Ask Steve Perry

Started by Corporal Hicks, May 06, 2007, 09:22:14 PM

Author
Ask Steve Perry (Read 187,750 times)

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#510
Is it safe to assume you read 'Aliens: Labyrinth', which your daughter novelized?

That's one of the few novels where I actually preferred the comic book source material to the novelization. However, that wasn't because of any fault on the part of your daughter's writing, but because the comic was so good. The artwork is great, and the way some of the events play out is slightly different in the comic as compared to how your daughter wrote them for the novelization, and I prefer the comic's version more.

If you read your daughter's novelization and liked it, I highly recommend reading the comic if only for comparison's sake. It's one of the few Aliens comics that I would really push for being turned into a movie. It's a lot more like 'Alien' than 'Aliens' in the sense that it's more about the characters and horrific events than about shoot-em-up action. And 'Labyrinth' has a lot of memorable and interesting characters.

Tangentially, did you read your daughter's recent Aliens novel? If so, what did you think? ("she's my daughter" biases aside :P )

steveperry

steveperry

#511
Yep, I have read all my daughter's books. Being totally objective here, her books are better than the graphic novels upon which they are based, which I generally also read.

Like movies, graphic novels can be terrific, but I usually prefer the book. There are some movies that are better than the books upon which they are based -- Godfather is one. Some that are better than graphic novels that spawned them -- Men in Black, for instance. For me, usually it goes the other way. Lord of the Rings was a great movie trilogy. Not as good as the books.

I thought Danelle's most recent Aliens novel was terrific -- because she gave us some real -- if perverse -- characters. I believe I have mentioned a time or twelve that I think character is what makes a story work. She brings more of that to her work than a lot of writers who do tie-ins. 

My standards as to what makes a good read tend to be more critical in some areas -- I'm bringing a writer's eyes and sensibility to material that I read. I want more than just -- yawn -- exploding heads.

My daughter meets those standards.

Kimarhi

Kimarhi

#512
I like Stephani's work pretty well.  She's good at capturing the thoughts of an average joe's head. 

Read too many books where people run around and talk like they are in a political debate while zombies run around and eat their friends.  And others where the dialogue is just so flat it doesn't speak with any kind of voice.  Every character sounds like the words they were typed with.

Stephani on the other hand is great at making people feel real.  She did an excellent job capturing the lockerroom mentality of the ruffians that were in Berserker.  It really DID sound like the the l-room when your away from your coaches and can talk shit without having to worry about being reprimanded.  She also goes out of her way to expand things you only catch glimpses of in the comics.  Like Pulaski and Jess weightlifting prowess.  Which was ridiculous (in terms of the weight they were lifting they were manbeast), but added a sense of realism about what people would do if they were bored during interstellar space voyages.

She ever going to try to write her own original series?  (if she hasn't already?)

I'd totally love fer her to write more Aliens novels, but always felt that she could manage her own standalone novels quite well should she ever choose to do so. 


Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#513
I will agree that it was the characters that made 'Aliens: Criminal Enterprise' interesting, and it's what kept me reading. However, with a "creature feature" franchise like, say, 'Aliens' or 'Predator', I think it can be a fine balance between compelling characters and getting to see the creatures getting some spotlight time as well. I'd say that's my only real complaint against Criminal Enterprise - the characters were awesome, but the Aliens took a real back seat until the end when all hell broke loose, and even then it was just sort of "Aliens steamroll the base, everyone dies".

Compare that to, say, 'Aliens: Rogue' where essentially the same thing happens, but instead you've got spotlights on both the main characters and minor characters dealing with it, as well as exactly what the Aliens are doing, as well as the "Rogue" Alien doing unique things no one has ever seen before. Or to the more recent Aliens novel, 'DNA War', where you've got memorable characters who think they're discovering new and interesting things about Alien biology and behavior. It makes the Aliens seem more important to the plot than just a looming, frenzied threat in the background.

Compare it to, say, the first two Alien movies. Everyone remembers the characters like Ash and Ripley, but they also can't forget the things the Alien did, either. or in 'Aliens', characters like Hudson are memorable and quotable, but everyone also remembers the first time they saw the Queen at the end of the movie, too.

I'm not saying Criminal Enterprise was bad; very far from it. I guess I was just expecting more "Alien participation" to balance out the cast of characters that inhabited the base.

SiL

SiL

#514
I've never read a single Aliens novel that hasn't suffered from that. I'd say Genocide, though one of the better written novels, is the worst at doing this - It starts with an Alien attack, then there's no Aliens until you're nearing the last quarter of the book. And even then they're usually sidelined to vague, generic descriptions (Yay banana heads).

I think it's a problem with the format. The Alien is such a visual creature that it doesn't translate well into words. Alan Dean Foster's novels of the first three Alien movies are fantastic, but you just can't write the chill that runs down your spine when the Alien peers in at Jonesy in the cat box at the end of Alien.

Labyrinth is another fine example. Great book, I loved some of the things that were added to the plot and the characters, but the flashback sequence with Dr. Church doesn't carry anywhere near the weight of the graphic novel, simply because the graphic novel shoves it in your face and doesn't let you imagine it as any less than it is.

vikingspawn

vikingspawn

#515
Questions for Steve!

Do you have any plans to work on next year's ALIENS relaunched comics?

Is there any particular comic artist you would like to work with on any Aliens story?   

And do you have any plans to return to Star Wars comics again?    (sequel to Shadows of the Empire: Evolution or any Star Wars era....)

Thanks!
8)

steveperry

steveperry

#516
Quote from: vikingspawn on Sep 16, 2008, 10:14:43 PM
Questions for Steve!

Do you have any plans to work on next year's ALIENS relaunched comics?

Is there any particular comic artist you would like to work with on any Aliens story?   

And do you have any plans to return to Star Wars comics again?    (sequel to Shadows of the Empire: Evolution or any Star Wars era....)

Thanks!
8)

I don't see any comics in my immediate future. I did the SOTE miniseries because I wanted to try my hand at the form and see if I could do it. (It's kind of like writing for TV animation, but the pictures don't move). Before I laid out the storyline in detail, I called up Ron Randall and asked him what kind of backgrounds he liked to draw; that way, I could put some scenes in he'd enjoy. And since comics are a visual medium, I kept the dialog and descriptions as tight as I could. There are a few pages where it's all pictures, few or no words.

I worked with Chris Warner -- we wrote a script based on his Black Cross comics serites, and had a sale, but the project eventually went south. Long story, usual Hollywood kind of thing. I liked Chris, nice guy, good artist and writer, I'd be happy to work with him again.

I enjoyed the comic writing experience enough so I pitched a sequel to Evolution, again a five-issue series, but Lucasfilm wasn't interested. After that, I had books to do, so I moved on.

SM

SM

#517
'Star Wars - Guri Loves Dash'?

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#518
Quote from: SiL on Sep 16, 2008, 09:35:32 PM
I've never read a single Aliens novel that hasn't suffered from that. I'd say Genocide, though one of the better written novels, is the worst at doing this - It starts with an Alien attack, then there's no Aliens until you're nearing the last quarter of the book. And even then they're usually sidelined to vague, generic descriptions (Yay banana heads).

I think it's a problem with the format. The Alien is such a visual creature that it doesn't translate well into words. Alan Dean Foster's novels of the first three Alien movies are fantastic, but you just can't write the chill that runs down your spine when the Alien peers in at Jonesy in the cat box at the end of Alien.

Labyrinth is another fine example. Great book, I loved some of the things that were added to the plot and the characters, but the flashback sequence with Dr. Church doesn't carry anywhere near the weight of the graphic novel, simply because the graphic novel shoves it in your face and doesn't let you imagine it as any less than it is.
I haven't read 'Rogue' (the novel) in a while, but I actually re-read the comic series, like, 2 weeks ago, so that's partly where my Rogue example was coming from.
I also re-read the 'Genocide' comic, though, and I think that did a fair job of having plenty of Alien spotlight time. Part of that was the whole "cloned hosts for making new Aliens" idea, or Xeno-zip as a plot device, or the whole "two strains battle it out" thing.

I did read 'DNA War' fairly recently, though, and I stand by my assessment of that one: the characters had plenty of spotlight to do interesting things, but the Aliens also showed up a lot. The Aliens were also pretty much the focus of the plot, as opposed to Criminal Enterprise where the focus was kinda "criminals and their wacky lives. Oh yeah, and there's Aliens outside the walls, sure hope they don't get inside!"

Edit-- I DID like Criminal Enterprise's nod to the old comics by mentioning the Grant Corporation, though. That was pretty cool. :)

Xhan

Xhan

#519

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#520
Uh, not quite sure I see the relevance, but it's still a funny picture. ;D

happypred

happypred

#521
Quote from: steveperry on Sep 11, 2008, 06:10:28 PM
Sometimes I can push back a bit, which is why the whole yautja storyline exists at all. My daughter and I did it despite being told that we should not. They let it slide because we convinced them. The powers-that-be had since put their foot down and made it known they absolutely weren't going there any more. (Of course, that was then, and they might change their minds down the line, you never know.)

that is a pity, I did like how you handled the yautja concept...I do think however that some of the later comics took the honor idea too far, but I never felt that your novels portrayed the yautja as space-samurai, an accusation that some fans level at you. As I understood it, the main yautja character in Prey was less blood-thirsty and more curious than the average yautja, as evidenced by the conduct of his students (most of them anyway).

Quote
For me to try and write material that is at odds with what I believe  wouldn't work very well. The German Shepherd Dog comparison pissed a lot of people off because they don't agree, and I can understand that, but since that's what I believe, and I'm the guy putting the words through my fingers for people who believe the same thing, what would you have me do? Jettison my opinion and adopt yours?


Well, I think there are many people who agree with you that the average drone is about as smart as a German shepard or if you want, a panther or a tiger. We're just not as vocal about it because most of us just aren't that obsessed with the aliens.   

vikingspawn

vikingspawn

#522
Quote from: steveperry on Sep 16, 2008, 11:20:00 PM
I enjoyed the comic writing experience enough so I pitched a sequel to Evolution, again a five-issue series, but Lucasfilm wasn't interested. After that, I had books to do, so I moved on.

Wow,  is there a chance that can be brought back?   I know alot of fans would be excited for a sequel to Evolutions.   

Did your pitch involve more use of Dash Rendar?   Or any interaction with the regular movie characters? Any Black Sun & Guri?   

Anything can happen with Star Wars comics now...they were even talking of bringing back Crimson Empire 3 again after writing it off years ago... ;D

   

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#523
I just hope they don't bring back Gulacy to do the art for Crimson Empire 3, his artwork is goofy, especially the way he draws people's eyes.

But I digress...

steveperry

steveperry

#524
Quote from: vikingspawn on Sep 18, 2008, 04:49:08 AM
Quote from: steveperry on Sep 16, 2008, 11:20:00 PM
I enjoyed the comic writing experience enough so I pitched a sequel to Evolution, again a five-issue series, but Lucasfilm wasn't interested. After that, I had books to do, so I moved on.

Wow,  is there a chance that can be brought back?   I know alot of fans would be excited for a sequel to Evolutions.   

Did your pitch involve more use of Dash Rendar?   Or any interaction with the regular movie characters? Any Black Sun & Guri?      

To be honest, I don't recall what all the pitch contained. Dash was in it, and Guri, but it's been ten years since I filed it away. Moot, anyway, since they didn't want to do it. If Evolution had been a blow-out bestseller, they might have been up for it, but while it did okay, it didn't get the big numbers flying off the racks. 

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