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Aliens / Predator / Prometheus Universe
Aliens: Book One
Billie only wanted what all children want -- the warmth and security of family, the human connectedness that comes from belonging. What she got was a nightmare without end. Dark Horse is proud to present the third volume in the remastered Aliens series, Aliens: Female War. Written by The Mask screenplay writer Mark Verheiden and illustrated by The Maxx artist/creator Sam Kieth, Female War is a revised edition of what was previously titled Aliens: Earth War.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
30 people are currently reading
527 people want to read
About the author
Mark Verheiden
272 books34 followersMark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
October 2, 2017
Imagine a species where the first conscious act of life is killing.
*gulps*
This dark and gritty story was originally published as a sequel to James Cameron's Aliens (1986), picking the story up ten years after the latest disaster on LV-426. Our young survivor Newt is in a mental asylum and Hicks is an outcast marine because of the scars he got from the aliens. The other marines are so scared of him and his "alien cooties" and stay away from him. And Ripley..... well, no one wants to talk about Ripley because the writer was not given permission to use her character.
Seriously, the artist was not even allowed to use her face in flashback scenes!
Thankfully, this little hiccup didn't dampen the story presented here!
Compared to Alien movies, the story here is very complex and layered. It explores Xenomorph's history and biology, other alien life forms and features evil corporations, psychopath killers, overzealous scientists who love Xenomorphs and crazy fanatics who worship Xenomorphs as gods.
Xenomorphs as gods? Seriously, what was the writer trying pull? People are not that stu...
Well, never mind.
And Xenomorphs on Earth for the first time! How cool is that?!
The pencils by Mark Nelson is dark, gripping and very fitting. The writing was wonderful at the beginning, but it got too complex and confused in the middle chapters. There were too many plot points and characters, running around all over the place. Nevertheless, the final chapters reign it all in and present an excellent conclusion! The philosophical take on humanity and the characterization of Hicks and Newt were spot on! Mark Verheiden did a great job developing those two characters.
And then Alien 3 screwed it all up.
*gulps*
This dark and gritty story was originally published as a sequel to James Cameron's Aliens (1986), picking the story up ten years after the latest disaster on LV-426. Our young survivor Newt is in a mental asylum and Hicks is an outcast marine because of the scars he got from the aliens. The other marines are so scared of him and his "alien cooties" and stay away from him. And Ripley..... well, no one wants to talk about Ripley because the writer was not given permission to use her character.
Seriously, the artist was not even allowed to use her face in flashback scenes!
Thankfully, this little hiccup didn't dampen the story presented here!
Compared to Alien movies, the story here is very complex and layered. It explores Xenomorph's history and biology, other alien life forms and features evil corporations, psychopath killers, overzealous scientists who love Xenomorphs and crazy fanatics who worship Xenomorphs as gods.
Xenomorphs as gods? Seriously, what was the writer trying pull? People are not that stu...
Well, never mind.
And Xenomorphs on Earth for the first time! How cool is that?!
The pencils by Mark Nelson is dark, gripping and very fitting. The writing was wonderful at the beginning, but it got too complex and confused in the middle chapters. There were too many plot points and characters, running around all over the place. Nevertheless, the final chapters reign it all in and present an excellent conclusion! The philosophical take on humanity and the characterization of Hicks and Newt were spot on! Mark Verheiden did a great job developing those two characters.
And then Alien 3 screwed it all up.
December 13, 2022
This graphic novel continues the storyline after the second movie 'Aliens'.
So it features the return of Hicks and Newt.
Hicks has turned to alcohol due to his whole team being killed and him feeling the guilt.
Newt is getting psychological treatment, which she's not responding to.
Hicks has requested a mission back to Acheron and he's approved due to his experience, he smuggles Newt onto the ship and they embark on a mission with other soldiers and they race against the time to save the Human Race from itself.
The artwork is really good in this, but it's black and white, I'd have preferred colour but it doesn't affect my overall rating.
It ends with a cliffhanger, so I'll need to get my hands on book #2 to see what happens.
3.5 ⭐️
So it features the return of Hicks and Newt.
Hicks has turned to alcohol due to his whole team being killed and him feeling the guilt.
Newt is getting psychological treatment, which she's not responding to.
Hicks has requested a mission back to Acheron and he's approved due to his experience, he smuggles Newt onto the ship and they embark on a mission with other soldiers and they race against the time to save the Human Race from itself.
The artwork is really good in this, but it's black and white, I'd have preferred colour but it doesn't affect my overall rating.
It ends with a cliffhanger, so I'll need to get my hands on book #2 to see what happens.
3.5 ⭐️
May 17, 2021
Il volume celebrativo dei trent'anni dell'Aliens Universe a fumetti della Dark Horse è semplicemente un capolavoro.
La miniserie qui raccolta, pubblicata per la prima volta in America nel 1988, ed arrivata poi qui da noi nel 1991 in un indimenticabile speciale della defunta Play Press, è invecchiata benissimo: uno splendido seguito dell'Alien di Ridley Scott e dell'Aliens di James Cameron senza alcun limite di budget, con il Caporale Dwayne Hicks ed una ormai cresciuta Rebecca "Newt" protagonisti di una storia matura, appassionante e (parecchio) disturbante.
Unici nei: la Fox impose agli autori di non utilizzare il personaggio di Ripley (che però tornerà alla fine della miniserie successiva), e gli eventi accaduti nel deludente Alien³ diretto da David Fincher hanno reso questa storia il migliore "What if"/"Elseworld" di tutti i tempi quando invece avrebbe potuto essere uno dei migliori film della saga cinematografica dedicata allo Xenomorfo alieno.
Volume che non può e non deve mancare nella biblioteca di ogni appassionato dell'iconica creatura da incubo creata visivamente da H. R. Giger.
Se siete fan del franchise, rivedetevi i primi due film e leggetevi subito dopo questo libro.
Non ve ne pentirete.
January 12, 2024
This is a good read that tells the aliens story before and after Lt Ripley and all from Newts point of view.
The story answers lots of questions and stays intriguing from start to finish. Moving quickly and smoothly, the story provides plenty of action.
A satisfying read for all fans of the Alien franchise.
The story answers lots of questions and stays intriguing from start to finish. Moving quickly and smoothly, the story provides plenty of action.
