Earlier this year we reported that Dark Horse would be launching a Prometheus comic series. Over the past several days news has been emerging that Dark Horse would also be launching new Alien, Predator and versus series. However, according to this io9 article Dark Horse intends to reboot the comic franchise and bridge all four franchises into a single continuity:
“The level of collaboration here between the writers is pretty phenomenal, actually. Chris, Paul, and Joshua are all friends of mine who I hang out with on a regular basis, but it was an interesting experience getting to sit together in one room with them and hash out the intricacies of these various characters and their individual stories, and how they would sync up and interact. When Scott brought me onboard, he described it as a “writer’s room,” which is something that I hadn’t really been a part of before.”
The io9 article includes brief interviews with writers of all four series and includes several pieces of concept art by the series artists. I for one am very interested in this news. A solid EU continuity is something that the Aliens/Predator franchise just don’t have. I’m excited to see where this goes.
According to Christopher Sebela, the new stories which these comics are presenting aren't rendering the old stories moot or over-riding them out canon. So while the old universe is no longer being continued, it's now a continuity of it's own which is completely different from the old one. I really wish people would remember this instead of assuming that the old one is jettisoned out of canon. The only way the old stories can be declared no longer canon is if Fox says they are, and knowing Fox.. they won't because they likely just don't care and canon is essentially like your local salad bar. Take what you want and leave the rest.
We're not getting Machiko, Broken Tusk, Jeri or Dr. Church. The new writers are actively trying to avoid anything to do with the original stories which were presented to us some twenty years ago. Yeah, they were fun but these new stories are the new Status Quo, where as the old stories might be another universe altogether.
Or Fifield would've had his head cut off. Still though, would be an entertaining fight and I think we might see that.
Fifield would've give it a fair run.
Before his head exploded.
Still though.. I'd call this the Prometheus-Predator universe. Least I would anyway.
It's not going to be a singular series, but FOUR series that share a continuous story arc.
I'm sure it's still Alien vs Predator.
Just with Engineers in it now..
More curiously... if a Predator is exposed to the slime.. What abomination would be unleashed?
I am pretty sure that the black liquid wouldn't have an effect on synthetics. I'm sure that it's a human under going mutation from the liquid either from inhalation or ingestion.
I wonder, from the way his skin is peeling off to reveal a white/blue endo-skeleton, if the guy in this pic is what happens when a synthetic gets a black goo facial ala Fifield. They did say that they're playing with the idea of creation, stewardship of life, etc.
As much as I wish that this stuff was just Alien/Prometheus without the Predator, I'm finding myself surprisingly really intrigued.
I got no problem with the Dredd crossover. But wait.. doesn't IDW have the rights to Dredd now?
-Rakai'Thwei
From Dark Horse's Facebook:
"Predator vs Dredd vs Aliens:
Coming in September from 2000 AD and Dark Horse Comics! — with Raka Cakepzz."
I am excite.
Pretty much, yeah... But the New 52 sort of clings onto the old continuity in a small way since characters remember certain parts of their lives which they shouldn't remember at Pre-Flashpoint. This is somewhat a bit different. They're using the films as a spring board for these new comics, but this reboot doesn't retcon the old comics, it just ignores them and does something completely new.
Think of it like this, we now have two Alien-Predator comic continuities to follow. Pick which one you want to follow because they're both canon. Unless Fox steps out and addresses the old comics as non-canon (which I highly doubt will happen since Fox likely doesn't care), this is pretty much the way things are. Pick between new and old which you wanna follow.. or both!
Win/Win situation if you ask me. If you don't like the new comics, stick with the old.. If you don't like the old comics, go with the new. If you like both, then you are a winner!
Yeah, sounds about right.
The Predator films, also in the relative distant past won't factor into things either, other than what they teach us about the creatures.
Okay, so it is a hard reboot which pretty much ignores the previous continuity in the old expanded universe. Hence the term hard reboot, but they're using the films as a spring board. Not at all surprising. However I don't think that the interviewer is not aware that the old continuity isn't being erased, because Sebela did say to me via his Tumblr that it doesn't render them moot out of canon.
No Machiko. No Broken Tusk. We're not getting any revisited storylines.. Pretty much expected.
....AvP movies included? This is what doesn't corroborate here.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F19cg0pdcngd1xjpg%2Fku-xlarge.jpg&hash=0fd6f6f26a77ed1b94b3cc566fd22e4d98531819
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.gawkerassets.com%2Fimg%2F19cg0a2uzaer5jpg%2Fku-xlarge.jpg&hash=5857900c8485c63d73461008e34a3dbc87f05c3d
Even more from io9! http://io9.com/see-dark-horses-first-alien-predator-avp-and-prometh-1500505424?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
These are awesome!
