Pregnant Batya has lost her partner, Dayton, as the Xenomorphs overrun the base. The corporate military are way out of their depth – and their situation worsens immeasurably. Batya’s daughter Zasha is alive and well though – and may just be the key to their research surviving the double threat of Weyland Yutani and a terrifying legion of Xenomorphs.

Declan Shalvey and Andrea Broccardo are doing such great work with this series, which is the freshest the franchise has felt for a long time.

Which is no mean feat, because on the surface it’s full of familiar elements – the predatory Weyland Yutani corporation selfishly looking out for their own interests no matter the cost, the increasingly useless troops, the plucky scientists and, of course, the invasion of the Xenomorphs.

Yet there’s a lot here that sets it apart. In particular, in this issue, there’s a few shocking scenes and unforeseen twists that are genuinely stunning.

As a long term, yet long suffering, Alien fan, this really has felt like the breath of fresh air the franchise – in particular, Marvel’s handling of the franchise – has needed for some time.

It’s a great time to be a comic book fan of Alien and Predator; both properties are hitting their creative stride at Marvel right now – and I can’t wait to see where Shalvey and Broccardo’s series ends up.