Aliens: What If...?

Aliens: What If...? (2024) #1-5

by Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg

The Aliens franchise gets the Marvel What If treatment, featuring notorious corporate man Carter Burke in an all-new adventure!

For years, fans of James Cameron's legendary ALIENS film questioned whether Carter Burke, a company man more hateable than the Xenos themselves, had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony Hadley's Hope. Now the actor behind the beloved villain, Paul Reiser, joins his son Leon and a star-studded team of writers and producers for a journey back to Hadley's Hope and the twisted escape of a man who should have died!

COLLECTING: Aliens: What If...? (2024) 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Horror, Marvel, Aliens, Comic Book

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m genuinely quite surprised by how many people are complaining about this being played for laughs. I mean, it was conceived by Paul Reiser… the comedian.

I guess if you don’t know him from anything but Aliens you might be surprised… whatever.

I quite enjoyed this. I mean, it wasn’t great, but it made me laugh quite a few times.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EN Of all the comics from this franchise that I picked up recently, this was the one I had the lowest expectations for — mainly because I’m usually not a big fan of “What if...?” stories.

In theory, these kinds of stories should be a great opportunity to explore fresh and creative ideas. But in my experience, writers often go overboard, and the result ends up feeling like complete nonsense.

That wasn’t the case here — not at all. The author takes a moment from Aliens where the fate of a character is left ambiguous and builds on it in a way that felt both respectful and inventive. As a fan, I really appreciated that.

In the end, we get a solid, entertaining comic that truly captures the spirit of a great “What if...?” story.

--

PT De todas as bandas desenhadas desta franquia que comprei recentemente, esta era aquela em que tinha as expectativas mais baixas — principalmente porque normalmente não sou grande fã de histórias do tipo “E se...?”.

Em teoria, este tipo de histórias deveria ser uma excelente oportunidade para explorar ideias novas e criativas. Mas, pela minha experiência, os autores acabam muitas vezes por exagerar e o resultado torna-se completamente disparatado.

Felizmente, não foi esse o caso aqui — de todo. O autor pega num momento do filme Aliens, onde o destino de uma personagem fica em aberto, e desenvolve-o de forma respeitosa e inventiva. Como fã, gostei bastante dessa abordagem.

No final, temos uma história sólida, divertida e que capta verdadeiramente o espírito de uma boa história “E se...?”.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

So with Aliens the world met a different format of the original Alien movie and it certainly was a movie with a shedload of adrenaline with shockingly a female heroïne that was never in need of any malen saviour. Ripleys opponent was also female and wanted to protect her offspring. The males in Aliens were a nice variety of different characters. The most despised one being Carter Burke as played by the actor Paul Reiser. Who did write this 5 comic collection on what if Carter Burke survived the aliens and escaped alive from the doomed planet. We see how this might have happened and at no point in the first part of the story you want the weasel survive.
Then we see Burke later in life being the company burocrat at some station, while at the same time hé has some artifical human, check, is hunting for an Alien. When the Alien arrives succesfully at the station mayhem and death will commence. Another arival is the son of a man called Yukatani.
The Alien series always has its darkness and yet Reiser manages to make it cringeworthy and funny at the same time.
An nicely written alternative Aliens story with nice art.
Well worth your time.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cheesy pseudo-sequel to James Cameron's Aliens film has cameos from the main cast in the opening scenes but then focuses on Paul Reiser's Carter Burke character, showing us what might have happened if he didn't die on LV-426.

Well, he sets into motion the events of Alien³ then peels off into corporate exile and thirty-five boring years of managing a remote asteroid mining colony. Even though he is a nearly broken man, he still has ambition and a scheme to retrieve and exploit a new alien egg.

The book does a real good job of capturing the character and voice of Burke -- I could hear Reiser delivering all his lines in my head -- but this hypothetical tale never quite makes him charming enough to redeem him or even offset a portion of the evil that he does and the havoc that his plans wreak. It never quite hits the balance between madcap humor and horror thriller that it is aiming for. And the story sort of ends on a cliffhanger, showing the creative team must be hoping for another go-round in the future, but leaving a reader frustrated if it never comes about.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little miniseries that imagines a scenario in which Carter Burke (the company stooge from Aliens) lived and had further xenomorph-filled adventures. It’s co-written by Paul Reiser, who played Burke, his son, and a few other folx I’m not familiar with. The art is solid, but the coloring is a little inconsistent. It’s worth checking out for fans of the franchise, but it’s nothing groundbreaking.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, a Carter Burke What If? Why not, I loved to hate the character in what is still one of my favourite movies.

