Dark Horse have today announced a new Aliens comic series at the New York Comic-Con due for release in April 2016. Titled Aliens: Defiance, the action/survivor/horror comic is set between the first two Alien movies and follows an injured Colonial Marine called Zula Hendricks who fights the xenomorphs. It will be written by Brian Wood with art by Tristan Jones and the story will involve Weyland-Yutani dispatching a team of Synthetics to investigate a floating derelict freighter. Zula is the main representative of the Colonial Marines and the team soon discovers xenomorphs on the spacecraft. You can read an interview with the writer and artist over on Newsarama.com where they reveal lots of details about the series. Here’s the cover art from artist Massimo Carnivale:
Wood goes on to say there will be a cameo appearance from Amanda Ripley from Alien Isolation: “Pretty early on… I would say more or less concurrent with the Alien: Isolation story. We even have a cameo with Amanda Ripley at the start of our story. She and Zula are known to each other. If you want to talk dates, the events of Alien occurred during the in-story year of 2122, with Aliens being 2179. We’re at around 2136 or 37.” Aliens: Defiance is its own story so it won’t be tied to other franchises like the recent Fire & Stone series. Look out for the Aliens comic in April 2016.
I'd prefer a game, but I grew to like the characters so if not that I'd like to see at least something done with them.
That's great to hear. I really loved what they did with that game, it was superbly designed from a visual standpoint, so it's nice to know they're willing to help you continue their style in your own work.
I think there might have been some similar concepts in the Isolation Art Of book. I'll have a gander when I get home this evening (I did have a quick look on Google but couldn't see any) and see if I can find any that might be of interest! Glad you like that though!
I rather liked the SMG myself. As terrible as the game was some of the designs were really nice and fitting, I thought.
This pleases me. Immensely.
Haha! Nah, I knew, I was just saying how weird it is that military tech and design rarely changes. Also, it lets me sleep easier about putting a dropship in the book using the film look (though the interior is different, and has a side dock like a plane).
This is true though! I actually didn't know the VP70 was a real gun until very recently!
Yep! Alistair and the guys at Creative Assembly have been tremendous help!
Ooo! I like that...! Maybe further down the road... I've given the squad in this book tactical shotguns as it stands, but I do really like that... I'm also looking into some of the smaller firearms from Colonial Marines...
As for the second bit, yep...
Ok, I'm sure there was a better piece than the one below but I can only find this one -
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/games/avp2/concept09.jpg
It's a piece of concept art for Aliens vs. Predator (the game) of a Pulse Rifle-ish style shotgun that I really loved the idea of. I'm sure there's a more refined version of it but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it.
That's understandable! Has the VP70 cropped up elsewhere then?
I guess one thing the VP70 has going for it is that it has a pretty futuristic look even now. Plus it's a fairly obscure weapon, which helps hide the fact its 45 years old, whereas the old 1911 is iconic to the point of almost being cliché.
Oooh, I hope you sneaked the Isolation shotgun in there somewhere, that was a really nice piece of design from Creative Assembly.
But, those colt and VP70 designs are timeless... and hey... we're still using AK's these days (don't worry, haven't drawn them into this). I'm using as many "in-universe" weapons as I can dig up. One of my favourite things I've drawn so far involves a shotgun...
Another tease from Tristan's Facebook.
I'm really digging this black and white. I have to admit I'd be happy to see it without colours too.
That is so cool. I'll be honest; I almost want this series to be in black and white like the original Aliens series, as color might remove some of the details and the overall cadaver feel to the series.
Sounds good.
Don't forget to slip in that Weyland-Yutani headquarters in the Sea of Tranquillity!
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fvignette3.wikia.nocookie.net%2Favp%2Fimages%2Ff%2Ff7%2FProsperity_wells_map.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20140112053014&hash=10e7b90ef0075d3b14e5140275a9586e4c05fa48
Anybody have that map of the Ryushi colony from Aliens Vs. Predator #1 (The original series)? I can't find it online..
