The Xenomorph from the Alien series has got to be one of, if not the, most terrifying creatures ever in film history. Even in the bad films of the franchise, the alien looks awesome. But one author imagined, what if he wasn’t so scary?


Enter Alien Next Door, a picture book by artist Joey Spiotto. The idea of the book is simple. What if the alien from Alien was your kind, loving best friend? That idea is then beautifully illustrated by former video game concept artist, Spiotto, who describes his art as having a “light-hearted, humorous quality.”

Here are a few images from the book, exclusive to io9.


“The best part of doing the book was actually that it got done at all,” Spiotto told us. “I had a very limited window to get the book done. It also happened to be right as my son was born. I started this project about 2 weeks after welcoming a new baby boy into our lives. For those people out there with children, they know how insane those first few weeks at home can be… throw in a crazy-tight turnaround right on top of that insanity and you have a complete recipe for disaster. 20th Century Fox and Titan were wonderful to work with, they were very hands-off and had great feedback on the sketches and ideas I was coming up with. I am a huge fan of the Alien films, so this project was really a dream come true.”

Though the book is officially licensed, Spiotto is unsure if Alien directors Ridley Scott or James Cameron have seen the book. But he has one thought on that. “I hope that they enjoy how I totally made their horrifyingly scary creature cute and lovable.”


Here are a few more images from the book, which are just too cute.



Alien Next Door will be out November 3, and you can grab a copy here.


And if you like Spiotto’s work, he’s got a brand new solo art show where he turns pop culture mainstays into Little Golden books. That opens November 6 in Los Angeles. He’ll also be signing copies of the book on the 7th. More info on those events here.

Image credit: Alien TM & © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved


Contact the author at germain@io9.com .