Alien: The Illustrated Story

A landmark of both science fiction and comics, Alien: The Illustrated Story (1979) was a one-shot graphic novel from Heavy Metal that adapted the screenplay of the first Alien film into a stunning, fully-painted comic. Scripted by Archie Goodwin and based on the story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, the book is most famous for the unforgettable, atmospheric artwork of Walt Simonson, whose moody, expressionistic style gave the Xenomorph and its world a unique, terrifying life. Published concurrently with the film's release, it stands as one of the earliest and most acclaimed cinematic comic adaptations, proving that the medium could capture—and even enhance—the dread of a blockbuster movie.