ALIEN: The Weyland-Yutani Report (S.D. Perry, 160 pages)

Started by Cvalda, Nov 23, 2013, 05:33:45 AM

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ALIEN: The Weyland-Yutani Report (S.D. Perry, 160 pages) (Read 387,131 times)

TheBATMAN

TheBATMAN

#1095
Or perhaps the new film will not be part of the old series. Just a standalone, what-if sequel to Aliens that has no bearing whatsoever on anything else. Minor details might be amended to official materials to introduce some new organisations and characters that are introduced in the movie but the actual core-story may be unofficial, it's just too early to tell. Blomkamp has already stated has he not that Alien 3 is not being retconned and that Weaver is not playing Ripley 8 so unless the characters are being de-aged for a pre-Alien 3 adventure I don't see how this can be canon.

Perfect-Organism

Perfect-Organism

#1096
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 11, 2015, 07:33:05 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 11, 2015, 06:13:44 PMNot at all.  I'm suggesting that once the new films come out, it would be great to see this book get updated to reflect the complete Alien films.  That does not negate the value of this book as it is, but it would necessitate a new format in the sense that it could no longer be in-universe if it covered multiple timelines.

Or they could just leave it as it is and not worry about it.

Seriously, what would be the point? If we're redoing stuff to make it fit the new film, why not go back and redo all the old comics? All the novels? Everything? Because it would be an utterly pointless enterprise. The book serves its purpose as it is.

OMG!  Thank you Huda!  finally.  You admit that it makes no sense to go retconning all the old printed material.  They should have never retconned the original Aliens series of comics for example.  How would a retcon of this new book be any different than the retcon of the original comics?  Both are in-universe volumes.  Its not like either of them is an external commentary on the films.  These are internal works.

Anyway, I think the book is perfect the way it is.  When new films come out it would be great to see a new edition of the book, perhaps with a different premise that still references these great illustrations but also includes the new materials.  Obviously it couldn't be an in-universe piece anymore so the text would have to change.  That does not negate the value of this current W-Y book.

SM

Predators don't rate a mention.

QuoteThanks SM for the reply!  ;D Though it is just theorizing, the theory would not really match with Alien Isolation where all the xenos are domed and a queen is supposedly present, plus they're older than the xenos in Aliens which just throws out the age theory..  :-\
I'd just like for a more concrete explanation for the difference, James Cameron in Aliens said it was age, A:CM and other sources said it was casts ( I like that idea the most), A:I just added more to the confusion not explaining anything even though I love the game.

Who knows, maybe it's the environment?

Could all of the above or none.  There's really no hard and fast definitions for this.  During the process, I was discussing the perceived intelligence of the Queen and someone mentioned that fans are going to interpret and reinterpret what they see and read in terms of the Alien, and there was no desire to quash this.  Presenting things in the forms of in-universe reports, sometimes second or third hand, written by people with their own opinions and biases avoids being definitive, and allows for growth in future projects.

QuoteI just think it's a fair question so that the hard work they put in does not get relegated to non-canon status.

It's much easier to think of canon as a fluid concept when it comes to Alien (as contradictory as that sounds).  For example, the AvP films aren't referenced in the book, which would lead one to think - okay AvP and Alien aren't canonically linked.  However, Fire and Stone - which includes Predator and AvP is referenced (if only very vaguely).

Prometheus 2 was taken into consideration while this was being written, but it was pretty much in the can before Blomkamp pitched Alien '5'.  As we've recently seen, Prometheus 2 is shooting early next year.  Despite rumours to the contrary I know nothing of the production of Alien 5, Jon Snaw.  To my knowledge it's still a long way off.

Alien and Aliens obviously won't get 'relegated'.  I'd be surprised if Alien3 and Resurrection didn't.  Stuff has been 'relegated' since 1992, so no one should be really surprised if stuff in the future gets the same treatment.  Even though Fox are making an effort to tie everything together, films are still at the top of the pile.

Oh, and it's not Millburn.   ;D

HuDaFuK

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 11, 2015, 09:03:37 PMOMG!  Thank you Huda!  finally.  You admit that it makes no sense to go retconning all the old printed material.

When have I ever claimed they should?

Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor

#1099
Here's a page by page preview of the Weyland-Yutani Report....




Perfect-Organism

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 12, 2015, 07:32:37 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 11, 2015, 09:03:37 PMOMG!  Thank you Huda!  finally.  You admit that it makes no sense to go retconning all the old printed material.

When have I ever claimed they should?

In our discussion on "Which EU Books Are Worth Reading?" Reply #55, you say "Correct. To ensure the story actually makes some sense in the context of the films, by making Ripley an android."  This is in reference to the original material written by Mark Verheiden back around 1988.  You treat the original Verheiden material very flippantly, which you're entitled to do of course.  But why apply a logic which is aimed at trying to avoid a retcon of the W-Y book when you don't apply the same logic to the Verheiden series?  Is one work somehow more deserving of a retcon than the other?

Have you had a chance to listen to Mark Verheiden in the recent podcast about the making of Alien 3?  He's a very good sport about all of the changes that were made to his graphic novels, but you can tell that the man was wounded by what happened.

SM

Thems the breaks if you're working with someone elses IP.

Remember all the unprecedented touting of A:CM as being canon?  It doesn't rate the briefest mention in WYR, while stuff that wasn't touted as canon does.