A satisfying read for all fans of the Alien franchise.
November 16, 2017
Mixed feelings here.
Obvious RetCon issues aside, some of the best pencil work ever seen in a graphic novel and indubitably the best in the Alien series.
Although the all to typical vagueness pervades this issue, like all the other ones I've read, however, not to the horribly irritating level of Prometheus and even more so Alien:Covenant; the ending is really well done.
Spoilers involving robots, like all the Alien movies, except for the shitty 3rd one, that you shouldn't bother watching anyways, are well done here.
So if you can get your hands on it, give it a whirl. If you dig the Alien series give it a whirl. If you were super irritated by all the unexplained crap in Prometheus/Alien: Covenant, still give it a whirl.
Two kinda thumbs up. :/
Obvious RetCon issues aside, some of the best pencil work ever seen in a graphic novel and indubitably the best in the Alien series.
Although the all to typical vagueness pervades this issue, like all the other ones I've read, however, not to the horribly irritating level of Prometheus and even more so Alien:Covenant; the ending is really well done.
Spoilers involving robots, like all the Alien movies, except for the shitty 3rd one, that you shouldn't bother watching anyways, are well done here.
So if you can get your hands on it, give it a whirl. If you dig the Alien series give it a whirl. If you were super irritated by all the unexplained crap in Prometheus/Alien: Covenant, still give it a whirl.
Two kinda thumbs up. :/
June 18, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book.
Historically speaking, it's an important work. Yes, Dark Horse had plenty of early hits (Concrete, the Mask, etc.) but it was their licensed properties--Star Wars and Aliens and the rest--that were their bread and butter titles for a number of years. Without them, it's entirely possible that DH would have died out in the 90's like so many other indie publishers.
Content-wise, it's ... not bad. The writing and art are very much characteristic of the time they were written. As with much near-future science fiction, many of the speculations are laughably wrong. I've read better, I've read worse. There's a throwaway bit in one panel, a theater poster, "Einsturzende Neubauten presents 1990s Hologram Show," with the names Laurie Anderson and David Byrne prominently featured. Being a fan of all three, I got a chuckle out of that. The original comics were published without traditional splash pages, so it's difficult to tell where one issue ends and the next begins. Every now and then a text box will tell you who Newt is again, and that's about the only clue, really. It can be a bit jarring.
The packaging is incredible. The oversized pages allow for every detail of the art to be examined. The pages are edged in reflective black and printed on heavy stock. This is possibly the best possible presentation of this material. Needless to say, an e-reader won't give you the full experience.
It's a deluxe book, but the story itself isn't really a deluxe story. Although it picks up where the movie Aliens left off, subsequent Alien movies have rendered the comics non-canon. Interesting as an important piece of Dark Horse's history, and of at least curiousity value to fans of the Alien franchise in general, but not something I'd automatically recommend to the casual reader.
Historically speaking, it's an important work. Yes, Dark Horse had plenty of early hits (Concrete, the Mask, etc.) but it was their licensed properties--Star Wars and Aliens and the rest--that were their bread and butter titles for a number of years. Without them, it's entirely possible that DH would have died out in the 90's like so many other indie publishers.
Content-wise, it's ... not bad. The writing and art are very much characteristic of the time they were written. As with much near-future science fiction, many of the speculations are laughably wrong. I've read better, I've read worse. There's a throwaway bit in one panel, a theater poster, "Einsturzende Neubauten presents 1990s Hologram Show," with the names Laurie Anderson and David Byrne prominently featured. Being a fan of all three, I got a chuckle out of that. The original comics were published without traditional splash pages, so it's difficult to tell where one issue ends and the next begins. Every now and then a text box will tell you who Newt is again, and that's about the only clue, really. It can be a bit jarring.
The packaging is incredible. The oversized pages allow for every detail of the art to be examined. The pages are edged in reflective black and printed on heavy stock. This is possibly the best possible presentation of this material. Needless to say, an e-reader won't give you the full experience.
It's a deluxe book, but the story itself isn't really a deluxe story. Although it picks up where the movie Aliens left off, subsequent Alien movies have rendered the comics non-canon. Interesting as an important piece of Dark Horse's history, and of at least curiousity value to fans of the Alien franchise in general, but not something I'd automatically recommend to the casual reader.
April 29, 2016
Absolutely outstanding! Originally written after the release of the movie Aliens this series continues the plot taking place some years after the movie's end concentrating on the characters Newt, Hicks and Bishop. This was considered part of Alien canon until the release of Alien 3, this now being the first time this original series has been reprinted. It's a fascinating story and an interesting look back now as an alternate history in the Alien saga. The black and white artwork is gorgeous and as described, in both the introduction and afterword, is done in a technique no longer used since the advent of digital illustration. Such exceptionally gorgeous art that made me enjoy looking at the book as much as reading it. A must have for Alien fandom. Contains issues #1-6 plus Dark Horse Presents #24.
January 3, 2022
5 Stars
The aftermath of LV-426 (Acheron). Newt is in an asylum and Hicks is an outcast Marine. Apparently, Alien-3 did not happen in this Alien-verse, which I think is unjustified. The movie was solid. The CGI sucked, but it was a good plot. Anywho; good "beginnings" are happening.
The aftermath of LV-426 (Acheron). Newt is in an asylum and Hicks is an outcast Marine. Apparently, Alien-3 did not happen in this Alien-verse, which I think is unjustified. The movie was solid. The CGI sucked, but it was a good plot. Anywho; good "beginnings" are happening.
July 13, 2020
Primer cómic de la franquicia "Alien", editado originalmente por Dark Horse en 1988. La historia se sitúa después de los acontecimientos ocurridos en la película Aliens (1986), dirigida por James Cameron. Este tomo compila los primeros 5 números de 6 totales de la edición española. Por ende, la historia termina en el tomo siguiente.
Son interesantes algunos temas que toca, como el militarismo gubernamental, el fanatismo religioso, el control capitalista sobre la venta armamentística... incluyendo otros más comunes, como la soledad, la venganza y el amor, que recaen en los protagonistas Hicks y Newt. Sin embargo, por momentos la narrativa es confusa: se intercalan varias tramas y los personajes tienen rostros muy similares entre sí. Entonces es preciso volver a leer para entender bien lo que sucede. Más allá de ese defecto gráfico, los dibujos de Mark A. Nelson están bastante bien, y pienso que en posteriores historias sobre estos bichos agresivos, Mark Verheiden hará hincapié en los mismos temas, pero ya con una narrativa más pulida.
