It hasn’t been an easy go for the remaining survivors of Hadley’s Hope. Aliens attacking in every direction, and the unknown dangers of LV-223 surrounding them at all times. Just when they thought it couldn’t get any more dangerous, or stranger, it did.

Aliens: Fire and Stone #3 picks up where issue #2 left off, with Luiz and an alien seemingly merging together. Suffice to say, it’s quite the odd visual. This hybrid leads an attack on the survivors, but finds his fate at the hands of a Cale spear. At this point, all of Cale’s guilt has built up too much. He confesses to Dionne and the crew that he is at fault for bringing the aliens with him.
Of course, during the ambush Francis slinks out to his hideout to dissect the situation. He remains transfixed on how a barren rock like LV-223 turned into a planet teeming with life. With his sidekick “Rover” by his side, he has the planet well scouted. As Cale and Dionne plan an attack on the Onager to claim supplies and a transmitter, Francis waits safely in his little hideout. However, by the time it’s all said and done, there will be unwelcome surprises for everyone.
Some really good stuff in the last half of this issue, but I do my best not to spoil anything. The feel of this issue was spot on, and captured the crux of the aliens universe. Dionne has been in the background for most of the series, but it was nice to see her get some attention this issue. Like Galgo, Francis is set as one of the main characters of this arc and that’s a good thing. One the weaknesses of the latter-day Aliens and Predator movies is a lack of characters you actually care about. It’s good to see that change.

SUMMARY

I’m not quite sure what is going with the alien/human hybrid creatures, but overall an entertaining issue. I criticized a few of these issues; it was disjointing the way the all-encompassing story was being put together. But as these issues enter the second half, it is all coming together.