Aliens Omnibus Volume 4 Review

Posted by Corporal Hicks on November 9, 2008 (Updated: 06-Oct-2023)

Frenzy

“There’s a ship cutting through space like a bullet, its crew a five-man surgical strike team with a single mission: Destroy Aliens! But when the crew members of the Nemesis land smack in the middle of a full-blown hive, they’re not sure if it’s the answer to their prayers or the beginning of a nightmare!”

Titled Berserker in its original release (and novelization), Freny is a “massive” story that sees a MAX unit, a specialized squad of Colonial Marines and their exo-suit go to war with a lot of Aliens. Written by John Wagner, artwork by Paul Mendoza, Andy Mushynsky and Cary Porter (colours) Frenzy is a crazy story that knows just what it is.

It’s an over-the-top action comic that makes up for its over-the-top characters and action by being epic. Everything about the story just seems as large as to impress. We get a huge space station that has been entirely overrun and it’s up the MAX unit to get in there and clean out the hundreds of Aliens.

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Herein lies the biggest problem with the comic. The expanded universe is known for its exaggerated treatment of the Aliens in that they’re easily mowed down and not presented as a proper threat. If you really don’t like that interpretation then you will hate Frenzy and the rest of the comics in Volume #4. Personally I think they’ve created a nice tempo that eases you into that approach but it might not work for all.

Visually, Frenzy is unimpressive. Cary Porter uses a very bland colour palette, creating a very dull look that once again, the insane nature of the story has to compensate for.

I wouldn’t recommend Frenzy to everyone. If you prefer your Aliens sneaky and deadly then this comic just isn’t for you and the rest of the volume will make you turn your nose.

Taste

There’s not really much to say about Taste. It’s a really short short, written by Edward Martin the 3rd with artwork by Mark Nelson (of Outbreak fame) and Ray P. Murtaugh. The entire short is just a short monologue about getting adrenaline rushes from doing something “dangerous” and how, for some, that’s still not enough.

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It ends with a massive alien (not our alien) using face-huggers as food. There’s not too much point to this one and if only it only serves to further de-fang the Aliens. Taste doesn’t add anything to Volume #4 or to the expanded universe.

Mondo Pest

“Stock up on ammo and lower your visor! Herk Mondo, that cigar-chomping, tail-kicking Alien-hunter extraordinaire is back, and if it isn’t human, it’s dead! Mondo answers a general distress call, hoping for a hefty bit of dosh from a bunch of grateful colonists, but finds himself at the business end of the planetary defense system and a surprise party of his favorite targets — bugs!”

Written by Henry Gilroy and artwork by Ronnie del Carmen and Matthew Hollingsworth, Mondo Pest is best described as Duke Nukem-meets-Aliens. Herk Mondo is a mercenary who caters to those with Alien problems. And he loves his job. He really loves his job.

Mondo Pest is a crazy comic that despite itself still manages to entertain. It presents the Aliens as that hated comic interpretation where they’re “bugs” to be swatted aside but the craziness of Mondo Pest just manages to keep it from being a comic that makes you want to hold your head in your hands as you read.

It’s full of silly one-liners and stupid moments that just contribute to that light hearted feeling of a comic whose title character apparently escaped from a mental institution (allegedly) to pursue his chosen career. There’s one bit where Herk ends up losing his hand and an Alien runs off with it. So, in true spirit of the story, Herk ties a knife to his stump which he uses to slice up Aliens…

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Like I said, it’s stupid and I shouldn’t enjoy reading it but Herk Mondo is fun!

Del Carmen and Hollingsworth provide some very nice artwork too. It certainly looks a bit more serious than the story would suggest. That said, they do give Herk a somewhat deranged look that completely matches his personality. The colours look a little dirty which gives it a slightly gritty feeling.

Mondo Pest is a fun short but you really can’t take it seriously or you will hate it.

Mondo Heat

“When you’ve got a major infestation of Aliens, and the Colonial Marines are nowhere in sight, you won’t find a better “exterminator” than Herk Mondo. But Herk’s got a couple of big problems: he’s completely unarmed in the middle of the infestation, and he’s got an active volcano ready to blow beneath his feet! You can be sure of one thing, though — the volcano may blow, but Herk’ll keep his cool.”

Written again by Henry Gilroy with Ronnie del Carmen returning to do the artwork with Pamela Rambo doing the colours. Mondo Heat sees Herk Mondo return for his second and final entry in the Aliens expanded universe.

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In terms of visuals it looks slightly different to its predecessor, the difference brought about by Pamela Rambo doing the colours. She uses a lot more blacks, giving it a slightly darker look.

It follows Mondo Pest in style, featuring Herk as an over-the-top hero out to kill Aliens and save some hot young farmer’s daughters in an exaggerated short story. Like with the previous story, if you take the comic too seriously you wont enjoy it but if you take it on the chin, Mondo Heat is just as fun as Mondo Pest.

Conclusion

Volume #4 starts off with the fantastic Music of the Spears, throwing us into a strange and unique story, perhaps creating the impression that the comic will be full of unique tales – which I suppose to some extent is correct (unique in their over-the-top craziness). It eases us into action with Stronghold, still maintaining some strength in the story department and then throwing us Frenzy before giving us the even crazier shorts that are Taste and the two Herk Mondo stories. I believe that Volume #4 creates a nice tempo that eases the reader into the over-the-top action that closes the book off with.

I really enjoyed this book but you’ve got to turn off the serious part of your brain to fully enjoy it. If you hate that exaggerated EU vision of the Aliens, you are going to loath the latter half of Volume #4 but Music of the Spears and Stronghold are fantastic stories all around. I recommend seeking those out if the other stories don’t appeal to you.

From Aaron Percival, here at AvPGalaxy.net, I award Aliens – Volume #4 with a 3.5 out of 5.

Rating:
(3.5/5)
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