Via Randy Stradley's public Facebook page (bolding is mine):
QuoteFacebook is desperate for me to do something with this page. And then promote it. But, you know, that just ain't my style. I'd prefer to die in obscurity, all the while cursing you (Every. One. Of. You.) for not paying more attention to me.
You can have my pointless, misguided anger when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
In the meantime, I have comic books to edit. Giants. James Cameron's Avatar. Mystery Science Theater 3000. Aliens: Dust to Dust. A few more. Give me some space, will ya?
😉
Ooooh can't wait for the announcements.
Glad to hear we've got more coming! Can't wait to hear some details.
Tantalizing
That's great to hear. Liking the title.
Seems like it may be a stand-alone thing like Dead Orbit, given that it wasn't announced as part of some big crossover.
very exciting, who does everyone hope for in terms of writing and artwork duties?
speaking of crossovers, do you think we'll see something again like f&s and l&d?
It would be great if they got Juan Ferreyra back on art duties. I hope we get a big crossover again, but after Covenant and the weird cliffhanger ending of L&D, I'm not sure how soon, or if, that will happen.
i liked his xeno, some artists do a better job then others at capturing the beast's fluidity
i think i want tristan jones drawing every alien comic in the future forever
James Stokoe would be great, too, but the series would probably take a year and a half to come out. :laugh:
yes, let's reconvene next august and review the first issue
(https://www.much.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Baz-4.gif)
I am really looking forward to Dead Orbit's last issue. It's been a great run and Stokoe's has a fantastic style. Really keen to see how it all wraps up.
dead orbit and good portions of defiance have shown just how promising alien comics can still be
Yo Tristan what you up to? ;)
"Dust to Dust" might be the finale to Fire and Stone/Life and Death... It makes sense terminology wise, if not using the exact same format as previous entries with "to" replacing "and".
"Dust to Dust" certainly has religious connotations, and also implies finality, so it's definitely possible. I would love the series to wrap up with Foster and the rest on Planet 4.
if it continues life and death do you think this will mean other tie-ins too?
Not necessarily if they just wanted to tell a shorter story to wrap things up.
i feel this is a seperate story but i'm all for it concluding life & death
I haven't read Fire and Stone or Life and Death, mosty because of the inclusion of AVP/Predator storylines (Predators are cool and all but crossovers aren't really my thing) so I hope this is a straight Aliens story.
I'd love to see Dark Horse tackle some Prometheus/Covenant material sans Predators.
dark horse seem pretty restricted in what they can do with prom and a:c, whatever fox says goes
Quote from: trilobite on Dec 03, 2017, 07:45:10 AM
dark horse seem pretty restricted in what they can do with prom and a:c, whatever fox says goes
Well that and I imagine a fair amount of it is self-restraint - no point telling some crazy story just to have Ridley Scott's movie just totally undo it or something.
Any news on this? <---- Desperate fan looking for anything Alien....
Nothing yet.
Nice catch Ultramorph! Very exciting news.
I have a feeling the ending of "Life and Death" will give rise to yet another 13 issue series of books soon. Would be nice, Ive really been digging how Dark Horse has started a whole new and ongoing storyline that arcs over numerous books! Was great getting new comic books on a normal basis via mail ;)
That's really what I'm hoping for, but the license is in jeopardy following the Disney buyout. I could try messaging Randy on Twitter for an update, but I doubt he'll get back or want to be bothered during what must be a stressful time.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Dec 15, 2017, 09:41:53 PM
That's really what I'm hoping for, but the license is in jeopardy following the Disney buyout.
What? How?
You think that the license would be revoked from the Disney higher-ups and be given over to Marvel, like how they did with Star Wars?
Doesnt Dark Horse still hold the license for Star Wars though?
Quote from: DorkiDori on Dec 15, 2017, 10:39:07 PM
Doesnt Dark Horse still hold the license for Star Wars though?
Nope. That's Marvel.
It won't be revoked, that would go into breach of contract or paying out contracts and getting nothing for it, but when it comes time to renew, it's a pretty safe bet it will go to Marvel.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Dec 15, 2017, 11:12:08 PM
It won't be revoked, that would go into breach of contract or paying out contracts and getting nothing for it, but when it comes time to renew, it's a pretty safe bet it will go to Marvel.
When will renewal occur?
I have no idea at all.
Closest thing to a statement from Dark Horse is this tweet from earlier today:
https://twitter.com/darkhorsecomics/status/941722433752522752 (https://twitter.com/darkhorsecomics/status/941722433752522752)
Even they don't know yet.
Interesting. I would imagine that it depends on wether or not Disney see it as lucrative to take control (marvel start publishing) the Aliens/Predator IP. Star Wars was a given because its so profitable. Perhaps this may not be as worth it.
That's sort of my hope: Disney cares enough to keep the license alive, but not enough to rock the boat too much. Maybe they'll get that this license just doesn't work at Marvel.
On October 30, 2012 Disney acquires Lucasfilm.
On October 1, 2014 Dark Horse releases the TPB of it's final Star Wars series "Darth Maul Son of Dathomir"
Hopefully this means that Dark Horse has at least 2 years to publish new material. If so "Dust to Dust" could potentially be another 17 issue big crossover that continues and concludes the established story arc from Fire and Stone/Life and Death. I sure hope they go out with a bang and bring us several new stories before their license expires.
That's a good point. Just saw a story that Democrats in Congress want to investigate/possibly shut down the deal, and that means we could be looking at two years of legal wrangling before it happens. Plenty of time for DH to tell some final stories.
That's encouraging. Why are they looking into the deal. Is it to do with laws regarding monopolisation?
Yeah, they always look into deals like this to see if it violates anti-trust laws.
So it would seem like we have, even if all goes well with the acquisition, a fair bit of time till Dark Horse could be looking at loosing the licence.
The official announcement! Starts on April 24.
Gabriel Hardman will be both writing and illustrating, so it's similar to Dead Orbit in that respect. It's a stand alone story about a mother and child escaping a planet overrun by xenos.
https://www.cbr.com/aliens-dust-to-dust-gabriel-hardman-interview/ (https://www.cbr.com/aliens-dust-to-dust-gabriel-hardman-interview/)
See. Told you that you normally beat me to it Ultra lol :laugh:
I have really enjoyed Hardman's art in the past. Im interested to see how he writes. Looking forward to this.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTwu05OUQAAuz8d.jpg:large)
https://twitter.com/AlienAnthology/status/953689128826109952
I presume by Carlos D'Anda.
Tropic Thunders! Awesome! Is that going to be a sequel to Tropic Thunder? ;D
Sounds like it wont be going down the Aliens route but sticking more to an Alien style. I can't wait to see some of the interior artwork from this.
Shut up and take my money
I find myself not that excited about stories that are not involved with the core story. These offshoot stories tend to be just playing on the fear and terror of the aliens without exploring any of the mystery. It doesn't work for me anymore.
We need some stories that delve into the mystery of the aliens and engineers IMO.
I'm digging the smaller stories without Marines as a palette cleanser, but I do hope we get more big Engineer mythology stories later down the line. The ending of Life and Death needs some closure, or at least some context.
Agreed that the crossover stuff need closure.
I am liking these smaller scale stories but I do like variety. It's a shame that we can't get a consistent flow of the comics. I mean at least one issue of the Alien/Predator universe being published every month
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jan 18, 2018, 02:54:41 PM
I find myself not that excited about stories that are not involved with the core story. These offshoot stories tend to be just playing on the fear and terror of the aliens without exploring any of the mystery. It doesn't work for me anymore.
We need some stories that delve into the mystery of the aliens and engineers IMO.
What's the core story?
It's difficult to delve into mysteries that might be undone in future films.
April 24th is shaping up real nice with Dust to Dust AND Cold Forge releasing that day. Alien Day (week) gets more fun every year!
There's more where that came from. :)
I sure hope so! Feel free to elaborate Mr. insider info! I won't tell ;D
Hope the "AVP project" Randy mentioned is a Life and Death sequel. Ahab needs a comeback in time for the movie.
My biggest hope is that we eventually get a comic where someone mentions the USM. :laugh: Dead Orbit could have been that comic.
More Ahab is always welcomed. But I'm dying to find out where that engineer ship took Cpt Foster (she really can't catch a break). I also appreciate the longer story arcs of F&S and L&D. With the exception of a few stories (Dead Orbit), 4 issues is usually too short!
Quote from: Ultramorph on Jan 20, 2018, 02:11:36 AM
Hope the "AVP project" Randy mentioned is a Life and Death sequel. Ahab needs a comeback in time for the movie.
My biggest hope is that we eventually get a comic where someone mentions the USM. :laugh: Dead Orbit could have been that comic.
Yeah. I wanna see more of this story and have it finish.
But honestly, I'd take a series detailing Ahab on his past hunts. I would go as far as saying that he is my fav Pred ever.
Quote from: SM on Jan 20, 2018, 01:10:51 AM
There's more where that came from. :)
I'm hoping another audio drama.
This seems to be a fair guess.
Rage wars would be a good one.
Quote from: SM on Jan 18, 2018, 07:54:27 PM
Quote from: Perfect-Organism on Jan 18, 2018, 02:54:41 PM
I find myself not that excited about stories that are not involved with the core story. These offshoot stories tend to be just playing on the fear and terror of the aliens without exploring any of the mystery. It doesn't work for me anymore.
We need some stories that delve into the mystery of the aliens and engineers IMO.
What's the core story?
It's difficult to delve into mysteries that might be undone in future films.
The core story is humanity's broad encounters with the Aliens, bey the engineers, or Xenomorphs and what-not. Ripley's arc was a very important part of that story though it seems to be in limbo. Nobody knows if what happened to her in Alien 3 and forwards is to be treated as canon or not. There is a sense that the canon may be altered.
Of course it is difficult to do stories around this core. It is precisely why there should be a closer working relationship between Fox and those writing the stories for the novels and comics. It seems they don't know where they're headed and it is reflected in the comics. THe result is that we get comics with stories that are self-contained and have no impact on the Aliens universe. This has been my frustration since 1993.
Alien 3 and Resurrection are quite safe and intact for the foreseeable future.
And there is a fairly close working relationship between Fox and its licensees. But they're always going to be second place to the films, and there are boundaries.
There must be a better way. All we've been getting for decades now is attempts at new canon, and then revisions, and revisions, and dead ends. It makes it so difficult for a fan to connect with a story and follow it towards a meaningful conclusion. This would be resolved with a simple blueprint for the overall story arc with Fox, and then direction could be given on how to fill in the gaps with stories so that they won't spoil everything.
It's how Star Wars does it. They have their main tales, and then other details are filled in with separate volumes that connect back to the core story. I loved how they did the Darth Vader series which delve deeper into this character on his own adventures. There could be some great stories to be told which revolve around the core story.
I get what you're saying about revision after revision, but you can't do it how Star Wars does it due to the nature of the story.
Most Star Wars characters don't die in the films, plus there's hundreds of minor characters that you can tell stories about. They made a 35 comic run based on Wedge, Hobbie and Janson from Empire Strikes Back. Because of how expansive the Star Wars universe is and the history, the possibilities are endless.
With Alien, if you want to do a story about a character's adventures prior to the film - you can't have Aliens in it and they're an integral part of this universe. Then when 99% of characters encounter this integral part, they don't survive the experience. They did a story about the Covenant crew's adventures prior to the film with no Aliens, and people aren't falling over themselves to get more of that.
The source material can be a bit limiting and the part where you could expand the story in a post-Resurrection timeframe - is in a post-Resurrection timeframe that only appeals to a very small audience.
SM, you've phrased the conundrum perfectly. I hope I'm not coming across as a whiny complainer in this regard. I am thinking in a constructive sense here. I really do love the Aliens franchise and hope that it can be saved on all major levels, i.e. films, literature, and video games.
The fact of the matter is that for all of their sheer awe and terror, the Aliens are animals, largely devoid of personality and character in the way that humans possess. Using them as a common thread among Aliens literature leads to stagnation, because they are constant. They never change or grow. Every Alien behaves in the same way as the next. Say what you will, but the series is still people based. Yes, a lot of them die off. Some are better than others, but when we as fans enjoy the series, it is through the vicarious experience of terror through these characters, not through the perspective of the Aliens.
In the classic protagonist vs antagonist sense, we have three options to choose from. Man vs other man. Man vs nature. Man vs himself. When dealing with the Aliens, it is man vs nature, and you can only have nature hit you with the same storm over and over again, before it gets old hat.
The problem then is either a lack of compelling characters, or that compelling characters are consistently killed off. It ultimately takes us back to Ripley's story. It was compelling. You could really connect with her on so many levels. Once she was killed, that common human thread was torn, and despite the Aliens being fascinating, the stories began to repeat themselves. We need to have that common thread again to give a sense of continuity. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the answer has been staring us in the face all along: Retcon Alien 3 and continue the story of Ripley, Hicks, and Newt. I am not proposing that they be Swiss Family Robinson. The more dysfunctional they are the better, but they do represent a common thread that people can relate to and don't require continuations of the core story to be hundreds of years later in the Ripley 8 reality.
Even if the trio only lasts for another 2 or 3 films, it would still allow for the introduction of new ongoing characters, and the possibility to have stories taking place within a time frame that was relate-able to the core story.
They're not going to retcon the films any time soon.
Awesome! Good job Dark Horse! Defiance, Dead Orbit, now Dust to Dust, looking like 3 straight Alien comic hits!
Newsarama has the solicitation for Dust to Dust #2. Nothing spoilery, but some nice covers.
https://www.newsarama.com/38622-first-look-hardman-s-aliens-dust-to-dust-2.html (https://www.newsarama.com/38622-first-look-hardman-s-aliens-dust-to-dust-2.html)
Nice covers.
https://iearths.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/we-talk-aliens-dust-to-dust-with_7.html
Nothing that strikes out at me as particularly new though.
I'm looking forward to this but I am expecting very little.
Why's that?
I set my expectations low. This usually causes me to enjoy a comic/film/book more.
Also, there is just something about the premise of this which I find wanting. I cant place my finger on it.
I hope it's great. I like Hardman's artwork. Never read a story written by him.
Like I say. I am looking forward to reading it but I can't say that I am as excited about it as I was Defiance and Dead Orbit.