Heavy picture post contained within spoilers.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0068.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0069.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0070.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0071.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0072.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0073.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0074.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0075.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0076.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0077.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0078.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0079.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0080.jpg
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/albums/movies/prometheus/concept/concept0081.jpg
We've got concepts of the orbital stations from the various drafts in the gallery too - http://www.avpgalaxy.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=300&page=1
If I could suggest anything, it would be to really work out what the layout is in terms of logic and function and once that is nailed down to stick to it in the actual story. The example of what I am referring to is the first Aliens vs. Predator series. Phil Norwood actually created a map of the colony which was then referenced in the comic book. You could literally look at the panels in the comic and then find that place on the map. That approach really showed the care with which that colony was put together, and the artist's commitment to detail. It would be awesome if we could also get a map of Tranquility Base and have it consistently be adhered to in the story.
Come to think of it, does the EU ever mention whether the moon is actually terraformed, or just colonised with pressurised structures? If it's the latter, pre-fab is kinda the only thing you could do. But if there's an atmosphere you could do a little more construction in situ.
Tranquility base... you guys have any idea what it looks like? I have a vague one in mind, but I figured I'd hit you guys for a "looks a bit like" or "is about the size of". HIT ME!
With all due respect, Alien 3 references a specific number in a sequence of films, while Aliens is a generally plural number, hence it makes sense that it defines the Aliens universe in general. However, naturally, you're welcome to refer to it as the Alien 3 franchise if that fits better with your own headcanon, as much as its ok for other people to refer to it as the Alien franchise.
The first film I saw was Alien 3, does that make it the Alien 3 franchise?
Honorable mention to Alien vs Predator vs Terminator vs Robocop vs Buffy vs The Volcano: Butt Hunter
This.
I watched Aliens when I was 10. It was my first introduction to the Aliens universe. Hence why I refer to it as the Aliens universe. It scared the crap out of me, and a lot of people. The first EU comics also had a delicious element of horror and dread, but it definitely got lost. The creatures somehow became fodder and inelegant. They need to come across as much more dangerous and cunning. Their intelligence needs to come across more. Not like that, "I'm a scientist" kind of intelligence, but more like "I am the ultimate predator" kind of intelligence.
In actuality, taking on a horde of Aliens should be incredibly difficult, even with a company of the best-trained, best-equipped soldiers. One slight screw-up and you're dead, unlike Aliens Xenogenesis where it often seemed like the Marines were dancing through the hive. It seems to be like this new comic is looking to finally get things right; having a pulse rifle does not inherently make one any safer.
As was the new book.
Yah, I have to agree with that. Crashing another Auriga into the earth is about as lame as renaming Hicks and Newt as Wilks and Billie, or having multiple juggernauts crash-landing all over the place...
Bit of a stretch. So we're rewriting the films, but some of the events in them still happened...? Kinda counter-intuitive, convoluted and daft if you ask me.
Better to just stick with what it is until the new film is in production and set in stone.
The character Decker is a descendant of Ripley, & I believe that is known to a certain WY representative. I'll try to read back over it after work this evening & see if anything else was mentioned in regards to Ripley by that employee. One thing I know for sure is that they are still looking for specimens even during that far future timeframe.
Also, it's worth picking them up if you can. There's evidence of an entirely new advanced alien species introduced & it's actually handled pretty well.
This could be true in the sense that the Auriga was infested with genetic mutants and not necessarily true Xenomorphs if you want to look at it like that. But thinking of Resurrection, Perez's line suggesting that the Xenomorphs went extinct suggested that they were gone. I haven't read any of the new canon but how was that handled in regards to Perez's quote?
But yeah, no one will know until Blomkamp's movie comes out or we get the official word from Fox, Dark Horse, or Titan. There's a chance that Tim Lebbon will have already established what the Auriga mention in SoS means in Predator: Incursion, given that the new films are already moving forward. I would imagine Fox would pass him notes saying, "Oh hey, downplay any previous references to 3 or 4 before this thing goes to press."
As far as I know, nothing has been mandated by Fox yet. We get notes, but Josh (our guy there) is great. He wants this to be hard canon, like Isolation. Obviously Ridley and Neil have final say in it all, but so far everything's been fine. The visual cues are all by my hand...
I think the only thing we're genuinely beholden to right now is anything the Alien prequels decide to shift in the mix. And that's purely because we're set around that time frame.