Which is better: The Aliens Omnibus from Dark Horse or The Aliens Versus Predator Omnibus from Dark Horse?

Aliens

1 of 1

by Scott Johnson

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

This is a real tough decision, as it has been many years since I collected either of these titles.

If I remember correctly, the first Aliens series was a six issue limited series. When the Dark Horse Aliens book first came out, the illustrator was one Mark Nelson. He happened to be my Illustration professor at Northern Illinois University in the early-mid 90's. I distinctly remember that there was not an issue of this title to be found anywhere in the entire town of DeKalb, IL. Then one weekend, I went home and walked into my local comic store. The rack was full issues! So I bought up a bunch and got them signed when I went back to school. My opinion on Mark is as follows: Mark Nelson is an extremely talented Illustrator. Unfortunately, I didn't think quite as highly of him as a college instructor. He was the spitting image of the "Comic Book" guy from the Simpsons: grossly overweight with a stuffy attitude. "Worst illustration teacher EVER!"

I remember the second installment was a four issue limited series. After digging through my old comic book box, I see that the artist is one Denis Bauvais. I remember particularly enjoying the watercolor/airbrushe d technique against the black page. Aesthetically, it was just the kind of dark and morbid look that the genre needed. The story lost me though, as it proceeded to explore Newt as an adult... which according to the movie canon, did not occur (I can't remember if this installment came out before Alien 3 or not). I was willing to forgive some of the story quirks, so long as the artwork met my quality expectations. Once that edition ended, and the "Earth War" and Genocide" series began, Sam Kieth's artwork in "Earth War", and the even sorrier excuse for a storyline made me disappointed. I lost interest in the Alien title altogether after that.

The Alien vs. Predator theme was one that I had been looking forward to since the Predator 2 movie. The teaser glimpse of the Alien skull in the ship's trophy case wet many appetites. An epic battle between the species had to be done! For the first installment of Dark Horse's AVP, Philip Norwood was the penciler. I thought Philip Norwood was a fine artist, and the issues were well inked and colored. For me though, the book left a lot to be desired. It just didn't have the dark and menacing feel as the early Alien installments did.

I was expecting an all out battle with Aliens and Predators on some distant planet... which we did get. I was immediately let down that the writers chose to put in a human element in the story at all. Hey! Here's this distant planet that the Predators chose to send Alien eggs down on for a hunt, but OH NO! By some bizarre twist of fate, a small band of human settlers have chosen to colonize there! What are the odds?

There were also too many non-canon parts to this comic that bothered me. One: the Predators "seed" the planet with Aliens, which initially begin using the indigenous rhinoceros-like creatures as hosts. In the movie, Alien 3 when the alien uses the dog as a host, the Alien takes on the dog's physical characteristics. In the comic AVP, Aliens all look the same regardless of the creatures that host them. Second, the "immature" Predators kill armed and unarmed people alike without any of the usual "Predator code". I know that the "lead Predator" takes retribution on the "younglings" for this later. It just seems implausible that the Predators would arrange such a hunt without at least setting down some basic ground rules beforehand. I dunno. It just seemed weird to me and an unnecessary segue from the main story. Finally, and disappointingly in my opinion, I'm tired of the snappy one-liners. When the human woman shoots the Queen Alien at the end of the 4th book, do we really need the, "Hey Mama, give it a rest," line? I know the Predator series was started by the king of silly one-liners, Governor Arnold himself, but come on! Sadly, I never collected beyond this book. After seeing the first AVP movie, I doubt I will go to see the upcoming 2nd installment either. Not unless I can get it for free at the Family Video during the week, for renting a "New Release" title.

In my opinion, the Dark Horse Aliens series narrowly wins this contest, but only through better artwork, and only the first few installments of the series.

Learn more about this author, Scott Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.