I get at least some enjoyment from even the worst alien comics so im not too worried. Personally i have a good feeling about this one though. I hope he can draw a xenomorph well.
Amazon now has the paperback available for pre-order, Nov 27, 2018.
Bleeding Cool has the covers and synopsis for issue #3. No real spoilers.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03/20/exclusive-first-look-aliens-3-covers/ (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03/20/exclusive-first-look-aliens-3-covers/)
(https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ALDUST-3-FC-WRK-600x910.jpg)
Skull!! ;D Definitely pushing the kid angle too.
Beautiful! I'm really curious about the story. I like the idea of a story about normal non xeno fighting specialized people having to survive multiple aliens.
I hope we see a good, well thought out story and the aliens treated (and drawn) respectfully.
CBR has a preview of the first issue. No spoilers, and they show the evolutions from pencils to finished product, which is cool.
https://www.cbr.com/exclusive-aliens-dust-to-dust-1/ (https://www.cbr.com/exclusive-aliens-dust-to-dust-1/)
I'm liking the artwork. Looks like he wakes up right in the middle of it all. Curious to see how that plays out early on.
Hardman does produce some great artwork.
http://comicbook.com/comics/2018/04/12/aliens-dust-to-dust-4-cover-reveal/
Issue 4 covers are up at Comicbook.com
Great find Russ! Hoping this signifies a delay free release (*cough* Dead Orbit issue 4 *cough*).
From experience reading Hardman's Marvel stuff, he is pretty good at keeping to deadlines.
Deadlines schmedlines! Screw the deadlines I say and put out a good book. When the first Aliens series came out, it blew every single deadline, and each issue was worth it. Pure gold. Now things are cranked out like it's a machine, and do are the results always good? Nope. Do you want a bad comic on time?
I'd prefer they get the issues in the bag before releasing. Then they can make the deadline.
I agree with your sentiment though.
ABClub has an extended preview, nothing too spoilery. The art is looking real good!
https://www.avclub.com/this-aliens-dust-to-dust-exclusive-kicks-off-a-horrifi-1825353701 (https://www.avclub.com/this-aliens-dust-to-dust-exclusive-kicks-off-a-horrifi-1825353701)
Yeah I'm really digging that art style. Looking forward to this one.
Yeah, I'm really digging the style. The colouring looks great. Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.
https://iearths.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/review-dark-horse-comics-aliens-dust-to.html
Review of first issue. Haven't read it yet.
It's positive, 5/5. Some minor spoilers.
Its coming out Wednesday. :)
Another positive review with minimal spoilers:
http://www.outrightgeekery.com/2018/04/22/aliens-dust-dust-1-review/ (http://www.outrightgeekery.com/2018/04/22/aliens-dust-dust-1-review/)
Another positive review, this one with more spoilers.
http://www.everythingaction.com/2018/04/23/the-pull-list-aliens-dust-to-dust-1/ (http://www.everythingaction.com/2018/04/23/the-pull-list-aliens-dust-to-dust-1/)
https://www.facebook.com/perfectorganism/posts/1697404927007240
The PO boys are having a chat with Gabriel Hardman. Throw any questions you have their way.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VqiyWG1K9Fo
I quite enjoyed this. Art works really well. Reminds me a bit of Tristen Jones' Defiance stuff. Not quiet as good but still good.
Hardman does a good job instilling the sense of urgency here. Other than a few story details here and there, this would work well as a 'point of view' look at the evacuation of Earth in the original comic.
Looking forward to more but I'm not expecting much more then the standard run of the mill. although Dead Orbit is very much that and I love it.
Spoiler
the alien life cycle seems to be lifted straight from Covenant in terms of speed. Not sure how I feel about that.
Bunch more reviews -
https://www.monkeysfightingrobots.co/review-aliens-dust-to-dust/
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/25/aliens-dust-dust-1-review/
http://www.geekedoutnation.com/comic-book-review-aliens-dust-to-dust-1/
http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2018/04/25/aliens-dust-to-dust-1-review/
https://comicbastards.com/comics/review-aliens-dust-to-dust-1
I thought it was decent, story is pretty thin though. Im interested to see if it goes beyond a simple survival/escape scenario.
The art is okay, I like Hardmans facehuggers but the alien art feels a bit messy and undefined. The only panel with an adult alien that i thought really nailed it was when its back is turned and its leaving the staircase. Artwork reminds me of the ACM game tie in comic actually, certainly doesnt come close to Tristans aliens IMO.
Definitly feels pretty run of the mill but i hope to be proven wrong in the coming issues.
Just finished the issue, and I enjoyed it. I like the art style, it's a tad reminiscent of Patrick Reynolds from Fire and Stone, and the script moved along at a good clip. This definitely had the feel of a smaller, self-contained story like Dead Orbit. Still, I'm interested to see what winds up playing out, especially given the ending.
Spoiler
In an interview Hardman said we'd get hints of the bigger story even though it wouldn't be the focus. Did anyone else notice how the dead facehuggers seem to have come from containers on that crashed truck in from of the protagonists' house? Looks like W-Y being naughty again. :laugh:
Any guesses as to when this is set? It's definitely around the second and third movie. My guess is a bit later than Life and Death based on the move sleek, round evac ships.
Spoiler
Definitly noticed the truck on its side with facehugger containers, that did pique my interest.
.
Funny that Patrick Reynolds is the artist who did Aliens F&S and the ACM tie-in comic. :laugh: we both caught the similarities.
I do have a minor knitpick though. I couldnt help but roll my eyes when I saw that its another planet/colony designated with an LV-###. Its getting a bit silly now.
Loved the pace of this and the point of view. Interesting to see where this will go
Holy cow, that was terrifying.
Spoiler
Knowing right from the start what was going to happen to the mother made it almost 1000x worse
Quote from: Russ840 on Apr 25, 2018, 07:53:21 AM
Spoiler
the alien life cycle seems to be lifted straight from Covenant in terms of speed. Not sure how I feel about that.
I have read it myself and its not a bad start but
Spoiler
I don't see it as fast as the Covenant life-cycle (which is obviously a good sign since fast = bad) We don't know how long the person was facehugged for nor the exact time length their escape to the shuttle took, one character just wakes up to find the person with the facehugger on, which could have been on that person for hours before it dropped off as it did.
Just read it now! I'm digging it. The artwork is good - reminds me a lot of Reynold's work in Fire and Stone. Enjoying the fact the story drops us straight in it - very fast paced.
Just read it! No slow build here, shit has hit the fan and we're dropped right in the middle of it! I do like the "innocence lost" horror aspect with the child. And Hardman's art captures the dark action very effectively. I'm really excited to see where this story goes.
Looks like issue #2 has been delayed to July. :-\
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-584/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-2 (https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-584/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-2)
Which means we'll probably be waiting on #4 this time next year ;D
ffs
Quote from: Ultramorph on May 15, 2018, 10:57:55 PM
Looks like issue #2 has been delayed to July. :-\
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-584/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-2 (https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-584/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-2)
(https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6ZtjuAI5CuCmstdC/giphy.gif)
Awwwww. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be worth it.
Listening to Perfect Organism Podcast's interview with Gabriel Hardman.
Great interview. Interesting little tidbit when he said Fox said he wasn't allowed to make the Xenomorphs look like the big chap.
So what with issue 2 being pushed to July, issue 3 is now August and issue 4 is October.
https://www.darkhorse.com/Search/Aliens
Man I hate delays.
According to September's solicitations the trade will be coming out in November.
https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/06/20/dark-horse-comics-september-2018-solicits-stranger-things-mystery-science-theater-3000-olivia-twist-call-duty-zombies-2-war-bears-gamma-joe-golem/
Quote from: Prez on May 17, 2018, 06:30:39 AM
Listening to Perfect Organism Podcast's interview with Gabriel Hardman.
Great interview. Interesting little tidbit when he said Fox said he wasn't allowed to make the Xenomorphs look like the big chap.
Did he say why?
I'd guess because they perhaps intend to include the original design in an upcoming prequel film.
Didn't Tristan have to tweak one of the creatures in Defiance for that reason?
Yeah. In the Free comic book day issue that featured a piece for Defiance.
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-584/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-2
Preview for issue 2 is up.
Just one week! Looking forward to it.
Me too. I'm glad to see the release date did not slip again.
keeping fingers crossed
So this will be 4 issues in total right? Will wait for the Trade Paperback.
I believe it's a 4 issue thing. Personally I prefer to pick up the singles and upgrade to trade when it's out. I'm too impatient and I understand the single sales actually really help with the success of the series.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 05, 2018, 01:56:26 PM
I believe it's a 4 issue thing. Personally I prefer to pick up the singles and upgrade to trade when it's out. I'm too impatient and I understand the single sales actually really help with the success of the series.
Physical or digital single issues?
I purchase physical.
I buy the issues, the tpb, and any other tpb editions that get released later with new covers. ;D
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jul 05, 2018, 01:56:26 PM
I believe it's a 4 issue thing. Personally I prefer to pick up the singles and upgrade to trade when it's out. I'm too impatient and I understand the single sales actually really help with the success of the series.
I second this entire statement. Plus I enjoy browsing the comic store. It's the only place I've seen the Colonial Marines toy line from Hiya, not to mention they also carry the old Kenner figures and of course Neca is in there as well.
Advanced review for #2 - http://fanbasepress.com/index.php/press/reviews/item/9044-aliens-dust-to-dust-2-advance-comic-book-review-rough-tumble
QuoteAliens: Dust to Dust #2 is going to please any reader who enjoyed the first issue. As Pvt. Hudson says to Lt. Gorman in Aliens, "If you like that, you're going to love this." The second issue of the series improves on the first, heightens both the action and terror, and add some complexities among the cast of characters that are sure to pay off during the remaining two issues. Stay frosty and don't miss your chance to get your hands on a copy!
Minor spoilers. Nothing mega. Via Bryant Dillon on Building Better Worlds.
Just read it. I had a good time in doing so.
Better than the first issue, I would say.
Spoiler
there are some nice visual touches to show a xenomorph maturing.
I still seems to me that the life cycle is sped up like covenant.
I'm planning to head into town to pick up tonight. Enjoyed the first issue very much so really looking forward to this! ;D
I love the Covenant Chestburster hope that returns in some fashion.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 11, 2018, 08:39:41 AM
I love the Covenant Chestburster hope that returns in some fashion.
I don't. There nothing wrong with the original design in the first two films, what we see in the Covenant is a chestburster in name only, similar to Alien 3.
There isn't anything wrong with it, but I like to think of the Covenant Chestburster as what happens after the original Chestburster sheds it's skin.
Plus I think the totally translucent fetus look is gorgeous from a design perspective.
Picked up issue 2 today and really enjoyed it.
I read both issues back to back and i must say it has all really grown on me. I cant wait for the next issue.
Spoiler
Really enjoyed the tension of the chestburster loose on the shuttle and i loved how they go from desperate to even more desperate when they see the Carver going down.
Not sure about the alien surviving the shuttle explosion though.
Also i hope we get to see some hog aliens!
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 11, 2018, 07:54:54 PM
There isn't anything wrong with it, but I like to think of the Covenant Chestburster as what happens after the original Chestburster sheds it's skin.
Yeah, I'm with you here and think the same when taking in the "accelerated lifecycle" angle that ADF mentioned in the novelization. It really does look like the snake-like form immediately when it bursts before shedding.
Really enjoyed issue two. I'm continuing to really like Hardman's art style and I'm interested to see where he takes the story!
In terms of visuals, with the Alien, I really loved
Spoiler
the end where it shows up with just one arm! Loved it in Dead Orbit at the end and am quite eager to see a single (I think it's going to be, anyway) Alien hunting the survivors with such a bad and distinctive injury.
Spoiler
Is it possible it would grow it back at some point?
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 11, 2018, 07:54:54 PM
There isn't anything wrong with it, but I like to think of the Covenant Chestburster as what happens after the original Chestburster sheds it's skin.
Plus I think the totally translucent fetus look is gorgeous from a design perspective.
I don't disagree, it does look great and I do imagine it would look like that after the burster shed its skin but here it is too fast, I just don't think it fits at such as early stage because the larval chestburster is iconic and while you can say it was due to an accelerated life-cycle, that makes things too far-fetched, that chestburster would have had to consume Oram's entire body just for that growth to even have a tiny bit of plausibilty.
I C O N I C
Look, I know it's unbelievable- in terms of what Covenant shows you but it is in fact what it shows you. In many ways Covenant has unbelievable actions taken by characters and unbelievable things actually happen.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2hd4-KV2mrk/maxresdefault.jpg)
all It shows a mini Xeno coming out of a amniotic-like sac, not a larval-like lifeform. If you like it that is fine, but I prefer how they looked in previous movies.
I'd actually like to see a mix of the two going forward.
"A Chestburster springs forth, tearing through an amniontic skin as it emerges, it's the Chestburster we all know and love- in it's 1979 appearance although it's proportions are slightly different but not enough to change the creatures' silouette.
Later we see what can almost be described as a spiders' web filmed through grating it's obscured.
A Covenant larval Alien around three feet tall is moving methodically but frantically like someone trapped inside a car underwater. It moves with purpose tearing its' way out of this cocoon and it falls to the floor, it's legs quivering and after a few seconds it takes off."
I'd actually like to see it (sparingly) move around, cutting power systems, making life harder for its' prey as it grows into an adult without being detected.
Slowly becoming more opaque and bigger as it matures.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 12, 2018, 05:42:43 PM
Spoiler
Is it possible it would grow it back at some point?
Scott would have us believe they can come back from worse...personally, I hope it doesn't. I want to see it handicapped.
I hope it does, just not immediately.
Only over the course of a week or two.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 12, 2018, 06:08:06 PMI C O N I C
Look, I know it's unbelievable- in terms of what Covenant shows you but it is in fact what it shows you. In many ways Covenant has unbelievable actions taken by characters and unbelievable things actually happen.
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2hd4-KV2mrk/maxresdefault.jpg)
Far from iconic, I found that scene unintentionally funny. The bit where it sticks its arms out had me laughing for all the wrong reasons.
I was talking about the classic Chestburster when I said I C O N I C - it's a Hidden Experia thing.