HuDaFuK

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 13, 2015, 02:53:42 AMIn our discussion on "Which EU Books Are Worth Reading?" Reply #55, you say "Correct. To ensure the story actually makes some sense in the context of the films, by making Ripley an android."

That's why they did it. I never said I agreed it was a good idea to change stuff.

Perfect-Organism

Perfect-Organism

#1103
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 13, 2015, 08:03:07 AM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 13, 2015, 02:53:42 AMIn our discussion on "Which EU Books Are Worth Reading?" Reply #55, you say "Correct. To ensure the story actually makes some sense in the context of the films, by making Ripley an android."

That's why they did it. I never said I agreed it was a good idea to change stuff.

No, but you have a generally dismissive approach to the original Mark Verheiden graphic novels, which from what I gather in our recent conversations, you still haven't read.  But this is totally O.T., and well to each his own anyway.


Quote from: SM on Aug 13, 2015, 03:23:58 AM
Thems the breaks if you're working with someone elses IP.

Remember all the unprecedented touting of A:CM as being canon?  It doesn't rate the briefest mention in WYR, while stuff that wasn't touted as canon does.

Yes this is true, and I think Verheiden understands things this way as well, but it would be great to see him writing something again in the Alien universe.  I haven't seen anyone author capture the cynicism of the series as well as he did.  O.T. I know.

The Alien canon seems to be very fluid indeed.  From your experience in working on the W-Y book, do you have a sense that the creators would be interested in expanding the book in some way to take into account Prometheus 2 and Alien 5 once those movies come out?  I for one, would love to see all of the new objects and themes from the upcoming films given the same treatment.  While I do hope to pick up the current book at some point, that would not prevent me from picking up an expanded version eventually.  Was there ever a discussion about an expansion to accommodate the upcoming films?

HuDaFuK

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Aug 13, 2015, 04:19:23 PMNo, but you have a generally dismissive approach to the original Mark Verheiden graphic novels, which from what I gather in our recent conversations, you still haven't read.

Without wishing to totally derail this thread... I have since read them, actaully. The original, unedited versions. I stand by all my comments in the novel reviews thread. They just aren't very good.

Perfect-Organism

After seeing the book page by page, I have to say I am getting more and more impressed.  This is exactly the sort of book I was hoping would be made someday.  The hard work and care that was put in by the artists makes me hope that many copies will be sold at the limited edition price, but there is also a part of me which hopes to see the book released to the mass market.

I have a question.  There have recently been some amazing blueprints put together of the Sulaco, the APC, and the Nostromo.  The Nostromo blueprint was featured in the Alien Vault book.  I guess I just figured that the APC and Sulaco would be included with the W-Y book for some reason.  I'm guessing that is not the case?

If they are not included in the W-Y book then this becomes O.T., but does anyone know if they are to be published somewhere eventually?

SM

QuoteThe Alien canon seems to be very fluid indeed.  From your experience in working on the W-Y book, do you have a sense that the creators would be interested in expanding the book in some way to take into account Prometheus 2 and Alien 5 once those movies come out?  I for one, would love to see all of the new objects and themes from the upcoming films given the same treatment.  While I do hope to pick up the current book at some point, that would not prevent me from picking up an expanded version eventually.  Was there ever a discussion about an expansion to accommodate the upcoming films?

No.  Anything that might relate to the ultimate fates of Shaw or David is redacted, and the book was pretty much finished before there was any hint of Neil's movie.

Personally, I think any stuff relating to Prometheus 2 and Alien '5' would come in a completely new publication.

QuoteI have a question.  There have recently been some amazing blueprints put together of the Sulaco, the APC, and the Nostromo.  The Nostromo blueprint was featured in the Alien Vault book.  I guess I just figured that the APC and Sulaco would be included with the W-Y book for some reason.  I'm guessing that is not the case?

No blueprints.  And to my knowledge no current plans to publish them.  I'd be surprised if they didn't show up in some official capacity at some point, but Graham would know more than me on that sort of thing.

QuoteWithout wishing to totally derail this thread... I have since read them, actaully. The original, unedited versions. I stand by all my comments in the novel reviews thread. They just aren't very good.

Book 1 and 2 are both still among the best Aliens comics.  Earth War takes a big nosedive in both writing and artwork.

Xenomrph

Quote from: SM on Aug 13, 2015, 03:23:58 AM
Thems the breaks if you're working with someone elses IP.

Remember all the unprecedented touting of A:CM as being canon?  It doesn't rate the briefest mention in WYR, while stuff that wasn't touted as canon does.


That's pretty hilarious.

I'm still really hoping a mass-market publication of this gets announced (preferably soon).

HuDaFuK

HuDaFuK

#1108
Quote from: SM on Aug 13, 2015, 10:20:05 PMBook 1 and 2 are both still among the best Aliens comics.  Earth War takes a big nosedive in both writing and artwork.

Eh, I was far from thrilled, given how they're often built up by fans. Book Two looked gorgeous, sure, I'm certainly not knocking Beauvais' artwork, or Nelson's for that matter, but at the end of the day the point of a comic is to tell a story, and I thought the story in the first two was kinda lame. But I already went into my thoughts when I reviewed the novels.

Quote from: Xenomrph on Aug 14, 2015, 04:03:07 AMI'm still really hoping a mass-market publication of this gets announced (preferably soon).

I stand by my opinion that one will come out eventually, and that the current denial is just a marketing ploy.

Corporal Hicks

Just an FYI but we are going to be having a chat with Locusta this Sunday. The fellas over at Perfect Organism are also going to be having John on their show too.

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