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F25.media.tumblr.com%2Fc3ef1ef2734450c0ec5049b54b0b13a3%2Ftumblr_mzd2e6fA301qbsqo2o1_1280.jpg&hash=a985ce16dee78e6dc54cc757e84bf55384399f6f
I'm digging the diversity in the design. Hopefully we get that in the books themselves.
Not too crazy about this art. A well-drawn alien should be both terrifyingly disturbing and yet eerily beautiful, a phallic-headed biomechanical monstrosity...these look cartoonish
Don't betray the secret!
Ever since that sewer picture, from 'Requiem', promotional shots give us pause for thought...
But in all seriousness, I hope the new run has a satisfying ending, too. I know back when Bloody Disgusting interviewed Scott Allie he said something about possible future sequels because "spoiler alert: not everyone dies."
Deadliest of the Species was probably a storyline best never continued. There was a lot of negative reception towards it. The Xenogenesis storyline, I haven't really read because I only have maybe two issues. Apparently that one was supposed to connect the Alien storyline, Predator storyline and the AvP storyline.. I'm not sure. Wraith was meant to be a one shot. Colonial Marines.. I heard that it was supposed to be twelve issues but they reduced it to ten. As for Superman vs. Aliens.. well.. A third would've been nice to see but I doubt we were ever going to get it anyway.
It would have been nice to see a continuation of Three World War. We were teased with the possibility of a sequel comic but it seems that now we will never, ever get it. It's a shame too because we wouldn't have gotten something to make up for the last comic run but are being treated to reboots instead.
I also doubt that Ridley Scott could care about the EU as well. In fact, I think that's something you and I could both agree on.
-Rakai'Thwei
I'm not sure he even knows it exists.
I think it's along the lines of - DH pitched story ideas to Fox and Scott Free, they said do what you like except for x, y and z because that could be in the sequel, and that's the extent of it.
That, as well as the endings to Labyrinth, Deadliest of the Species, Xenogenesis, Colonial Marines, Wraith, More Than Human, and Superman vs. Aliens 2. Tons of great arcs that were never continued.
They're not comics, but I'm also guessing we'll never see a sequel to AvP2 or AvP2010. And I'm not holding out any hope for finding out what happened to the marine and alien in the first AvP game.
Like Three World War.. Considering that these new comics are a whole and likely separate continuity, and probably the new Status Quo, it's likely that we will not see a sequel storyline to where Three World War left off from.
Seems as if the story of Machiko Noguchi has been told, and the book is closed.
-Rakai'Thwei
I am not sure about Ridley Scott adhering to the EU. If anything, I would think that Ridley Scott tends to the EU in the same way George Lucas does-- it's happening outside his movies and doesn't intrude on them. If he does adhere or incorporate the EU, then I will be plum surprised. Also, does this mean that Predators also exist in the Prometheus-Alien universe as far as films? And if so could we be looking in the long run at an AvP reboot film if new releases of the films are adhering to the EU? I have my doubts but...
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=50203
Most visually noteworthy was what appears to be a cover for the new Aliens series (I love the look of it):
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.comicbookresources.com%2Fimgsrv%2Fimglib%2F0%2F0%2F1%2FALFS-1-VARIANT-FC-FNL-63613.jpg&hash=8da97f74a6b92876dbaa8fa677fd77ff999dae7c
A few noteworthy quotes:
"We're about to relaunch the Fox properties being spearheaded by "Prometheus," which I think is a really exciting program for us to be followed by "Aliens," "Predators" and "Aliens Vs. Predator." They're all tied in together in some way"
"We are doing creator-owned stuff with Paul as well, and we're doing "Prometheus" with Paul. He's a really complex creator with a lot of different kinds of ideas, and I think readers want to get a lot of different things. They don't just want sci-fi, or they don't just want horror. Maybe a lot of comics readers only read superhero comics, but it's great to be able to bring in different readers with what we do."
"It's the same with the "Prometheus" comics where Mike has been working with Ridley Scott to make sure that what we're doing connects with where Ridley's heading with the rest of the franchise." (Perhaps then we won't have all the new stuff getting retconned in a few years)
"We have the huge Fox program leading off with "Prometheus." I know some people hated the movie and some people loved it. I'm one of the people who loved it, and we're going to delve into some of the questions that Ridley's people have allowed us to delve into. So we'll address some things that seemed unanswerable, and we've got answers for all of them -- that's one of the reasons why the story people at Fox are excited by this."
So that means this comic arc would be completed around early to mid September.
According to Facebook (the caption on the police line-up teaser image) the release schedule is:
Prometheus #1 - June 11, 2014
Aliens #1 - June 25, 2014
Aliens vs Predator #1 - July 2, 2014
Predator #1 - July 16, 2014
June or July of 2014.
Well no, it's just that if they make out the Engineers to be these end all be all type of character that can manhandle an Alien and Predator at once.. Would you really think that's going to be fair treatment of the characters? No. Now if they treat the characters fairly and actually show them taking licks and still keep on ticking despite and make the three way battle close, great!