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The details of the second of Marvel’s reprint collection of Dark Horse’s Alien comics – which we now know will be called The Original Years – are here! YouTube channel Near Mint Condition once again has the exclusive announcement of what we can expect!

Aliens: Rogue #1-4, Aliens: Colonial Marines #1-10, Aliens: Labyrinth #1-4, Aliens: Salvation, Aliens: Music of the Spears #1-4 and Aliens: Stronghold #1-4 plus material from Dark Horse Comics #3-5, #11-13 and #15-19, Previews (1993) #1-12, Previews (1994) #1 and Aliens Magazine (1992) #9-20.

The materials from Dark Horse Comics are Aliens: Horror Show, Aliens: Taste, Aliens: Backsplash, Aliens: Cargo, and finally Aliens: Alien. The story from Previews is Aliens: Earth Angel.

I’m not certain which stories from the Aliens Magazine are being collected as there were quite a few shorter titles published in those issues including Aliens: Sacrifice, Aliens: Countdown, Aliens: Cargo, Aliens: Taste, Aliens: Renegade and the incomplete Aliens: Crusade.

As with the first volumes of both Aliens and Predator: The Original Years, volume two will come with two different covers. The standard cover will feature artwork by Mahmud Asrar (seen above) and the Direct Market varient is Paul Mendoza’s cover artwork for Aliens: Alien!

Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus Volume 2 is currently slated for release in August 2021, alongside Predator Volume 1. Thanks to Chad Campbell on Twitter for the heads up. You can watch the original announcement video below.

Make sure you stick with Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest Alien and Predator comic and novel news! You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!

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It'll be cool if they got someone to finish Crusade... But that's not going to happen.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 05, 2021, 08:49:08 PM
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/05012021_01.jpg)

Defiance, anybody ?

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/y7comics/covers/32/0032980.jpg)

Isn't marines in vol 1

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81-cW1SkkZL._SX342_.jpg)

Who would've thought ?

Nice!  Never noticed the homage there :D

Looks very much like defiance cover....

Quote from: Magnapop on Jan 05, 2021, 09:36:30 PM
Isn't marines in vol 1

Volume 1 has the "space marines" series. The mini comics that came with the Kenner action figures.

Volume 2 here, has the "colonial marines" series, which was one of the longest "aliens" series of comics to come out. Originally planned for 12 issues then reduced to 10 issues, I believe (AVP: deadliest of the species was longer, but that was an "AVP" series rather than an "aliens" series; more recently the defiance series beat the colonial marines series as the longest "aliens" series).

Quote from: judge death on Jan 06, 2021, 02:00:27 AM
Looks very much like defiance cover....

Exactly

I'd only be buying these for the Dark Horse Comic and Alien Magazine stuff

Quote from: Whiskeybrewer on Jan 06, 2021, 11:41:11 AM
I'd only be buying these for the Dark Horse Comic and Alien Magazine stuff

Wouldnt it be easier and better to just buy the original dark horse ones on ebay and comic book stores instead?

How about cheaper ?

Dunno about cheaper, the alien omnibious books costed me 7-8 dollar brand new each and the price of these marvel collections are around 100 dollar so.... So far I spended 150 dollar and have almost every dark horse comic^^ Plus then marvel dont get money for their tracing habits and giving them a message with my wallet.

I would imagine now DH omnibuses cost much more than 7-8 dollars

latest one that ended on 9 dollar, I purchased:
https://www.tradera.com/item/341679/426351196/bok-aliens-vs-predator-omnibus-volume-2-dark-horse-comics-pocket

And at seriemagasinet a swedish site they sell vol 1-2-3 for 8-10 dollar piece.^^

Quote from: Kradan on Jan 05, 2021, 09:35:39 PM

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 05, 2021, 08:49:08 PM
(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/05012021_01.jpg)

Defiance, anybody ?

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/y7comics/covers/32/0032980.jpg)

It's not a flat out copy, but are they taking the piss??

"Alien looming over person" is as generic a concept as it comes for a cover, but at least try to do something different ???

(https://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/05012021_01.jpg)

I'm not certain what the Marine is looking at. His pupils say up and ahead, but the Xeno is either above or behind. 🤔

I haven't seen anything very inspiring yet as far as artwork, I don't expect marvel to reinvent the wheel but they have plenty of opportunities to do some cool stuff, they can do something as powerful as the Arthur Suydam artwork but I'm not seeing it here.

---

I'm going to leave a quote from Giger, cited from the Necronomicon II;

"inner vision is as important as the artist's technique"

I really like that they are attributing Earth Angel to its original serialization in Previews 1993/1994. Also, Crusade didn't begin in Aliens Magazine until issue 13, so they are attributing Sacrifice to it's true original publication in issues 9-12, rather than it's individual release. Neat to see they are looking at the history and crediting everything to the very first time it was published.

Check this out people.

Its prints the final parts of crusade, which have never seen print.

Nice choice for the cover. Love post-Alien 3 release influence on Xenomorph

That Rogue artwork under the dust jacket.  :o Don't think I've ever seen that in full size.

Quote from: Russ840 on Jan 05, 2022, 11:26:36 PM
Its prints the final parts of crusade, which have never seen print.

This is worth the price of admission alone!

---

And those specials at the back. Marvel is killing it putting these out.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jan 06, 2022, 08:41:52 AM
That Genocide artwork under the dust jacket.  :o Don't think I've ever seen that in full size.

Quote from: Russ840 on Jan 05, 2022, 11:26:36 PM
Its prints the final parts of crusade, which have never seen print.

This is worth the price of admission alone!

---

And those specials at the back. Marvel is killing it putting these out.

Awesome right. Marvel do put together great collections.