It was a quick read, and I had a good laugh in places. Got a couple of raised eyebrows from my wife, sitting next to me on the couch watching TV.

Poor ol' Burke...

[Mandalorian Jedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, I wasn’t too sure I would at first but I really got into it. I enjoyed the story and the humor and even the family drama. It does set itself up for a sequel, which I hope it gets. I’d love to see what happens to these characters moving forward. I think I’d actually like to see more from the author as well, because his character is very “him”, which I enjoy because you can really hear his voice, but I’d like to see him write some other characters too.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable What If?

This was a great What If story about a possible different outcome for Carter Burke. Here, Burke survives and tries to make amends. He attempts a scheme to make the company pay, but it backfires. Great storyline that could lead to more.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

More humor than horror. Which is fine. I would read a continuation if it were presented to me.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I mean, the whole concept wasn't exactly one fans had been clamoring for, as Paul Reiser's character wasn't exactly beloved. Plus, this was mostly comedy, which I would never have though would work with an Aliens story. But it did. I think part of it was because this was firmly set in the Aliens move universe, which I like. Plus, it was different, and most of the time different is better. So overall, not what I was expecting, but still very enjoyable.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, this isn't the Carter Burke we know from Aliens. I'm actually okay with the book going for a more black comedy vibe, but it's not nearly funny enough, so it doesn't work as a genuine What If story, nor as a comedy.

Good art when it's depicting Burke, kind of ropey with the other characters from the film.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Competent but forgettable.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marvel, before you ask, “What If…?” start with, Why should we…?” or “Who is this for…?” This started off okay, but got very corny, very quickly. Next up: “What If…? Alien: Resurrection was actually good?”

[Paul Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I thought this was a 1-shot and was surprised it would spin out to 5 issues and thought it wouldn’t have the legs.

But it’s actually good and the humour works in the context of the Aliens universe. At the end it becomes the office versus Aliens and suprisingly you just go with it.

A surprise!

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘What ifs’ are always a mixed bag. Sometimes they’re fun and sometimes they’re terrible. Aliens What If? Is somewhere between fun and terrible. The tone is off, especially for something that ties in with an established tone. The story turning a company man in to both a hero and a comedy character just feels misguided.

2/5

[Roshan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aliens: What If...? (2024)
By Paul Reiser
Writer – Hans Rodionoff, Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg, Brian Volk-Weiss
Artist – Guiu Vilanova
Series – Aliens: What If...? #1-5
Genre – Comedy, Sci-Fi

Synopsis: What if the traitor from ‘Aliens’ survived the events of the movie?

Marvel develops its Alien franchise with its existing IP, and this time, with its infamous ‘What If…?’. The main character, Carter Burke, is taken from Aliens (the second in the Alien movie series, directed by James Cameron). While in the movie he betrays his team and eventually meets his death, this is given a twist in this comic series. Now 35 years later, he lives his life shunned by everyone. So, in a desperate move, he sets a plan for his redemption.
Interestingly the concept is planned by the real-life actor who portrayed Burke in the movie, Paul Reiser and his son Leon Reiser.
The series generally leans towards more on the comedy and the life of Burke. There is plenty of character development moments as he struggles to be a good boss and a father to his daughter. The comedy is on point and the whole series is very light hearted.
This would sum up the main issue. The entire series suffers from being the product of the wrong IP integrations. While Reiser is a great comedian, mixing his vision with a hardcore horror IP such as Aliens, along with Marvel’s side show piece, What If…?, just doesn’t bode well.
The story has everyone constantly hating Burke, and so we have a consistent self-pitying story arc. The sci-fi aspect is barely anything new, and its the same old, we caught the alien (from where and how is never explained), the alien escapes (3-4 times which is even mentioned by Burke), and then the aliens just pop out of everywhere. The writing is rushed and characters aren’t well developed. The ending is also very anticlimactic. The lack of aliens in general is also concerning.
With Marvel’s alien story arcs being pretty much unorganised and chaotic, I doubt there would be a sequel to this book.
The artwork is standard with some hits and misses.
Overall, if you are an Alien fan, you can skip it as this isn’t what you might be looking for. But for casual reading its good.

