Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 25, 2026 | 2 comments

An ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE to the Ridley Scott classic — and its brilliant comics adaptation…

By PETER STONE

“It’s cold and boring in space. Best bring a book.”  — Peter Bowditch Stone, last survivor of the USCSS Prometheus shuttle

On May 25, 1979, two years — to the day — after Star Wars revamped science fiction movies for the modern age, another epic sci-fi flick hit the big screen, in limited release. Being a teenager at the time, I was tremendously excited. My uncle had convinced me that this new movie was a lot like Star Wars, and having seen that at least 20 times, I was jazzed to see this film. It opened wide June 22, and I didn’t need to ask my parents to go, because my sister and I were staying with my grandparents for the summer.

The movie had a simple name, but it brought about all my fantasies of space and science fiction: Alien.

Now, I always thought I was smart, but that summer I was an idiot. I should have known better. The poster was creepy to begin with. The rating was “R.” The tag line was “In space no one can hear you scream.”

Alien was terrifying, a new form of horror movie…  a monster in space. The alien itself was designed by H.R. Giger, whose work was weird, terrifying, and strangely sexual. Just like the film. That bloodthirsty alien was certainly not Luke Skywalker or even Darth Vader.

Then, it got worse! One of my favorite artists, Walt Simonson, was involved. Six years earlier, in 1973, Simonson and writer Archie Goodwin had revamped an old Jack Kirby/Joe Simon character named Manhunter in a series of short stories in the back of Detective Comics, starting with Issue #437. Thanks to Manhunter and Warren magazines, I discovered Goodwin, a DC editor who had written for Eerie, Creepy, and other top-notch projects.

These two Hall of Famers combined to create a graphic novel based on Alien — also published in ’79, by Heavy Metal. I had to read it, despite my deep misgivings. Scenes from the movie lived rent-free in my nightmares, but now there was this incredible, and similarly horrifying, adaptation on paper that I could not resist.

Simonson and Goodwin were on the set of the movie, working furiously on the project — Alien: The Illustrated Story — so it could hit the stands about the same time as the film. Simonson’s art was a dazzling combination of storytelling and well-thought-out lettering, with eerie panel designs. When the Alien struck, the artist’s dynamic images differed significantly from director Ridley Scott’s version, but were just as horrifying. Goodwin used the screenplay to create a slight variation of the movie, but it was perfect for the difference in entertainment media. For example, in the movie, the captain on the Nostromo, Dallas (played by Tom Skerritt), confronts the alien in the air ducts. It’s claustrophobic, with unbearable suspense. In the comic, however, the encounter fills a good third of the page, a massive shocker.

The movie was a smash and the graphic novel was the first to hit the New York Times Mass Market Bestseller list. Sure, the film’s popularity helped, but that’s still pretty impressive. Alien ultimately changed horror movies and brought about a franchise lasting for decades, while the 64-page graphic novel was the first use of what became an unkillable comics license. (At one point, the Xenomorphs even fought Superman.) There are only a few truly well-done comic book adaptations of movies and Alien: The Illustrated Story is among the best, if not the very best.

After years of therapy (just kidding), I finally got over my teenage terror of Alien, and I even watched a documentary about H.R. Giger with the specific goal of seeing images of the Alien monster I had not seen before.

Not my copy

Working with Neal Adams for 30-something years allowed me to meet many incredible artists, like Jack Kirby, Al Williamson, Michael Golden, Rudy Nebres, Larry Stroman, Alex Nino and so many more… including Walt Simonson. So, when Titan Books in 2012 produced Alien: The Illustrated Story — the Original Art Edition, I was more than willing to spend over $100 to get the HUGE version of the adaptation. Not just that, Walt did a drawing of the Alien on the inside of the book for my wife, Kris. Kris turned and handed me the book, knowing I would never sell it so if she wanted to look at it, I would always have it. That, my friends, is one of my most precious books.

Titan also produced a much more affordable paperback reprint and it’s easily found, so for 15 or so dollars, you can relive that terrifying and brilliant adaptation. Then watch the movie with the lights off. A great way to spend a Saturday.

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MORE

— BURIED TREASURE: The ALIEN LEGION of LARRY STROMAN. Click here.

— BURIED TREASURE: Mike Grell’s JON SABLE, FREELANCE. Click here.

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Peter Stone is a writer and son-in-law of the late Neal Adams. Be sure to check out the family’s online Facebook auctions, as well as the NealAdamsStore.com.