Son interesantes algunos temas que toca, como el militarismo gubernamental, el fanatismo religioso, el control capitalista sobre la venta armamentística... incluyendo otros más comunes, como la soledad, la venganza y el amor, que recaen en los protagonistas Hicks y Newt. Sin embargo, por momentos la narrativa es confusa: se intercalan varias tramas y los personajes tienen rostros muy similares entre sí. Entonces es preciso volver a leer para entender bien lo que sucede. Más allá de ese defecto gráfico, los dibujos de Mark A. Nelson están bastante bien, y pienso que en posteriores historias sobre estos bichos agresivos, Mark Verheiden hará hincapié en los mismos temas, pero ya con una narrativa más pulida.
April 29, 2021
I've recently been trying to re-read a lot of things that I read long ago and review them... well, as honestly as I can. As with most comic based reviews, I read this as individual issues since I have all the originals from 1988. I first read these comic books when I was, probably in 5th grade, so that was probably around 1993 or so. I rabidly collected all the Aliens and Predator merchandise I could get my hands on and I've been collecting ever since. My foray into the world of Aliens beyond the movies really did start with these comic books. I think the first series I got was "Hive" or "Labyrinth". I remember reading "Labyrinth" over and over as a kid. So, as you can see, Aliens had a pretty big impact on my life and while I have no enjoyed every single thing made for the franchise, I'd say I've enjoyed more than I disliked.
Given how much time has passed, I feel we should try to set the stage for the era in which this comic series was written. In 1988 the publisher Dark Horse was quite small and they had a lot riding on securing the rights for the Alien/Aliens franchise. Marvel had published comics in expanded universes of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but they were apparently not very well received. I'm not sure why, but it certainly came up in the letters column of the Aliens issues from people praising Aliens being very different than expected. I'll take their word for it, I was too young. But I will point out that after this Dark Horse scored rights to both Indiana Jones and Star Wars before Disney stepped in and took all these franchises away from Dark Horse.
So, this series originally hit the shelves in 1988 and this was a very bold project picking up where the Aliens movie left off. Now, at the time I was first reading this prior to seeing Alien 3, I totally loved these comics and they're probably part of the reason I was so utterly disappointed in Alien 3. But we'll delve into that in another review... This series focuses on the stories of Corporal Hicks and Newt. It's about ten years in the future, Ripley is alluded to in off hand comments, but we are never told what happened to her. In this story Hicks and Newt team up with the government to find the source of the Aliens. Along the way they face off against cut throat corporations and so on.
I think Verheiden did a great job paying homage to the Aliens film created by Cameron. In this series we got a lot deeper insight of the political intrigue that would typically be found in this future of Earth. There were a lot of things that I loved about this and still love today. The whole idea of the Alien queen being able to telepathically affect people, giving people nightmares etc. That whole aspect was truly awesome and I loved that that concept had a lot of staying power throughout the franchise. The deep trauma that Newt would have grown up was a really incredible thing to read about, I was glad to see that stuff sort of fleshed out to a degree. I liked the further exploration of the androids and their question of being close to human. Ever since these concepts were being explored in Alien, hints of Asimov rang through the narrative and Verheiden pushes that envelope a bit more blurring the line between artificial person versus full human. It's nice to see that the Aliens franchise continued pushing that envelope and wound up with the character Call on screen with Alien: Resurrection.
By far the greatest addition to the series was the character and the whole arc involving the worshippers! I fully believe a segment of the human population would literally worship the Aliens like this if the Alien life form actually existed in real life. I full believe they would sacrifice themselves to it in a similar manner. I believe this concept shows up in other issues as well, but I was always quite enamored with it. It makes sense that the ruthless corps would want to weaponize the parasite, but having people worship it! That was just so cool!
I remember being very surprised at the arrival of the space jockey in issue 5. It seemed like that species was relatively ignored in both films, but the comic sought to try and answer some of the mystery. It's not like we got much insight, mind you, the original pilots of the alien space craft are still mysterious. I actually liked the whole design of the creature too, moreso than what would eventually become the design used in Prometheus for the engineers. I was also remember being extremely surprised at there being a massive outbreak of the Aliens on Earth. I thought that was a quick escalation from the film Aliens to the end of this! I remember thinking... "okay... but what now??"
Mark A. Nelson's art was simply stunning. And reading this 30 some years later, the art really does still hold up. I remember thinking it odd that it was in black & white. The child in me at the time was disappointed. But now, the adult, looks at these images and is far more impressed. Having it in Black & White was totally the right move for this particular series. Every page felt very powerful
After consuming a lot of Aliens content over the years and having watched the film more times than I can remember... I have to say I'm not sure this story holds up as much as I thought it used to. I think for the risk Dark Horse was taking on publishing this license it was the right move, but I'm not sure I buy the idea of Hicks and Newt in this series. It's almost like I wish it was different people. For one, I'm really not convinced Ripley would not be by Newt's side. It seems Newt was thrown into a mental hospital shortly after arriving on Earth and basically grew up there. If that's not how it went down, it doesn't feel like that. If Newt wound up there later, I feel Ripley would have been fighting to be with her at all times. There was too much of Ripley's own trauma to just leave Newt to be on her own. I think Hicks was mostly well written, I just don't think he would readily agree to go collect specimen's from the Alien home world. I firmly believe he would fight against that idea and since they painted him as a rather insubordinate character it made it even less believable. Those were truly my main gripes. The two main characters, just felt out of character a bit based on how Cameron set them up. Outside of this, I think the story is very well done. I'm not sure how much I buy them going to the actual Alien home world, but it made for a good plot device so we can let it pass.
If you're a fan of Aliens and wish there was material out there that acted like Alien 3 didn't happen, well I've got great news for you. This is the series you're looking for. This was just the first launch point for what would turn into decades worth of comics and stories. I'm grateful it was so popular that a second series was swiftly commissioned and the plight of Earth would get future treatment! I tend to consider these must reads for Alien/Aliens fans.
