Hello all,
I have not posted here in a long time (I think the last time I was here was several years ago after I had just played and finished Aliens: Infestation)
I just finished this mini series and wanted to share my thoughts with other people who have read it. Of course my opinion/review doesn't matter as much as those of long term posters and perhaps more dedicated fans on this forum.
So if you don't care for the thoughts of a newbie just ignore it.
First of all I am a really critical Alien fan, really critical.
For example while I like Aliens as a sci-fi action movie I personally feel now that adding the queen was a mistake to the alien mythology and have come to prefer the egg morphing idea instead. (feels more truly bizarre/extraterrestrial for me)
And I don't like that the aliens are now akin to bees or ants in space.
Edit: I did not care really for Prometheus and Covenant at all and disliked the movie storylines and ideas/revelations behind the Pilots.
Likewise I am pretty critical of the Expanded Universe/spin off material. I definitely love some of the games such as Infestation, Isolation, AvP2, and older games like Alien 3 on the SNES, Sega - 16 bit, and Gameboy. Oh and the AvP game as an action game, not so much as an alien game.
I have read almost all of the comics by Dark Horse (perhaps I missed a few here and there) and some of the AvP ones. But I have not read any of the books and have little interest to do so after reading their description.
Well that is not entirely true, I am currently reading the Cold Forge after reading the recommendations here.
But in general I am not a big fan of the expanded universe; the only Aliens comic that I genuinely liked was Aliens Apocalypse: The Destroying Angels. (and Predator Hell and Hot Water by the same writer)
Okay reintroduction story over, I just wanted to give some background on my own interest in the franchise.
In general I really like William Gibson's Alien 3 (second script) and if this has been a movie I would have watched it even if it may have been a little slow as other people here might have pointed out.
I definitely would have preferred it over the Alien 3 movie we got even if I do love the atmosphere of that one. (just don't care much for the characters)
In comparison to the first script by Gibson for Alien 3 which felt more like trying to do Aliens over again this one was more subdued (hope I am using that word right) and plot building which I really enjoyed.
I also happen to be a fan of the DNA-reflex/alien genetic material can spread like a virus. It is a little underused perhaps here in the story as it could have been a cool plot device that both the characters and watchers/readers would not know who is infected.
Of course the story also has a few cons.
The major ones here perhaps being the art or in particular sometimes the art style as I like others here really had hoped that the UPP Interceptor design had been something different and like the UPP warship had been more in the style of something Syd Mead would have made up. The artist should perhaps really have consulted his art book or designs by other designers or fans in a similar style.
Edit: and the Kansas for that matter. I would rather have seen something like the Legato being reused
https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/File:USS_Legato.jpgThe art itself also really lacked some of the detail that we have seen in some of the other current Alien mini series.
The second criticism is another issue also brought up here; the page count. After the slow buildup in the first three issues it really feels that the story had to be finished, this story could really have used a sixth issue for the second half/last part of the story as the characters seek to escape from the station.
That was indeed rather a disappointment.
Still I would put this one next to the other comic I mentioned I might pick up from time to time and read again.
Oh I would also love to see more stories in this "Gibsonverse" though I doubt that that will happen.