Expanded Universe

[Kenner_Alien_Kaste]

So I figured I oughta ask what you all think of the MASSIVE extra material surrounding the EU, seeing as there is just so friggin' much of it and it's a headache to read it all. Personally, I like some of it, and others I don't very much care for, but I want to hear your opinions on it. What parts (if any) do you like or dislike? Anything you think should be added into the Canon (which imo is in of itself is also a mindf**k) Feel free to discuss down below. 

[Samhain13]

I like a lot of the EU stuff, I'm more into the games and novels than comics though, I consider to be canon the ones I enjoyed and feel that are possible to fit in with others even if I need to do some mental gymnastics to make it work.

What parts (if any) do you like or dislike? Anything you think should be added into the Canon (which imo is in of itself is also a mindf**k) Feel free to discuss down below. 

Its long list since there are a lot of material but if you want to look into my AVP timeline aka my canon: here

Its still incomplete but you can get an idea of which stuff I liked enough to include. I have included many games and books so far.

[SM]

I think there's a bit more consistency in recent years in terms of continuity and quality.  I've re-evaluated a lot of the older stuff recently too.  Some is better than I previously remebered; some worse.

[Local Trouble]

I'm curious as to which have actually gotten worse.

[SM]

Labyrinth comes to mind.  Worse is the wrong word though - perhaps it's looking at them with older eyes.  I dunno.  See also Genocide, Rogue.  My old mindset was the comics started out strong, but the longer they went, they weaker they got till towards the end of the original run (around Xenogenesis) I didn't even bother buying them anymore.

Looking at them again I realised there were some later in the run that were pretty good that I didn't previously rate.

[[cancerblack]]

Labyrinth comes to mind.  Worse is the wrong word though - perhaps it's looking at them with older eyes.  I dunno.  See also Genocide, Rogue.  My old mindset was the comics started out strong, but the longer they went, they weaker they got till towards the end of the original run (around Xenogenesis) I didn't even bother buying them anymore.

Looking at them again I realised there were some later in the run that were pretty good that I didn't previously rate.

Thought about this myself a fair bit. I wouldn't say Labyrinth has gotten worse per se either, but it's very reliant on its art style and shock value, if you're used to those there's not really much left.

I'm also inclined to rate some of the later stuff that doesn't get talked about often, but personally don't have much to say about the very early stuff. Great art (mostly) but it wasn't current when I discovered the comics and has always felt a bit dated to me, likely because of that.

[The Old One]

Such as?
(As for myself for the EU I alternate between loving and hating particular entries.)

[Kenner_Alien_Kaste]

Personally, I enjoyed Aliens:Rogue, Female Wars, Xenomorph Prime, and a lot of the supplemental figures and comics and games that allow for deeper looks into Alien morphology and variations, although I will admit I am therein biased into liking these things so there's that. And even then I can understand the criticisms surrounding some of that stuff (ie reducing the aliens to animals rather than something more, albeit Scott's kinda just turned them into a School Science Project w/ David)

The only thing I think I really dislike/hate is Eloise. Just...why?

[SM]

Eloise is cool.

[Kenner_Alien_Kaste]

To each their own- In my opinion I just thought it seemed a bit over the top, even by Aliens standards. Like, I can get genetic splicing of humans and Xenomorphs to make some ungodly abomination Clone Xenomorphs and The Newborn (both by the fandom's view on them and in-universe) but having an Android-Xeno Hybrid who has perfect control over the Xenomorphs, can fly and use technology with no prior training barring programming, just makes her seem like a humongous Mary-Sue.

[SM]

How is she a Mary-Sue?

[Samhain13]

I can take eggbarfing over Eloise any day. Having aliens become slaves of a xeno android hybrid is one of the worse things that have been done to the creatures during all these decades.

She was an overpowered nonsense made to trash on aliens and predators.

[Local Trouble]

Labyrinth comes to mind.

I will always love Church's backstory, but the rest of the story is and always has been meh.

[Samhain13]

Church was the most complex and interesting villain we had. One of the main reasons Labyrinth is my favorite alien novel.

[SM]

He had the potential to be complex and interesting - in the end he was just another crazy evil scientist who was fortunate that Crespi believed everything that the last person he spoke to told him.

The hive issue however remains one of the best single issues of any Aliens comic.