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Independence Day

Film - Special Edition - Goofs - Novelization - Comic - Soundtrack - Characters

ID4: Independence Day is a three-issue comic book adaptation of film of the same name that was published by Marvel Comics in 1996. It was written by Ralph Macchio. The series comes with an issue #0 which served as a prequel to the events of the movie and was written by Paul Crain. The comic book was penciled by Steve Erwin, Leonard Kirk, Steve Moncuse, Terry Pallot, Scott Reed, Rod Whigham and Gabriel Hardman (credited as Gabriel Gecko), colored by Moose Baumann, and lettered by Edd Fear. The comic book was republished as Independence Day: Classics Collection by Titan Comics in 2016.

Publisher's Summary[]

Original release[]

#0: In 1947, a navigational mishap forces an alien craft to crash land in Roswell, New Mexico, leading to decades filled with cover-ups, manipulation, abduction and ultimately ... invasion!

#1: Alien ships begin appearing in the skies and begin their assault on the people of earth as the President Of The United States and others make their escape and plan their counter attack.

#2: Following the destruction of most of the major U.S. cities by alien invaders, the humans fight back using an alien ship that was kept in Area 51 since the 1950s; They disable the alien force fields by using a computer virus and destroy their mothership, while the President leads an air attack against the invaders on earth.

Classics Collection[]

Collecting the original comics adaptation by Marvel, this essential compendium perfectly captures the high-octane approach of Devlin/Emmerich's 1996 blockbuster and comes bursting with brand new content, artwork and much more!

Differences from the Film[]

The graphic novel generally follows the plot and visuals of the feature film, although in a condensed form owing to the nature of the format. It also includes several deleted scenes that were cut from the movie, as well as others that were later reinstated in the Special Edition. Notable differences include:

  • Miguel chastising Russell for being a bad father until Troy angrily breaks his tirade by dropping his medicine. This scene was later added in the Special Edition.
  • President Whitmore does not want to hear David's warnings until after the Operation Welcome Wagon helicopters made contact with the city destroyer and are subsequently shot down.
  • Nimziki informs Whitmore about Area 51 earlier after Operation Welcome Wagon.
  • The Black Knights' disastrous counterattack is omitted and mentioned in passing.
  • A scene of Russell bringing Troy to see medical attention at Area 51.
  • The conversation between David and Julius that leads to the former laying out his plans against the aliens are omitted.
  • Russell's last words before making his suicide attack is "Up yours!" rather than his "I'm back!" liner.

Plot[]

Issue #0[]

In Roswell, New Mexico on July 4, 1947, late at night during a massive thunderstorm an alien spaceship crash land in the desert land owned by Mac Brazel, who comes across some of the ship's wreckage and calls the sheriff on the next day. Soon after the U.S. Army comes to the crash site and covered it up by claiming it was just a downed weather balloon, and Brazel is reluctantly forced to keep his silence.

At a top secret military base, one of the scientists, Dr. Rose, is trying to save the life of the only surviving alien. Suddenly the alien enters Dr. Rose's mind for a brief moment before it dies; in which Dr. Rose hears the only word coming from the alien: "kill." Badly frighten by the experience, Dr. Rose does not tell what he just heard. Later, Major Gittelsohn gives a briefing on the spaceship and the aliens. He propose to have the aliens and their ship to be kept somewhere secure where it can be carefully researched. Dr. Rose volunteer to head up the research team. Lastly, due to the delicate nature of the situation, all knowledge of the spaceship and its pilots are to be kept secret from the public, and even from the President, for the sake of national security.

In 1967, newly appointed head of the Central Intelligence Agency, Albert Nimziki, visit Area 51 and meets Dr. Rose, who informs him that in the last 20 years they have not been able to figure out the alien technology. Dr. Rose is retiring at the end of the month with barely learning anything about the aliens. He has found a brilliant candidate to replace him: a young hippie from Cal Tech University, Brackish Okun. Dr. Rose debrief his successor of the project and its secrets before warning him to not trust the CIA and most especially Nimziki.

In 1986, local crop duster Russell Casse is suddenly abducted by aliens and is experimented before blacking out and regaining consciousness in a field. Russell tells his story about his abduction, but no one believes him and he is ridiculed as the town's laughing stock. Consequently, Russell becomes an embittered drunk and is yet haunted by the abduction.

Meanwhile, a young man named Steven Hiller keenly watch the first space shuttle launch on television from his family's apartment. His mother assume Steven of wanting to become an astronaut in which he does.

In 1992, Gulf War veteran and Senator Thomas J. Whitmore has announced his candidacy for the presidency despite having not completed his first term in the U.S. Senate. The young senator's rise in the political ranks has been swift and most believe him to be a legitimate contender while his detractors state that he is a case of style over substance. Whitmore gets into an physical altercation with David Levinson, the husband of Whitmore's campaign manager Constance Spano, who mistakenly assume that the senator is having an affair with his wife.

By 1993, two days after Whitmore's inauguration, the new President feels overwhelmed by his new position and invites General William Grey, whom Whitmore served under him during the Gulf War, to the Oval Office and appoints him as his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also, against the advice of his Director of Communications Constance Spano, Whitmore chooses Albert Nimziki as his new Secretary of Defense due to his experience in the government and having held several high-ranking positions.

On July 1, 1996, Steven Hiller is now a Marine fighter pilot. With the Fourth of July coming, Steven plans on celebrating the holiday by staying with his girlfriend Jasmine and her son Dylan in Los Angeles. In Washington, President Whitmore is facing a tough election year as his popularity has severely diminished and his leadership is criticized as "indecisive and ineffective."

The next day, Marty Gilbert, the manager of Compact Cable, is upset to find out that every television signal is filled with on-air static and attempt to page David, who is in the middle of playing chess with his father, Julius. David decide to ignore his pager and flippantly saying that "it's not like it's the end of the world or anything." Thousands of miles above Earth, an enormous vessel passes over the Moon as it heads for Earth.

Gallery[]

Issue covers[]

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