As the plans of the Red Skull are revealed more thoroughly in all their grotesque detail, Captain America and his friends find themselves fighting an uphill battle once more against the greatest killing machines of the universe. It goes with little saying that a Xenomorph infestation is one of the single most horrific fates that can befall any universe. The Marvel Universe already demonstrated this in apocalyptic fashion in its incredible Aliens vs. Avengers series. But Aliens vs. Captain America #3 offers up a much smaller scale, but no less disturbing scenario: what if the Red Skull controlled the "perfect organism"? This is a question that is answered with horrifying clarity in this particular issue.
This issue in particular is more action-packed than the previous two. It establishes a firm second act that races to the climactic finale after having spent two issues previously and lovingly establishing the pure dread that should come with any Xenomorph story. And while the Howling Commandos may have fallen short of their comrades, they are reinforced by new friends from the stars. Mar-Vell and his Kree vanguard are here to cut off this galactic threat, knowing full well firsthand just how devastating the Xenomorphs are.
What follows is the first of many counter-offensives against the Xenomorphs. While these are hopeful at first, they are quickly snuffed out by the revelations of what Operation: Red King is truly about.
Red King Rising
Issue #3 picks up immediately where the previous one ended. Steve Rogers, Bucky, and Nick Fury (all that remains of the Howling Commandos) are saved from certain destruction by the timely arrival of Mar-Vell and the Kree. Following this, Mar-Vell explains to Captain America and his friends about the sheer magnitude of horror they face. He describes how the Kree first encountered the Xenomorphs on a derelict Skrull ship. He details how the Xenomorphs born from the Skrulls could also shapeshift and instantly wipe out their discovery fleets.
He further explains how those same Xeno-Skrulls made it back to Hala and destroyed the entire Kree Empire in one fell swoop, with even the Supreme Intelligence falling prey to the abominable beasts. Mar-Vell, now forced to accept the role of Supremor, salvaged what he could and conducted a galaxy-wide extermination campaign. This led him to Earth and the current Xenomorph outbreak.
While there are slight tensions between some members of the Kree and the Howling Commandos, their common goals and the dire nature of their mission mean they are on the same side. Meanwhile, the second phase of the plans of the Red Skull becomes evident as the Allied Front Line finds itself crawling with Xenomorphs. These have all been airdropped there by Hydra bombers. It is a complete bloodbath, and one that could have gotten even worse if not for the timely arrival of Captain America, his friends, and the Kree vanguard.
But even though they successfully manage to repel the Xenomorph threat on this battlefield, they uncover a far more terrifying threat: the aliens are far more coordinated than ever before. That is because the Red Skull is now one of them, and he is getting them ready to attack Normandy.
Showcasing a Threat that Fells Empires
Frank Tieri has seamlessly managed to make this one of the most fun books out there right now. That is solely due to how well he manages to mesh all these diverse science fiction and war fiction concepts together for the most entertaining outcomes. Again, it has been wild to me how something like this was never written before. Now that I have a book where I can see Xenomorphs in World War II, specifically in a book featuring Captain America, it all just feels so natural. Now that we are three issues deep into this story, it is easy to see that while Tieri had the first half of the series lovingly set up to create escalating tension and build up the Xenomorph threat, the remaining few issues are all heavy action-centric battle-fests. It almost feels like you are transitioning from Alien to Aliens with how the plot has been so far, and that is certainly by design.
Having Mar-Vell and the Kree front and center is a great way to open up the smaller scale of the story into one that has more universe-spanning consequences. The Fall of Hala, while short, is told perfectly and to the point. It emphasizes just how much has been lost and the sheer magnitude of horror the Xenomorphs can bring even against a race of aliens that are lightyears more advanced than humanity. It truly does imbibe the idea that no one is or ever has really been safe against these alien terrors, and that is a great thing to hammer in. While we may be very used to seeing Xenomorph warriors die in droves across media, it is still important to remember that in the end, their numbers and their sheer ferocity are more than enough to fell empires. This is shown very clearly in the flashback of this issue, with even the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree being turned into a glorified incubator. It is truly a sight to behold.
