DeConnick have what it takes to unite the disparate elements of Aliens, Predator, AvP and Prometheus?

From page one of Prometheus Omega, DeConnick reframes the current status of the remaining characters in more basic terms than the chain of events that left them stranded on the infamous LV223, where Ripley first encountered the xenomorphs and where Prometheus ran afoul of an Engineer. Needless to say, it’s a dire situation for Captain Angela Foster, her security chief Galgo and surviving crewmates Jill and Chris. Much like the scenario from Chris Roberson’s Aliens comic, the four barely manage to hold it together but thankfully DeConnick’s got a much lighter touch with the drama, retaining her wry sense of humor and making the characters relatable, even faux-macho Galgo. Wisely, she gives us just enough time to catch up on the character dynamics before introducing an unexpected surprise; the arrival of Accelerated synthetic Elden.

I didn’t know for sure if Elden would play a role in the finale, as he was continuously being assaulted in Christopher Sebela’s AvP comic and things didn’t look great for him in Predator either but much to my relief, he gets a second chance, a moment that emphasized a recurring theme of Fire & Stone; that to be alive is to share the act of living with others. When Angela risks her life to connect with Elden in what seems to be his last moments, it reverberates back through all the previous issues and forward through the issue. When the venerable yautja (Predator) Ahab reunites with Elden, despite being utterly alien to each other, they become brethren by merit of their cooperative efforts to survive during an earlier issue. And, adding a layer to that, its the humans who erroneously assume the pair couldn’t form a human-like bond. Their relationship and Galgo’s xenophobic (literally) disdain for it does take a bit of a goofy turn at one point but it’s not irreverent so much as illustrative; Galgo’s so jaded and cynical that he resents their friendship not just for being an unsettlingly human one but for having what he lost; a deeper connection.

But, as could only be appropriate for an Alien-based story, it all gets fucked up as the big secret of LV223 is revealed. Without giving too much away, the group walks away short one of their number, and an incredible character arc ends with a beautiful but heartbreaking riff that could either be a clarification or a rebuttal of what Lindelof’s script for Prometheus implied, depending on how your interpreted that film’s vague themes. In addition to a breath-taking moment of reckoning, there’s a small and equally emotional redemption that segues appropriately into an ending that doesn’t quite provide closure and might have too hamfisted of a final line. Still, it’s a fitting end to the series, having a surprising evolution throughout that makes plenty of sense in hindsight, and is certainly a thoughtful, interesting take on the Prometheus mythos.

Naturally, all the stops are pulled out for the visuals of this finale issue, courtesy Agustin Alessio whose powerhouse work is usually seen in bigger titles like Dark Horse’s own Star Wars or Marvel’s Avengers. Really, this is probably the prettiest book in the whole of the Fire And Stone saga, with Alessio’s photo-realistic lines and shading truly bringing LV223 and its inhuman (and otherwise) denizens. In particular, there’s no way one can’t be impressed when he flawlessly renders Ahab and Elden in one panel together, fighting a pack of xenos, with no detectable stiffness or messiness. His POV’s are varied enough to imbue the pages with a sense of motion and energy an the backgrounds are remarkably detailed, textured and never abruptly empty. What’s even crazier is that he does his own coloring and, as a result, everything feels really cohesive and concrete, avoiding shadow-cloaked obscurity or distracting boldness. Nate Piekos, letterer, enthusiastically splatters the pages in commanding lettering, the sounds of LV223 bursting from each panel. There’s a fantastic bit where the Predator, Ahab, stabs a xenomorph with a crunchy “TCHK”, paired in the same panel with a “Tsss” reminding the reader of the acidic blood of the aliens. In the next panel, Ahab deftly rips the blade from the flesh with a swift, arcing “FWWWKK” that conveys the purposeful arc of the blood-covered weapon. There’s a lot of small moments like this where Piekos builds on the narrative with his lettering and that’s awesome.

I was concerned with how Fire And Stone would wrap up such an epic (if spotty) saga but DeConnick knew what was valuable in the story and accentuated it while bringing her own distinctive style on board. By focusing on Elden, she made Prometheus Omega more than a riff on the movies and what she takes away from Elden’s story is a valuable theme that Prometheus missed out on. Thankfully, her solid writing is augmented by Alessio’s fantastic art, which is itself elevated by Nate Piekos’ vigorous efforts. Prometheus Omega is a huge 44 pages but only a dollar and half more than the current going rate for a single issue of a Fire And Stone comic, so if you liked any of the previous books in that series or just really dig the Aliens/Predator/Prometheus franchise, this is a must have.