Quote from: Russ840 on Jan 05, 2022, 11:26:36 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi457MAobc8

Check this out people.

Its prints the final parts of crusade, which have never seen print.

Oh now that's real cool! Never thought we'd see that one get finished!

How'd they get the final part of crusade? Did the contact the original writer/artist and ask them to finish it? Was the last issue finished but never went to print, and they found it somehow? Or did they get a new writer/artist to come in and give it an ending?

Presumably it was drawn at the time, it just never got published because the magazine got cancelled.

The fact the finale is in black and white would suggest to me that's the case. It obviously got canned before it was coloured. If it had been done especially for this release they surely would've coloured it.

Raises the question why Dark Horse never thought to put it out!

Can't quite believe we're finally getting it lol.

I've always wanted to see Aliens: Crusade complete!  Can't wait for this.  I always thought it was a shame Crusade was never released fully and I like the artwork.  Good news indeed.  Wonder if Aliens: Matrix will ever get a release finally.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 07, 2022, 09:29:54 AM
Presumably it was drawn at the time, it just never got published because the magazine got cancelled.

The fact the finale is in black and white would suggest to me that's the case. It obviously got canned before it was coloured. If it had been done especially for this release they surely would've coloured it.

Raises the question why Dark Horse never thought to put it out!

Can't quite believe we're finally getting it lol.

Yea that's what Confuses me!! I had heard somewhere that dark horse never re-published crusade because they had lost the original copies or something. I always thought that was BS tbh. Seeing crusade get its ending now is just baffling to me...

Quote from: xeno_alpha_07 on Jan 07, 2022, 01:25:51 PMWonder if Aliens: Matrix will ever get a release finally.

Given that it was due to follow Crusade and that Crusade never even got properly finished and coloured, I'd be very surprised if anything of Matrix exists in a releasable state. Plus, you have to assume Marvel would've included it in one of these collections if it did exist, given how they've gone above and beyond with pretty much everything else.

Quote from: Engineer on Jan 07, 2022, 02:35:32 PMYea that's what Confuses me!! I had heard somewhere that dark horse never re-published crusade because they had lost the original copies or something.

I think you might be confusing it with Countdown... which doesn't really clear things up any, because Marvel managed to release that too :laugh:

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 07, 2022, 03:46:53 PM

Quote from: xeno_alpha_07 on Jan 07, 2022, 01:25:51 PMWonder if Aliens: Matrix will ever get a release finally.

Given that it was due to follow Crusade and that Crusade never even got properly finished and coloured, I'd be very surprised if anything of Matrix exists in a releasable state. Plus, you have to assume Marvel would've included it in one of these collections if it did exist, given how they've gone above and beyond with pretty much everything else.

Quote from: Engineer on Jan 07, 2022, 02:35:32 PMYea that's what Confuses me!! I had heard somewhere that dark horse never re-published crusade because they had lost the original copies or something.

I think you might be confusing it with Countdown... which doesn't really clear things up any, because Marvel managed to release that too :laugh:

Yea, you're right; it might have been countdown I heard that about lol and yea, that got it's re-release from marvel too! Countdown is one of my favorites though!! The art is stunning! I'm glad it's available again! It took me over 10 years to track down a copy in the US!

Forbidden Planet just charged my card so I presume this is about to ship if it hasn't already.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 18, 2022, 06:24:38 PM
Forbidden Planet just charged my card so I presume this is about to ship if it hasn't already.

Which cover did you get?

The new one.

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 18, 2022, 11:05:30 PM
The new one.

I think he's asking if you got the standard cover or the direct-market cover... by "new one," do you mean the standard cover which is new art, rather than the cover based on previous artwork from the DH era?

Mine has made its way to my local. I've gone for the standard cover too.

Quote from: Engineer on Jan 18, 2022, 11:21:57 PMBy "new one," do you mean the standard cover which is new art, rather than the cover based on previous artwork from the DH era?

This :)

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 07, 2022, 03:46:53 PM

Quote from: Engineer on Jan 07, 2022, 02:35:32 PMYea that's what Confuses me!! I had heard somewhere that dark horse never re-published crusade because they had lost the original copies or something.

I think you might be confusing it with Countdown... which doesn't really clear things up any, because Marvel managed to release that too :laugh:

I'm assuming Engineer means "re-published beyond the Aliens: Special release"? Because that had Countdown and Elder Gods.

Aliens: Special contained Elder Gods and 45 Seconds :)

Countdown was only ever republished as a bonus with a couple of issues of Aliens magazine in the 90s. But it's definitely the story that I've heard the we-lost-the-original-artwork story applied to since.

Ah, shit, my mistake. Some of these names do my f**kin head in tbh  :laugh:

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jan 19, 2022, 09:10:14 PM
Aliens: Special contained Elder Gods and 45 Seconds :)

Countdown was only ever republished as a bonus with a couple of issues of Aliens magazine in the 90s. But it's definitely the story that I've heard the we-lost-the-original-artwork story applied to since.

Yup
I have the aliens magazine issues with countdown.

My copy arrived today, and it's another beauty. Finding the conclusion to Crusade really does seem like a bit of a coup for Marvel.

Among the bonus material in the back is some conceptual artwork for Labyrinth and Colonial Marines.

Picked up my copy. got the Paul Mendoza cover which I love and has a very Moebius vibe about it. Also going to be amazing to re-read Salvation in oversize format and finally read Music of the Spears.

just a PSA here for US folk, Things From Another World (https://www.tfaw.com/feb210658-aliens-original-years-omnibus-hc-vol-02-asrar-cover.html) has been selling the Aliens volumes for $100 instead of the MSRP of $125.