I can't disagree more though, laughing at that scene simply seems infantile to me.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 13, 2018, 09:03:21 AM
I can't disagree more though, laughing at that scene simply seems infantile to me.
Not really, if you like it that's fine but if others find it stupid or laughable, that doesn't make them infantile. Covenant is just movie some like, some hate and some just meh about it.
No not really about it, I think it's infantile.
But we can agree to disagree on the effectiveness of the scene and what reaction it got from you.
I think the best Chestburster in the series is the one from Aliens, it still leaves me in shock every time.
And the one that almost emits a yawn from me is the multiple Resurrection ones, mainly due to their awful design- they just look extremely non threatening.
I think the Covenant Chestburster was too small but I can appreciate Ridley Scott's intent and the soundtrack if nothing else.
Quote from: The Old One on Jul 13, 2018, 09:20:48 AM
I think the best Chestburster in the series is the one from Aliens, it still leaves me in shock every time.
That's the scene that elicited 5 years of nightmares from me. So I can agree with that one. :laugh:
Just read issue 2 (and re-read issue 1) and things are going from bad to worse at the Trono Colony! Really looking forward to the next issue!
Liking where this comic is heading. One problem for me though. It's taking its time which I like, but the slower pace in a limited 4 issue series means we won't get much progression or substance. In other words, I like the slow pace and wish the comic would last longer than 4 issues.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jul 13, 2018, 06:26:05 PM
Liking where this comic is heading. One problem for me though. It's taking its time which I like, but the slower pace in a limited 4 issue series means we won't get much progression or substance. In other words, I like the slow pace and wish the comic would last longer than 4 issues.
I'm with you on this. I tend to find that 6 issues work better for a comic book story arc.
Clearly that's not always the rule. Just generally.
Can't deny that I was thinking the same thing about 4 issues being too short of a run. Seems like there's a lot left to cover in just two more issues. Hopefully Hardman pulls it off though.
Any ideas as to what year this story takes place?
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jul 16, 2018, 12:08:22 AM
Any ideas as to what year this story takes place?
It hasn't said, to my knowledge, but based on the design of the drop ship I'd say probably closer to A3 than Resurrection. I'd say 2220-something.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Jul 16, 2018, 12:12:29 AM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jul 16, 2018, 12:08:22 AM
Any ideas as to what year this story takes place?
It hasn't said, to my knowledge, but based on the design of the drop ship I'd say probably closer to A3 than Resurrection. I'd say 2220-something.
Ya that sounds about right. The current canon seems to be leaning towards an arms race between Seegson and Wey-Yu during this period so we could speculate that experimentation would be somewhat common. We could also speculate that Wey-Yu hid most of their research from the USM when the corporate crackdown occurred.
Another slip.
https://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3002-585/Aliens-Dust-to-Dust-3
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2Ffiles%2F1%2F0621%2F1321%2Fproducts%2F341381_-2_1024x1024.jpg%3Fv%3D1462056625&hash=ec8ec1ee539565631cd678ba94d58869fac4f256)
That seems to be a real problem with single creator series.
Yeah. They have a lot to do but I don't see why Dark Horse just don't wait until a couple of issues are in the bag before they even announce the release date.
Better off delayed rather than rushed.
God knows I wish Defiance had been delayed and had Tristan Jones do the art for the entire series.
It's not just a case of aesthetics either, I believe the criticized second half would have had a more potent mood and been stronger if it was accompanied by his artwork.
Ah come on
Quote from: The Old One on Aug 01, 2018, 10:58:00 AM
God knows I wish Defiance had been delayed and had Tristan Jones do the art for the entire series.
It's not just a case of aesthetics either, I believe the criticized second half would have had a more potent mood and been stronger if it was accompanied by his artwork.
I think Tristan was also contributing quite a lot to the story too so I've no doubt the second half would have been stronger in more than just art if he'd remained on.
Quote from: The Old One on Aug 01, 2018, 10:58:00 AM
Better off delayed rather than rushed.
Oh, definitely. I'd rather wait and get goodness from the end of it.
Issue 3 is now October and 4 is November
https://www.darkhorse.com/Search/Aliens
When was the last time Dark Horse released a series with every issue out on time? Lol.
Its getting me worried about Alien 3 now
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Aug 24, 2018, 09:20:06 AM
When was the last time Dark Horse released a series with every issue out on time? Lol.
Fire & Stone and Life & Death were pretty regular.
True.
Wasn't intended as criticism, just an observation. At the end of the day, I'd rather suffer a delay than get a sub-standard, unfinished product (not that I'm buying these comics, but you understand my drift).
It's a side effect of their strategy of doing single artist comics. One person can only crank things out so fast.
Holy crap! This could be the best looking Alien I've ever seen in a comic. Especially the stance, mouth, back, wish it had the smooth head but that's ok. I'm so impressed I'm going to order all the comics, variants and TPB for Dust to Dust. Hope the story is ok also.
(https://s15.postimg.cc/ldr339n4r/Screenshot_20180910-205921_AVP.jpg)
That's the Alien Isolation stance, with the proportions altered to make the best of those designs- that's why it looks, so, so, good.
I've no doubts about the artwork, I just hope it's got a story that compells me to turn the page as much as the artwork.
https://www.cbr.com/aliens-dust-to-dust-maxon-xenomorph-relationship/?utm_source=CBR-FB-P&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&fbclid=IwAR1MdjR2WBKXpv9F2LXIQnkounGwZ042p9l5ICheGQe_ljvf8Bebl67_FBg
It sounds to me like
Spoiler
we maybe seeing something to do with an Alien showing some sort of recognition (or more) to the family of its host.
Not sure how I feel about that.
Curious...
Spoiler
I believe it's a fantastic idea, if it's handled with a degree of ambiguity.
A human directly spares an Alien, an Alien indirectly spares a human.
Issue three is the best of this series so far.
I really like the very last panel of this book.
Spoiler
probably nothing but it has a very Gigeresque element to it
This issue poses an interesting question and is dealt with ambiguously. I like it and I'm pretty certain we haven't seen it before.
Spoiler
the DNA reflex having the Xeno Protect the boy due to the creature being spawned from his mother.
Art is fine. I don't get lost in the world like i did with Stokoe's Dead Orbit or Tristan's work on Defiance but it is more than serviceable.
This is a good, simple story that has added a small amount of seasoning now. Really looking forward to next issue.
Quote from: Russ840 on Oct 24, 2018, 06:24:55 AM
Issue three is the best of this series so far.
I really like the very last panel of this book. Spoiler
probably nothing but it has a very Gigeresque element to it
This issue poses an interesting question and is dealt with ambiguously. I like it and I'm pretty certain we haven't seen it before. Spoiler
the DNA reflex having the Xeno Protect the boy due to the creature being spawned from his mother.
Art is fine. I don't get lost in the world like i did with Stokoe's Dead Orbit or Tristan's work on Defiance but it is more than serviceable.
This is a good, simple story that has added a small amount of seasoning now. Really looking forward to next issue.
Agreed! The survival horror aspect is ramping up and I'm loving it. And as you said the new idea presented in this issue was very ambiguous and it may have just been a supposition by the character. Either way I'm intrigued and looking forward to the conclusion!
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Oct 19, 2018, 02:12:45 PM
https://www.cbr.com/aliens-dust-to-dust-maxon-xenomorph-relationship/?utm_source=CBR-FB-P&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&fbclid=IwAR1MdjR2WBKXpv9F2LXIQnkounGwZ042p9l5ICheGQe_ljvf8Bebl67_FBg
It sounds to me like Spoiler
we maybe seeing something to do with an Alien showing some sort of recognition (or more) to the family of its host.
Not sure how I feel about that.
Yeesh, not sure about that idea either. And if it's the case and flops, will probably just order the TPB...again..Can anyone just make normal Aliens comics already, just asking for something similar to Alien or Aliens movies without any weird ideas, there's already enough morphing, hosting, abducting weird ideas to work with.
Spoiler
Given the new idea suggested rather obvious that the one armed Alien will save the kid from the horde don't ya think?
I hope they don't go with that, that would be too much IMO.
Reverse/subvert the lineage implication.
Cool issue, some nice alien art.
Not liking the implied behavior of the creature, hope they put the breaks on that.
Quote from: Prez on Oct 26, 2018, 06:33:00 PM
Spoiler
Given the new idea suggested rather obvious that the one armed Alien will save the kid from the horde don't ya think?
Now that would be the final nail in the coffin for this series if that happened lol.
I'm certainly intrigued...
If they did go that route i think the best way to do it would be
Spoiler
She saves him from the Horde and leads him away.......to the Hive where he's face hugged
That came across my mind as well and I'd love to see that!
Yes.
It makes the most sense to me
Issue 4 has been pushed back 3 weeks to 12/12 *sighs*. On the bright side November releases still include the final issue of Hunters 2 and issue 1 of Gibson's A3.
Better off complete and delayed than released and sub-par.
4 issue in 9 months might be a record.
Pred vs. Dredd vs. Aliens stills takes the biscuit.
Fair call.
Assuming Dust to Dust 4 does in fact drop in December.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 05, 2018, 10:13:01 PM
Pred vs. Dredd vs. Aliens stills takes the biscuit.
I really thought that one wasn't going to finish.
Quote from: Ultramorph on Nov 06, 2018, 01:49:23 AM
Quote from: HuDaFuK on Nov 05, 2018, 10:13:01 PM
Pred vs. Dredd vs. Aliens stills takes the biscuit.
I really thought that one wasn't going to finish.
You're not the only one
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Nov 05, 2018, 02:36:12 PM
Issue 4 has been pushed back 3 weeks to 12/12 *sighs*. On the bright side November releases still include the final issue of Hunters 2 and issue 1 of Gibson's A3.
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn't Dead Orbit take 10 months.
8 (April to Dec 2017)
i just finally read the three issues so i'm ready for the next one- pretty basic story but it's interesting enough- artwork is hard to figure out what is exactly going on sometimes, but can't complain too much- wondering how the situation with the xenomorph from the kids mom will play out, as others have mentioned
The final issue, the moment of truth.
what are you expecting from it?
Quote from: toro on Nov 15, 2018, 01:39:23 AM
i just finally read the three issues so i'm ready for the next one- pretty basic story but it's interesting enough- artwork is hard to figure out what is exactly going on sometimes, but can't complain too much- wondering how the situation with the xenomorph from the kids mom will play out, as others have mentioned
I finally got around to reading #3 last night too. Re-read the entire run. It is a pretty basic story but I like them opening in the middle of the infestation and seeing different kinds of colony locale. The element of
Spoiler
the Xenomorph from Max's mum
is certainly going to be interesting to see pan out. I get what they're getting at with it. I don't think it's being done in any corny way so far. Hopefully it'll all work out.
who wants to put money ln it ending with
Spoiler
the kid trying to coexist on this planet with his xeno mom, with everyone else dead
To be honest I don't think it is actually
Spoiler
left over maternal intincts or some trace of Max' s mother in the xenomorph, it hasn't happened before to my knowledge, at least at the top of my head anyway.
I think Max is infected with a queen embryo.
Firstly, if one facehugger could get into the house to implant his mother, there is no reason another one didn't get in., secondly when they encounter a xenomorph while on the run, it doesn't attack them, as in both of them, yes it would make sense for it to spare the mother, but there is no reason to spare the child unless he too was infected. Then you got the whole Xenomorph protecting him from percieved threats similar to Alien 3. Admiittedly this is just a theory and nothing is going to be known until the last issue but it would be silly if the whole thing is because the xenomorph has his mothers maternal instincts.
Never thought of that, that would be genius! It would explain everything and be a perfect way to round things up.
I would hope they would do something along those lines.
Spoiler
The host should have no effect on the Alien in capacity for... conscience, remorse or delusions of morality.
Agreed though humorously enough, if it was the case then it would prove those deranged cultists right :laugh:
i think cruentus nailed it.
we shall find out soon enough
Issue 4 pushed back to Jan 9th. My lack of patience can't handle these delays!
Yeah but Resistance #1 drops in Jan too.
Y'all in for a treat ;)
And Hunters #4 IIRC. Going to be a good day.
Trade has been pushed back to April 24th too.
Dark Horse Why Hast Thou Forsaken Thee?
'Why have you forsaken you'?
Quote from: Ultramorph on Dec 04, 2018, 11:01:32 PM
And Hunters #4 IIRC. Going to be a good day.
Ya Hunters #4, Dust to Dust #4 and Gibson's A3 #3 all release on the 9th so it will indeed be a good day. Then Resistance on the 23rd. January is gonna be a good month! Has anyone seen or heard any pre-order info for the Isolation novelization? Thought that was releasing in January also but I've seen nothing for it.
https://bigcomicpage.com/2019/01/04/review-aliens-dust-to-dust-4-dark-horse/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Positive review for 4. Spoilers.
Spoiler
QuoteFor my money, it's an entirely unnecessary piece of exposition, especially when it boils down to the same old "Weyland-Yutani are greedy and bad" shtick we've read a dozen times before.
Forsooth!
Forsooth!
Spoiler
Seems most of it is good though.
No confirmation or denial of
what the "maternal" nature of the Alien
results in, though. Still nervous about it.
Ok, i enjoyed issue 4 but there is a bit near the end where just let out a sigh and rolled my eyes.
Art is great in this issue.
Spoiler
there is a queen near the end and she looks great.
Tell me, what made you roll your eyes?
Spoiler
the alien that came from the boys mother saves him from the Queen.
Quote from: Russ840 on Jan 09, 2019, 09:18:28 AM
Spoiler
the alien that came from the boys mother saves him from the Queen.
Oh f**k off.
Well, not buying this.
That's that.
Because that's STUPID.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 09, 2019, 10:44:32 AM
Quote from: Russ840 on Jan 09, 2019, 09:18:28 AM
Spoiler
the alien that came from the boys mother saves him from the Queen.
Oh f**k off.
Well, not buying this.
That's that.
Because that's STUPID.
Saw it coming, but hoped it would not turn out this way.
It is stupid.
Other than that, I really liked the issue. We get answer as to how the outbreak happened.
I'm sorry because I think the art's fantastic.
