Tankers Vs Ancient Aliens #3 — Robert Venditti and David Lapham bring the galactic war home
The alien vanguard arrives in our solar system, but Earth’s rugged defenders aren’t about to hand over the planet. Robert Venditti and David Lapham deliver a bone-crushing clash of civilizations in the penultimate issue of this sci-fi blockbuster.
There’s a specific kind of joy in reading a comic that refuses to take its own premise lightly. Tankers Vs Ancient Aliens is just that—a story that takes its high-concept setup and grinds it down until you feel every ounce of the conflict. When a hyper-intelligent alien species arrives in the solar system, they aren’t coming for a diplomatic summit. They’re coming because something far worse is hunting them, and Earth is in the crossfire. If you like your sci-fi with the volume turned up to eleven, this is the series to watch.
The setup is pure, unadulterated spectacle. We join a convoy of alien soldiers who have fled their dead planet and spent centuries preparing for an existential threat from the void. Now, their scouting party has made contact with Earth, and they are armed to the teeth. But they’ve run straight into the Tankers—a group of battle-hardened human defenders who have seen it all and aren’t about to let their home be colonized. It’s a classic clash of civilizations, but the scale here is planetary, and the stakes are absolute.
If you’re looking for more of that intense, character-driven action, keep an eye on Stray Bullets, which also features Lapham’s incredible artwork. It’s a different genre, but the same mastery of mood and emotion shines through. It’s a perfect companion if you want to see Lapham’s range beyond the stars.
This is the penultimate issue of the four-issue run, so the story is tightening its screws. The conflict between the aliens and the Tankers is reaching its boiling point, and the implications for both sides are going to be huge. If you haven’t jumped on board yet, now is the time to find a copy and see why this series has been generating so much buzz. Trust me, you’ll want to be here for the finale.