A Is for Alien: An ABC Book (Little Golden Book)

[Chieftain Suom]

20th Century Studios/Disney is releasing a Little Golden Book titled A Is for Alien: An ABC Book on July 9, 2024 in hardcover and kindle formats.

In space no one can hear you giggle as you read this Little Golden Book featuring the characters from the classic movie Alien!

Follow Ripley and the rest of the Nostromo crew on a space adventure that introduces the alphabet from A to Z. With fun illustrations, this light-hearted reimagining of the iconic movie Alien will delight fans young and old, as well as Little Golden Book collectors throught the universe.

Since 1979, Alien has been an iconic franchise that has thrilled viewers around the world.

Little Golden Books enjoy nearly 100% consumer recognition. They feature beloved classics, hot licenses, and new original stories . . . the classics of tomorrow.

Link for cover art and pre-order:
https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Century-Studios-Little-Golden/dp/073644484X/ref=sr_1_5?crid=A4PKGDD2Z6LN&keywords=aliens&qid=1702928780&s=books&sprefix=alien%2Cstripbooks%2C84&sr=1-5

[Xenomrph]

I love it

[Wweyland]

I thought A Is for AI in this case

[Chieftain Suom]

I thought A Is for AI in this case

A is for "Ash is a Goddamn robot!"

[RakaiThwei]

I... am conflicted on it.

On one hand, it's cute, it's fun and funny..

On the other hand... I kind of feared Disney would've done this.

[Chieftain Suom]

I... am conflicted on it.

On one hand, it's cute, it's fun and funny..

On the other hand... I kind of feared Disney would've done this.

I know what you mean.. but this isn't any different than Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo or The Alien Next Door children's/art books published by Titan.

[Xenomrph]

I... am conflicted on it.

On one hand, it's cute, it's fun and funny..

On the other hand... I kind of feared Disney would've done this.

My thinking is, anything that gets more Aliens content in people's hands, no matter what form it's in, is a net positive. If you don't like stuff then don't buy it because it's clearly not for you, but if daddy SiL gets to have quality time with his son by reading him an ABC book about Aliens then I don't see any harm. It's not like the brand is being "diluted" (or not any moreso than other merchandise that has existed for 40 years), the movies and other stuff still exist, as ready for your enjoyment as they've ever been.

[RakaiThwei]

I know what you mean.. but this isn't any different than Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo or The Alien Next Door children's/art books published by Titan.

You know, I had completely forgotten all about those until you mentioned those. But... were they specifically aimed for children, cause I remember one of them being done in Calvin and Hobbs style.

It's... so weird... that now Alien is being reimagined for small children. And whatever of the Alien-Predator fan I used to be is left, is just flabbergasted at it.

I mean think about it... You're taking a movie that has a creature that is an analogue and metaphor for sexual assault, sadomasochism, visceral violence and unknown horror... designed by H.R. Giger, the MAESTRO of dark sexual fantasy... and turning it into a squeaky best friend who is just misunderstood.

I can't help but sigh and shake my head at that.

My thinking is, anything that gets more Aliens content in people's hands, no matter what form it's in, is a net positive. If you don't like stuff then don't buy it because it's clearly not for you, but if daddy SiL gets to have quality time with his son by reading him an ABC book about Aliens then I don't see any harm. It's not like the brand is being "diluted" (or not any moreso than other merchandise that has existed for 40 years), the movies and other stuff still exist, as ready for your enjoyment as they've ever been.

I haven't really bought anything Alien-Predator since the Disney purchase, until Predator vs. Wolverine had come out but that was primarily because I was curious to see if Marvel would have Wolverine steamroll over Predator...

I have no intentions of buying the book. It's clearly not for me. But I just cannot help but be flabbergasted by the absurdity of it.

I mean that's like taking Berserk and making a children's anime or manga out of it.

"Hey kids, let's see what Guts, Griffith and Casca will do on the day of the Eclipse!"

[Chieftain Suom]

I know what you mean.. but this isn't any different than Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo or The Alien Next Door children's/art books published by Titan.

I mean think about it... You're taking a movie that has a creature that is an analogue and metaphor for sexual assault, sadomasochism, visceral violence and unknown horror... designed by H.R. Giger, the MAESTRO of dark sexual fantasy... and turning it into a squeaky best friend who is just misunderstood.

These metaphors, as dark as they may be, are a reality for us all that even our sons and daughters will ultimately see in films, read about in books, then confront in their own lives. Is it so bad to find a way to step them into the pool slowly instead of throwing them into the deep end years later?

That being said, it makes me warm inside to find a way to safely share my love for a horror movie franchise with my toddler son in a format (little golden book) thats 100% nostalgic for me as well!

[Xenomrph]

I know what you mean.. but this isn't any different than Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo or The Alien Next Door children's/art books published by Titan.

You know, I had completely forgotten all about those until you mentioned those. But... were they specifically aimed for children, cause I remember one of them being done in Calvin and Hobbs style.

It's... so weird... that now Alien is being reimagined for small children. And whatever of the Alien-Predator fan I used to be is left, is just flabbergasted at it.

I mean think about it... You're taking a movie that has a creature that is an analogue and metaphor for sexual assault, sadomasochism, visceral violence and unknown horror... designed by H.R. Giger, the MAESTRO of dark sexual fantasy... and turning it into a squeaky best friend who is just misunderstood.

I can't help but sigh and shake my head at that.

