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Aliens: Swarm is a mini-comic that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 1992. It was included exclusively with the Mantis Alien action figure produced by Kenner Products. The story was written by Dan Jolley, penciled by John Nadeau, inked by Steve Moncuse, lettered by Dan Nakrosis, and edited by Dan Thorsland, with cover art by Joe Phillips.
Swarm was a part of the Aliens: Space Marines series, a number of mini-comics included exclusively with certain toys from Kenner's Aliens and Aliens vs. Predator toy lines. It was the tenth comic in the series, continuing the story from Aliens: Night Strike, and its story was continued in the subsequent comic, Aliens: Terrordome.
Publisher's Summary[]
Sometime in the future...
Humankind has begun to explore space, colonizing planets throughout the galaxy. Leading the way are the SPACE MARINES, the toughest heavy metal warriors in the galaxy! Armed to the teeth with state-of-the-art weaponry, they keep the peace in a universe filled with danger... and ALIENS!
Vicious, gruesome, and deadly, the Aliens spit acid, and use slithering face huggers to capture their prey. Led by their sinister Queen, the Aliens are spreading everywhere, mutating into more deadly forms as they go. Earth's last defense: The Space Marines, known throughout the galaxy as the best bug-fighters around.
So lock and load, Marine, the invasion is on!
Plot[]
When the Space Marines finally catch up to ATAX at the main colony on Terraform 3, they find he has already defeated the Flying Queen with the help of his Bio-Boost Armor. They also learn that the colonists are preparing to evacuate aboard a shuttle, and soon discover the reason why — the colony is under attack by a swarm of leaping Mantis Aliens. The Marines rush to the shuttle launch pad to ensure the colonists all get aboard safely. However, Lt. Ripley discovers the shuttle is infested with Queen Face Huggers that have captured all the colonists. After finishing up the remaining Mantis Aliens on the ground, the Marines set off in pursuit of the shuttle.
Reprint History[]
A reprint of Aliens: Swarm was included with NECA's updated Mantis Alien figure. However, other than the Kenner and NECA figures with which it has been packaged, for many years the comic was never offered for individual sale anywhere, making it (along with the rest of the Aliens: Space Marines series) among the rarest Aliens comics from Dark Horse.
However, following Marvel Comics' acquisition of the rights to Alien comic books, almost all of the Aliens: Space Marines mini-comics were collected as part of Marvel's Aliens: The Original Years Volume 1 collection, alongside many other early Dark Horse stories. This marked the first time the previously rare Kenner comics had ever been reissued in a mass market format. The collection was released in May 2021.
Behind the Scenes[]
The art team behind Swarm, John Nadeau and Steve Moncuse, previously produced another mini-comic in the Aliens: Space Marines series, Aliens: Night Strike. This is one of only two times the same team of artists produced more than one entry in the series; Brandon McKinney and Karl Kesel also produced both Aliens: Showdown and Aliens vs. Predator: The Ultimate Battle. Nadeau also worked on several other entries, but either alone or with different partners.
Gallery[]
