The medical sci-fi crime drama you never knew you needed! Resident Alien has gone on to inspire a TV show, but the feel is completely different from the comic. Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse have created a relentlessly charming series set in a small, unassuming American town that’s become home to reclusive doctor, Dr Harry Vanderspeigle. But when the town’s doctor is murdered, Harry is called upon to fill in, testing his ability to keep his secret… Harry’s from another planet!
Harry’s obsession with mystery novels will draw him further and further into the role of crime-solving doctor and put him further and further into the spotlight, attracting attention from the FBI who are hot on his trail!
Published by Dark Horse Comics, Resident Alien is easily one of the most endearing comics on the shelves. You can pick it up in single issues, or scroll on down and choose how you want to read it in collected edition formats!
Plus, you can listen to Dave & Eric discussing Resident Alien in our 2023 TOP TEN MYSTERIES podcast episode.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Chronology: Every Resident Alien story is included in chronological order, laying out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
Spoilers: I’ve kept them to an absolute minimum to avoid ruinign the surprises!
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the core reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns – just the stories:
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #4 [5/11]
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #5 [5/10]
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #6 [1/10]
- Resident Alien (2012) #1-3
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #18 [7/10]
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #19 [8/10]
- Dark Horse Presents (2011) #20 [8/10]
- Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #1-3
- Dark Horse Presents #1 (2014) [3/6]
- Dark Horse Presents #2 (2014) [1/6]
- Dark Horse Presents #3 (2014) [4/6]
- Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #1-3
- Free Comic Book Day – Stranger Things #1 (2022) [2/2]
- Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1-4
- Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1-4
- Resident Alien: Your Ride’s Here #1-6
- Resident Alien: The Book of Love #1-4
- Resident Alien: The Book of Life #1-4
| Title, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Dark Horse Presents #4 [5/11] (2011) Dark Horse Presents #5 [5/10] (2011) Dark Horse Presents #6 [1/10] (2011) When the only doctor in the small town Patience is murdered, the Police Chief (Mike) turns to the reclusive Dr Harry Vanderspeigle for help; little do they realise ‘Harry’ is an alien who crash-landed on Earth three years ago; to maintain his cover, Harry has no choice but to help, but his assistant Asta Twelvetrees becomes increasingly suspicious… Note: This is also collected as Resident Alien #0 (2012) |
| Resident Alien #1-3 (2012) Harry and Asta continue to investigate Walter Matthew‘s murder, but it’s not long before there’s another suspicious death in Patience; the FBI find clues to the whereabouts of the pilot of a downed alien craft… |
| Dark Horse Presents #18 [7/10] (2012) Dark Horse Presents #19 [8/10] (2012) Dark Horse Presents #20 [8/10] (2013) Asta’s father talks to her father about Harry’s possible origins; the replacement doctor arrives in Patience; another body shows up, prompting Mike to ask for Harry’s help… Note: This is also collected as Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #0 (2013) |
| Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #1-3 (2013) Shannon Riley from Seattle commited suicide in Patience, but there’s no discernible cause of death; Harry and Asta discover the mysterious woman’s connection to one of the town’s residents; a trip to Seattle puts Harry’s cover story at risk… |
| Title, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Dark Horse Presents #1 [3/6] (2014) Dark Horse Presents #2 [1/6] (2014) Dark Horse Presents #3 [4/6] (2014) Harry recalls how he came to live in Patience; the FBI increase the severity of their search for the alien pilot; someone sees through Harry’s disguise… Note: This is also collected as Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #0 (2013) |
| Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #1-2 (2015) Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #3 (pp.1-20) (2015) Harry discovers a lost manuscript by his favourite crime novelist, Rex Monday, which leads to him uncovering an unsolved murder. |
| Free Comic Book Day – Stranger Things #1 [2/2] (2022) Harry investigates a possible ghost. |
| Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1 (pp.1-8) (2016) Harry & Bert Hawthorne look into a strange smell downtown. |
| Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #3 (pp.21-22) (2015) The FBI set their sights on Patience… |
| Title, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1 (pp.9-22) (2016) Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #2-4 (2016) Harry looks into the identity of a mysterious drifter who dies in a fire at an illegal drug factory in Patience; Mike investigates , but things get serious; Harry reveals why he crashed on Earth; Dan Twelvetrees warns Harry that the FBI are coming. |
| Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1-4 (2018) Dan Twelvetrees accompanies Harry on a trip to New York where he might find the means to leave Earth; the FBI prepare a task force. |
| Resident Alien: Your Ride’s Here #1-6 (2020-2021) The FBI use deception to catch Harry out; Asta’s feelings impact Harry’s decision; there’s a big wedding in Patience. |
| Resident Alien: The Book of Love #1-4 (2022-2023) The FBI switch tactics; Asta life goes through some major changes; has Harry made the right decision? |
| Resident Alien: The Book of Life #1-4 (2024) It seems Harry isn’t the only one who feels they have a say in his fate; while his life moves in a bold new direction, Harry is still a target. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Resident Alien Omnibus vol.1 | Dark Horse Presents (2011) #4-6, 18-20 Dark Horse Presents (2014) #1-3 Resident Alien #1-3 Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #1-3 Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #1-3 |
| Resident Alien Omnibus vol.2 | Free Comic Book Day – Stranger Things #1 Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1-4 Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1-4 Resident Alien: Your Ride’s Here #1-6 |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Resident Alien vol.1: Welcome to Earth | Dark Horse Presents (2011) #4-6 Resident Alien #1-3 |
| Resident Alien vol.2: The Suicide Blonde | Dark Horse Presents (2011) #18-20 Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde #1-3 |
| Resident Alien vol.3: The Sam Hain Mystery | Dark Horse Presents (2014) #1-3 Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery #1-3 |
| Resident Alien vol.4: The Man With No Name | Resident Alien: The Man With No Name #1-4 |
| Resident Alien vol.5: An Alien in New York | Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1-4 |
| Resident Alien vol.6: Your Ride’s Here | Resident Alien: Your Ride’s Here #1-6 |
| Resident Alien vol.7: The Book of Love | Resident Alien: The Book of Love #1-4 |
| Resident Alien vol.8: The Book of Life | Resident Alien: The Book of Life #1-4 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2025
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