My World : Enemy Alien

There have been two different Enemy Aliens on planet Earth. Though virtually identical to the casual observer, their circumstances are far different.

The original Enemy Alien was an explorer whose starship crash-landed on the outskirts of Major City only two months after the debut of Captain Satellite. Though suffering from partial amnesia, the extraterrestrial astronaut still remembered enough to know that he needed to repair his vehicle and return home. Spied by witnesses as he gathered the necessary raw materials for this task, he was immediately labeled "Enemy Alien" in sensationalistic reports. Concerned by the UFO sighting and subsequent accounts of its occupant roaming the countryside, Captain Satellite decided to investigate the area.

Unfortunately for both Captain Satellite and Enemy Alien, gangsters found the marooned traveler's ship first. The criminals extorted the hapless Enemy Alien into battling Captain Satellite by threatening to blow his ship up with crates of TNT they had stolen from a local ammunition dump. During the resulting fracas, the gangsters were collared, but not before Enemy Alien's starship was accidentally blown to smithereens. The explorer disappeared into the night, uncertain of whether he could ever return home.

Enemy Alien eventually reappeared, misunderstandings were explained, and he was even able to collaborate with Captain Satellite in finding a method to get back to his world. He has retained the "Enemy Alien" name in his dealings with the select Earthlings that know his true nature, as his proper name is unpronounceable by humans. He is, however, content to never return to Earth.

Years later, Enemy Alien inexplicably showed up stealing rare gems in select locations around the globe. Puzzled by this bizarre behavior, Captain Satellite contacted his old friend by space wave transmission and learned that the Enemy Alien responsible for the crime spree was a new claimant to the name. He was an outlaw who had stolen both a ship and a pressurized spacesuit from the exploration corps that the original Enemy Alien now oversaw. His reasons were simple - he was eluding the authorities on his planet, and he saw Earth as an easy mark.

Both Captain Satellite and the Invincible Alliance have shown the second Enemy Alien the error in judgment he made in targeting Earth for larceny. Still, he is persistent, and an expert at rocketing away before he can be captured. He knows that it isn't jail that awaits him, but a one way ticket back into space.


Enemy Alien was born during the same period of time as Elektroid, and was part of a cast of characters who bridged my old ensemble of heroes and the new Captain Satellite crew which has been evolving since high school. So he has some history behind him. Trouble was, it was sometimes contradictory.

Enemy Alien was a misunderstood hero who had gained his name purely through news coverage. Or was he a villain after all? It changed depending on my mood on a particular day. Remember - that particular period was long on mayhem, but short of consistency.

In the end, I decided to take a page from the evolution of Captain Satellite and split the difference by establishing two separate Enemy Alien characters - one good, one evil. Confusing? Maybe. It's nothing compared to the convoluted continuity I used to create for myself, just for my own amusement.

Enemy Alien's name is a play on the comic book feature "Enemy Ace", with perhaps some influence drawn from the film version of the story ENEMY MINE. I had never drawn Enemy Alien in color prior to this picture, so I solicited my friend Sara's input on colors for him. I am pretty happy with her choices.