Given how much time has passed, I feel we should try to set the stage for the era in which this comic series was written. In 1988 the publisher Dark Horse was quite small and they had a lot riding on securing the rights for the Alien/Aliens franchise. Marvel had published comics in expanded universes of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but they were apparently not very well received. I'm not sure why, but it certainly came up in the letters column of the Aliens issues from people praising Aliens being very different than expected. I'll take their word for it, I was too young. But I will point out that after this Dark Horse scored rights to both Indiana Jones and Star Wars before Disney stepped in and took all these franchises away from Dark Horse.
So, this series originally hit the shelves in 1988 and this was a very bold project picking up where the Aliens movie left off. Now, at the time I was first reading this prior to seeing Alien 3, I totally loved these comics and they're probably part of the reason I was so utterly disappointed in Alien 3. But we'll delve into that in another review... This series focuses on the stories of Corporal Hicks and Newt. It's about ten years in the future, Ripley is alluded to in off hand comments, but we are never told what happened to her. In this story Hicks and Newt team up with the government to find the source of the Aliens. Along the way they face off against cut throat corporations and so on.
I think Verheiden did a great job paying homage to the Aliens film created by Cameron. In this series we got a lot deeper insight of the political intrigue that would typically be found in this future of Earth. There were a lot of things that I loved about this and still love today. The whole idea of the Alien queen being able to telepathically affect people, giving people nightmares etc. That whole aspect was truly awesome and I loved that that concept had a lot of staying power throughout the franchise. The deep trauma that Newt would have grown up was a really incredible thing to read about, I was glad to see that stuff sort of fleshed out to a degree. I liked the further exploration of the androids and their question of being close to human. Ever since these concepts were being explored in Alien, hints of Asimov rang through the narrative and Verheiden pushes that envelope a bit more blurring the line between artificial person versus full human. It's nice to see that the Aliens franchise continued pushing that envelope and wound up with the character Call on screen with Alien: Resurrection.
By far the greatest addition to the series was the character and the whole arc involving the worshippers! I fully believe a segment of the human population would literally worship the Aliens like this if the Alien life form actually existed in real life. I full believe they would sacrifice themselves to it in a similar manner. I believe this concept shows up in other issues as well, but I was always quite enamored with it. It makes sense that the ruthless corps would want to weaponize the parasite, but having people worship it! That was just so cool!
I remember being very surprised at the arrival of the space jockey in issue 5. It seemed like that species was relatively ignored in both films, but the comic sought to try and answer some of the mystery. It's not like we got much insight, mind you, the original pilots of the alien space craft are still mysterious. I actually liked the whole design of the creature too, moreso than what would eventually become the design used in Prometheus for the engineers. I was also remember being extremely surprised at there being a massive outbreak of the Aliens on Earth. I thought that was a quick escalation from the film Aliens to the end of this! I remember thinking... "okay... but what now??"
Mark A. Nelson's art was simply stunning. And reading this 30 some years later, the art really does still hold up. I remember thinking it odd that it was in black & white. The child in me at the time was disappointed. But now, the adult, looks at these images and is far more impressed. Having it in Black & White was totally the right move for this particular series. Every page felt very powerful
After consuming a lot of Aliens content over the years and having watched the film more times than I can remember... I have to say I'm not sure this story holds up as much as I thought it used to. I think for the risk Dark Horse was taking on publishing this license it was the right move, but I'm not sure I buy the idea of Hicks and Newt in this series. It's almost like I wish it was different people. For one, I'm really not convinced Ripley would not be by Newt's side. It seems Newt was thrown into a mental hospital shortly after arriving on Earth and basically grew up there. If that's not how it went down, it doesn't feel like that. If Newt wound up there later, I feel Ripley would have been fighting to be with her at all times. There was too much of Ripley's own trauma to just leave Newt to be on her own. I think Hicks was mostly well written, I just don't think he would readily agree to go collect specimen's from the Alien home world. I firmly believe he would fight against that idea and since they painted him as a rather insubordinate character it made it even less believable. Those were truly my main gripes. The two main characters, just felt out of character a bit based on how Cameron set them up. Outside of this, I think the story is very well done. I'm not sure how much I buy them going to the actual Alien home world, but it made for a good plot device so we can let it pass.
If you're a fan of Aliens and wish there was material out there that acted like Alien 3 didn't happen, well I've got great news for you. This is the series you're looking for. This was just the first launch point for what would turn into decades worth of comics and stories. I'm grateful it was so popular that a second series was swiftly commissioned and the plight of Earth would get future treatment! I tend to consider these must reads for Alien/Aliens fans.
October 23, 2025
Circumstance leads Corporal Hicks and a grown-up Newt to the Xenomorph homeworld in this dubiously canon sequel to Aliens. I thought the plot was a little difficult to follow, but the art looks great. Once I settled into the black-and-whiteness of it all, I really came to appreciate Mark Nelson's inks.
September 27, 2018
It starts promising, setting up a very horror atmosphere, but then it decides to throw a bunch of plotlines that reek 80's from a mile away with a corny cult based on the titular Alien, Hicks hired to steal YET AGAIN another creature but this time for the government, Hicks followed by a spy because reasons, Hicks attacking a ship after take-off with the same mindset...really disappointing considering the starting point. The best I can say about this comic is that it made me finally realize that people constantly attacks Star Wars for being unoriginal and inclined to ground retread, but the same can be said for ALL the major franchises, not just the one created by Lucas.
May 7, 2023
(Zero spoiler review)
I read this as the first arc of the Marvel Aliens omnibus volume 1, with the only difference between the Dark Horse release and Marvel's is I read mine in colour, whereas this edition is in black and white. And whilst Mark Nelson's stunning art, which is the highlight of this book, would be gorgeous in any format, the late eighties colours are, quite possibly, my favourite aspect of the art. Originally released in 1988, during what is for me, the zenith of comic creation, this story eptiomised so many of the strengths of that halcyon time, with only the slightly abstract and uniquely told narrative being the slight hindrance to an otherwise excellent collection. The story, although well told, suffered slightly from a lack of characterisation. The large list of characters never being fleshed out, no pun intended', as well as they could have. Other than that, this is all good. As mentioned above, Mark Nelson's art is beautiful. With the pencils and ink styles of the time period merging perfectly, going a long way to what made later 80's comics so great.
