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Aliens: Rogue is a four-issue limited comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from April-July 1993. The series was written by Ian Edginton, with art and covers by Will Simpson. It was lettered by John Costanza, colored by Robbie Busch, and edited by Anina Bennett & Ryder Windham.
Rogue was collected and published in trade paperback form in Oct. 1994, with a new cover by Nelson, and edited by Brian Gogolin; and again in August 1997 as Aliens, Vol. 6: Rogue with a new cover by artist John Bolton, edited by Suzanne Taylor. It was finally collected in Aliens: Omnibus, Volume 2 in December 2007. The series was also adapted into a novelization of the same name by author Sandy Schofield in 1995.
The story of Rogue takes place after the Alien infestation of Earth and the Grant Corporation's first mission to the Alien homeworld.
In the Aliens comics line, Aliens: Rogue was published concurrently with Aliens: Colonial Marines (Jan. 1993-July 1994), the reprinting of Aliens: Countdown (March-April 1993), Aliens: Sacrifice (May 1993), Aliens: Taste (July 1993), and Aliens: Crusade (July 1993-March 1994). It was followed by Aliens: Backsplash (Aug.-Sept. 1993) and Aliens: Labyrinth (Sept. 1993-Jan. 1994).
Plot[]
Official description of individual issues:
The mysterious Mr. Kray is a corporate spy extraordinaire, but even he's never faced a mission this dangerous! Kray has been sent to Charon Base to check out research director Ernst Kleist's genetic experiments on Aliens. Kleist is trying to breed the beasties into something useful -- something that humans can control. But workers on Charon are starting to disappear one by one, and Kleist definitely knows more about it than he's letting on. Kray and his pilot, Palmer, may be the only ones who can unravel Kleist's schemes... that is, if they make it past his "pet" Aliens!
Things are getting curiouser and curiouser on Charon Base; the more John Kray and Joyce Palmer find out about Dr. Kleist's research, the less they like it. Most of the Marines stationed there have been "executed" despite their commanding officer's protests, and it looks like the few remaining grunts are headed for a nasty new kind of bug-hunt. Meanwhile, since Kleist's attempts to breed a tame Alien Queen have all failed miserably, he's trying a new approach -- one that involves using Kray's DNA, with or without his consent!
Professor Ernst Kleist has achieved the impossible: he has genetically engineered powerful, obedient Aliens. When an operative from the funding organization is sent to do a routine check up, he finds Kleist's methods to be... unorthodox. "There is an adage," says Kleist, "about omelets... and breaking eggs." The horror of nature is dwarfed by the terror of the man toying with it!
When a genetically engineered Alien refrains from attacking an injured Kray, it seems that Kleist's attempts to breed a "tame" Alien have finally paid off. Meanwhile, the Sci-Tech elite patrol are deployed to hunt down Palmer, who hopes to rescue Kray by way of the armory. The race for survival is accelerated, as Kleist's latest creation proves to be both highly motivated... and dangerously unpredictable.
The Alien Queen was regarded as the most uniquely dangerous creature in the galaxy... until Professor Kleist created something even more unique. In this final issue of Aliens: Rogue, Kleist's genetically engineered Alien King (also known as the Rogue) wreaks havoc upon Charon Base, while Kray, Palmer, and the ever-resourceful Deegan attempt to escape from Aliens and Sci-Tech special forces. When the Alien King locates the captive Queen, not even the brilliant Kleist knows whether the Queen will greet her mate... or meet her match!
Behind the Scenes[]
Aliens: Rogue was the first Aliens-universe story written by UK writer Ian Edginton for Dark Horse Comics. Edginton would go on to become quite a prolific contributor to the combined Dark Horse properties, serving as writer on series/stories for all three titles at one point or another, albeit with less stellar results at times.
Rogue, however, arguably remains his strongest addition to the series, introducing a number of new concepts and characters who would go on to be referenced by other in-universe stories, such as the Alien King, and the mad scientist Professor Kleist.
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