Chilling Out with Marvel’s Alien: Thaw
Something weird just landed on my radar, and by “weird,” I mean terrifying, frozen, and likely to kill you in your sleep. It’s Alien: Thaw, Marvel’s chilly return to the xenomorph mythos, and I’ve been snatching pages as if they might melt away.
What Even Is Alien: Thaw?
This isn’t your old Dark Horse Alien run (which we will explore more), this is the Marvel-20th Century Studios doing horror in high definition. The series is written by Declan Shalvey with art from Andrea Broccardo, and it collects issues #1–5.
It officially kicked off in April 2023 and wrapped in August, but it does have a follow-up (which I do have!).
Xenomorph Alien Timeline
The Setup
On the frozen moon LV-695, Talbot Engineering Inc. is trying to do science stuff: water research, to be precise. The chief scientist? Batya Zahn, mother to a teen, tough as nails, and “will do just about anything” to get her family off that icy rock.
But then — surprise, surprise — something alien is buried in the ice. And when that something starts to thaw… well, things heat up in the worst way.
Why It Works
A Fresh Start: This feels like a reset for the Alien comics under Marvel. It’s not just a rehash, Shalvey leans into psychological horror, corporate greed, and the creeping dread of something hidden beneath the surface. Whilst Broccardo’s art adds a cold, clinical feel to the moon base, but when the aliens show up… the detail, the textures, the shadows: it’s spooky and beautiful.
It’s not just about facehuggers. Batya Zahn is balancing motherhood, ambition, and fear. That personal dimension makes the horror feel real. On top of this the “thawed out” xenomorphs aren’t always the black acid-blooded monsters we know, there’s something new going on.
Big Payoff
This arc doesn’t just end, it sets things up and I’m excited to dive into the second comic really soon.
My Verdict
If you’re an Alien fan who’s already bored of “same-old, same-old,” Thaw is a breath of (icy) fresh air. It’s got horror, high stakes, and a strong emotional core. I tore through it quicker than a facehugger attaches, and I’m absolutely hungry for what comes next.
Rating: A- (cold, calculated, and absolutely killer)
