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Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War #1-6
Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War by Rick Leonardi (Artist), Wes Dzioba (Artist), Mark Pennington (Artist), (14-Jun-2011) Paperback
In Aliens vs. Three World War a long-lost Predator clan stakes its claim for galactic dominance, intent on exterminating its rival clan, the self-same trophy hunters who have plagued Earth's history. And if the advanced technology and military precision of this new threat weren't enough, they have an even more terrifying weapon - a horde of Aliens under their malefic control. Earthmen must now side with the warriors who have relentlessly hunted them, but is the enemy of my enemy my friend or just another enemy waiting for its turn to strike? Aliens vs. Three World War is the biggest action blow-out yet, written by original AvP scribe Randy Stradley and illustrated by the superstar team of Rick Leonardi and Mark Pennington.
Unknown Binding
First published July 12, 2011
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199 people want to read
About the author
Randy Stradley
392 books35 followers"Nearly thirty years of writing and editing comics, and this is what I have to show for it."
—Randy Stradley, pointing to this biography.
More to come, folks!
—Randy Stradley, pointing to this biography.
More to come, folks!
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
September 30, 2019
Storylines and characters from Aliens Vs. Predator, Aliens vs. Predator: War, Aliens: More Than Human and Predator: Prey to the Heavens collide in an all-action final volume, who relaunched in 2010 Dark Horse's AvP comics franchise after a ten-year hiatus.
Not a masterpiece at all, but Rick Leonardi's artworks are very good, story had lots of epic moments, and I just loved the ending.
☆☆☆ 1/2 raised to full ☆☆☆☆ by Raymond Swanland's amazing covers.
October 23, 2024
Enjoyable read in this AVP mini series. Recommended
November 14, 2023
A good conclusion to the Machiko Noguchi Trilogy(?) And what better way to end it than with it written by her creator, Randy Stradley!
Only problem I had with it, was the inconsistent artwork. This isn't the Dark Horse I knew from the 90's, where was interior art almost---ALMOST matched the quality of the covers. Here, we have some cool covers to each chapter with some pictures that unintentionally look like "the Persistence of Memory" painting by Salvador Dali, but in the worst possible way.
Only problem I had with it, was the inconsistent artwork. This isn't the Dark Horse I knew from the 90's, where was interior art almost---ALMOST matched the quality of the covers. Here, we have some cool covers to each chapter with some pictures that unintentionally look like "the Persistence of Memory" painting by Salvador Dali, but in the worst possible way.
August 29, 2022
Rating 3 out of 5 | Lowered Expectations lead to a surprisingly better reader experience
When I saw this gorgeous cover page for AvP: Three World War, I approached the story with a healthy amount of trepidation. For, In my experience, these series have a history of giving your great cover pages, followed by a mediocre, lackluster story.
But this time around, for the most part, I'm glad I was wrong in my assessment. Three world war, deals with a conflict between Colonial humans, & your classic Yautja (Predators), against the 'Killers' a more violent faction of the species, who can control the Xenomorphs using pheromones and use them like disposable attack dogs. This is something that the classic Predators find 'dishonorable' and which needs to be wiped out from their race. So, with a bunch of humans dropped in the middle, the war commences in full swing.
The protagonist of the story is a recurring character from the previous AvP storylines, Machiko Noguchi, who has the distinction of being perhaps the only human who, for a time was adopted into a Yautja clan. Having lived with them for several months, she has gained an intimate understanding of their culture, behavior and is perhaps the only one capable of holding negotiations with the Predators. She must also convince the Yautja to aid the humans in their conflict with the Killers.
A lot of Machiko's character traits are lifted right from Alexa woods from the first Alien vs Predator movie. Which doesn't mean she doesn't kick ass. There is this unique dynamic she has when dealing with, in turns, her crew, the colonial marines and the Yautja, which is engaging to watch. Also helps that she has a badass human-predator styled armor, complete with a mantle.
Her understanding of the Yautja culture allows her to essentially use the tribe as glorious blood thirsty summons against the Killer-Alien army. Which is fun to watch.
Speaking of things that work; the story does at least try and establish a begrudging camaraderie between the humans & Yautja, which, while not maybe a win worthy moment, does bring a smile to your face while reading.
The Artstyle is passable, although I'd have preferred if they had leaned in a bit more into the graphic side of things, seeing as how this is a story with Aliens & Predators. The Xenomorphs have little else to do, other than being disposable alien attack dogs, McGuffins or go about face hugging people. Can't blame the writers for that, in this sense, they are like the Tyranids. Hard to write engaging scenes centered around a nom nom hivemind.
Some of the cover art, is a tad too derivative. For e.g. this one, seems more like something out of Starcraft, the queen of blades, rather than AvP.
In Summary, this is one of the better entries in the franchise, the premise is intriguing enough, the Predators are always solid. And Machiko is an interesting enough character that I now want to go and read her preceding storylines.
When I saw this gorgeous cover page for AvP: Three World War, I approached the story with a healthy amount of trepidation. For, In my experience, these series have a history of giving your great cover pages, followed by a mediocre, lackluster story.
But this time around, for the most part, I'm glad I was wrong in my assessment. Three world war, deals with a conflict between Colonial humans, & your classic Yautja (Predators), against the 'Killers' a more violent faction of the species, who can control the Xenomorphs using pheromones and use them like disposable attack dogs. This is something that the classic Predators find 'dishonorable' and which needs to be wiped out from their race. So, with a bunch of humans dropped in the middle, the war commences in full swing.
The protagonist of the story is a recurring character from the previous AvP storylines, Machiko Noguchi, who has the distinction of being perhaps the only human who, for a time was adopted into a Yautja clan. Having lived with them for several months, she has gained an intimate understanding of their culture, behavior and is perhaps the only one capable of holding negotiations with the Predators. She must also convince the Yautja to aid the humans in their conflict with the Killers.
A lot of Machiko's character traits are lifted right from Alexa woods from the first Alien vs Predator movie. Which doesn't mean she doesn't kick ass. There is this unique dynamic she has when dealing with, in turns, her crew, the colonial marines and the Yautja, which is engaging to watch. Also helps that she has a badass human-predator styled armor, complete with a mantle.
Her understanding of the Yautja culture allows her to essentially use the tribe as glorious blood thirsty summons against the Killer-Alien army. Which is fun to watch.
Speaking of things that work; the story does at least try and establish a begrudging camaraderie between the humans & Yautja, which, while not maybe a win worthy moment, does bring a smile to your face while reading.
The Artstyle is passable, although I'd have preferred if they had leaned in a bit more into the graphic side of things, seeing as how this is a story with Aliens & Predators. The Xenomorphs have little else to do, other than being disposable alien attack dogs, McGuffins or go about face hugging people. Can't blame the writers for that, in this sense, they are like the Tyranids. Hard to write engaging scenes centered around a nom nom hivemind.
Some of the cover art, is a tad too derivative. For e.g. this one, seems more like something out of Starcraft, the queen of blades, rather than AvP.
In Summary, this is one of the better entries in the franchise, the premise is intriguing enough, the Predators are always solid. And Machiko is an interesting enough character that I now want to go and read her preceding storylines.
May 22, 2017
Here is the third and (as of 2017) final chapter in a three-arc story written by Randy Stradley, published more than twenty years after the first act. That first story, called simply Aliens vs Predator, was the first crossover of the two franchises, and the best selling independent comic of its day. Stradley's continuation of his story, in a world that he first created, followed the life of a woman who came in contact by accident with Predator (called "Hunters" in these books) hunting grounds, where they were stalking Xenomorphs that they had seeded on the world expressly for that purpose. In her first stories, she fights alongside the Predators, gains their trust, is welcomed into their tribe, and later leaves to fight against them when they begin hunting and killing human colonial marines.
All of these stories were published in the early nineties. Stradley left the comic to other writers and artists. In his wake, a new franchise was launched, eventually spawning two films, novels, and a continuing comic series. His original protagonist wasn't picked up by anyone else. But the world he created, of Predators seeding planets with Xenomorphs to fight them, continued on.
I appreciated Stradley's original stories, though I felt they suffered badly from inconsistent and mediocre illustration, mostly a consequence of inconsistent pencillers and inkers. The books also had an inconsistent tone and pacing. Compared to other less mainstream books of the day, the books are okay. They are much better than the films. But they don't age well otherwise. I like the ideas enough to read through them, and applied my imagination to what they could have been, but they aren't really fantastic on their own.
This arc, published in 2011, brings the story of our protagonist from the original Stradley Aliens vs Predator books full circle. She has grown and developed since we last knew her. The world of Aliens and Predator is as it was. This book introduces a new sect within the Predator Alien race. These are not Hunters, but Killers. They are of the same planet and race as the other Predator aliens, but without the warrior code. Thus, we have a war.
As a continuation and (hopefully) conclusion of Stradley's original work, I appreciated this book. I felt the ending of his second arc left a lot to be desired. I always felt that with better, and more consistent, illustrators, and a more well thought out and paced story, he could have made something better than those first two attempts. This is that story.
The art is far superior to the original nineties comics. The pacing is consistent. The story is solid. Anyone who appreciated Stradley's original work will likely welcome this story very gladly. This book shows the potential excellence this story has had all along. I very highly recommend it to readers of the original Aliens vs Predator comics.
Still, I'm only giving it three stars of five, for the following reasons.
As good as is story is as a continuation of the original AvP storyline and characters, storytelling in comics has moved on a great deal since 1995. The AvP comic began telling new and different stories within the world Stradley created as soon as he moved on from the book. Both the Aliens and Predator comic lines have also moved on from the original formula (big group of macho guys is attacked by alien beings until only one, often a brunette woman, survives), telling stories of all different genres and tones within these worlds. For nostalgia's sake, this is a good story. Generally speaking, it's pretty tired. As good as it is, it would have been nice to see Stradley go somewhere different with the story, instead of just the typical sequel formula of "the same, but more".
Pretty much as soon as the Aliens vs Predator line began, Aliens were significantly under powered. These are not the frightening creatures of the original Ridley Scott Alien film. It is appropriate that the comic line follows the second film, Aliens, which already turned down the creature's power. Even the Aliens comic had already done this even further by the time Randy Stradley was writing the first Aliens vs Predator comic. But in this comic, they almost might as well not exist. Replacing them with just about any strong, scary alien creature would not change the story in the slightest. Stradley's original AvP stories still retains some of the heart and soul of Aliens, even if the creatures were under powered. This book is pretty much just a Predator book that happens to also have creatures that look like Xenomorphs. They serve as plot devices a couple of times over six comics. They are treated like cattle. At one point, a Xenomorph Queen is subdued by a group of humans and Predators over about one page of panels, without tension, in a scene that looks very little more difficult than calf-tying. This is a good Predator book. It is a terrible Aliens book.
Though not nearly as extreme as it could have been, I was not a fan of some illustrations of our protagonist that looked to me like fan service. Her character is very strong. Her relationships in the book to the other characters, her authority, her experience, combined with the critique of macho posturing already present in the Predator story, could create an interesting feminist thread in this book. Unfortunately, I feel this was undermined by the gratuitous skin and body shots, even if they were rare compared to worse examples in comics.
Finally, as a story that is inspired by survival horror, I still feel like this very franchise could have been much more than just starting off with shoot-em-up violence. I appreciate this story within its own franchise, and as an homage to the two originals on which it is based. But it isn't as good as it can be, as good as other stories have already been.
All of these stories were published in the early nineties. Stradley left the comic to other writers and artists. In his wake, a new franchise was launched, eventually spawning two films, novels, and a continuing comic series. His original protagonist wasn't picked up by anyone else. But the world he created, of Predators seeding planets with Xenomorphs to fight them, continued on.
I appreciated Stradley's original stories, though I felt they suffered badly from inconsistent and mediocre illustration, mostly a consequence of inconsistent pencillers and inkers. The books also had an inconsistent tone and pacing. Compared to other less mainstream books of the day, the books are okay. They are much better than the films. But they don't age well otherwise. I like the ideas enough to read through them, and applied my imagination to what they could have been, but they aren't really fantastic on their own.
This arc, published in 2011, brings the story of our protagonist from the original Stradley Aliens vs Predator books full circle. She has grown and developed since we last knew her. The world of Aliens and Predator is as it was. This book introduces a new sect within the Predator Alien race. These are not Hunters, but Killers. They are of the same planet and race as the other Predator aliens, but without the warrior code. Thus, we have a war.
As a continuation and (hopefully) conclusion of Stradley's original work, I appreciated this book. I felt the ending of his second arc left a lot to be desired. I always felt that with better, and more consistent, illustrators, and a more well thought out and paced story, he could have made something better than those first two attempts. This is that story.
The art is far superior to the original nineties comics. The pacing is consistent. The story is solid. Anyone who appreciated Stradley's original work will likely welcome this story very gladly. This book shows the potential excellence this story has had all along. I very highly recommend it to readers of the original Aliens vs Predator comics.
Still, I'm only giving it three stars of five, for the following reasons.
As good as is story is as a continuation of the original AvP storyline and characters, storytelling in comics has moved on a great deal since 1995. The AvP comic began telling new and different stories within the world Stradley created as soon as he moved on from the book. Both the Aliens and Predator comic lines have also moved on from the original formula (big group of macho guys is attacked by alien beings until only one, often a brunette woman, survives), telling stories of all different genres and tones within these worlds. For nostalgia's sake, this is a good story. Generally speaking, it's pretty tired. As good as it is, it would have been nice to see Stradley go somewhere different with the story, instead of just the typical sequel formula of "the same, but more".
Pretty much as soon as the Aliens vs Predator line began, Aliens were significantly under powered. These are not the frightening creatures of the original Ridley Scott Alien film. It is appropriate that the comic line follows the second film, Aliens, which already turned down the creature's power. Even the Aliens comic had already done this even further by the time Randy Stradley was writing the first Aliens vs Predator comic. But in this comic, they almost might as well not exist. Replacing them with just about any strong, scary alien creature would not change the story in the slightest. Stradley's original AvP stories still retains some of the heart and soul of Aliens, even if the creatures were under powered. This book is pretty much just a Predator book that happens to also have creatures that look like Xenomorphs. They serve as plot devices a couple of times over six comics. They are treated like cattle. At one point, a Xenomorph Queen is subdued by a group of humans and Predators over about one page of panels, without tension, in a scene that looks very little more difficult than calf-tying. This is a good Predator book. It is a terrible Aliens book.
Though not nearly as extreme as it could have been, I was not a fan of some illustrations of our protagonist that looked to me like fan service. Her character is very strong. Her relationships in the book to the other characters, her authority, her experience, combined with the critique of macho posturing already present in the Predator story, could create an interesting feminist thread in this book. Unfortunately, I feel this was undermined by the gratuitous skin and body shots, even if they were rare compared to worse examples in comics.
Finally, as a story that is inspired by survival horror, I still feel like this very franchise could have been much more than just starting off with shoot-em-up violence. I appreciate this story within its own franchise, and as an homage to the two originals on which it is based. But it isn't as good as it can be, as good as other stories have already been.
November 5, 2014
I am a big fan of both monsters and aliens/predator omnibus, and I am glad they revisited some of the older stories and brought back the character of Machiko, she didn't disappoint here either, but I felt it was too short. The story was action packed and it had all the gore and terror attached to it like the previous stories, but it just fell too rushed at times.
October 31, 2015
This graphic novel takes place after the Aliens vs. Predator book trilogy. It was a good, fun adventure, as much an adventure as Aliens or a Predator can give you, but the story seemed to fly by. Wish the graphic novel was a little larger, like 400 pages or more. Hope they make more.
January 5, 2015
Nice Pickup
This is a solid pickup for those who have followed the AvP books. It picks up after the last book. An interesting story overall.
This is a solid pickup for those who have followed the AvP books. It picks up after the last book. An interesting story overall.
June 4, 2024
Machiko's story comes to an end and unlike the second volume in the series, this one actually had a story to tell. She is back with the humans and she's enjoying it but the military come knocking when a platoon, they've been attacked my a rouge predator tribe that is notorious for disobeying the laws of the hunt, instead they enjoy simply killing. They also have control of their own Alien warriors, which I feel had to be included due to the titles name. It's the only way the Xeno is featured in this and again there isn't really anything for them to do aside from being target practice.
As much as I enjoyed this one it was a bit messy, there were big gaps in between comics where huge event happened and we have to have an exposition dump to catch up. Also the rouge Yautja are hugely underdeveloped, there is nothing that we learn about them even though we know their home turf and the story is left open but I'm not sure if there is anything else we can do with them.
However this is Machiko's story wrapping up all that has happened to her and leaving her to choose between the Predators and Humans was a fantastic idea. Watching her develop and grow in this series has been a blast, I was very happy with the ending they gave her.
As much as I enjoyed this one it was a bit messy, there were big gaps in between comics where huge event happened and we have to have an exposition dump to catch up. Also the rouge Yautja are hugely underdeveloped, there is nothing that we learn about them even though we know their home turf and the story is left open but I'm not sure if there is anything else we can do with them.
However this is Machiko's story wrapping up all that has happened to her and leaving her to choose between the Predators and Humans was a fantastic idea. Watching her develop and grow in this series has been a blast, I was very happy with the ending they gave her.
August 19, 2020
Retomando la historia de Machiko Noguchi y cohesionando otras historias de la cabecera AvP tenemos esta historia que quizás entre demasiado por los ojos con el subtítulo de Tercera Guerra Mundial. Y encontraremos eso... pero a una escala menor de lo esperado. Un grupo de Predators asesinos y renegados en posesión de un ejército particular de xenomorfos obligará a un clan Predator a unir fuerzas con los humanos. Todo se muestra de forma bastante ajena salvo la trama central de Machiko reconectando con su pasado como Cazadora. Salvo esto, la obra se siente bastante descafeinada.
August 4, 2018
Continues and finishes the story of Machiko Noguchi, from the AvP Omnibus. Story itself was a little lackluster, but the illustrations were fantastic. I did enjoy the connections the comic drew to the AvP omnibus, bringing back locations such as Ryushi and Bunda in clever ways. Too many times the story took an all-too-convenient turn and came across slightly cheesy. Overall, a good entry into the AvP lore, and I would recommend to any Alien or Predator fan. Solid 3/5
January 19, 2019
It doesnt have to be Shakespeare, but a good premise is spoiled a bit by the rambling pointlessness of most of the marines. The art is good but makes weird choices in terms of the bulkiness of the hunters or Machiko's sudden 7ft physique in armour.
September 16, 2018
Yes
A book I return to quite often. I lost the actual book years ago and was happy to see it as an e-book. Graphics were never great with this but the story is still worth it.
A book I return to quite often. I lost the actual book years ago and was happy to see it as an e-book. Graphics were never great with this but the story is still worth it.
February 10, 2019
The culmination of a long running characters story arc and an epic premise makes for what is probably the best of the Alien vs. Predator comic books series.
October 2, 2020
A fitting ending to the story started back in the original AVP comics. The action is pretty good but the ending felt a bit rushed.
October 26, 2020
This takes a character that’s showed up in some of the earliest Dark Horse comics. It’s a different take on the Predator Universe with the aliens playing second fiddle. It’s a fun story.
May 22, 2021
Interesting story, even though the drawings get a bit wonky at times.
January 19, 2024
LET ME RISK IT ALL FOR MACHIKO
July 4, 2025
Decent if sometimes a little confusing artwork, and the story could have maybe used a little clarity on the scale of the conflict, but overall a pretty enjoyable read.
August 19, 2022
This six-issue miniseries sees Machiko’s crew recruited by some space marines to convince the Predators to help them confront a new threat: a group of Yautja called “Killers” instead of Predators because they prize not the thrill of the hunt, but the act of killing. To make matters worse, these Killers have tamed the Xenomorphs and use them as weapons.
The comic actually starts with a group of Killers unleashing the Xenomorphs on some horrified human cannon fodder with one of the Yautja literally holding one of the Xenomorphs on a leash. It’s incredibly badass and terrifying, and really does a great job of setting the tone.
This comic brings Machiko’s story full-circle with one of the Predators “erasing” her Xenomorph hunter brand and symbolically restoring her humanity. I wish she had fit in better with the Yautja, because obviously stories of “humans” transcending their species and finding somewhere they belong more is a story concept I very much enjoy, but I do like this ending for her. I’m glad she gets to be happy.
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Check out my compilation review of the Alien and Predator franchises on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
The comic actually starts with a group of Killers unleashing the Xenomorphs on some horrified human cannon fodder with one of the Yautja literally holding one of the Xenomorphs on a leash. It’s incredibly badass and terrifying, and really does a great job of setting the tone.
This comic brings Machiko’s story full-circle with one of the Predators “erasing” her Xenomorph hunter brand and symbolically restoring her humanity. I wish she had fit in better with the Yautja, because obviously stories of “humans” transcending their species and finding somewhere they belong more is a story concept I very much enjoy, but I do like this ending for her. I’m glad she gets to be happy.
---
Check out my compilation review of the Alien and Predator franchises on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...
September 14, 2015
I didn't read the other books in the AVP series but I didn't have much trouble picking up this one. The story isn't that great but then I wouldn't expect much to be told within 100 pages. I really liked the characterization of the female protagonist in this story.
April 17, 2012
Pretty good, left it wide open for a sequel.
A nice addition to the AVP universe.
A nice addition to the AVP universe.
July 29, 2013
Most comics of this type are noted for paper-thin characters and action movie cliches, but this one goes so far it becomes hilarious towards the end.
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