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2019 will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Aliens: Book 2, the much revered 4-issue comic series illustrated by Den Beauvais and written by Mark Verheiden.  The compiled limited series has been re-released many times, and even novelized.  It has come to be most commonly known as Aliens: Nightmare Asylum.

Looking back over the last three decades of Aliens comics, it is easy to see that Nightmare Asylum remains a fan favorite, and is a high point, bench-mark for the Aliens series.  The cover of Aliens Series 2 #1 was awarded with the Eagle Award in 1990.  The visual style of the series has been described as quite possibly the most successful at capturing the aesthetic sensibility of James Cameron's Aliens.  Alien vs. Predator Galaxy's Arek Kaminski (aka Perfect-Organism) caught up with Den Beauvais for a retrospective interview.

It’s a really interesting interview, if I do say so myself. In particular I really love Den’s anecdote about smuggling dangerous creatures past ICC quarantine! Click here to continue reading!

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Great interview! (You misspelled Ralph MacQuarrie the first time he mentioned him, though!)

He seems like a really genuine, passionate dude. Loved his Stompy down the bottom of the article.

Fixed. Thanks.

Great interview. I mean, really great.

QuoteThe Queen, impervious to the harshness off space, would have latched onto a passing cargo ship carrying various other animal species designated to colonise another planet, find her way inside, lay more eggs and infest all the other animal species and open up a plethora of other alien/hybrid possibilities. Just a thought, but I think that could have been fun!

Now that definitely would have been a wild "Alien3"!

his comics were my favorite of the whole series (black white + air brush + earth war). i always wished someone would of made a movie based off that damn series instead of the Alien 3 we got. i remember having those comics as a kid and being SO disappointed and upset by what happened in Alien 3. i was expected more James Cameron styled shenanigans that was based off the Dark Horse series.

instead we got a dog...

Or an ox.

Is he aware of how traumatic it was for SM to go from his art to Sam Kieth's?

We don't discuss it.

Great interview!

I've loved his alien art for most of my life. Breaks my heart that we will probably never see Aliens Countdown get released again.

SM, you have some pull, surely you could drop a hint with Dark Horse that we need another Den Beauvais series.  It's been 30 years...

Since the new Alien 3 series is introducing the idea of alternative timelines, perhaps we could pick up right at the end of book 2??  Any takers?

You mean a sequel to Gibson's Alien 3 with art by Den featuring the Space Family Hickses?

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Dec 20, 2018, 03:42:21 AM
SM, you have some pull, surely you could drop a hint with Dark Horse that we need another Den Beauvais series.  It's been 30 years...

Since the new Alien 3 series is introducing the idea of alternative timelines, perhaps we could pick up right at the end of book 2??  Any takers?

I've told Fox Beauvais would be great to have back.

But I have no pull.

SM is coy about vulgar displays of power.

His power is at bay until you're least expecting it.  Then he unleashes it.

(https://media1.giphy.com/media/fs5iUoWptyY3S/giphy.gif?cid=19f5b51a5c1ba3846d392e7145d9de41)

Quote from: Local Trouble on Dec 20, 2018, 04:04:22 AM
You mean a sequel to Gibson's Alien 3 with art by Den featuring the Space Family Hickses?

Nah, I was talking about replacing Earth War, or Female War depending on which you prefer.  It was mostly tongue in cheek though.... or was it?

A part of me thinks it would be interesting if a sequel to Book Two culminated in a battle between the space jockeys and the Engineers but that still would not account for the Alien home-world in the Nelson / Verheiden book.  Regardless, a better telling of the conclusion to the Verheiden / Nelson / Beauvais series should be possible....

as much as i like sam keiths artwork (i LOVED the maxx), i would like to see earth war redone in an art style that goes better with the over all visual theme set forth in the black and white + airbrushed comics.

If a remake were to be done, the story would merit from going off in a different direction story wise also.  I think some people will agree here that it went off the rails post-Book 2.

I used to think it was the art that was the issue, but I've come to see the light.  A queen Alien mother calling her children across the universe?  You've got to be kidding me.

Beautiful Isolation Alien.

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Dec 20, 2018, 10:32:52 PM
If a remake were to be done, the story would merit from going off in a different direction story wise also.  I think some people will agree here that it went off the rails post-Book 2.

I used to think it was the art that was the issue, but I've come to see the light.  A queen Alien mother calling her children across the universe?  You've got to be kidding me.

Earth War had way bigger problems than that.  They established the telepathy thing in the early issues of Book 1 so it's not really a big deal.

It in the end, very much reminded me of the canned 20 Powerloaders vs 20 Queens script.
That kind of stupid OTT.