My thinking is, anything that gets more Aliens content in people's hands, no matter what form it's in, is a net positive. If you don't like stuff then don't buy it because it's clearly not for you, but if daddy SiL gets to have quality time with his son by reading him an ABC book about Aliens then I don't see any harm. It's not like the brand is being "diluted" (or not any moreso than other merchandise that has existed for 40 years), the movies and other stuff still exist, as ready for your enjoyment as they've ever been.

I haven't really bought anything Alien-Predator since the Disney purchase, until Predator vs. Wolverine had come out but that was primarily because I was curious to see if Marvel would have Wolverine steamroll over Predator...

I have no intentions of buying the book. It's clearly not for me. But I just cannot help but be flabbergasted by the absurdity of it.

I mean that's like taking Berserk and making a children's anime or manga out of it.

"Hey kids, let's see what Guts, Griffith and Casca will do on the day of the Eclipse!"

Yeah but, like, who cares?

Especially with the Alien franchise, which had toys and board games in 1979. It almost had a children's cartoon in 1992 (but instead got a toy line, party favors, merchandise, trading cards, and another board game).

The Alien series has been merchandised and commercialized to hell and back since its inception. "Disney" has nothing to do with it, and I'm not confident that "An ABC book" is a bridge too far for defiling a beloved serious horror franchise for adults when we have coloring books, lootcrates, decades of silly comics, T-shirts, Tiki mugs, plush toys, action figures, wrist watches, an actual children's book (Cyberantics), novels aimed at teenagers, video games, micro machines, crossovers with every major DC superhero, everything Operation Aliens, and all the other stuff that's come out in the last 40 years.

Yeah it's a little weird kiddifying a psycho-sexual rape monster, but that kind of stuff has happened to "mature" franchises for decades. Robocop, Terminator, Rambo, Predator, nothing is immune.

Maybe it's just because I literally got involved in the Aliens franchise due to the Kenner toys when I was 9, but I've always been able to see past the "adult" stuff because it felt like there was a deliberate toyline made just for me, a kid, to enjoy.

[RakaiThwei]

These metaphors, as dark as they may be, are a reality for us all that even our sons and daughters will ultimately see in films, read about in books, then confront in their own lives. Is it so bad to find a way to step them into the pool slowly instead of throwing them into the deep end years later?

That being said, it makes me warm inside to find a way to safely share my love for a horror movie franchise with my toddler son in a format (little golden book) thats 100% nostalgic for me as well!

I am not condemning the book, far from it. But I just cannot help but feel flabbergasted that something like this is actually happening. I get that it's for kids, and if Mom's and Dad's wanna have it to share time with their loved ones, more power to them.

It's... more the concept that we go from one extreme to the other.

I NEVER expected it to happen to ALIEN.

Is it so bad to find a way to step them into the pool slowly instead of throwing them into the deep end years later?

Just this one bit here... Funny story from my life, and I'm pretty sure this happened to many of us. But when I was a toddler, I was very much big into Star Wars, I watched ROTJ so many times, the tape worn out because I loved the Ewoks.

So one day, my Dad came home from work and got a video from West Coast Video (remember that video store?). Anyway, he said "You wanna watch a movie with Daddy? It's a space movie like the one with the teddy bears you like!" and me, being the blissfully ignorant toddler I was, happily obliged. Now... I was a toddler, had no idea what the movie was about or understood the dialogue but I remember... Kane spasming on the table, and his chest being ripped open by the chestburster.

Yup! My Dad kinda throw me in the deep side of the pool! Hah hah hah hah!

Yeah it's a little weird kiddifying a psycho-sexual rape monster, but that kind of stuff has happened to "mature" franchises for decades. Robocop, Terminator, Rambo, Predator, nothing is immune.

Except in the case of Terminator and Predator, it was largely restricted to just the toys. Mind you of course, I saw the movies first when I was young... like... really little. At an age R rated movies are not recommended to young kids kind of little.

Robocop on the other hand, well... the Marvel-Sunbow pretty much stayed true to MOST of the 1987 original movie with Murphy's origin. Albeit they downplayed the message of consumerism. Alpha Commando? The less said, the better.

Rambo? That was an odd case. They didn't even touch his origins in the Vietnam war. I only saw one episode of that.

The 90s was a weird time. Weird but good time.

Maybe it's just because I literally got involved in the Aliens franchise due to the Kenner toys when I was 9, but I've always been able to see past the "adult" stuff because it felt like there was a deliberate toyline made just for me, a kid, to enjoy.

I saw the movies first before the toys came out, as I was a kid that watched A LOT of movies, especially R rated ones. I was introduced to the Kenner toyline in either... '92 or '93 with their ALIENS line, so I was five or six then.  I didn't REALLY into Alien-Predator until Kenner did their AVP line.

But, the movies ALWAYS came to mind for me first.

[SiL]

They marketed Alien toys to 5 year olds in 1979, you're a bit late on the hand wringing.

[SM]

"Whoa! My character got attacked as a none-too-subtle rape metaphor!"
"And my character is an oppressed working class who is contractually forced into dangerous situations under threat of non-payment for their labour!"
"Cool! This is so much better than Monopoly!"

[Local Trouble]

They marketed Alien toys to 5 year olds in 1979, you're a bit late on the hand wringing.

Such a bizarre time to be a kid.  I remember it vividly.  They also made toys for David Lynch's Dune.

[Xenomrph]

"Cool! This is so much better than Monopoly!"

Wait you weren't talking about Monopoly from the start?

Realtalk I still have that board game (and the Operation Aliens board game).