Similarly, on the front of the Earth, there is still more than enough tension to go around. While everyone is an ally, there are still teething problems. Nick Fury, true to his character, gets into it with Yon-Rogg over mourning their fallen friends. But they just as quickly resolve their differences over a mutual love for torturing Nazis, proving that we should all be making friends over shared hobbies. Similarly, Steve Rogers and Mar-Vell share a strong sense of respect and camaraderie for each other. Both are the respective Captains of their factions and have leadership roles thrust upon them during times of trying conflict. It is fun to watch this dynamic slowly play out, and it is even more fun watching how they keep their boys in line.
The progress of Frank Tieri into straight-up action also goes smoothly, as he reveals the plans of the Red Skull in earnest. When we finally do get to see the evil mastermind in all his glory, it is definitely in a way you will not expect, but it is no less horrifying. It is also a great callback to some of my favorite books of Dark Horse Aliens, namely Aliens: Rogue and Aliens: Genocide. It just kind of works in the colorful, grim-dark storyline of Marvel that this is.
Make no mistake, there is no shortage of ham and cheese with the dialogue and some of the plot in this book. However, it works just so well for the kind of story that Tieri is telling that it simply does not detract from either the terror or the stakes of this universe. And yes, some readers might feel the more action-specific tone of this issue was a bit of a let down compared to the more horror-oriented first two issues. I would urge them to let this play out because the progression feels very internal, and so far, the book has been better for it, as long as they can stick the landing.
Glorious Grim-Dark Goodness
The art of Stefano Raffaele continues to keep the story going with copious amounts of blood, guts, and horror. It captures the truly grim nature of the Xenomorphs against colorful heroes like Mar-Vell and Captain America. This art is pure nostalgia. It is a throwback to the classic crossovers of DC where other costumed crime-fighters fought Xenomorphs across the pages. Yet Raffaele still centers this firmly in the cloudy, grimy aesthetic of a Europe ravaged by World War II.
When going into the flashbacks of the Xenomorph invasion of Hala, we once again get contrasted with the fantastic colors of space being overrun by the black, chitinous horrors of the alien. There is no sugarcoating the violence or action here. It is all there in its artistic glory.
The aliens themselves are drawn as the living nightmares they are, and this time you get to see many of them on the pages at one time. Raffaele presents a tide of black, tearing, biting, and infecting everything in their wake. He pits our heroes against this sea of terror in some great spread pages that could be posters in their own right. Even in the lighter moments where characters simply talk or interact with each other, their expressions are captured in stark detail, whether they are stressed or sharing a laugh. It is all there for the reader to see.
The final reveal of the Red Skull as the new "Red King" of the Xenomorphs is also a grotesque sight to behold. It mixes the familiarity of the iconic design of the Alien Queen with the campy visage (but no less imposing) of the iconic leader of Hydra.
I also got a real kick out of seeing an actual motion tracker from the franchise of the Aliens movie just casually showing up in one of the panels. This just highlights how lovingly and with fun this book has been written and drawn.
The color work of Neeraj Menon once again brings up the rear for the lines in this issue. There is more for him to flex here with flashbacks focused on the galaxy for sure, but he also gets to flex his colors on more action-centric set pieces. The battle of the Front Lines in particular is such a chaotic blend of dark alien masses versus colorful superheroes battling it out. This is held up tremendously by the amazing work that Menon puts in.
It is a feast for the senses. While it might make the squeamish squirm a bit, the penchant of this issue for overall gritty violence and gore is far less than previous ones, despite the new scale of the conflict presented.
Storming the Beaches
As the final showdown looms on the horizon for Captain America and the Howling Space Commandos, the sheer calamity of a Xenomorph invasion of Normandy is both fun and fascinating to imagine. Paired with the chunks of backstory that we get every issue about the true extent of the Xenomorph plague across the galaxy, Aliens vs. Captain America #3 manages to be a gloriously fun ride from the first page to its teaser-filled last.
While this issue is more action-centric than the previous two (which focused more on horror and dread), it is by no means a shortcoming. In fact, each issue has ramped up the stakes in its own way. Now, with the final issue looming close, we can finally see the terrifying outcome of the plans of the Red Skull to weaponize these monstrous horrors from the stars for his own nefarious ends. As with the rest of the series, the result is once again a thoroughly fun ride that takes you back to the old days of the wild crossover events from the era of Dark Horse comics.
Final Verdict: Alien vs Captain America #3 once again effectively establishes the galactic-scale horror of the Xenomorph and prepares readers as well as Cap and friends for a conflict of epic proportions in the finale ahead.