Aliens: Purge is set on Sybaris 503 where scientists discovered that hosts infected with leprosy have a longer-than-normal gestation period for Alien Chestbursters. Before they can understand why and the “corporate financial liquidators” are sent in to seize all assets. Including the human hosts. But they’ll have to go through Eloise to get them.

This is one of the more interesting stories of the Alien universe, where it taps into genetic manipulation but doesn’t quite expand on it enough. The idea that our main heroine is a android/xenomorph hybrid is actually a great concept (similar to the Ripley human/xenomorph hybrid clone in Alien Resurrection). It was interesting but I wished there was more time to explore Eloise. 

The story’s a little fast paced which sucks because I would’ve loved seeing more about Eloise and her relationship with the people affected with leprosy and the xenomorphs. Ian Edginton manages to start the story off with a big question mark, with Eloise sleeping in a den full of xenomorphs who they clearly see as their own which comes off as a dream sequence.

I thought the artwork, done by Phil Hester, looked good with some great shots of the xenomorphs. The panel transitions I felt worked really well. The cover art, done by Den Beauvais, is really good but it doesn’t have anything to do with the story itself. However, the shit is pretty gross.

The leprosy looked alright. Most of the characters afflicted with it look like they’re with the Morlocks in X-Men.  I didn’t understand Armand’s design. He looked more of a warrior chief out of 10,000 B.C. than a colonel in a multi-billion dollar corporation.

In the end, Aliens: Purge is good read and definitely something to get into if you’re a fan of the Alien mythos. I would’ve liked to have seen more exploration of Eloise, but I can say that Ian Edginton’s writing and Phil Hester’s artwork gave me a good experience. Aliens: Purge gets 3 out of 5.