Aliens: Matrix is a cancelled graphic novella that was to be published by Dark Horse Comics in its UK-based Aliens magazine, Vol. 2 #25 in July 1994. It was to have been written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Chris Halls.
Aliens: Matrix was originally solicited for Vol.2 #23 of Aliens magazine, but a delay with the final two chapters of the publication's preceding original story, Aliens: Crusade, meant that Matrix was pushed back to issue #25.[1] Aliens magazine was then cancelled after issue #22 as Dark Horse International, who published the magazine, went out of business, leaving the graphic novella unpublished.
Had it been published, Aliens: Matrix would have been preceded by Aliens: Alien, published concurrently with Aliens: Colonial Marines, Aliens: Stronghold and Aliens: Mondo Pest, and would have been followed by Aliens: Earth Angel.
Behind the Scenes
This ultra rare Aliens story is one of the few comics from the line never to have been released anywhere, along with the final two chapters of Aliens: Crusade, as both were affected by the cancellation of Aliens magazine. The comic was solicited in Dark Horse Insider, Vol. 2 #28 (April 1994) with the following description: "Aliens: Matrix is a new illustrated novella, written by one of comicdom's top talents, Grant Morrison, with fully painted illustrations by cover artist and Alien3 special-effects designer Chris Halls. A ship of synthetics lands on a snow planet, but cannot imagine the horrors that lie in store for them."
The unreleased Matrix remains Grant Morrison's only credit in the Aliens/Predator/Aliens vs. predator comic book universe, although he did later get to contribute to the wider franchise in the form of the video game Predator: Concrete Jungle (unrelated to the comic series of the same name), which he wrote. Morrison has also has also achieved much fame in the comics medium as writer of such titles as DC Comics' Batman, Batman: Arkham Asylum and All-Star Superman and DC/Vertigo's Animal Man and The Invisibles, among other works.
Chris Halls, whose real name is Chris Cunningham, has also worked as a conceptual illustrator and comics artist, and has since moved on to become a music video and commercial director and movie concept artist and designer, most notably working on Alien3, the robots in the film version of Judge Dredd (for which comic he designed a number of well known characters) and as a character designer on Alien Resurrection.
References
- ↑ "Hasslein Blog - The Alien/Predator Comic Strips, Part Two". Retrieved on 2015-06-15.