I got into comic books when I was about 12 years old and my father brought home a copy of Aliens: Berserk #1 for me to read. For the first few years of my comic-reading life I pretty much only collected Alien and Predator comics, and back then there were a lot to choose from, so I was happy. Eventually Dark Horse Comics stopped publishing new Alien and Predator books, but by that point I was already getting into other titles such as X-Men and Wildcats. My passion for Aliens and Predator never went away though, and when Dark Horse announced last year that they'd be bringing those characters into the fold I was ecstatic.
The new Aliens title has been okay thus far. There is a pretty cool android character, the Aliens are fairly accurately drawn (aside from the weird pincers on the sides of their mouths which were introduced back in Aliens: Earth War), and I like the artist Zack Howard quite a bit. The Predator book, on the other hand, has been very sub-par. The art feels rushed and careless, and the story is pretty weak. Still, I'm collecting both series because if there were an Aliens or Predator comic that I didn't buy, there would be something terribly wrong with the world.
As you could probably have guessed, Dark Horse is also planning a new Aliens vs Predator mini-series to follow up their individual 4 issue minis. The writer of this new book, Randy Stradley, recently posted a thread in the Dark Horse forums asking fans what they'd like to see in the new AvP book. Of course, I couldn't help myself. The following is my response to Stradley's question:
Here's what I DON'T want to see in an Aliens, Predator, or Aliens vs Predator comic:
- Don't give any one Alien a specific personality or recognizable physical features/nicknames.
- The marines in Aliens were awesome, but don't make all of the human characters into archetypes of Hicks, Hudson, Gorman, and Vasquez.
- Make it scary. Most Alien and Predator comics have been all about action. Think about the climax of Aliens: Alchemy #1. That was creepy.
- DON'T show the Alien or Predator homeworlds.
- DON'T put any Aliens on Earth.
- NO Predaliens. Ever.
- Predators and humans should NEVER team up.
- For the artist (whoever it may end up being): Draw the Predator's mouth correctly.
- Remember one of the key factors from Predator and the first three Alien films: A small group of people isolated with something they're not prepared to fight = great suspense and tension. See also: Tremors, The Thing, etc., etc., etc.
- People love the Colonial Marines from Aliens for a reason. Let's see some accurately drawn Colonial Marines with accurately drawn Pulse Rifles, Smart Guns, etc. Any new uniforms/weapons will inevitably be inferior to those which the fans fell in love with from the movie.
- NO mechanical suits of armor (i.e. Berserker suits). The Power Loader is the exception, but it was done best in Aliens, so there's no reason to try to top that.
- Build up to an awesome, exciting ending. The climax of an Aliens vs Predator comic should leave a fan of the source material as exhilarated as he/she is after watching Alien, Aliens, or Predator.
- Lastly, and most importantly, remember how hard it was to kill a Predator or an Alien in their respective first films? Remember how hard it was to kill an Alien, even with advanced weaponry, in Aliens? Let's keep it that way. EVERY Alien and Predator should be a threat. Too often in past Alien and Predator comics the monsters have been merely cannon fodder while the human characters crack jokes or blather on about whatever. The creatures are important. They are what is selling your books. DON'T SELL THEM SHORT.
Shortly after I posted that message, I received a response from another fan who called me out for fearing change and defended against most of my requests by using the argument that most of the things I said I didn't want to see had already been done in previous Alien and Predator comics or the two AvP films. This was my response to that post:
Your response to just about all of my requests was "this has already been done/appeared in a comic or movie." Well, personally, I don't think that's a good reason to include any of those things in a new comic. To each his own, but all of the things I mentioned in my last post are things I would leave out of my perfect Aliens and/or Predator comic. I've never liked the designs of any Predalien, nor have I particularly cared for any of the new weapons introduced for Colonial Marines or other soldiers when compared to the Pulse Rifle. I'd rather never ever, ever see the Alien or Predator homeworlds because that strips the characters of much of their mystery and mystique. It doesn't make them more cool or interesting in my opinion.
Also, I personally despise Alien Resurrection, AVP, and AVP-R, so I'd rather those not be considered canon. That's just my opinion.
I simply feel that no Alien or Predator comic has EVER been as good as the first two Alien films or the first Predator film. I love the characters and situations from those movies and would prefer to see those expanded on in a comic than to have new societies, weapons, etc created that will inevitably disappoint me when compared to those films. Maybe I'm too cynical, but I just love the Colonial Marines. I love the Alien. I love the Predator. I want to see extensions of the films that made me love those characters, not re-imaginings of them.
I've read (and for the most part, enjoyed in some capacity) every single Alien, Predator, and Aliens vs Predator comic book ever published, but I'm still waiting for that one comic that captures the tone and characteristics of the movies properly, the way I'd like to see it done.
In my opinion the best single Alien comic Dark Horse has ever done was the short story "45 Seconds" which appeared in the Aliens Special. The Colonial Marines' outfits and weapons were VERY accurately drawn, as well as the few Aliens that appear. It was creepy, exciting, and extremely reminiscent of the film Aliens. Also, I loved the artwork by Frank Teran. A full-length mini-series done like that short comic is what I'm really craving from Dark Horse.
I know that's not what everybody wants, but that's what I'm interested in. I know that's probably not what I'll end up getting from this new AVP series, but I'll still buy every issue because I love both the Alien and the Predator so much. I've been collecting Alien and Predator comics since I was a kid and I'm not about to stop now. I'm simply still waiting for that perfect Alien/Predator comic.
As you can see, I take my Aliens and Predators seriously.
The image at the top of this post is that of the Aliens Special which I reference in my second post.
No comments:
Post a Comment