A slightly more straightforward narrative would have absolutely seen this get full marks, but otherwise, it's near essential reading. 4/5
OmniBen.
I read this as the first arc of the Marvel Aliens omnibus volume 1, with the only difference between the Dark Horse release and Marvel's is I read mine in colour, whereas this edition is in black and white. And whilst Mark Nelson's stunning art, which is the highlight of this book, would be gorgeous in any format, the late eighties colours are, quite possibly, my favourite aspect of the art. Originally released in 1988, during what is for me, the zenith of comic creation, this story eptiomised so many of the strengths of that halcyon time, with only the slightly abstract and uniquely told narrative being the slight hindrance to an otherwise excellent collection. The story, although well told, suffered slightly from a lack of characterisation. The large list of characters never being fleshed out, no pun intended', as well as they could have. Other than that, this is all good. As mentioned above, Mark Nelson's art is beautiful. With the pencils and ink styles of the time period merging perfectly, going a long way to what made later 80's comics so great.
A slightly more straightforward narrative would have absolutely seen this get full marks, but otherwise, it's near essential reading. 4/5
OmniBen.
October 16, 2024
Picks up from where Aliens left off - a little wordy at times but ultimately entertaining and a great addition for any Alien fan.
September 14, 2017
I hardly ever watch horror movies, but I'm enjoying reading it. there are lots of information and confusing scenes but they're explained during the story, thus you don't get confused but, at the same time, you get surprised a lot. I'd like it was kinda longer than that, there are so much to be explored on that but overall I really liked it.
August 19, 2017
Rendered non-canonical by Aliens3, Aliens takes up the story of Newt and Hicks, several years after their return to earth (due to legal issues, Ripley is inexplicably absent).
Aliens, the movie, struck a chord for people because it wasn't just about the action - it was about the characters. When shit hit the fan, viewers cared because we had come to know and like the people it was happening to (except for Paul Reiser's Burke - he was terrible). And in the end, we loved the little family Ripley had made for herself.
That's what Aliens3 got so very wrong. Ripley's whole arc, the whole process of building a new community while surrounded by the cold, machine-like xenomorphs, all got tossed out of the airlock when they killed Newt and Hicks in the opening credits. The movie failed on many other levels, too, of course, but destroying the bonds formed in Aliens right off the bat would have doomed it regardless.
Aliens makes the same mistake. Newt and Hicks are alive, of course, but the opening finds Newt in a mental institution and Hicks back in the army, and they don't talk. They've come back to earth and gone their separate ways and that was that. There's some bit further in where Hicks decides to save Newt because he did it before so why not, but that's really about it.
These are two traumatised people with experiences that are literally out of this world, and no one can possibly understand what they've been through except each other. Why wouldn't they have stuck close to each other?
Apart from what they've done with existing characters, the story itself is fine. It hops around too much, and there's this whole weird bit where the xenomorphs suddenly have psychic powers for some reason. The bit about the religious cult forming around the aliens was interesting, but the story keeps jumping around too much and I never really got a grasp on who the preacher was or where he got his information from (except for the psychic communication stuff, which just came off as silly).
As much as I loved getting to see Newt again (and her arc was a decent one once it actually got started), I think the comic would have been better served by narrowing its focus. It could have focused on the preacher, or focused on Newt, or focused on Hicks, and any one of those would have made for a much better story. But, instead, the strategy seemed to be to throw as much at the reader as possible and hope that something sticks.
Which is another lesson the comic didn't learn from Alien and Aliens. Both of those are very simple stories - xenomorph appears, Ripley survives. There are vague bits and bobs about shadowy corporations, but all the other content comes from just spending time with the individual characters - getting to like them, getting a feel for their motivations. Whatever is happening off-location is not part of the story.
The artwork is fine. I found that some of the key characters lack definition, so I had some trouble telling them apart. This wasn't helped by all the plot-jumping. It's in a realist style that isn't really my bag of cats, but it does the job. I did appreciate all the detail put into each panel, which gave it some of that crowded, dark, mechanical atmosphere that the movies do well.
Aliens, the movie, struck a chord for people because it wasn't just about the action - it was about the characters. When shit hit the fan, viewers cared because we had come to know and like the people it was happening to (except for Paul Reiser's Burke - he was terrible). And in the end, we loved the little family Ripley had made for herself.
That's what Aliens3 got so very wrong. Ripley's whole arc, the whole process of building a new community while surrounded by the cold, machine-like xenomorphs, all got tossed out of the airlock when they killed Newt and Hicks in the opening credits. The movie failed on many other levels, too, of course, but destroying the bonds formed in Aliens right off the bat would have doomed it regardless.
Aliens makes the same mistake. Newt and Hicks are alive, of course, but the opening finds Newt in a mental institution and Hicks back in the army, and they don't talk. They've come back to earth and gone their separate ways and that was that. There's some bit further in where Hicks decides to save Newt because he did it before so why not, but that's really about it.
These are two traumatised people with experiences that are literally out of this world, and no one can possibly understand what they've been through except each other. Why wouldn't they have stuck close to each other?
Apart from what they've done with existing characters, the story itself is fine. It hops around too much, and there's this whole weird bit where the xenomorphs suddenly have psychic powers for some reason. The bit about the religious cult forming around the aliens was interesting, but the story keeps jumping around too much and I never really got a grasp on who the preacher was or where he got his information from (except for the psychic communication stuff, which just came off as silly).
As much as I loved getting to see Newt again (and her arc was a decent one once it actually got started), I think the comic would have been better served by narrowing its focus. It could have focused on the preacher, or focused on Newt, or focused on Hicks, and any one of those would have made for a much better story. But, instead, the strategy seemed to be to throw as much at the reader as possible and hope that something sticks.
Which is another lesson the comic didn't learn from Alien and Aliens. Both of those are very simple stories - xenomorph appears, Ripley survives. There are vague bits and bobs about shadowy corporations, but all the other content comes from just spending time with the individual characters - getting to like them, getting a feel for their motivations. Whatever is happening off-location is not part of the story.
The artwork is fine. I found that some of the key characters lack definition, so I had some trouble telling them apart. This wasn't helped by all the plot-jumping. It's in a realist style that isn't really my bag of cats, but it does the job. I did appreciate all the detail put into each panel, which gave it some of that crowded, dark, mechanical atmosphere that the movies do well.
