Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap is a limited release one-shot comic book that was published by Dark Horse Comics in October 2007. It was included exclusively with the limited edition Alien vs. Predator: The Ultimate Showdown DVD box set. The story was written by Mike Kennedy, illustrated by Davide Fabbri, inked by Christian Dalla Vecchia, lettered by Michael David Thomas, colored by Michelle Madsen and edited by David Land and Katie Moody, with cover art by by Fabbri, Dalla Vecchia and Madsen. The story depicts Aliens and Predators battling soldiers during the Iraq War.
In the Aliens vs. Predator comics line, Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap was preceded by Alien vs. Predator: Whoever Wins...We Lose and was followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Dead Space.
Publisher's Summary
An unfortunate desert platoon gets more war than they bargained for when they unwittingly end up in the middle of a battle where the warriors are not human. The soldiers soon discover that this chaotic region has proven to be an ideal hunting ground for the Predators' latest conquest, and even Blackwater was no match for the forces unleashed in the thrill of the game. Will the new squad fare any better than the band of brothers before them? In space, nobody can hear you scream. On Earth, it won't matter.
Reprint History
Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap was never offered for individual sale anywhere and was exclusive to the Alien vs. Predator: The Ultimate Showdown DVD set.
Behind the Scenes
In addition to AVP: Sand Trap, Chicago-based comic book and video game writer Mike Kennedy also wrote all three other AVP-movie-related comics for Dark Horse including the trade paperbacks Alien vs. Predator: Thrill of the Hunt (2004), Alien vs. Predator 2: Civilized Beasts (2007), and Aliens vs. Predator: Dead Space (2008).
These four comics basically constitute a separate sideline of "Alien vs. Predator" (as opposed to the normal spelling of "Aliens vs. Predator") comics from Dark Horse with Kennedy as writer, and were the only new Aliens, Predator or AVP comics produced by the company throughout the 2000s.
In addition to AVP: Sand Trap, the AVP: The Ultimate Showdown included every film from the Alien and Predator franchises, plus Alien vs. Predator, in their then-available two-disc version, plus an exclusive bonus disc (fifteen discs total), as well as exclusive collectible Alien and Predator figurines and two tickets to see Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, which was released on December 25, 2007. The AVP: The Ultimate Showdown set was limited to 10,000 pieces for worldwide distribution and was available in the U.S. on November 27, 2007, only at Best Buy.
Apparently there is an "exclusive period" that needs to expire before this comic can be released on a wider scale by Dark Horse Comics.
External Links
Black and white sample pages of Davide Fabbri's AVP: Sand Trap artwork on Mike Kennedy's blog