But I don't have the money to spend on something,
that I feel so fundamentally contradicts the nature of the title character.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 09, 2019, 11:16:55 AM
I'm sorry because I think the art's fantastic.
But I don't have the money to spend on something,
that I feel so fundamentally contradicts the nature of the title character.
It's a 40-year-old franchise and they need to explore new tales and situations. See it as an anomaly, a rare unexplained alien disorder.
My question is how the
Spoiler
One-armed alien suddenly regrew its arm before pouncing on the boy only to lose it again afterwards...Maybe it was a different alien but that didn't read very well
The same thing happens in dead orbit by the end...
Spoiler
Regeneration. Alien: Covenant Commentary.
;D
My problem is that this contradicts Ash's statement about the alien.
Spoiler
And we have no precedent for something like this. Alien love is not adding to the behavior, it's contradicting it. It basically comes down to: The kid was saved from an alien, by another alien who overcame its instincts with the power of love!
Without delusions of morality, ring any bells? This is close to The Predator level of out of place ideas....
Wasn't a fan of the art, so I was in it for the story, too bad the thing happened we all saw the moment it was hinted at. Predictable twist at that end, and not the good kind.
Agreed.
I like the art, the story, Maxon and the synthetic in this issue was a good touch. But that twist ending? eugh.
A waste.
Just finished issue 4 and although I liked the overall approach and atmosphere of the story the ending felt somewhat rushed. I think a 5 issue run would've helped with that (but in general I always feel that 4 is too short).
Spoiler
I read all 4 issues in one go and actually realized that the assistant was a synthetic at the end of issue 3 and I didn't catch it the first time I read it (it's then made apparent in issue 4). As for the alien birthed from the boys' mother... not a fan but I'm going to hypothesize that this is a 1 in a trillion genetic defect that can occur in conjunction with the dna reflex.
Spoiler
Most of us saw the `twist' a mile off. I didn't mind it too much but felt the ending was a bit rushed... also seems a few too many panels devoted to that ending after they get away.
Spoiler
And here I thought it was only protecting Maxon because he may have been infected as well, that would have been better than what I have been reading from others. Sucks that we got another bad idea. Well I will still get the forth issue because I got the other three but my expectations are really low now...why do folks involved in the franchise keep putting their stupid ideas in it?
So what is your guy's rating on this series? Do I order the 4 comics or wait for my pre ordered TPB.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jan 09, 2019, 05:52:51 PM
My problem is that this contradicts Ash's statement about the alien.
Spoiler
And we have no precedent for something like this. Alien love is not adding to the behavior, it's contradicting it. It basically comes down to: The kid was saved from an alien, by another alien who overcame its instincts with the power of love!
Without delusions of morality, ring any bells? This is close to The Predator level of out of place ideas....
Wasn't a fan of the art, so I was in it for the story, too bad the thing happened we all saw the moment it was hinted at. Predictable twist at that end, and not the good kind.
Its Genetic memory baby resurrection is still canon ;D. Or the soul of the mother corrupted the aliens perogatives? A little too supernatural for alien i think
I dont hate this as much as I should honestly
No energy for it myself. :D
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jan 09, 2019, 11:54:48 PM
Spoiler
I read all 4 issues in one go and actually realized that the assistant was a synthetic at the end of issue 3 and I didn't catch it the first time I read it (it's then made apparent in issue 4). As for the alien birthed from the boys' mother... not a fan but I'm going to hypothesize that this is a 1 in a trillion genetic defect that can occur in conjunction with the dna reflex.
What cottoned you on to that? I didn't pick up on anything.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole
Spoiler
mother traits thing. I mean, it's not like that concept hasn't been around for ages. That kind of thing was floated around regarding the Alien "rape" of Lambert and putting it down to Kane having an attraction to Lambert so it's not like it's completely unknown but I don't know how I feel about it.
I kind of liked it better when it was a little bit more uncertain and I think we'd have been able to get away with most of what had been shown if it wasn't for Mom jumping on the Queen at the end. It felt a little unnecessary IMHO.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 10, 2019, 12:21:35 PM
Spoiler
And here I thought it was only protecting Maxon because he may have been infected as well, that would have been better than what I have been reading from others.
I think that would have been a better take on it, personally.
I do love Hardman's artwork in this, though. It's a really visually great series.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 11, 2019, 08:01:23 AM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jan 09, 2019, 11:54:48 PM
Spoiler
I read all 4 issues in one go and actually realized that the assistant was a synthetic at the end of issue 3 and I didn't catch it the first time I read it (it's then made apparent in issue 4). As for the alien birthed from the boys' mother... not a fan but I'm going to hypothesize that this is a 1 in a trillion genetic defect that can occur in conjunction with the dna reflex.
What cottoned you on to that? I didn't pick up on anything.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole
Spoiler
mother traits thing. I mean, it's not like that concept hasn't been around for ages. That kind of thing was floated around regarding the Alien "rape" of Lambert and putting it down to Kane having an attraction to Lambert so it's not like it's completely unknown but I don't know how I feel about it.
I kind of liked it better when it was a little bit more uncertain and I think we'd have been able to get away with most of what had been shown if it wasn't for Mom jumping on the Queen at the end. It felt a little unnecessary IMHO.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 10, 2019, 12:21:35 PM
Spoiler
And here I thought it was only protecting Maxon because he may have been infected as well, that would have been better than what I have been reading from others.
I think that would have been a better take on it, personally.
I do love Hardman's artwork in this, though. It's a really visually great series.
Spoiler
the captain tries to hand him the gun on the bridge before she's pulled into the alien horde and the administrator says he can't use it (first clue). He then gets dragged into the river and the art shows white around him which I initially thought was white foam from a rushing river but on this last read through I was pretty sure it was android milk blood. Then issue 4 confirmed it.
Ah, yes. I'd forgot about that moment. Hadn't really thought anything of it.
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jan 11, 2019, 12:33:31 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 11, 2019, 08:01:23 AM
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jan 09, 2019, 11:54:48 PM
Spoiler
I read all 4 issues in one go and actually realized that the assistant was a synthetic at the end of issue 3 and I didn't catch it the first time I read it (it's then made apparent in issue 4). As for the alien birthed from the boys' mother... not a fan but I'm going to hypothesize that this is a 1 in a trillion genetic defect that can occur in conjunction with the dna reflex.
What cottoned you on to that? I didn't pick up on anything.
I'm not sure how I feel about the whole
Spoiler
mother traits thing. I mean, it's not like that concept hasn't been around for ages. That kind of thing was floated around regarding the Alien "rape" of Lambert and putting it down to Kane having an attraction to Lambert so it's not like it's completely unknown but I don't know how I feel about it.
I kind of liked it better when it was a little bit more uncertain and I think we'd have been able to get away with most of what had been shown if it wasn't for Mom jumping on the Queen at the end. It felt a little unnecessary IMHO.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 10, 2019, 12:21:35 PM
Spoiler
And here I thought it was only protecting Maxon because he may have been infected as well, that would have been better than what I have been reading from others.
I think that would have been a better take on it, personally.
I do love Hardman's artwork in this, though. It's a really visually great series.
Spoiler
the captain tries to hand him the gun on the bridge before she's pulled into the alien horde and the administrator says he can't use it (first clue). He then gets dragged into the river and the art shows white around him which I initially thought was white foam from a rushing river but on this last read through I was pretty sure it was android milk blood. Then issue 4 confirmed it.
Spoiler
I don't think it was a surprise he was synthetic, I clocked on early on in the story but I suppose it might have been subtle enough to go unnoticed if they focused on other aspects of the story.
I liked the series for the most part.
The mother & son connection just really hurts the overall story. I can forgive it becuase its a comic and the rest of the story and the art are pretty darn good.
It was a missed opporunity though imo.
Disappointed. :(
We're chatting to Gabriel next week. As always, wanted to give you all the chance to get any questions in. Any I haven't already got down that I think sound interesting I'll make sure to ask!
I think there will be a question most of us will be asking:
Spoiler
Why make the xenomorph have Anne's maternal instincts when no alien prior has ever had emotion traits from their host? (unless I am missing something.)
I felt this final issue really let the story down. While it did have some great moments, its like a few elements were just there.
I don't want to put the guy on the spot.
But if I saw the dude in person I'd have to ask,
was the instinct thing another stupid idea-
from FOX like, Ripley in Oots, Empaths,
other powerful alive E.T races,
Ripley descendants, River Of Pain,
or the Alien detecting people's blood.
Because the "reveal" feels rather contextually
removed from the rest of the excellent comic,
and I wholeheartedly believe it's a massive
mistake that recontextualises the rest of the
story in a bad light. The Alien should be
without remorse or delusions of morality.
Rest assured I will ask about the inherited mother thing.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 17, 2019, 03:00:24 PM
was the instinct thing another stupid idea-
from FOX like [...] Empaths
or the Alien detecting people's blood.
Were those two confirmed as being FOX mandates?
Empaths I'm not sure, but it's dumb
and out of left field so I imagine so,
but then again Tim Lebbon did put
scuba gear on the Xenomorphs.
As for the blood, I think so- as if
I recall correctly, that's how
the book establishes
yet another stupid detail-
that he's a Ripley descendant.
And they hate him because
they can smell his blood.
I thought putting breathing apparatus on them was actually a good idea, since I have always disliked the idea that they can survive in space unaided, because that is just as dumb as empaths and other supernatural crap.
No, it's a terrible idea.
It's a visual franchise
and a ridiculous visual.
Alien 1979 already showed
Kane's Son surviving in the
endless vacuum of space,
Isolation & Covenant too.
They can survive in space,
it's an established fact of
the franchise at this point.
Yet another reason they can't
possibly be a natural creature.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
Yet another reason they can't
possibly be a natural creature.
Yup :P
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 16, 2019, 10:52:59 PM
We're chatting to Gabriel next week. As always, wanted to give you all the chance to get any questions in. Any I haven't already got down that I think sound interesting I'll make sure to ask!
I'd be interested in knowing what his favorite Aliens comics are. But more specifically I'd like to know which stories he thinks are the best from a written perspective and which are the best from an artistic perspective, considering he handled both duties for "Dust to Dust".
Which Alien design is his favourite and why?
Any love for the maligned franchise entries?
(Prequels, Resurrection, AVP, AVPR)
Skull or no Skull?
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 07:25:50 PM
Skull or no Skull?
That is a default question for me now. Never fear with this one!
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Jan 18, 2019, 05:59:35 PM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 16, 2019, 10:52:59 PM
We're chatting to Gabriel next week. As always, wanted to give you all the chance to get any questions in. Any I haven't already got down that I think sound interesting I'll make sure to ask!
I'd be interested in knowing what his favorite Aliens comics are. But more specifically I'd like to know which stories he thinks are the best from a written perspective and which are the best from an artistic perspective, considering he handled both duties for "Dust to Dust".
That's a good one. I'll tag that on if he says he did read the others.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
No, it's a terrible idea.
It's a visual franchise
and a ridiculous visual.
Alien 1979 already showed
Kane's Son surviving in the
endless vacuum of space,
Isolation & Covenant too.
They can survive in space,
it's an established fact of
the franchise at this point.
Yet another reason they can't
possibly be a natural creature.
Agreed as well. The scuba gear was silly. And it irked me that they made such a big deal of the aliens exploding because of explosives they had on them when don't aliens do that regularly when shot and sliced? But still, besides these little gripes, I really love Rage War.
If I'm not mistaken, the way Hollywood shows people exploding in space is very unrealistic. You die a slow agonizing death in space, as I believe Neil deGrasse Tyson explained. So the alien with it's armor/thick skin can be just fine, at least for a little while IMO.
Don't have a question and I've already expressed my dislike of the mommy alien. But I do want to praise the the use of WY in the comic. I thought the idea behind the reasoning is sound as in "we've seen stuff like this happen before in our world..." and very logical from an economic point of view.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
Alien 1979 already showed
Kane's Son surviving in the
endless vacuum of space,
Isolation & Covenant too.
They can survive in space,
it's an established fact of
the franchise at this point.
While I'd be hesitant to cite 'Alien' as proof of the Alien's ability to survive in space, it was a well-established fact back in the old EU.
QuoteAnd it irked me that they made such a big deal of the aliens exploding because of explosives they had on them when don't aliens do that regularly when shot and sliced?
No.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
No, it's a terrible idea.
It's a visual franchise
and a ridiculous visual.
Alien 1979 already showed
Kane's Son surviving in the
endless vacuum of space,
Isolation & Covenant too.
They can survive in space,
it's an established fact of
the franchise at this point.
Yet another reason they can't
possibly be a natural creature.
Actuallly it didn't. humans can survive in space for about a minute or so, Big chap was only exposed for a short time and so was the P4 Alien. It is utterly nonsense that they can survive in space, but unfortunately some sources choose to show that they can ,such as A:CM and even Isolation. While it might look ridiculous and be ridiculous having an alien with a breathing apparatus on, its is logical and make sense. These are supposed to be living organisms, not supernatural.
But I still willing to bet they cannot survive indefinitely in space, unlike Acheron before it was terraformed, where there is some form of atmosphere to filter, space has nothing at all. This is where I personally feel the media *comics and games) fails the creatures, because of it is hard to take seriously when it is walking about in space like a supernatural creature instead of a science fiction one.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 19, 2019, 12:09:09 PM
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 18, 2019, 03:55:48 PM
No, it's a terrible idea.
It's a visual franchise
and a ridiculous visual.
Alien 1979 already showed
Kane's Son surviving in the
endless vacuum of space,
Isolation & Covenant too.
They can survive in space,
it's an established fact of
the franchise at this point.
Yet another reason they can't
possibly be a natural creature.
Actuallly it didn't. humans can survive in space for about a minute or so, Big chap was only exposed for a short time and so was the P4 Alien. It is utterly nonsense that they can survive in space, but unfortunately some sources choose to show that they can ,such as A:CM and even Isolation. While it might look ridiculous and be ridiculous having an alien with a breathing apparatus on, its is logical and make sense. These are supposed to be living organisms, not supernatural.
But I still willing to bet they cannot survive indefinitely in space, unlike Acheron before it was terraformed, where there is some form of atmosphere to filter, space has nothing at all. This is where I personally feel the media *comics and games) fails the creatures, because of it is hard to take seriously when it is walking about in space like a supernatural creature instead of a science fiction one.