RJG Rating – 1.75/5
Goodreads – 3.53/5

#book #bookshelf #bookrecommendations #bookstagram

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down to 3⭐️

Aliens: What If…? collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel Comics series written by Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Adam Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, and Brian Volk-Weiss, art by Guiu Vilanova, and colors by Yen Nitro.

What is corporate lackey Carter Burke survived the events of Aliens? Instead of meeting his end at the hands of a Xenomorph, what if Burke was able to make a grand escape? 35 years after the events of Aliens, Burke finds himself in a dead end manager position in a remote asteroid at the far end of the galaxy where he is widely regarded as a traitor to mankind. But Burke has plan that will put him back in the good graces of his family and his employer, Weiland-Yutani.

When I heard about this series I thought it sounded interesting and that it was cool that Marvel was branching out the legendary “What If…?” series to other properties. When it finally arrived and I saw how many creators and writers were involved, I became skeptical that this would be a coherent story. But I was pleasantly surprised! There is a fair amount of humor in this book that isn’t present in most Alien stories but it never goes over the top into full comedy. There is also a good dose of character development for Burke that could redeem him to some fan circles. The story goes down a bit of cliched path, but it’s still good. The art is pretty strong throughout the book which was another added bonus. Overall, I think a lot of Alien fans will find things to like about this What If…?

[Damian Herde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not generally a fan of the ‘What If?’ story concept, as they are literally pointless and basically fan fiction. I grabbed this book as I’m a hopeless Alien fan, and read on with very low expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised across the board. The opening set within Aliens was fun, and the concept of Burke surviving was plausibly conveyed. From there the story progressed in a believable and engaging way, with Burke hung out to dry and stuck far from Earth, known as the man who betrayed humanity and hated by all.

I ended up feeling bad for the corporate stooge we all loved to hate in Aliens. His delusional optimism in the face of hate, even from his own daughter, was sad to see and easy to understand as a coping mechanism to avoid completely breaking down. It was even interesting in the face of his illegal activities in order to prove a point, but also the selfless aspect that is revealed later.

The art is decent, and so are the characters. The mining tech was interesting, and the xenomorphs were used well. I was pleased that the writers didn’t decide to invent new lifecycles just to try and one-up previous stories (although there were fleeting mentions of new hybrids). The tongue-in-cheek comedy was subtle and worked for the off-world, office space settings.

I would have liked an afterword from Paul Reiser to hear his thoughts on the character and why he wanted to return to him and the Alien universe.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eine recht oberflächliche Pseudo-Fortsetzung zu James Camerons Aliens-Film mit Cameos der Hauptdarsteller in den Eröffnungsszenen, die sich dann aber auf Paul Reisers Figur Carter Burke fokussiert und alternativ erzählt, was hätte passieren können, wenn er nicht auf LV-426 gestorben wäre.

Carter Burke geht nach den Vorkommnissen auf LV-426 ins unternehmerische Exil, wo er fünfunddreißig langweilige Jahre lang eine abgelegene Asteroiden-Bergbaukolonie leitet. Obwohl er ein fast gebrochener Mann ist, hat er immer noch genug Ehrgeiz im Leib und einen Plan, um ein neues Alien-Ei aufzutreiben und für seine eigene Zwecke zu nutzen.

Dem Buch gelingt es wirklich gut, den Charakter und die Stimme von Burke einzufangen - ich konnte all seine Zeilen in meinem Kopf hören -, aber diese hypothetische Geschichte lässt ihn leider auch nicht in einem anderen Licht stehen, sie findet nie die richtige Balance zwischen subtilem Humor und Horrorthriller, die sie anstrebt. Und die Geschichte endet irgendwie mit einem Cliffhanger, der zeigt, dass das Kreativteam auf eine weitere Runde in der Zukunft hofft, aber den Leser frustriert zurücklässt, sollte es nie dazu kommen.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Alien franchise is populated almost entirely with what if scenarios since the canon is pretty loose and only the most insufferable people allow themselves to get bogged down in the particulars of whether the Aliens vs. Vampirella comic exists in the same canon as AVP: Requiem. For such an open field, this book plays it pretty safe as far as the changes it posits: what if Carter Burke survived Aliens? Treating this as canon would change little to nothing (and explains some of Alien 3, which was pretty fun).

