Great podcast as always guys. I remember how excited I was when the very first AVP series was announced. I bought all the Dark Horse Presents issues, and all the rest that followed, as they came out. The series did feel like a bit of a let-down even back then, and I have to agree, it was probably due to the coloring. (Why did I know you were going to say that in the podcast?) If I am not mistaken, it may have been DH presents #36 that started the whole "multiple variant comic covers" trend which continues to be prevalent to this day.
Regardless of the colors, this is, in hindsight, an awesome book. It could use a relaunch, and a recolor. I bring to mind, the original Empire Strikes Back comic series from Marvel. If you ever seen the original issues, you will know how horrific the colors were. They were just fully washed out, with no presence. Disney / Marvel did the right thing when they "remastered" the series. They reissued the original ESB series in HC format and with all-new colors that reflect the tone of the film. The result was spectacular, and totally changed the tone of the comics. This is what I would recommend for the series.
If I remember correctly, As the series was being done, Phil Norwood left the series either to work on the T2 film or the Abyss. It was one of the two, though I believe it was the Abyss, and you can see his style in some of the vehicles in the film. The last issue of the series thus felt very different as compared to the previous ones. Chris Warner didn't quite get the queen's proportions quite right in some of the shots. One image had her legs be bigger and meatier than her carapace (crown). It was a huge disconnect and I recall being disappointed by that at the time. Fortunately, the story held together very well right through to the end, and as you look at the series in TPB format, it works quite well, other than the colors.
I really appreciated the attention to details that Phil Norwood put in. In particular, the map of the Ryushi colony comes to mind. That was some real Tolkien level stuff. I found myself looking back and forth to compare the scenes in the comic to the actual map, and found it a very cool aid. My friends and I once turned that into a role playing game actually. Good times.
I wonder what the briar wolves looked like...