3 years later, these 'newcomers' have been granted refugee status. Many have settled into the Los Angeles area. Some found employment in the police force. Thanks to a government mandate, one of the newcomers is to be promoted to be the LAPD's first detective. Earthling Matthew Sykes volunteers to be Detective Francisco's new partner, after his partner was murdered in a shootout during a newcomer robbery.
Sykes has been ordered to not investigate his former partner's murder. Instead, He and Francisco follow the lead of an anomaly found on the body of one of the robbers. As some of the newcomer suspects in the case wind up dead, the detectives uncover a drug ring targeted at newcomers. Based on an opioid used to make the newcomer slaves more docile and subservient, Francisco knows a secret about it's overuse that could threaten the uneasy peace between humans and aliens. Working against orders, Sykes and Francisco rush to locate the new drug and destroy it before the drug can reach the newcomer market.
Alien Nation was a live-action sci-fi film produced by 20th Century Fox. James Caan starred as Detective Sykes. Mandy Patinkin portrayed newcomer Detective Sam Francisco, later named 'George' by Sykes. The film, an allegory for race relations and immigration, was directed by English director Graham Baker.
DC Comics released a full-color adaption of the film. Martin Pasko adapted the screenplay crafted by Rockne S. O'Bannon, who would go on to create fan favorite series such as Seaquest DSV and Farscape. Pencils were by Jerry Bingham. The 55-pager bears images that look nothing like the stars, probably due to licensing reasons. The comic bears some gun violence and mild drug use. However, it's nowhere near as in-your-face as the scenes from the R-rated feature.
Alien Nation was a moderate hit that grew a cult following. In 1989, Fox aired a TV series based on the motion picture. Though one of the fledgling networks few early successes, production of the series was high and advertising dollars sparse. Despite ending the 22 episode first season on a cliffhanger, the show was cancelled.
From 1990-92, Malibu Comics released several 4-issue minis based on the film, under their Adventure Comics imprint. Around the same time, Pocket Books released over a dozen tie-in novels. Thanks to those books, as well as a letter writing campaign through TV Guide, enough interest was garnered for 5 TV movies; the first of which resolved the cliffhanger of the newcomer's controllers returning for their escaped slaves whom have enjoyed several years of freedom on Earth.
Completing this review completes Task #5 (A sci-fi movie adaptation) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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