Titan To Republish Original Aliens Bantam Novels

Started by Corporal Hicks, Oct 16, 2015, 08:11:11 AM

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Titan To Republish Original Aliens Bantam Novels (Read 73,532 times)

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#105
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 08, 2016, 09:32:08 AMI doubt we'll ever agree on Spears.  :laugh: I think the novel paints him as a much more interesting character with a genuine God complex.

Well, I agree there was the potential for a really interesting character there. I just think they went way too far with the moustache-twirling evil and spoiled it. Stuff like feeding his own men to the Aliens without a second thoguht just because they make some minor infraction. It was too much. I found it completely unbelievable that his own guys wouldn't have turned on him en masse prior to Hicks kicking them into gear, because the guy was just unhinged. It didn't do anything to convince me anyone would put up with his psychosis.

At least in Rogue I found it believable that Kleist's dedicated cadre would agree to help him. His insanity was much more slow-burning and directed largely at the innocent civilians who couldn't really do much to stop him.

But like you said, I don't expect you to agree :)

XenoZipper

I actually wouldn't mind reading these adaptions! I've only read the comic versions of these stories. I've never come across the novels anywhere (in a store that is). I have the novel for Predator Cold War, that's the only comic/novel adaption I have which I haven't had time to sit down & read yet.

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 08, 2016, 09:36:52 AM
At least in Rogue I found it believable that Kleist's dedicated cadre would agree to help him. His insanity was much more slow-burning and directed largely at the innocent civilians who couldn't really do much to stop him.

It's been a long time since I read the novelization. Considering the praise you often give it I might give this one a re-read soon.


Quote from: XenoZipper on Apr 08, 2016, 09:42:23 AM
I actually wouldn't mind reading these adaptions! I've only read the comic versions of these stories. I've never come across the novels anywhere (in a store that is). I have the novel for Predator Cold War, that's the only comic/novel adaption I have which I haven't had time to sit down & read yet.

You should mate. With the omnibus coming out it'll be pretty easy to grab them at reasonable prices and in good nick.

XenoZipper

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 08, 2016, 09:46:06 AM
You should mate. With the omnibus coming out it'll be pretty easy to grab them at reasonable prices and in good nick.

I will definitely look into it dude! And I was totally wrong on which novels I have. I thought I had Cold War but I don't. Turns out it was "Aliens vs Predator: Hunter's Planet" & then I also have "Aliens:Harvest" & "Aliens:No Exit". I could have sworn I had Cold War too.

Corporal Hicks

I think I have a spare copy lying around if you need it.

XenoZipper

Oh wow! I really appreciate the offer but no worries on that my friend. I actually have Amazon open in another window & was just looking for it & when I saw the cover I knew right away. I knew I had it, I must just have it packed away somewhere as I find it odd that it's not with the others. I recently moved a month ago & packed up my stuff really fast like within a week type fast & still haven't unpacked everything. Thanks again for the offer though, that's a sentiment I rarely ever come across.

Corporal Hicks

Not a problem.  :)

426Buddy

426Buddy

#112
Comics are a visual medium and its about the art and style more than story and narration. Of course novels are going to have deeper more fleshed out stories and characters, I'm sure that's the whole point of adapting the comics into novels in the first place. It shouldn't be held against the comics as for the most part that's just the nature of the medium.


Perfect-Organism

It would be great if they took these novels and retconned them so that Wilks and Billie become Hicks and Newt again.  Only under such a circumstance would I buy a copy.  And I would pick up the omnibus for sure in that case..

Number13

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 08, 2016, 02:00:43 PM
It would be great if they took these novels and retconned them so that Wilks and Billie become Hicks and Newt again.  Only under such a circumstance would I buy a copy.  And I would pick up the omnibus for sure in that case..

Thank you. That's exactly my problem.

This is the last thing I'll say about the subject. The problem I have with novelizations is that, movies/comics made into books is almost exactly the same as books made into movies, the adaptation is not as good as the source.

Perfect-Organism

Perfect-Organism

#115
Quote from: Number13 on Apr 08, 2016, 06:03:50 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 08, 2016, 02:00:43 PM
It would be great if they took these novels and retconned them so that Wilks and Billie become Hicks and Newt again.  Only under such a circumstance would I buy a copy.  And I would pick up the omnibus for sure in that case..

Thank you. That's exactly my problem.

This is the last thing I'll say about the subject. The problem I have with novelizations is that, movies/comics made into books is almost exactly the same as books made into movies, the adaptation is not as good as the source.

Preach on Number 13.  100% agree.


Quote from: HuDaFuK on Apr 08, 2016, 07:44:12 AM
Quote from: Number13 on Apr 08, 2016, 04:22:06 AMThen Alien3 killed off the three of them, so they reprinted the books with Newt as Billie and Hicks as Wilks, and Ripley was the same, don't ask why. Then when the Perrys did the novelizations, they made Ripley an android to explain how she was in the story.

Wrong. As Hicks said, the novels came before the edited comics. The novels started coming out in 1993, the edited comics didn't appear until 1996.

Presumably Ripley was never changed in the comic books because it would've involved a lot more work than just retyping some names. They would've had to create entirely new art and story sequences.

So let's get this straight once and for all.  Here is the sequence of how things unfolded:

-Aliens film
-Aliens Book One
-Aliens Book Two
-Aliens Earth War
-Alien 3 film
-Aliens novels by Perry featuring a retcon with Wilks and Billie to accommodate Alien 3
-Aliens Outbreak (retcon of Book One to accommodate Alien 3)
-Aliens Nightmare Asylum (retcon of Book Two to accommodate Alien 3)
-Aliens Female War (retcon of Earth War to accommodate Alien 3)
-Alien:Resurrection film (eliminates these novels and comics from continuity)

HuDaFuK

Quote from: 420Buddy on Apr 08, 2016, 01:17:39 PMIt shouldn't be held against the comics as for the most part that's just the nature of the medium.

I'm not holding it against the comics and saying they're rubbish. I'm just saying the shallower storytelling inherent with the format doesn't appeal to me personally. Nice art is all well and god but I need much more than pretty pictures to be fulfilled by a piece of fiction. And I find comics too rushed and devoid of depth in story terms.

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Apr 08, 2016, 02:00:43 PMIt would be great if they took these novels and retconned them so that Wilks and Billie become Hicks and Newt again.  Only under such a circumstance would I buy a copy.

But why? It wouldn't change anything about the content of the story. The fundamentals would all be exactly the same, just with different names sprinkled throughout. So what if Hicks is in it? All that does is introduce a bunch of background from a much better developed story.

Corporal Hicks

Corporal Hicks

#117
I don't think the name change detracts from it. You have some background inherited with the names but Billie and Wilks' backstory is told and it's largely the same. The detractions come from where the retcon isn't so tight - old names spilling through, the lack of explanation for RipleyBot2000.


I suppose it would have also inherited some emotional attachment to the characters straight off the bat too.

HuDaFuK

I'm not sure relying on character development from a previous story is really good story-writing practice though.

Corporal Hicks

Not if you're writing a completely new story. If you're effectively writing a sequel there's nothing wrong with relying on existing development from previous entries.

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