Granted we don't actually get to see them survive for longer periods in space, and having them survive indefinitely in space is a bit much, but they are biomechanical organisms. Still living organisms and not supernatural sure, but it would make sense that they don't share the same weaknesses and limitations that purly organical life has.
Isn't there even some microscopic organic life here on earth that can survive quite long in the vacuum of space? I remember reading about it somewhere.
Also surviving under any environmental conditions is one of the creatures trademarks.I don't think it is that far into the realm of the impossible to assume it can survive for some time in space.
Surviving longer than human, sure that is fine, indefinitely? That is over the top in my opinion.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 19, 2019, 12:37:49 PM
Surviving longer than human, sure that is fine, indefinitely? That is over the top in my opinion.
Change that to significantly longer than humans and we agree ;)
I would think a biomechanical organism would be akin to an extremophile to some extent, so they probably can withstand the void of space for a considerable amount of time but would eventually freeze at some point.
The microscopic tardigrade-
has been evaluated to have
The ability survive in the
vaccum of space for
at least ten days.
So there's no reason,
the Alien couldn't.
Do we even know if they breath in the traditional sense?
*Sits back and waits for this ancient argument to begin again* ;D
Nah i don't think they breath.
It would severely limit their ability to survive in different environments and it would be a pretty big weakness.
They are also biomechanical creatures. Breathing just does not feel right for them.
Quote from: SM on Jan 19, 2019, 08:13:44 AM
QuoteAnd it irked me that they made such a big deal of the aliens exploding because of explosives they had on them when don't aliens do that regularly when shot and sliced?
No.
Maybe they don't explode Hollywood/A:CM boiler style but they clearly have either a high blood pressure or the weapons that kill them spread the blood everywhere. Maybe explode was a bit too much, but they do squirt a lot. :laugh: Smartgun, the pulse rifle makes a good splash, Rez when the alien was shot on the ladder had its head explode, in A3 after the molten lead and cold water crack its head: boom.
I'm just saying the suicide xeno vests/collars were a bit redundant and goofy. A bit.
It's also funny how the androids were leading the aliens which fits well with Covenant now. ;D
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 19, 2019, 12:09:09 PM
It is utterly nonsense that they can survive in space,
Why?
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 19, 2019, 12:09:09 PMThese are supposed to be living organisms, not supernatural.
They're also impossible creatures capable of impossible things, I'm pretty okay with them not needing a space suit.
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jan 19, 2019, 04:30:59 PM
Quote from: SM on Jan 19, 2019, 08:13:44 AM
QuoteAnd it irked me that they made such a big deal of the aliens exploding because of explosives they had on them when don't aliens do that regularly when shot and sliced?
No.
Maybe they don't explode Hollywood/A:CM boiler style but they clearly have either a high blood pressure or the weapons that kill them spread the blood everywhere. Maybe explode was a bit too much, but they do squirt a lot. :laugh: Smartgun, the pulse rifle makes a good splash, Rez when the alien was shot on the ladder had its head explode, in A3 after the molten lead and cold water crack its head: boom.
It's the one I bolded. The pulse rifle and smartgun fire explosive-tipped ammunition, I can't really speak to the one in Resurrection because who knows what kind of rounds Johner's pistols were firing, and the one in A3 exploding is due to the extreme temperature change - similar things happen with terrestrial objects.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 19, 2019, 02:20:14 PM
The microscopic tardigrade- has been evaluated to have the ability survive in the vaccum of space for at least ten days.
So there's no reason, the Alien couldn't.
That's a very poor argument. "Microscopic" is the key word there. Microscopic life is capable of many things macroscopic life isn't -- and vice versa.
The Queen, however, is a good enough argument that they can survive much, much longer than a human exposed to a vacuum. Whether they can survive "indefinitely" is another story. They clearly breathe. But she lasted the better part of an hour with no ill effect, so clearly it doesn't bother them as much.
Actually, as far as I've read-
A tardigrades survivability
has nothing much to do
with their size, amazing
creatures. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
Let us not forget also, we're
discussing a creature with
quite a few characteristics
uncommonly found/found
in cohesion in macroscopic life.
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 19, 2019, 11:47:03 PM
Quote from: Still Collating... on Jan 19, 2019, 04:30:59 PM
Quote from: SM on Jan 19, 2019, 08:13:44 AM
QuoteAnd it irked me that they made such a big deal of the aliens exploding because of explosives they had on them when don't aliens do that regularly when shot and sliced?
No.
Maybe they don't explode Hollywood/A:CM boiler style but they clearly have either a high blood pressure or the weapons that kill them spread the blood everywhere. Maybe explode was a bit too much, but they do squirt a lot. :laugh: Smartgun, the pulse rifle makes a good splash, Rez when the alien was shot on the ladder had its head explode, in A3 after the molten lead and cold water crack its head: boom.
It's the one I bolded. The pulse rifle and smartgun fire explosive-tipped ammunition, I can't really speak to the one in Resurrection because who knows what kind of rounds Johner's pistols were firing, and the one in A3 exploding is due to the extreme temperature change - similar things happen with terrestrial objects.
At least the facehugger seemed to have a highly pressurized bloodstream when they attempted to cut him down from Kane's face.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 19, 2019, 02:58:47 PM
Nah i don't think they breath.
It would severely limit their ability to survive in different environments and it would be a pretty big weakness.
They are also biomechanical creatures. Breathing just does not feel right for them.
They do breathe, they would not be able to make hissing noises otherwise, and their breath can clearly be seen coming out of some of them in of the films.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:26:02 AM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 19, 2019, 02:58:47 PM
Nah i don't think they breath.
It would severely limit their ability to survive in different environments and it would be a pretty big weakness.
They are also biomechanical creatures. Breathing just does not feel right for them.
They do breathe, they would not be able to make hissing noises otherwise, and their breath can clearly be seen coming out of some of them in of the films.
A steam boiler or steam engine hisses and you can see steam come out of them, does not mean they breath. Considering the biomechanical nature of the things, hissing and "breath" coming out of them, could be something entirely different than the organic equivalent.
They snarl, roar and hiss. That requires the ability to breath.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:34:39 AM
They snarl, roar and hiss. That requires the ability to breath.
Technically only the ability to push out air.
Which would require air to have been inhaled in the first place for it to be breathed out.
Or it air or some equivalent gets produced by whatever functions that keep them going.
Also if i recall correctly the only undoubtedly breathing aliens are the hybrids in Resurrection. Maybe those do breath as a byproduct of the human DNA in them.
The Queen is clearly heard breathing in aliens.
Quote from: The Old One on Jan 20, 2019, 04:13:24 AM
Actually, as far as I've read-
A tardigrades survivability
has nothing much to do
with their size, amazing
creatures. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
They are amazing creatures, but if you read about how they survive in space it doesn't say "indefinitely", and it points out they're not extremophiles because they can't
thrive in those conditions, only endure. They tested tardigrades who were already in "survival mode", and those in a normal condition -- only 68% of the "survival mode" tardigrades could be revived, and subsequent mortality rates were high. The regular group fared worse.
So they can
endure it, but they'll still die in space faster than in ideal conditions.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:47:54 AM
The Queen is clearly heard breathing in aliens.
And all the Aliens in
Resurrection are breathing. I know the argument would be that "it's the genetic crossing", but since the regular
Aliens Queen was also breathing, it's clearly not a contamination.
Also the original Alien yawns, which is a product of a respiratory system.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:47:54 AM
The Queen is clearly heard breathing in aliens.
Shit, you got me there. Totally forgot about that.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 09:46:53 AM
Or it air or some equivalent gets produced by whatever functions that keep them going.
Also if i recall correctly the only undoubtedly breathing aliens are the hybrids in Resurrection. Maybe those do breath as a byproduct of the human DNA in them.
Alternately, the inhaling/exhaling isn't necessarily related to vital respiratory functions, but is instead part of an echolocation system that contributes to the Alien's already impressive sensory abilities.
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 09:39:06 AM
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:34:39 AM
They snarl, roar and hiss. That requires the ability to breath.
Technically only the ability to push out air.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 20, 2019, 09:40:36 AM
Which would require air to have been inhaled in the first place for it to be breathed out.
What do you guys mean by "breathe?" Do you mean
respiration? i.e. the absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream so that it can oxidize glucose into energy for cellular processes (and expel carbon dioxide waste).
If the alien is a biomechanical being (although less and less so after Alien '79), or some kind of artificial creation, then I don't see why it's creators couldn't have used some kind of alien tech to "power" the xeno's cellular function. (Although surely Ash would have noted it during his examination of the face-hugger - but then again, maybe he did note it but was keeping a lot of secrets to himself.)
So if the xeno's suck air in and out (which they clearly do), not for respiration purposes, then for what?
I've always thought of the creatures as gene samplers. They prefer to prey on hosts that will boost their own evolution as predators. So maybe they suck in air to sample any DNA in the vicinity. Interestingly, humans do just this. In experiments where males and females are given sweaty tee shirts recently worn by the opposite sex and asked to rate the odours by "sexiness," the test subjects will prefer the sweat indicative of a different immunology than their own. This makes for a better mating prospect because any offspring will benefit from a more diversely reactive immune system (and therefore more able to combat a wider range of foreign micro-pathogens).
TC
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason
to assume they don't breathe,
or that it's some kind of weakness.
Evidence pretty clearly points
to the fact they breathe.
But also that they are super good
at holding their breath.
^
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.
Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.
Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.
Like I said a few posts up, I think it could be part of their sensory system, not necessarily a vital life support system. Echolocation, smell, etc.
Echolocation and especially smell is a very good explanation for the inhaling and exhaling of gases IMO.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
That's like complaining their skin isn't bullet proof, though. If they can hold their breath for a long time then they could have a good chance of escaping poisons and gas. Again, the Queen lasted a good while in space.
And for a species that's parasitic, being able to survive places potential hosts can't really isn't
that advantageous.
Am I the only one who thinks Gabriel would have done Earth War/Female War justice? There's something about his art in Dust to Dust that makes me imagine that series if it was actually good.
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 20, 2019, 03:34:48 PM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.
Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.
Like I said a few posts up, I think it could be part of their sensory system, not necessarily a vital life support system. Echolocation, smell, etc.
Oh sorry, totally missed that. Agreed.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 10:13:15 PM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
That's like complaining their skin isn't bullet proof, though. If they can hold their breath for a long time then they could have a good chance of escaping poisons and gas. Again, the Queen lasted a good while in space.
And for a species that's parasitic, being able to survive places potential hosts can't really isn't that advantageous.
I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.
Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 21, 2019, 08:49:15 AM
Am I the only one who thinks Gabriel would have done Earth War/Female War justice? There's something about his art in Dust to Dust that makes me imagine that series if it was actually good.
For sure, his art would be a nice match.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 21, 2019, 12:50:39 PM
I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.
Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.
Right, but again, if you tried to gas the colony, the Aliens could just ... leave. Because they can clearly hold their breath a long time.
Also, you're forgetting that gassing an Alien was tried -- successfully -- in the very first movie. Ripley uses insecticide to drive the Alien out of its hole in the Narcissus wall, and it's clearly bothered by it. Not killed, but bothered at least. Meanwhile, the marines don't bother using nerve gas because they're not sure it would even affect them -- sure, they might breathe it in, but that doesn't mean the chemicals will react the same way with the Alien nervous system.
So, again -- breathing really isn't the Achile's heel people think it is.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 21, 2019, 01:00:33 PM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 21, 2019, 12:50:39 PM
I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.
Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.
Right, but again, if you tried to gas the colony, the Aliens could just ... leave. Because they can clearly hold their breath a long time.
Also, you're forgetting that gassing an Alien was tried -- successfully -- in the very first movie. Ripley uses insecticide to drive the Alien out of its hole in the Narcissus wall, and it's clearly bothered by it. Not killed, but bothered at least.
Well true, depends on the actual situation. But still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.
Wasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.
QuoteBut still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.
"Nuking the site from orbit" isn't? ???
QuoteWasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.
It's a small detail, but you can actually read the chemical compound on the button she presses. When you look it up, you see it's commonly used as an insecticide. She's basically spraying all of the decontamination chemicals onto the Alien and seeing which one works.
I imagine it was a gag by the prop designers but hey, it's in the film.
Wasn't it a mold that crippled a hive in Labyrinth?
Sure was.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 21, 2019, 01:10:40 PM
QuoteBut still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.
"Nuking the site from orbit" isn't? ???
Not quite. If you nuke the whole thing, you lose as much, your colony is gone. If you gas the place, you clean up and all is good. Also you could pump gas in hives or space stations or wherever to support troops in hazmat suits, could use it to make alien breakouts in labs practically impossible etc.
Chemical weapons have a much broader applicability than just blowing the place up.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 21, 2019, 01:10:40 PM
QuoteWasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 21, 2019, 01:10:40 PM
It's a small detail, but you can actually read the chemical compound on the button she presses. When you look it up, you see it's commonly used as an insecticide. She's basically spraying all of the decontamination chemicals onto the Alien and seeing which one works.
I imagine it was a gag by the prop designers but hey, it's in the film.
Good eye, well than we have precedent that whatever it was exactly was at least pretty unpleasant for it.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 21, 2019, 01:22:46 PM
Not quite. If you nuke the whole thing, you lose as much, your colony is gone. If you gas the place, you clean up and all is good. Also you could pump gas in hives or space stations or wherever to support troops in hazmat suits, could use it to make alien breakouts in labs practically impossible etc.
Chemical weapons have a much broader applicability than just blowing the place up.
But again, if you try to gas them, they just leave. They can't outrun a nuke.
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.
Kurgan, the aliens are not meant to be invincible supernatural monsters, they have weaknesses and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They fear fire, they can be killed with any sharp objects as well blunt so long as there is enough force behind it,. They are still stronger and faster than humans and more dangerous than most animals on earth, if not all because their acid is great deterrant against piercing their bodies. A few weaknesses doesn't stop them from being one of the greatest threats about nor any less bad*ss.
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 21, 2019, 01:57:01 PM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 20, 2019, 02:10:23 PM
Quote from: SiL on Jan 20, 2019, 11:03:50 AM
There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.
It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...
I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.
Kurgan, the aliens are not meant to be invincible supernatural monsters, they have weaknesses and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They fear fire, they can be killed with any sharp objects as well blunt so long as there is enough force behind it,. They are still stronger and faster than humans and more dangerous than most animals on earth, if not all because their acid is great deterrant against piercing their bodies. A few weaknesses doesn't stop them from being one of the greatest threats about nor any less bad*ss.
Sure, nothing wrong with that.
But there are risks and a drawbacks to all of that. Sure you can blow up the colony or space station or the lab, but you lose the whole thing if you do that. Sure you can send troops to fight them off, but you lose lives and equipment in the progress.
If you could just pump some gas through a space station, colony, lab or hive, you kill them off with no drawbacks and risks at all. I don't think the aliens should be invulnerable, not at all. But having them be affected easily by chemical weapons neuters them way to much IMO.
How so? Gas and chemicals kill a lot of things, doesn't mean what they kill is not dangerous nor does it make them "neutered".
Human's advantage over Aliens is their intelligence and strategy, I see no issue in humans finding more effective ways to kill aliens without collateral damage. I agree there should always be a threat and the danger should never go away but colonial marine and pulse rifles is just going to get old and its not long term effectiveness.
How not so?
As soon as you can easily kill something without collateral damage or drawbacks it becomes more of an inconvenience than a real threat.
Only if you have aliens keep encountering that group. And even then there is ways around it, either the alien adapts and learns to avoid it or becomes resistent to it, or maybe have someone with a keen interest in the aliens sabotage those who would effectively destroy them.
Also you could just have average joes encounter the alien just like the first film. There would be no defence against the creature then.
I've always thought the greatest
threat of the Alien is one that has
not been exploited to it's fullest
on film and that's how quickly they
change, even Ridley Scott had it in
mind for the first film. Describing
the Alien as a parasite jumping
from one creature to the next as
parasites do and changing in the
process. What if it's like the Borg
but the adaptive capability is
more of a gradual process?
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 21, 2019, 03:04:17 PM
How not so?
As soon as you can easily kill something without collateral damage or drawbacks it becomes more of an inconvenience than a real threat.
But in the movies people are willing to blow up the colonies and ships anyway. The real damage is the loss of life, not property.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 21, 2019, 01:10:40 PM
QuoteBut still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.
"Nuking the site from orbit" isn't? ???
QuoteWasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.
It's a small detail, but you can actually read the chemical compound on the button she presses. When you look it up, you see it's commonly used as an insecticide. She's basically spraying all of the decontamination chemicals onto the Alien and seeing which one works.
I imagine it was a gag by the prop designers but hey, it's in the film.
Huh, you learn something new every day. :)
That said, it could still be the temperature or pressure of whatever she was spraying out and not necessarily the chemical itself that drove out the Alien.
It doesn't shoot out much harder than the others and you'd need to prove it's spraying hot pesticide (or cold?) for some reason -- but that's starting to feel more like sticking fingers in ears saying "Nya nya nya can't hear you they aren't bothered by toxic gases" than an actual argument :-\
In the AVP Canon, AVP 2010 depicts
they can at least be knocked out by something.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 22, 2019, 04:07:20 AM
It doesn't shoot out much harder than the others and you'd need to prove it's spraying hot pesticide (or cold?) for some reason -- but that's starting to feel more like sticking fingers in ears saying "Nya nya nya can't hear you they aren't bothered by toxic gases" than an actual argument :-\
Fair point I suppose, just trying to acknowledge other potential explanations. Correlation does not equal causation, after all.
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 22, 2019, 10:36:58 AM
Fair point I suppose, just trying to acknowledge other potential explanations.
Those would only be potential explanations if there was any suggestion those factors were in play. There isn't. She hits it with several chemicals, nothing; bug spray, it freaks out. No sign it's painfully high pressure, no indication it's an extreme temperature.
QuoteCorrelation does not equal causation, after all.
That's a perfectly true statement, but it's not really relevant here. There's pretty clear cause and effect. It's like watching someone get splashed with water and saying "but maybe their shirt is wet because it was a hot day and they were sweaty" :P
EDIT
Actually, I was wrong. I can't find where it's used as a pesticide.
The chemical she sprays that gets the reaction is Nitrosyl Chloride. It's a nasty f**kin' chemical. It's also supposed to be yellow.
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/nitrosyl_chloride#section=Hazards-Identification
QuoteGas is highly toxic. Inhalation causes severe irritation of respiratory tract and damage to mucous membranes. Delayed effects, which include severe pulmonary edema, may not be apparent for several hours. (USCG, 1999)
from CAMEO Chemicals
Corrosive, Reactive - 1st degree
Quote from: The Cruentus on Jan 21, 2019, 03:18:30 PM
Only if you have aliens keep encountering that group. And even then there is ways around it, either the alien adapts and learns to avoid it or becomes resistent to it, or maybe have someone with a keen interest in the aliens sabotage those who would effectively destroy them.
Also you could just have average joes encounter the alien just like the first film. There would be no defence against the creature then.
All true. I just prefer my aliens to be more of a bigger scale threat than only a threat to unprepared average joes. All personal preference of course.
I like the adaption angle though. That would be a good solution for me :)
Quote from: SiL on Jan 22, 2019, 12:16:16 AM
Quote from: The Kurgan on Jan 21, 2019, 03:04:17 PM
How not so?
As soon as you can easily kill something without collateral damage or drawbacks it becomes more of an inconvenience than a real threat.
But in the movies people are willing to blow up the colonies and ships anyway. The real damage is the loss of life, not property.
Hicks was, but guys like him don't usually call the shots. And if you nuke a colony, its much more than mere property damage. You destroy something that took decades to build and establish.
I prefer the aliens to be like a particular resistent infection. If it took hold, there is no other way to cut off the entire affected limb to assure survival.
Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration to what an organism like the aliens could do "realistically" speaking, but i very much would prefer it that way.
Hicks, Ripley and the rest of the marines were down for it. Burke was more concerned about the Aliens than the colony. The Nostromo crew didn't blow the ship sooner because of the life boats.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 22, 2019, 11:04:29 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 22, 2019, 10:36:58 AM
Fair point I suppose, just trying to acknowledge other potential explanations.
Those would only be potential explanations if there was any suggestion those factors were in play. There isn't. She hits it with several chemicals, nothing; bug spray, it freaks out. No sign it's painfully high pressure, no indication it's an extreme temperature.
I could be mis-remembering (I tried to find the clip on youtube to refresh my memory) but doesn't she try different valves and the third one is a much higher intensity and much closer to the Alien? That's why I figured the Alien got provoked.
Think about it this way: only mega-turbo-fans who checked the movie frame-by-frame even know that Ripley sprayed the Alien with some special chemical at all (and why on earth would there be a valve to open such a nasty chemical like that into the pressurized environment of the Narcissus' open air, and why wasn't Ripley affected by it?). Your average viewer is going to think the Alien got blasted with air or something, because the movie doesn't convey that what she's spraying is anything special.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 22, 2019, 11:04:29 AMThe chemical she sprays that gets the reaction is Nitrosyl Chloride. It's a nasty f**kin' chemical. It's also supposed to be yellow.
Based on the fact that what she sprays isn't yellow, and she doesn't poison herself, perhaps it isn't that chemical?
Granted she does open the airlock and vent the cabin's atmosphere into space, but I don't know if the chemical leaves behind residue that could still be present after everything is re-pressurized. Again, just considering other variables.
I'm looking up Nitrosyl Chloride and I'm trying to figure out why such a thing is present on the ship at all. Like, wikipedia tells me that it's used to combine with other chemicals to fabricate the polymer Nylon 6, and that appears to be its only use. ???
I mean it's a cool detail that the label for the button Ripley pushes means something in real terms, and it's a neat idea for eagle-eyed viewers (who, in 1979 when the movie came out, had no way to go frame-by-frame through the movie :P ) that maybe whatever she sprayed the Alien with actually affected it. But part of me thinks it might just be an easter egg, and that every tiny detail we spot might not be meant to be taken literally. Otherwise, I guess the pulse rifle doesn't fire "caseless" ammunition, the APC is very literally bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and the Queen's ovipositor has genuine incandescent light bulbs inside it.
Like I'm with you that the Alien could be susceptible to specific chemicals - it's even an idea that gets tossed around in the EU (and "the juice", the Alien-dissolving chemical from Xenogenesis, is yellow-green if I remember right), and I think it could be a neat idea that Ripley stumbled across one by accident, I'm more of playing devil's advocate and looking at other ideas before jumping to a conclusion.
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 23, 2019, 03:25:01 AM
I could be mis-remembering (I tried to find the clip on youtube to refresh my memory) but doesn't she try different valves and the third one is a much higher intensity and much closer to the Alien? That's why I figured the Alien got provoked.
Rewatching, the first two just don't hit it. They come out of valves near the ceiling and vent into the main chamber.
Quote(and why on earth would there be a valve to open such a nasty chemical like that into the pressurized environment of the Narcissus' open air, and why wasn't Ripley affected by it?).
Decontamination, maybe.
As to why she's not affected, dude. She's in a space suit, and
Quotedoes open the airlock and vent the cabin's atmosphere into space,
Quotebut I don't know if the chemical leaves behind residue that could still be present after everything is re-pressurized.
The dissolve allows you to put as much time between blasting the Alien and taking off the suit as needed to make sure everything's clean.
Quoteand that every tiny detail we spot might not be meant to be taken literally. Otherwise, I guess the pulse rifle doesn't fire "caseless" ammunition, the APC is very literally bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and the Queen's ovipositor has genuine incandescent light bulbs inside it.
They're not really analogous, though. The things you listed after are goofs or filmmaking slight of hand. Maybe in the future some savvy business person started selling excess Nitrosyl Chloride as a decontaminant in the case you find a deadly alien organism (It's not just toxic, it's highly irritant to mucous membranes -- and we know the Alien is oh so mucousy!)
Like Dallas referring to "molecular acid". All acid is molecular. Maybe it's a thing in the future.
Weird, yes -- wrong, only if you need it to be to win an argument :P
QuoteI'm more of playing devil's advocate and looking at other ideas before jumping to a conclusion.
I don't see how "She sprays it with a toxic chemical that burns mucous membranes and it reacts, ergo it is affected by the toxic chemical" is jumping to a conclusion...
I always took it as Ripley was just releasing steam and then hit the right valve that caused ol Big Chap to get out of his comfy sleeping nook.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 23, 2019, 03:42:36 AM
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 23, 2019, 03:25:01 AM
I could be mis-remembering (I tried to find the clip on youtube to refresh my memory) but doesn't she try different valves and the third one is a much higher intensity and much closer to the Alien? That's why I figured the Alien got provoked.
Rewatching, the first two just don't hit it. They come out of valves near the ceiling and vent into the main chamber.
That's my point - she hits it with a pressurized jet of something, we don't know if it's what she sprayed, or the temperature/pressure of what she sprayed. Like I said, correlation =/= causation.
Quote from: SiL on Jan 23, 2019, 03:42:36 AM
Quote(and why on earth would there be a valve to open such a nasty chemical like that into the pressurized environment of the Narcissus' open air, and why wasn't Ripley affected by it?).
Decontamination, maybe.
I, uh
I'm not sure decontamination works by spraying a highly contaminating substance into an area. Like, the hazmat link you provided said that if you're afraid you spilled any of it, you should evacuate a pretty wide area and call professionals to decontaminate the stuff. It seems like a pretty mind-blowing safety oversight if any idiot can release the stuff into an enclosed environment with the push of a button and your best solution is "hope you're in the vacuum of space and already suited up, open the airlock, and hope you don't die". :P
Quote from: SiL on Jan 23, 2019, 03:42:36 AM
Quoteand that every tiny detail we spot might not be meant to be taken literally. Otherwise, I guess the pulse rifle doesn't fire "caseless" ammunition, the APC is very literally bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and the Queen's ovipositor has genuine incandescent light bulbs inside it.
They're not really analogous, though. The things you listed after are goofs or filmmaking slight of hand. Maybe in the future some savvy business person started selling excess Nitrosyl Chloride as a decontaminant in the case you find a deadly alien organism (It's not just toxic, it's highly irritant to mucous membranes -- and we know the Alien is oh so mucousy!)
Like Dallas referring to "molecular acid". All acid is molecular. Maybe it's a thing in the future.
Weird, yes -- wrong, only if you need it to be to win an argument :P
Like I said, I'm not really against the idea but I've got a nagging voice in my head saying we might be reading into an easter egg a bit too much. I'm not saying you're ultimately wrong, especially since the more I think about it the more I like your idea, I'm just expressing my feelings (and exploring the full ramifications of your idea). :)
Quote from: Prez on Jan 23, 2019, 03:51:57 AM
I always took it as Ripley was just releasing steam and then hit the right valve that caused ol Big Chap to get out of his comfy sleeping nook.
Exactly. I'm fairly confident that's what 99% of audience members thought when they watched that scene. It doesn't mean they're
right, but the filmmaking language present is still worth noting.
Quote from: Xenomrph on Jan 23, 2019, 03:59:16 AM
That's my point - she hits it with a pressurized jet of something, we don't know if it's what she sprayed, or the temperature/pressure of what she sprayed. Like I said, correlation =/= causation.
It doesn't come out at high pressure. There's an initial kick, which doesn't bother the Alien. It's after a moment it starts freaking out.
QuoteIt seems like a pretty mind-blowing safety oversight if any idiot can release the stuff into an enclosed environment with the push of a button and your best solution is "hope you're in the vacuum of space and already suited up, open the airlock, and hope you don't die". :P
Cos the button's just sitting out in the open and not under a panel that requires several button presses to open :P
If it were the crew of the
Prometheus, though...
I really wish the scene was on youtube somewhere, I feel like I'd make a better argument (or, you know, just flat-out concede :P ) if my memory of the scene was better. The closest I could find on youtube starts, like, immediately after the Alien gets sprayed.
Maybe tomorrow after work I'll get off my lazy ass and pop the bluray into the bluray player.
Maybe the system is like nitrous booster on a car. Maybe she purged the system when she pressed the button. Maybe it takes a second press to actually release it.
As for the comic, I loved the art. The story was good overall.
Our interview with Gabriel is now up. :) https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2019/02/21/interview-with-gabriel-hardman-aliens-dust-to-dust-avp-galaxy-podcast-81/
Another awesome podcast! A story revolving around an adult Maxon would definitely be something that I'd like to see. Overall I'm interested in seeing more stories done by a single creator as the art tends to further the narrative in a more cohesive manner when one person is behind the wheel. Excited for the extras that'll be included in the trade which I believe is dropping 4/24 during Alien Week!
Fantastic Podcast, no omniscient answer.
No Pig Alien thank you lol. :laugh:
Non-human non-sentient = Alien³ Alien. IMO
Anybody have an idea when Dust to Dust takes place?
I'd say it's set around the same time as the recent crossovers, so probably about 40 years after Aliens.
So around the same time as Dead Orbit?
I place it before Dead Orbit, which is explicitly set a bit later in the period between A3 and AR (2289 or something).
My thoughts on the order of recent series:
1. Life and Death has Weyland-Yutani starting a big push for new colonies with the New Worlds initiative.
2. Flash forward to Dust to Dust, where one of said colonies is starting to fail, hence the terrible decision that starts the outbreak.
3 Dead Orbit has an offhand mention of how the outer colonies went "tits up."
I don't think it's an international thing, but the overall arc works. WY aggressively expanded, got overextended, and then started to fail before losing their FTL contracts and getting suppressed by the USM.
I don't include those terrible crossover comics, so I'm just keeping them (The standalones) in order of release, after the Alien Trilogy until further notice. Although I think you may be right about the Colonies went "Tits up." Inferring a timeline, I don't think that's wholly correct. As it would mean then that if that was a reference to Dust To Dust all Colonies went "Tits up." Because of the Alien, and I don't find that likely.
I just think it means that W-Y's expansionist Golden Age is over, leading in to Resurrection.
The colony in dust to dust was failing before the alien infestation.
That's what I mean, it was failing as part of the larger failure of colonies in that period.
Yeah i gotcha, i was responding to Old Ones
QuoteInferring a timeline, I don't think that's wholly correct. As it would mean then that if that was a reference to Dust To Dust all Colonies went "Tits up." Because of the Alien, and I don't find that likely.
So... Dust To Dust then Dead Orbit, then?
Yeah that's how I order them.
Dead Orbit was set in 2295 which over a hundred years after the events of Aliens/3. I'm fairly sure it was actually pretty close to the supposed Big Deletion.
The Big Hand Wave! :laugh:
I don't blame them, it's difficult to write around Resurrection. The WYR had the right idea, just say "f**k it. The Company and everything you like about the things in the first three Alien films are back after Resurrection's Auriga failure- it's as if it never happened."
Quote from: The Old One on Feb 25, 2019, 06:59:10 PM
I don't blame them, it's difficult to write around Resurrection. The WYR had the right idea, just say "f**k it. The Company and everything you like about the things in the first three Alien films are back after Resurrection's Auriga failure- it's as if it never happened."
Or they could go with the quasi-UPP angle and just say the company never left in the first place.
Correct, perhaps they should do.
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/literature/reviews/aliens-dust-to-dust/
My review. We should be recording a podcast later this week too.
Always a pleasure reading your reviews Hicks and this one was no exception. I actually gave the series a reread over the weekend so good timing on the review haha. I find myself enjoying the art more and more. So much movement and atmosphere within every panel. They may take longer to produce, but the single artist/author/creator really adds a cohesion that I for one am all for.
I finally got round to getting issue 4 for this, and it's a very solid book.
Bit of a howler with the 'Mom' Alien regrowing an arm in one panel, but little else to fault.
Nothing's perfect.
Quote from: SM on Mar 18, 2019, 07:28:45 PM
I finally got round to getting issue 4 for this, and it's a very solid book.
Bit of a howler with the 'Mom' Alien regrowing an arm in one panel, but little else to fault.
Cant have a proper jazz hands panel without the plural!
Are you talking about page 12, where Max tries talking to "Mom" and gets attacked? I figured it was another alien jumping into frame... because the story establishes Mom wouldn't have attacked Max.
Perhaps.
Either way, that part was a little clunky.
Either A: Mom attacks Maxon in that scene alone, but protects him in the rest of the series, (and has two arms in that frame by mistake).
Or B: Another alien jumped into frame and it wasn't executed very clearly, leading to confusion. But then why didn't Mom defend Maxon from this other alien?
Is Mom going through an internal struggle?
Quote from: David's Creation on Mar 18, 2019, 09:24:50 PM
Or B: Another alien jumped into frame and it wasn't executed very clearly, leading to confusion. But then why didn't Mom defend Maxon from this other alien?
I'm 100% certain it was nothing more than an art error. The whole question of that part of the series is "is it protecting Max?" And Hardman deliberately wanted to leave the answer open.
Quote from: Xiggz456 on Mar 18, 2019, 05:54:42 PM
Always a pleasure reading your reviews Hicks and this one was no exception.
Thanks. I'm glad you dug it. :)
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 19, 2019, 08:25:01 AM
I'm 100% certain it was nothing more than an art error. The whole question of that part of the series is "is it protecting Max?" And Hardman deliberately wanted to live the answer open.
I don't know how else to interpret Mom attacking the queen at the end, but I see in your review that the podcast sheds some light on this. I'll give it a listen at work tomorrow.
Quote from: David's Creation on Mar 18, 2019, 08:01:58 PM
Are you talking about page 12, where Max tries talking to "Mom" and gets attacked? I figured it was another alien jumping into frame... because the story establishes Mom wouldn't have attacked Max.
It's the only Alien in that part of the story.
Then I wonder if it would be out of the question for the art error to be fixed for the trade paperback.
So he says that there are two conflicting moments in the final issue as far as Mom's motivations. I assume he's talking about the moment where Mom attacks Maxon and the moment where she saves him from the queen. If that's indeed what he's talking about, then it is just an art mistake.
(And for the record, it's actually in two panels. In the very next panel, where she tackles Maxon, you see her right arm again.)
Worth contacting Gabriel Hardman concerning? For the TPB?
No? Ok. lol
Podcast is up :)
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2019/03/27/aliens-dust-to-dust-review-avp-galaxy-podcast-83/
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 27, 2019, 12:45:39 PM
Podcast is up :)
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2019/03/27/aliens-dust-to-dust-review-avp-galaxy-podcast-83/
Nice, good job! Do you recommend listening to it before my Dust to Dust TPB arrives in May? Probably not, right lol.
There's spoilers in it so, probably better to listen after, unless you don't care.
New podcast is always a great piece of news.
I like the comic. It was interesting take and enjoyable read. And artwork is great.
I enjoyed this a lot more on the second read. Nice story, art and atmospheric lighting due to the coloring. I agree with Xenomorphine about the mom thing. That's not how you do subtlety and ambiguity. It really went off the rails in that final moment. Looked ridiculous and it made me roll my eyes. That almost ruined the whole comic for me. That was too much.
But the style was nice and I take the visuals very seriously, so that compensated it. In some panels I have mixed feelings on the art but it does feel compatible with the Alien universe in terms of mood so I can appreciate it.
Not bad, other than the mom thing, I liked a lot of the ideas. But I did feel it was rushed. Though that's not a problem I have with this comic only. I believe 6 issues are the perfect number for telling an alien story.
All in all, good. The ideas were better than the execution but it was done well enough for me to appreciate having this addition to the comics. Better than Life and Death certainly, IMO.
Enjoyed the podcast as always.
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Mar 27, 2019, 12:45:39 PM
Podcast is up :)
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2019/03/27/aliens-dust-to-dust-review-avp-galaxy-podcast-83/
There are fans who have a problem with the aliens killing each other in Resurrection? I agree with Hicks. It's probably my favorite part of the movie.
As for the ambiguity with the mom alien:
I really feel like the
only thing he did to make it ambiguous was the moment where Mom lunges at him. The whole story makes it clear that she's protecting him except for that one single moment... and it's been screwed up by an art error. On first read-through, I didn't interpret that scene as Mom attacking Maxon at all. I figured another alien had popped out, so I completely missed any opportunity to see ambiguity. This is why I see this art error as kind of a big deal.
I also like to think that perhaps the protective instinct in the Mom alien is warped. Perhaps she's just extra territorial over him, but ultimately wants to eat or cocoon him.
Nah, i like Mom's thing and don't care that it lacks ambiguity. I just obssesed with idea of xenos taking psychological traits from their hosts (Big Chap is incarnation of Kane-raper, no doubts)
Also, i'm curious to know: was the one-armed Alien nod to Mondo Pest comic? Sorry, if i miss something
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gz4ZD048VCE/Wbc39tGi6pI/AAAAAAAAB5w/loDo8nWFjzIRd7Xk9Y2prxtI1w644HThACHMYCw/s1600/RCO341.jpg)
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0owMOIv2Y-4/W9BXDtOXCnI/AAAAAAAAJk4/n5RlmWiUZjwBC5EgUcI4tt3KUCYGQMyPgCHMYCw/s1600/RCO008.jpg)
Negative / I seriously doubt it.
I had completely blanked that from my memory. But I'm with Old One, I doubt it was an intentional callback. We also saw one of the twins lose an arm in Dead Orbit.
Even with the same (right) arms missed? Hmmm...
I'm gonna to stay suspicious untill the opposite has been proved.
Ask Gabriel? He's on Twitter.
But I'm not :)
Fantastic Pod... again. Thanks guys. I thoroughly enjoy these. Keep up the great wok.
Finally had a chance to listen and as usual great podcast fellas, always a fun time! I'd probably score the series 8/10. I'll be holding off on the new podcast until I've seen all the shorts but I'm really looking forward to the Johnnie Christmas interview.
Are there only four issues to this series?
Yes. Four is pretty much the standard.
Ok cool. Comixology has all 4 issues of this and all 5 of the new Alien 3 comic on sale for 99 cents each adn I was debating on getting them now or waiting for the trade paperbacks.
Bargain. I missed issues 3 and 4 of Alien 3.
Waiting for the TPB from Amazon for almost two months now. Was supposed to be released on 7 March.
Doesn't look like there are any copies in eBay either.
It's not out yet.
Quote from: Wweyland on Apr 29, 2019, 01:15:04 PM
Waiting for the TPB from Amazon for almost two months now. Was supposed to be released on 7 March.
Doesn't look like there are any copies in eBay either.
My Dust to Dust TPB Pre Order always had this date for release, Release date:
Tuesday, May 14, 2019Unless they changed it, maybe I'm losing memory, not sure.
Weird that the Aliens Rescue TPB has not been made available for pre ordering yet.
My other pre orders have these as release dates as of now:
William Gibson's Alien 3 Release date:
August 6 2019Aliens: Resistance Release date:
August 20, 2019
Picked up the trade. Not much in way of extra material unfortunately. Foreword from Gabriel with some character design sketches.
Hope mine will be shipped soon.
TPB just arrived. Covers heading towards fully recycled paper?
Interior pages actually feel better than the cover. Looks like a nice Alien setting inside.
Just got mine. They actually fixed the art error!
Mom has one arm when she jumps at Maxon.
Nice.
My copy arrived in the mail today but I might not get a chance to read it for a day or two.
Almost done reading the TPB, honestly someone could read the whole tpb in about 15 mins, it's the reason why I don't buy single comics, every issue must have been a 4 minute read, I don't mind, just hate opening the bag, remove comic, read, insert back in 4 minutes x 4 times lol.
Spoiler
Anyhow........LOVE the colors, story is alright, setting is good, not sure about the whole hi mom you're the alien right? thing.........
But man, whoever drew those 2 Aliens near the beginning did a great job, top 10 Aliens I've ever seen, actually all were well done, some Alien, some Aliens types.
Curious as to how it ends. Good stuff.
Spoiler
Dang..curiosity killed the cat...or rather a one armed alien moms almost killed her son..huh...but then jumps on an Alien queen and beats that with one arm. I'm sorry, but....no.
Could have also added an extra panel showing the kid waiting for his mom's facehugger to go away. That looked like a 1 minute facehug.
Besides that it was good..story looked like it had more potential though..front and back cover kinda have sucky art and feel of covers is thin and flat.
Could do a lot better DH...7/10 or 6.5/10 because of the uggy cover art and feel.
Going to listen to the podcast review hope Xenomorphine goes on a small rant on a few things, lol.
Quote from: David's Creation on May 15, 2019, 04:45:44 AM
Just got mine. They actually fixed the art error!
Mom has one arm when she jumps at Maxon.
Spoiler
I'm just trying to better understand what I saw and read. Did the Alien jump on the child to kill him, followed by what appears to be the adult chick b!tch slapping the Alien to Oblivion, (tell me she somehow used those large robotic arms to do that), and after all that, the Alien proceeds to than attack an Queen Alien to save the kid? I guess it's one way to end it lol.
Is that what happened or am I missing something?
A few more storylines should have been blended in the ending aboard the WY ship. 5 more pages of story of something interesting would have possibly covered up some flaws.
Still a very decent Alien comic and/or TPB to buy and read though. Liked the intro and foreword also.
Quote from: Nostromo on May 18, 2019, 12:54:24 AM
Spoiler
I'm just trying to better understand what I saw and read. Did the Alien jump on the child to kill him, followed by what appears to be the adult chick b!tch slapping the Alien to Oblivion, (tell me she somehow used those large robotic arms to do that), and after all that, the Alien proceeds to than attack an Queen Alien to save the kid? I guess it's one way to end it lol.
Is that what happened or am I missing something?
A few more storylines should have been blended in the ending aboard the WY ship. 5 more pages of story of something interesting would have possibly covered up some flaws.
Still a very decent Alien comic and/or TPB to buy and read though. Liked the intro and foreword also.
Spoiler
Yeah... The alien from the mom protects Maxon on multiple occasions. But there's one point where she jumps at him, (presumably to kill him), and the chick bitch slaps her with a big robot arm thingy.
The author wanted it to be ambiguous whether or not she's protecting Maxon... but from what we gather here, the only way he did that was to insert one moment that contradicts her behavior in the rest of the story, which isn't a very good way to go about ambiguity.
Sounds pretty ambiguous to me.
So much for no conscience, remorse or delusions of morality.
Quote from: The Old One on May 18, 2019, 04:42:42 PM
So much for no conscience, remorse or delusions of morality.
Big like! Yes, that's what bugs me about Aliens and relationships n thingies. They just shouldn't be there. Ash confirmed it. And when Ash confirms, he confirms.
Ash also called a organism that is entirely dependent on a completely different organism of certain size "perfect".
Believe me I know weed.
Yeah, intention does not equal result. Many, including myself felt the twist and ambiguity of it all was done poorly.
In what way?
Quote from: SM on May 18, 2019, 11:16:20 PM
Ash also called a organism that is entirely dependent on a completely different organism of certain size "perfect".
Quote from: SM on Oct 09, 2012, 01:47:00 AM
SM usually says that "perfect organisms" aren't susceptible to machine guns.
Quote from: SM on May 19, 2019, 08:51:56 PM
In what way?
Firstly, it was hinted at very early on. That's all good, but it got me thinking, they're setting this up (and it's a silly idea), they must be doing this to mislead us since they are showing us this so early on. It was all very ambiguous until Mom went for the Queen. There is no justified, convincing argument that at that moment Mom wasn't protecting Max. The previous "attack" by Mom makes things even worse. Things don't end up ambiguous, they end up paradoxical. Is Mom schizophrenic? Is she really having an internal moral battle with herself? We are still talking about an alien, aren't we?
Alien Mom saving the kid from no other than the Queen herself is a bad idea all around and up until that point it was set up perfectly for us to get scared about where this idea is gonna lead, so the opportunity was completely missed to show us that we were only naive in believing an alien could try and protect a non infected Max.
If you want ambiguity, don't have Mom karate kick the Queen in a "get away from him you b*tch" moment, just no.... If you really wanted that moment and then say "ambiguity" as a cop out to not anger the fans, that's not fair either.
That presents a logical problem if all aliens can have the capacity for such drastic feelings towards certain people, we have never seen something like that before when we should've and I seriously don't want to see it again. That's too much of a weakness for an already imperfect organism. :P
I mean, on a serious note, I'm a guy who loves romance, romantic comedies, drama and musicals quite passionately. But I don't want to ever see an alien get influenced by the power of love. :laugh:
Fair points.
However we see a Newborn kill the Queen that birthed it and then form a bond with Ripley. Not the same thing of course - but it would seem there is some potential, however small, for what happened in the comic.
Quote from: Still Collating... on May 20, 2019, 08:36:14 PM
Quote from: SM on May 19, 2019, 08:51:56 PM
In what way?
Firstly, it was hinted at very early on. That's all good, but it got me thinking, they're setting this up (and it's a silly idea), they must be doing this to mislead us since they are showing us this so early on. It was all very ambiguous until Mom went for the Queen. There is no justified, convincing argument that at that moment Mom wasn't protecting Max. The previous "attack" by Mom makes things even worse. Things don't end up ambiguous, they end up paradoxical. Is Mom schizophrenic? Is she really having an internal moral battle with herself? We are still talking about an alien, aren't we?
Alien Mom saving the kid from no other than the Queen herself is a bad idea all around and up until that point it was set up perfectly for us to get scared about where this idea is gonna lead, so the opportunity was completely missed to show us that we were only naive in believing an alien could try and protect a non infected Max.
If you want ambiguity, don't have Mom karate kick the Queen in a "get away from him you b*tch" moment, just no.... If you really wanted that moment and then say "ambiguity" as a cop out to not anger the fans, that's not fair either.
That presents a logical problem if all aliens can have the capacity for such drastic feelings towards certain people, we have never seen something like that before when we should've and I seriously don't want to see it again. That's too much of a weakness for an already imperfect organism. :P
I mean, on a serious note, I'm a guy who loves romance, romantic comedies, drama and musicals quite passionately. But I don't want to ever see an alien get influenced by the power of love. :laugh:
Well said, well said. Schitzo Alien probably. I'll kill my kid, no I'll protect him instead.
Quote from: SM on May 20, 2019, 08:43:12 PM
Fair points.
However we see a Newborn kill the Queen that birthed it and then form a bond with Ripley. Not the same thing of course - but it would seem there is some potential, however small, for what happened in the comic.
I get the similarities, though didn't make much of them for two reason.
If Mom was not a pure strain as she seemed to be, but modified in any way, then all bets are off. But that's not the case.
And even if we take the Newborn into account, that atrocity was a bit more consistent from the get go. Hate the Queen, love mama Ripley. Nothing too ambiguous there, Ripley was never attacked. And again, screwed up genes. David would not approve... :P
Imagine then WY getting some, or breeding some of these ambiguously sympathetic aliens. You control them by holding their human relatives who they love so so much, hostage. Simple. And ridiculous.
I'll take that there is potential for this plot point, that an alien might not want to kill you right away and make you baby food. But IMO, that needs to be done with more care, cause it's one hell of a hard thing to do well if you're gonna use the regular strain of aliens. A:R does set a precedent for something different, then the prequels went: Hold my bear.
I like this comic overall, just disagree with the execution of its intended ambiguity.
I'm grateful DH and Titan are going at it so strong. Not everybody loves everything, but I'd rather take anything over nothing because this franchise needs regular releases IMO. Eventually something great comes out when you have things coming out regularly instead of putting all eggs in one basket. I await new comics with eagerness.
QuoteYou control them by holding their human relatives who they love so so much, hostage. Simple.
Except the comic shows it isn't simple.
It is silly though.
I don't understand how it all happens though. Are people discussing what is a good outcome before they write everything? How did a person or people get together and say: OK, we're going to show the mom alien attacking the son and on the next page we'll show her protecting the son, LOL.
No, it was down to the writer.
I interpreted the mother attacking her son in attempt to maim him and keep him from running off, or at the very least dial down on senses so they can always have a beat on him. Although it's still a Xenomorph and isn't exactly a tactician so it may have accidentally killed him instead.
As far as this whole situation goes, I chalk it up to being a genetic fluke or something like it. Maybe akin to the mold in Labyrinth where it's a strange one-off sorta thing or in Music of the Spears where it hesitates only for a second. Regardless I'm sure it gets rectified immediately after the fact.
id love an expanded story about a defective alien "protecting" a human. At the same time I totally get why someone would hate the idea.
I would be on board with that story if there was a good reason for the alien to be defective.
Quote from: SM on May 21, 2019, 09:08:45 PM
QuoteYou control them by holding their human relatives who they love so so much, hostage. Simple.
Except the comic shows it isn't simple.
My mistake, that's a straw-man on my part.
Quote from: King geedorah on May 23, 2019, 05:13:29 AM
id love an expanded story about a defective alien "protecting" a human. At the same time I totally get why someone would hate the idea.
You can always pull an Alien 3 by having the main character infected with a queen alien to justify it being protective.
The next step is make the queen a stillbirth thus 'defective' and decaying within' the person unbeknownst to the alien. You can add some nutty psychosexual context to all this while the MC is slowly losing his/her mind due to isolation. The crux of the story is the character searching for ways to remove said chestburster knowing it could draw the ire of her guardian angel, while at the same time the planet they're on is filled to the brim with hostile life and the alien is perfectly adapted to wrecking house if need be, forcing this fragile dichotomy.
I know it's kinda silly but i would like to see a story about blind person and his Alien ... pet basically. Thought about that came into my mind after reading AVP Third World War because it had xenomorphs acting like battle dogs because of pheromons Killer Predators were using.
Quote from: Monster Man on May 23, 2019, 10:52:45 PM
Quote from: King geedorah on May 23, 2019, 05:13:29 AM
id love an expanded story about a defective alien "protecting" a human. At the same time I totally get why someone would hate the idea.
You can always pull an Alien 3 by having the main character infected with a queen alien to justify it being protective.
The next step is make the queen a stillbirth thus 'defective' and decaying within' the person unbeknownst to the alien. You can add some nutty psychosexual context to all this while the MC is slowly losing his/her mind due to isolation. The crux of the story is the character searching for ways to remove said chestburster knowing it could draw the ire of her guardian angel, while at the same time the planet they're on is filled to the brim with hostile life and the alien is perfectly adapted to wrecking house if need be, forcing this kind of fragile dichotomy ultimately.
You could use the thyroid condition Ann Crispin came up with to explain Purvis' delayed bursting in the Resurrection novel.
Quote from: Kradan on May 23, 2019, 11:18:55 PM
I know it's kinda silly but i would like to see a story about blind person and his Alien ... pet basically. Thought about that came into my mind after reading AVP Third World War because it had xenomorphs acting like battle dogs because of pheromons Killer Predators were using.
Please never mention or speak of this idea again? lol :) Alright, I'm kidding, but just can't see that working out, maybe a quick satire type of comic, I dunno :( .
Quote from: Monster Man on May 23, 2019, 10:52:45 PM
Quote from: King geedorah on May 23, 2019, 05:13:29 AM
id love an expanded story about a defective alien "protecting" a human. At the same time I totally get why someone would hate the idea.
You can always pull an Alien 3 by having the main character infected with a queen alien to justify it being protective.
The next step is make the queen a stillbirth thus 'defective' and decaying within' the person unbeknownst to the alien. You can add some nutty psychosexual context to all this while the MC is slowly losing his/her mind due to isolation. The crux of the story is the character searching for ways to remove said chestburster knowing it could draw the ire of her guardian angel, while at the same time the planet they're on is filled to the brim with hostile life and the alien is perfectly adapted to wrecking house if need be, forcing this kind of fragile dichotomy ultimately.
Now this sounds like an awesome premise! IMO everything is logically explained yet the situation allows for interesting and new behavior from both the main character and Alien.
It's interesting for sure.
Sold. I want that series or One Shot
Quote from: SM on May 23, 2019, 11:26:43 PM
Quote from: Monster Man on May 23, 2019, 10:52:45 PM
Quote from: King geedorah on May 23, 2019, 05:13:29 AM
id love an expanded story about a defective alien "protecting" a human. At the same time I totally get why someone would hate the idea.
You can always pull an Alien 3 by having the main character infected with a queen alien to justify it being protective.
The next step is make the queen a stillbirth thus 'defective' and decaying within' the person unbeknownst to the alien. You can add some nutty psychosexual context to all this while the MC is slowly losing his/her mind due to isolation. The crux of the story is the character searching for ways to remove said chestburster knowing it could draw the ire of her guardian angel, while at the same time the planet they're on is filled to the brim with hostile life and the alien is perfectly adapted to wrecking house if need be, forcing this kind of fragile dichotomy ultimately.
You could use the thyroid condition Ann Crispin came up with to explain Purvis' delayed bursting in the Resurrection novel.
Or the leprosy angle from the older comics.
I finally read this and burned through it in one sitting, I liked it quite a bit. The opening with the destruction and chaos gave me 'Dead Space' vibes (specifically the prequel comic and Dead Space: Extraction for the first game, and the chaos early in Dead Space 2 on Titan Station), and the constant momentum with very little breathing room was engaging. I liked the artwork for the most part - it was consistently dark and ominous, but clear enough to know what was going on.
The "mom Alien", though.... I think I'd have liked it more if it was handled more ambiguously. Like, the idea gets talked about and one of the characters basically says "that's stupid, and you're stupid for theorizing it", which was a step in the right direction. There was the bit where the Alien tackles Maxon and doesn't quite get a chance to harm him before the swinging arm thing knocks it away, and that was the kind of ambiguity I liked.
And then the Alien fights the Queen at the end and I went "lolwut". :(
All in all I liked it more than Dead Orbit or any of F&S/L&D, and the second half of Defiance.
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
^
This.
Minus the cretin part :laugh:
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Labyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees
will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PM
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Labyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
Do the stars need to align for another comic to be done by them? I'm genuinely surprised it stopped at Labyrinth.
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PM
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Labyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
Would you mind if i'll hold the pistol?
Quote from: Kradan on May 26, 2019, 11:46:55 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PM
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Labyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
Would you mind if i'll hold the pistol?
That depends, do you think Labyrinth is the best Aliens comic?
CHOOSE WISELY.
Liked the recent stuff, but Labyrinth is my favorite as well...
Simple mad scientist story done effectively IMO, creepy and the visuals are remarkable!
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PMLabyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
The
flashback is the best... The rest of the comic is entirely meh.
Quote from: Still Collating... on May 27, 2019, 04:15:39 PM
Liked the recent stuff, but Labyrinth is my favorite as well...
Simple mad scientist story done effectively IMO, creepy and the visuals are remarkable!
Damn, I'm agreeing with everything you write, somebody give this man something.
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 27, 2019, 12:09:42 AM
Quote from: Kradan on May 26, 2019, 11:46:55 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PM
Quote from: The Old One on May 26, 2019, 08:00:05 AM
Dead Orbit's the best you cretin. :D
Labyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
Would you mind if i'll hold the pistol?
That depends, do you think Labyrinth is the best Aliens comic?
CHOOSE WISELY.
I'll go with Labyrinth. I like Dead Orbit but for me Labyrinth is superior in terms of story and artwork.
Quote from: HuDaFuK on May 27, 2019, 04:43:22 PM
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 26, 2019, 12:53:47 PMLabyrinth is the best, and anyone who disagrees will be the first ones against the wall when the revolution starts.
The flashback is the best... The rest of the comic is entirely meh.
The flashback is crazy and it's what everyone remembers, but it kind of overshadows the other interesting stuff that's going on. Like everything up to the flashback plays right into predictable story tropes, like "the obviously evil scientist who's hiding something", de-mystifying the Alien by explaining things about it, Church literally taking an Alien for a walk and thereby diminishing it, but then once you get into the third issue it starts knocking all of those tropes down.
What the scientist is hiding ends up being more f**ked up than anything anyone could have imagined AND it has nothing to do with the Aliens, the demystifying elements of the Alien end up being irrelevant because they only barely work on weakened Aliens in captivity, the very Alien that Church takes for a walk is the one that takes him down, and in the end
Church gets away with everything. Church was doing f**ked up human experimentation and getting away with it over twenty years before Alien Covenant was a twinkle in Ridley Scott's eye.