August 2, 2020
This was an okay series. I remember thumbing through the issues when they first came out; I also remember hating the ending. The artwork is pretty good, considering it is all black-and-white. I have read enough black-and-white comics, now, that I can better appreciate these issues (especially after reading about the process involved in creating the images and putting the issues together). I liked that it brought back Hicks and Newt; I remember wondering why Ripley was not in the series (apparently it was a condition of the Studio, in case they wanted to use Ripley for something else). It was funny how the author’s story was considered “canon” until Alien^3 came out and immediately killed off Hicks and Newt in the opening credits (which I always hated). The “other” characters ranged from dark-and-disturbing to interesting-and-“refreshingly creative.”
It was an okay series; I did enjoy reading it. I felt it introduced some interesting ideas that are unfortunately no longer “canon.” (I also read that after the third Alien movie, the characters of Newt and Hicks were “turned into” two different characters to avoid any canonical controversies that way.) I would probably rate it 2.5 – 2.6 stars, rounded up. Hopefully I can find a compilation of the subsequent series of stories and see how everything is resolved.
It was an okay series; I did enjoy reading it. I felt it introduced some interesting ideas that are unfortunately no longer “canon.” (I also read that after the third Alien movie, the characters of Newt and Hicks were “turned into” two different characters to avoid any canonical controversies that way.) I would probably rate it 2.5 – 2.6 stars, rounded up. Hopefully I can find a compilation of the subsequent series of stories and see how everything is resolved.
August 13, 2013
The second Alien movie had just come out - ALIENS -, Dark Horse was pretty much starting their publishing company, and they had acquired the rights to some pretty interesting movie licenses. Including Aliens, Predator and Terminator.
I think this was their irst venture into telling an Aliens story. The art is actually pretty nice, though it could have benefited from some colors, but I'm guessing they were on a budget on this one.
The story takes up about 10 years after the Aliens movie, focusing on Newt and Hicks... the "other" characters from the movie. No sign of Ripley except for a vague reference in "and you know what happened to her" form.
The "Prometeus" character is featured... but it's not the same as the one in the Ridley Scott movie.
Thnig is, the 3rd movie would be coming along shortly after this and pretty much deconstruct any "continuity" this book might have had to the over-all Aliens mythos... but what the hey, it was a fun story with OK art (even IF it was in BnW), and was pretty cool to re-read, if only for the nostalgia effect.
I think this was their irst venture into telling an Aliens story. The art is actually pretty nice, though it could have benefited from some colors, but I'm guessing they were on a budget on this one.
The story takes up about 10 years after the Aliens movie, focusing on Newt and Hicks... the "other" characters from the movie. No sign of Ripley except for a vague reference in "and you know what happened to her" form.
The "Prometeus" character is featured... but it's not the same as the one in the Ridley Scott movie.
Thnig is, the 3rd movie would be coming along shortly after this and pretty much deconstruct any "continuity" this book might have had to the over-all Aliens mythos... but what the hey, it was a fun story with OK art (even IF it was in BnW), and was pretty cool to re-read, if only for the nostalgia effect.
May 1, 2019
A hard read. Even for a graphic novel. Clunky, and really scattered brained. Plot details jumped around, and it was hard to follow.
Was under the impression that this was what inspired the books by Steve and S.D. Perry (Earth Hive, Nightmare Asylum, Female War), after they had to change Hicks and Newt, to Wilks and Billie because of “Alien 3”. If this was, then wow... waaaaay too different.
The “Alien” series is probably my all time favorite franchise, and getting the chance to read this story was exhilarating... Only for me to be ultimately be disappointed...
The physical book itself is beautiful. Hardcover, thick black reflective pages. The book itself is a work of art... Too bad the content isn’t.
Was under the impression that this was what inspired the books by Steve and S.D. Perry (Earth Hive, Nightmare Asylum, Female War), after they had to change Hicks and Newt, to Wilks and Billie because of “Alien 3”. If this was, then wow... waaaaay too different.
The “Alien” series is probably my all time favorite franchise, and getting the chance to read this story was exhilarating... Only for me to be ultimately be disappointed...
The physical book itself is beautiful. Hardcover, thick black reflective pages. The book itself is a work of art... Too bad the content isn’t.
December 17, 2016
It's cool to see Hicks and Newt get a story, and see the stuff that had to have been an influence on Alien Resurrection (the queen and Brad Dourif's character) - it also veers into some weird Cronenbergian telepathic/video horror and the climax of the story was confusing to me but I also read it while I was sleepy. The explanation of the derelict ship is, to me, a lot more plausible than what they came up with in Prometheus, and adds to the depressing end, which felt fitting. The 30th anniversary edition is very pretty - the edges of the pages are dyed/printed black.
January 7, 2011
I found this book while cleaning up and thought I would re-read it. It was a very entertaining read, the comic takes up with Newt and Hicks some time after the Aliens film. There is no sign of Ripply and these events take place in a world before the next Aliens films. I realy like how the story collects some why and when the Aliens are such crazy creatures. Overall this is a great comic book, maybe not so much a great book. ;-)
August 23, 2016
This book has good art, and some really decent ideas but it gets more and more unfocused as it goes on, multiple storythreads that resolve in rushed confused ways, and random scenes which seem to serve little purpose.
There's a lot of good ideas here, and it was worth a read it was interesting to see a rather early expansion to the franchise, but it could have used with much tighter editing.
There's a lot of good ideas here, and it was worth a read it was interesting to see a rather early expansion to the franchise, but it could have used with much tighter editing.
August 4, 2010
The best of the comics that followed the first two Aliens movies, it is a take on what could have happened following Ripley, Newt, and Hicks' escape. Very frightening, quality artwork, and makes you wish they would have made movies from this material instead of schlock like AVP.
May 14, 2016
Il seguito fumettistico di "Aliens: Scontro Finale" riprende solo la bambina e il soldato superstite. In b/n è un fumetto pesante se visto dal punto di vista della complessità psicologica della storia, terribilmente claustrofobica, angosciante e "alienante".
Decisamente impressionante.
Decisamente impressionante.
