Aliens

Aliens: Outbreak

Aliens: Nightmare Asylum

The first of two Aliens omnibuses (omnibi?  Omnibus!) that I own.  I’m reading these while I figure out which box I want to go through next.  (I’m leaning towards either Fables or my Beland/Winick/Naifeh box.)

The comics in this collection were written mainly by Mark Verheiden before Aliens 3 came out, and tells an alternate version of what happened to Hicks, Newt, and Ripley after James Cameron’s masterpiece Aliens.  (Seriously, it’s one of my favorite movies ever.)  In a vain attempt to keep these canon after Aliens 3’s release, Dark Horse edited Newt and Hicks as Billie and Wilks.  A horrible move that they later rectified, but doesn’t help me with the printing that I have.  

The first two minis in this collection are very well done.  I would have loved to see these as movies.  Hicks and Newt are basically pulled into the Ripley role from Aliens and forced to investigate the xenomorphs.  Meanwhile, things go south back on Earth, and the aliens take over the planet in a manner akin to Walking Dead or the virus in the new Planet of the Apes.  As with the best zombie movies, these comics succeed because the external threats only serve to reveal how humanity is its own worst enemy.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Aliens: Female War

Dark Horse Presents: Aliens Platinum Edition

Female War is less good, as it’s a complete rerun of Aliens.  This time, it’s Newt that ventures into an alien queen hive to rescue a little girl with a nuclear explosion about to go off in very little time.  Meh.  Been there, done that.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine