Dark Horse Announces Aliens: Defiance

[SM]

There was some issues with the look of the Europa.  One issue definitely made a mistake to make it look like the Sulaco, but it was otherwise pretty consistent.

[Corporal Hicks]

I re-read the entire series on Sunday. I really don't think the back half was quite as bad as I'd thought it was during the single read. The shift of artist was a little disappointing but the artist they got in for the last few issues, Stephen Thompson(?), was pretty good and his style looks somewhat similar to Tristan's. I do think he's another one we've been spoilt with though and I really hope he comes back on more projects.

Storywise, the back end of the season does get sloppy. There's really no time for the hugger to finish the business with Hollis, the whole thing with letting the Queen out and then her mysteriously dying despite "not even a scratch" following her fight with the mercs and then they just sort of turn around for home. Granted, I get why and I liked those last few issues of wrap-up but just felt a little bit of a whimper rather than a bang.

I really did love all the characters. It was definitely a great core group. I'd be really interested in seeing a continuation.

We're finally doing a podcast on this so I've re-read the series in 2 sittings over the last couple of days. My opinion has pretty much maintained as above.

[The Old One]

Hopefully Resistance will make up for Defiance's lackluster conclusion.

[Russ840]

Looking forward to listening to the podcast

[Corporal Hicks]

And the podcast is now up! 

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2018/11/12/discussing-aliens-defiance-avp-galaxy-podcast-76/

[Prez]

Awesome :-)

[TheDerelict]

I really loved defiance.
There are problems, least of all the queen, like when they are boarded by pirates theres 5 of them. but when the queen turns up there is all of sudden about a hundred pirates for the queen to kill.
Also what happened to the davis unit running the mutiny. one minute he is giving orders the next he is hiding round a corner with a hole in his head. i still don't get what happened there.
But there is so much to love here, it truly feels like it is set in the universe just as isolation did.
To see the colonial marines portrayed as the bad guys was fantastic as the marines in these stories and video games bore me to absolute tears so i really loved how they changed them up.
what i would really love to see is not colonial marines but weyland yutani commandos, those bad boys drawn up by tristan jones or stephen thompson, put me down for two copies.
One thing i would like to say is i really appreciated the way the story dealt with mental health, especially from the mindset of zula, her broken heart and feelings of having let her unit down by being injured in battle really hit the nail on the head. then to have her have to kill some of her former comrades for the greater good is powerful story telling.
Hollis's trauma from surviving a chestburster was very well done. i really liked how defeated she was after it and to see her killed off didn't sit well with me even though you don't actually see her get killed, just knocked out for surgery. So i have had a thought,  what if she isn't dead. After reading the synopsis for the upcoming resistance i started thinking what if hollis is the one running the bio weapons programme and has gone all Dr Church with her research. they both survived their own chest burster removal and her knowledge would be more beneficial to W-Y than a dead body.  Wouldn't it be great if there was some sort of link to hollis and resistance. maybe make hollis an antagonist for zula. Just a thought.
anyway, great podcast. was really happy you finally talked about this amazing story.

[DevanGill]

I was initially put off by Defiance due to its placement in the timeline. The whole idea of all these aliens popping up out of nowhere when they were supposed to be out of sight, out of mind for decades prior to Ripley's return in Aliens was very iffy for me, but Brian Wood is a great writer and I was able to enjoy the story he was telling as it unfolded. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to end, and I grew to care about the three protagonists (especially Davis), so those things propelled me through every issue in spite of my initial misgivings. The art was really good as well and, like the writing, it left a strong enough impression to keep my interest. Defiance proves that a good story that's written and illustrated well can compensate for canonical issues. Resistance should be a very interesting follow-up, and hopefully it'll shed more light on the stuff that had me scratching my head at the beginning of Defiance.

[The Old One]

Indeed, I hope so.

[Perfect-Organism]

I found Dr. Hollis to be the most compelling character in the series.  Followed by Davis.

[Nostromo]

I found Dr. Hollis to be the most compelling character in the series.  Followed by Davis.

Yes!

[Still Collating...]

I really enjoy the podcasts, watched about 95% of them and I'm always looking forward to the next one.

Agreed with the majority that was said, almost all of the good and bad things were discussed.

The only thing I can add is that I also really liked this series even though it wasn't perfect. All of it was worth it alone for just that one panel where the damaged alien approaches the crouched marines through the doorway. Tristan's art showed the aliens to be menacing like few other artists do. Compelling characters, great action and disturbing aliens. The second half was good, but the first one is just such a visual win for me. I find that aesthetic quality very important in my alien media.

Exited for Resistance!     

[SM]

The whole idea of all these aliens popping up out of nowhere when they were supposed to be out of sight, out of mind for decades prior to Ripley's return in Aliens was very iffy for me

We are aware of this and have it in hand. 

[Huggs]

The whole idea of all these aliens popping up out of nowhere when they were supposed to be out of sight, out of mind for decades prior to Ripley's return in Aliens was very iffy for me

We are aware of this and have it in hand. 

Let me guess, the entire franchise after Alien 79 (books and all) has been a dream. The narcissus crash lands back on earth, and Ripley awakens to find the world is now ruled by "Damn Dirty Apes!?"

[SM]

SPOILERS!!!