July 2, 2020
Just as awesome as when I collected it originally. The preface and afterword were really cool and added to the history nicely.
December 9, 2020
rereading the lettercolumns, I almost feel like this might have been the book that made Dark Horse. It is also dark as heeeeeell. That's all.
March 16, 2021
В России активно развиваются издательства, готовые печатать специфический контент - комиксы, книжки по Вархаммеру40к итд. Понятно, самая крупная евронация, вот и движухи больше, есть окупающийся спрос. Конечно, знание языка позволяет не париться по поводу переводов, но физических копий может на всех не хватать, и тогда локализации - это способ приобрести желаемое произведение. И если текстовые книги можно покупать напрямую в е-читалки, то большие иллюстрированные цветные вещи пока еще не так хорошо дружат с технологиями, да и не так круто рассматривать артбуки и комиксы в мониторе.
В общем, поэтому я прикупил себе большую книжку с, как говорилось, уже классическим комиксом, выпущенному всле�� Камероновских "Чужих".
Итак, том большой - как и в случае с "Чужой 3" Гибсона, формат больше 30см, в мою полку не влезает, надо искать отдельное место. По факту можно было бы и уменьшить, хотя, наверное, это проблема оригинального издания - артбуки по Wolfenstein вроде той же высоты. Бумага - хорошая, плотная, не глянцевая, спецом под черно-белый рисунок конца 80ых. Рисовка, честно говоря, по современным меркам - так себе, хотя помещенные в конец обложки оригинальных выпусков впечатляют.
Забавно, после пары страниц я понял, что уже читал этот комикс - в Aliens: Omnibus I, уже в цвете, и с уже изменёнными именами Хикса и Ньют на другие, чтобы не конфликтовать с Alien3. Да, это комикс из того же времени, что "Чужой3" Гибсона, когда делали сценарии с кем угодно, но не с Рипли: берегли для основной франшизы либо делали бэкап на случай, если по деньгам не договорятся, не знаю. Но что тогда мне комикс не очень понравился, что сейчас.
По сюжету же... Итак, Ньют попала в психушку и в шаге от лоботомии, Хикс стал дёрганным уродом, но продолжает службу, Компания всё так же ищет прибыль от ксеноморфов, находится планета чужих, там обнаруживается живой Косможокей, ну а на Земле возникает культ Чужого, который обеспечивает пандемию. В общем, не сюжет, а спагетти. Ни одна из идей толком не доведена до достойной реализации: косможокей, ещё старого, слоноподобного типа, просто есть, и немножко телепатит, в духе фантастики 60ых; Ньют нужна как 5ое колесо; родная планета чужих, в которой ксены лишь паразиты, а не вершина пищевой цепи, интересна, но никого, кроме чужих не показывают, да и улей странный; ну а заражение Земли, вслед за Скоттом и Уивер, я не поддерживаю. Идея солдатами-андройдами хорошая, но её использовали, чтобы располовинить очередного искусственного человека...
В общем, такое себе чтиво, не очень доволен. Сгодится лишь как коллекционная вещь для упёртых фанатов.
Зато порадовала бонус-история "Счастливчик", про мужика, впустившего чужого на свою станцию, а потом пережившего нападение в бункере, не пуская никого больше. Зло побеждает во вселенной Ксеноморфа, и зачастую оно выглядит жадным человечком, а не драконом Гигера.
В общем, поэтому я прикупил себе большую книжку с, как говорилось, уже классическим комиксом, выпущенному всле�� Камероновских "Чужих".
Итак, том большой - как и в случае с "Чужой 3" Гибсона, формат больше 30см, в мою полку не влезает, надо искать отдельное место. По факту можно было бы и уменьшить, хотя, наверное, это проблема оригинального издания - артбуки по Wolfenstein вроде той же высоты. Бумага - хорошая, плотная, не глянцевая, спецом под черно-белый рисунок конца 80ых. Рисовка, честно говоря, по современным меркам - так себе, хотя помещенные в конец обложки оригинальных выпусков впечатляют.
Забавно, после пары страниц я понял, что уже читал этот комикс - в Aliens: Omnibus I, уже в цвете, и с уже изменёнными именами Хикса и Ньют на другие, чтобы не конфликтовать с Alien3. Да, это комикс из того же времени, что "Чужой3" Гибсона, когда делали сценарии с кем угодно, но не с Рипли: берегли для основной франшизы либо делали бэкап на случай, если по деньгам не договорятся, не знаю. Но что тогда мне комикс не очень понравился, что сейчас.
По сюжету же... Итак, Ньют попала в психушку и в шаге от лоботомии, Хикс стал дёрганным уродом, но продолжает службу, Компания всё так же ищет прибыль от ксеноморфов, находится планета чужих, там обнаруживается живой Косможокей, ну а на Земле возникает культ Чужого, который обеспечивает пандемию. В общем, не сюжет, а спагетти. Ни одна из идей толком не доведена до достойной реализации: косможокей, ещё старого, слоноподобного типа, просто есть, и немножко телепатит, в духе фантастики 60ых; Ньют нужна как 5ое колесо; родная планета чужих, в которой ксены лишь паразиты, а не вершина пищевой цепи, интересна, но никого, кроме чужих не показывают, да и улей странный; ну а заражение Земли, вслед за Скоттом и Уивер, я не поддерживаю. Идея солдатами-андройдами хорошая, но её использовали, чтобы располовинить очередного искусственного человека...
В общем, такое себе чтиво, не очень доволен. Сгодится лишь как коллекционная вещь для упёртых фанатов.
Зато порадовала бонус-история "Счастливчик", про мужика, впустившего чужого на свою станцию, а потом пережившего нападение в бункере, не пуская никого больше. Зло побеждает во вселенной Ксеноморфа, и зачастую оно выглядит жадным человечком, а не драконом Гигера.
October 30, 2025
James Cameron did irreparable damage to the Xenomorph and Alien canon.
This was a really interesting read. The pacing is all over the place, and I’m not sure if that’s because of how it was originally released or just the shape of the story. The art is striking but doesn’t differentiate enough between characters or places, so I tended to lose track of both. There’s little horror here, mostly plot and conspiracy, which is fine, but much like the previous movie, it forgets what the Xenomorphs are thematically. On paper it’s a solid premise for a sequel to Aliens, having Hicks and Newt get a chance at revenge and exploring a religious xeno-worshipping cult. It feels weird to set so much of the first half in civilisation, dulling some of the thematic potency. Seeing more of Hicks and Newt is cool, especially in light of later canon decisions, but Ripley’s absence is definitely felt. Hicks feels a bit wasted, and while Newt gets some great exploration towards the end, it feels a bit rushed. We get a bit of their relationship, but would have liked more. That’s a result of an editorial embargo on her character for who knows what reason. I’m sure there’s some huge dork marketing exec to be blamed for that. Massey makes for a compelling villain, and adding a human antagonist feels like the logical next step for the franchise after Aliens. The art is stark and savage, using a cool old school technique that fits the retro futero aesthetic. It unfortunately maintains the same lore additions as Cameron’s sequel, which miss the point of Giger’s creature and empty it of horror. Still, as with the movie, it’s a good time regardless of its misunderstanding of what made the alien scary.
3 Little Guys out of 5
👽👽👽⬛⬛
This was a really interesting read. The pacing is all over the place, and I’m not sure if that’s because of how it was originally released or just the shape of the story. The art is striking but doesn’t differentiate enough between characters or places, so I tended to lose track of both. There’s little horror here, mostly plot and conspiracy, which is fine, but much like the previous movie, it forgets what the Xenomorphs are thematically. On paper it’s a solid premise for a sequel to Aliens, having Hicks and Newt get a chance at revenge and exploring a religious xeno-worshipping cult. It feels weird to set so much of the first half in civilisation, dulling some of the thematic potency. Seeing more of Hicks and Newt is cool, especially in light of later canon decisions, but Ripley’s absence is definitely felt. Hicks feels a bit wasted, and while Newt gets some great exploration towards the end, it feels a bit rushed. We get a bit of their relationship, but would have liked more. That’s a result of an editorial embargo on her character for who knows what reason. I’m sure there’s some huge dork marketing exec to be blamed for that. Massey makes for a compelling villain, and adding a human antagonist feels like the logical next step for the franchise after Aliens. The art is stark and savage, using a cool old school technique that fits the retro futero aesthetic. It unfortunately maintains the same lore additions as Cameron’s sequel, which miss the point of Giger’s creature and empty it of horror. Still, as with the movie, it’s a good time regardless of its misunderstanding of what made the alien scary.
“Imagine a species where the first conscious act of life is killing.”
3 Little Guys out of 5
👽👽👽⬛⬛
July 3, 2017
I can't believe I didn't read this graphic novel sooner (It was made in 1987!!) To my defense, I had no idea there was a comic of the Alien franchise until I received the 30th Anniversary edition from LootCrate (apparently there's a comic for everything).
*SPOILERS*:
NEWT LIVES. I couldn't believe it, and it saddened me that they killed her off in the 3rd movie so anti-climatically; her character had so much potential.
The comics do an amazing job of capturing the after effects of severe trauma, the selfishness and greed of the human race in general, the callousness of corporate and government entities, men of science that believe they're gods, sociopathy, human arrogance and mass delusion (that led way to the infestation of earth and the demise of the human race), and the horror that is the xenomorph species.
I was especially impressed with how in-depth the creators went with the lore (for lack of a better word) of the xenomorph universe. They even vaguely went into the "space jockey" species that crash landed on Acheron.
I can't recommend this graphic novel enough, The creative thinking that went into other technological advances, like how people didn't watch traditional TV anymore because the FCC was dissolved. Instead we had literally thousands of "shows" that were channeled straight into the retinas, the shows flipped depending on your pulse and brain stimulation.
ALSO NEWT FALLS IN LOVE WITH A MARINE ANDROID (UNBEKNOWNST TO HER), BANGS HIM ONE TIME, HE GETS TORN IN HALF, SHE SAVES THE TOP HALF OF HIM AND THEY RUN OFF TO SPACE.
I'M SO BOTHERED SHE'LL NEVER HAVE SEX AGAIN BECAUSE HIS ANDROID DONG IS IN ON EARTH
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2020
Quite a while ago, I read the Novel 'Earth Hive'. Earth Hive was based on this collection of the original Aliens series. Because of Alien 3 being filmed, Earth Hive had to change characters to Wilks and Billie.
However, this is the original series that was created before Alien 3 changed the course of the film franchise, so we still have our heroes Hicks and Newt in it, and it is all the better for it. The story is pretty much the same but because of the attachment fans such as myself have to Hicks and Newt I found the story more enjoyable, crazy isn't it!
Anyway, the Aliens are back and as per usual some very silly Government and Private Company Big Wigs want them for weapon, there is also a group of religious zealots who are worshipping the Queen! There’s a hitman, who does not much care for his family or anyone to be fair. Some soldiers who are more than meets the eye (nope they’re not Transformers). And poor Hicks and Newt have been having nightmares are getting dragged back into hell. Then again, they have not been doing to good since they got rescued.
And Ripley, well she gets a mention, but she’s gone off on other adventures (If I were them, I would have gone with her, far, far safer, well maybe not safer, but she can handle herself).
For those who love the series of films and books, this is a great place to visit, the comic that created the world outside of the films and characters we all love (even Hudson, Drake, Frost and Vasquez etc get a brief mention).
However, this is the original series that was created before Alien 3 changed the course of the film franchise, so we still have our heroes Hicks and Newt in it, and it is all the better for it. The story is pretty much the same but because of the attachment fans such as myself have to Hicks and Newt I found the story more enjoyable, crazy isn't it!
Anyway, the Aliens are back and as per usual some very silly Government and Private Company Big Wigs want them for weapon, there is also a group of religious zealots who are worshipping the Queen! There’s a hitman, who does not much care for his family or anyone to be fair. Some soldiers who are more than meets the eye (nope they’re not Transformers). And poor Hicks and Newt have been having nightmares are getting dragged back into hell. Then again, they have not been doing to good since they got rescued.
And Ripley, well she gets a mention, but she’s gone off on other adventures (If I were them, I would have gone with her, far, far safer, well maybe not safer, but she can handle herself).
For those who love the series of films and books, this is a great place to visit, the comic that created the world outside of the films and characters we all love (even Hudson, Drake, Frost and Vasquez etc get a brief mention).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews