Building A Universe Of Terror, An Interview with Aliens Comic Writer Mark Verheiden! – AvPGalaxy Podcast #106

Started by Corporal Hicks, Apr 26, 2020, 03:03:51 PM

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Building A Universe Of Terror, An Interview with Aliens Comic Writer Mark Verheiden! – AvPGalaxy Podcast #106 (Read 13,905 times)

Perfect-Organism

Quote from: 426Buddy on Apr 27, 2020, 08:55:14 PM
Wow sweet hope it geys made!

Anyway thank you AP and all of the AvPGalaxy staff for all you do!

Ya, thanks for putting that together!  Awesome work guys!

SiL

Quote from: AVP-CAPCOM on Apr 27, 2020, 01:33:39 PM
Without you being specific, I assume you mean pining for the action, scale and expansive universes of marvel films. Films that have cross the billion dolar mark multiple times on individual outings, whereas Prometheus made a lowly $400 million worldwide- despite an aggressive marketing campaign.
They're also PG and specifically designed to appeal to as many people as possible. Last time they did that to Aliens it didn't go well.

I'm also talking about the fact people, even fans, would seem to rather shit on these movies than enjoy them. Even when they are successful, as you're continually pointing out the audience will just end up narrowing in on the negative. When all of your word of mouth is "These films are shit, why are they even making them?" It's hard to gather interest for sequels.

These films won't make a billion dollars because the audience for them just isn't that large. Sci fi horror does not attract those crowds.

Quotef you just keep churning out fakeouts and predictably false movie endings with a stowaway alien the audience are beyond bored.
Every Marvel film follows the same formula. They are so repetitive and uninspired it's not funny. Turns out people just like Marvel movies.

Russ840

Is there a problem with this on iTunes?  I can't find it there. 

Corporal Hicks

Thanks for the heads-up, Russ. I've let Darkness know. It has pushed out to the other services though, and the direct download is available. http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode106.mp3

Russ840

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2020, 07:14:09 AM
Thanks for the heads-up, Russ. I've let Darkness know. It has pushed out to the other services though, and the direct download is available. http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode106.mp3

Cheers bud. Looking forward to listening to it

Rambo

Really enjoyed this interview, and you guys did a fantastic job!

AVP-CAPCOM

AVP-CAPCOM

#36
Sil given the covid-19 situation and even talk of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics being cancelled despite being pushed back to August of 2021 we're probably crying over spilt milk.

But at least acknowledge my points.

Quote from: SiL on Apr 27, 2020, 09:49:21 PMThey're (marvel movies) also PG and specifically designed to appeal to as many people as possible. Last time they did that to Aliens it didn't go well.

That's films in general, every studio is a box office counter but again audience feedback is just as important. You may not like the fact Prometheus got negative audience feedback on YouTube and this is somehow a conspiracy to slate a suppoesly "good" movies in your books.

Audience feedback is why ALIEN Covenant 2 (Prometheus 3) got cancelled as per a studio statement. Ridley Scott failed to pick up people weren't happy with the Space Jockey being protrayed as a pale, bald bodybuilder in a suit or a mysterious creature being the pet project of a disillusioned android on an "ancient Rome in space".

That's not the audiences or critics fault it was Ridley Scott's doing. People initially jumped on Prometheus with hype and excitement as "the Director of ALIEN had returned". Even though retrospectively he had people who were willing to say no and even veto Scott back in 1978. Whereas in 2011 he was surrounded by "yes men".

Quote from: SiL on Apr 27, 2020, 09:49:21 PMI'm also talking about the fact people, even fans, would seem to rather shit on these movies than enjoy them.

Nothing wrong with "shitting on a movie" if your argument is strong. People say ALIEN and ALIENS are classics which I'll go with.

People say the AVP movies (guilty pleasures of mine) are trash and their reasoning is justified. Won't change my enjoyment but I acknowledge the rules of evaluating art. "Taste" and "beauty" are two different things.

When I watch a negative review of Alien Resurrection or ALIEN 3, 9 times out of 10 the criticism is justified.

Quote from: SiL on Apr 27, 2020, 09:49:21 PMThese films won't make a billion dollars because the audience for them just isn't that large. Sci fi horror does not attract those crowds.

They said the same thing about Titanic, Avatar and, again, The Fast and the Furious movies. Granted they all got the 12a- PG-13 certificate which you'll all know is the most profitable film rating than PG or R rating (UK 15 age rating).

That said both Joker (2019) crossed the billion dollar mark for a violent arthouse movie, only somewhat tentatively tied to batman. Although there was some inference Joaquin Phoenix wasn't even the Joker. So we can't say taking risks was the sole cause of ALIEN sequel box office failure or the law of diminishing returns.

SiL

The only argument I'm hearing is that people don't really like these films and that you basically need to be a PG-13 crowd pleaser to get over a billion dollars (with one exception, ever).

I'm not hearing anything that shows any realistic expectations the franchise would ever be popular enough to expect it. Getting Ridley Scott to do an Alien movie again and explain the jockeys was something people wanted -- which showed in the box office, but it still didn't gross half a billion.

AVP-CAPCOM

AVP-CAPCOM

#38
Quote from: SiL on Apr 29, 2020, 01:24:50 PM
The only argument I'm hearing is that people don't really like these films and that you basically need to be a PG-13 crowd pleaser to get over a billion dollars (with one exception, ever).

I didn't say that. Which is why I said how do you explain an R rated, relatively low budget, Joker making a billion dollars worldwide?

Again the "assuming no audience, so therefore no need to go big or go home" doesn't explain Fast and Furious* (*dismissed as an esoteric movie for petrol heads upon release) expanding its scope, budget and more importantly audience.
If you said "this Friday night, Point Break knock-off popcorn will beat James Bond" in 2001 you'd be laughed at.

One Race and studio Universal took a gamble and won.

Quote from: SiL on Apr 29, 2020, 01:24:50 PMI'm not hearing anything that shows any realistic expectations the franchise would ever be popular enough to expect it.

That's because the ALIEN movies haven't taken any risks in terms of scale or threat of alien. I blame David Giler, Brandywine and his naysaying attitude.

We're not bored of alien, we're bored of the upteenth remake of alien.

Quote from: SiL on Apr 29, 2020, 01:24:50 PMGetting Ridley Scott to do an Alien movie again and explain the jockeys was something people wanted.

Said no-one ever. That's like saying Jaws...........who were his parents?

Trying to "explain" the Space Jockey chair, the whole fun was we didn't actually know what it was. Plus the design and script choices have ruined the continuity of ALIEN and ALIENS. They are just so far removed from the classics you're expecting me to believe
a- no-one would find the Space Jockey base despite it being in the same star system as LV-426?
b- why is the fossiled Space Jockey corpse bigger than in Prometheus and it didn't have any legs
c- how could there be alien eggs on the derelict for thousands of years, if David created the aliens?

The point of the podcast is that the comics would've made better sequels to ALIENS.

Xiggz456

I don't see an Alien film ever crossing into billion dollar territory. If we're lucky and everything aligned perfectly (story, visuals, actors, director, and marketing) then there's a solid possibility of hitting the half a billion mark. If we got extremely lucky we'd see numbers like "It" which pulled in $700 million. But a safe bet would be somewhere between $250-350 million and the budget should reflect that in order to make a profit which ensures future films get green lit.

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Russ840 on Apr 28, 2020, 07:56:48 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2020, 07:14:09 AM
Thanks for the heads-up, Russ. I've let Darkness know. It has pushed out to the other services though, and the direct download is available. http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode106.mp3

Cheers bud. Looking forward to listening to it

Give it 24 hours and try again. D had to change something.

Russ840

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 29, 2020, 04:44:31 PM
Quote from: Russ840 on Apr 28, 2020, 07:56:48 AM
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Apr 28, 2020, 07:14:09 AM
Thanks for the heads-up, Russ. I've let Darkness know. It has pushed out to the other services though, and the direct download is available. http://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/podcasts/avpg_pc_episode106.mp3

Cheers bud. Looking forward to listening to it

Give it 24 hours and try again. D had to change something.

Thanks Hicks. Will do

Gemini

just wanted to say I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. these stories were my first entry into the EU (albeit originally in the novelised versions rather than the original comics)

interesting that my opinions of these comics seem to be pretty much in line with the consensus coming through in the podcast.

the first story is probably overall the best, as it packs so much in. I mean, the whole earth war story is actually pretty goofy and over the top when you compare it to the rest of the franchise. which is often about claustrophobia and enclosed spaces. but it somehow pulls it off.

the artwork in Nightmare Asylum is totally the best. it just nails it.

the artwork in Female War did always seem a little.. off to me. too cartoony, not enough detail. something just didn't seem right.
but having said that, seeing the original black and white version posted above.. it's like night and day!  I don't know how colour can somehow detract from an image.. but in this case it totally does.

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Gemini on May 09, 2020, 10:09:15 AM
just wanted to say I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. these stories were my first entry into the EU (albeit originally in the novelised versions rather than the original comics)

Thanks, Gemini! Glad you enjoyed this episode. We really enjoyed having Mark on the show. It was so nice to speak to someone who had such a massive impact.

Quoteinteresting that my opinions of these comics seem to be pretty much in line with the consensus coming through in the podcast.

I don't think you'll find many arguing with that consensus!

Quotebut having said that, seeing the original black and white version posted above.. it's like night and day!  I don't know how colour can somehow detract from an image.. but in this case it totally does.

That's something that took me a little time to come to grips with. More often than not, with the older Alien (and Predator) comics, when I don't like the art, it's normally the colouring choices. The funny thing is, the same colourist who did Female War/Earth War, also did the original colouring on Aliens vs. Predator which is the one I actually prefer.

Corporal Hicks


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