Tonally, though, this does make a radical departure in that it's decently lighthearted. Sort of a acid-blood-infused Little Shop of Horrors. What could have been a transparent vanity project for Reiser ends up being one of the better books from the Marvel Alien run.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean…I love Aliens and no small part of what makes that movie work for me is Paul Reiser’s turn as Carter Burke. Generally, I love Reiser for his NYC Caucasian dad energy and witty sarcasm and I’m so glad he was brought into this project since I think one of its selling points is recapturing Burke’s voice but then also dialing it up to roughly where we hear Reiser coming from today (a hint of defeated that makes sense in the context of this story). The stuff with Cygnus is interesting and I love that an office space is part of the setting for this series, even if most of the content invoking the aliens themselves feels a bit trite. But if they do end up making a follow-up to this, I’ll definitely be there to read it!

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a sucker for a What If...? story, this one didn't disappoint. Okay, it's not the What If...? a would have wanted, but then it wasn't even one I had considered.
It did a good job fleshing out the character of Carter Burke, making him more of a sympathetic character but without justifying his actions in the Aliens film. Not as action-packed as some of the Aliens stories, this was still really enjoyable. The artwork was clear and clean.
My only issue was with the first few pages which covered the events of the film where Burke dies (or not in this case) and the swearing was grawlixed out. It always gets me that you can depict this level of violence, gore and body horror and yet the characters can't say anything stronger than 'darn' even if directly quoted off a rated 18 movie.

[Nate Atcheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way this contorts itself to allow Burke to survive the events of ALIENS is completely absurd, but the main story here is really well-written and innovative as far as Alien comics go. Paul Reiser and his son manage to get the voice of Burke down perfect, and I appreciate the attempt to hero-ify one of the slimiest villains in cinematic history. It works surprisingly well, showing Burke reflecting back on his past choices to make better ones as an old man. I also really like that this never resorts to the usual bland action/violence that most Alien comics spend so much time on. This one is all about The Lore, which is what anyone reading this is going to want to see. I hope they make more.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid comic addition to the Aliens canon. This work looks at the possibility if Carter Burke hadn't quite got his just desserts on LV-426, but somehow made it out of the xenomorph nest and went on living. Don't know how plausible it would have been, but you see it play out. He doesn't exactly immediately profit from his duplicity actions, as the Company screws him over, again. It does see him living over 35 years beyond what happened in Aliens. Burke is both heel, but he also does some somewhat admirable things. Oh yeah, you get to meet his daughter...and they both get to meet up with those pesky xenomophs again. Perhaps because Paul Reiser is involved, he kinda makes Burke less douchy, but still, a fun read.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Що, якби Картер Бьорк вижив? Цо основна ідея твору. Бьорк вижив, висадив Ріплі і компанію у третю частину кінофраншизи, домовився з “Вейланд-Ютані” про роботу на віддаленому астероїді, продовжив бути мудилою космічного масштабу в сюжеті, який змінився з горору на чорну комедію. Це місцями навіть непогано, так що можна ігнорувати трохи кривенький малюнок. Спойлити не буду, але у коміксі про Чужих точно будуть Чужі, андроїд (якого тут називають реплікантом, і це типу доказ того, що у Рідлі Скота все у єдиному всесвіті… але не точно, бо доказ в альтернативному неканонічному коміксі. А ще це джерело “таткових” жартів), зрада і фейсхагер, який косплеїть Брюса Вілліса з “Die Hard”.

[Michael Keskeys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive never seen Marvel put out a "What If?" Not about a direct Marvel property before, and this one, co written by the actor who played the subject of this miniseries, Paul Reiser. This miniseries, sets up what if Reiser's character, Burke, survived the events of the film. And I have to say it's pretty plausible how he survives, you can almost see this being more of a what did happen but we didn't know about it before.

The art is mostly good but people's faces get a little weird from time to time, it's a fun story that doesn't so much make you like Burke but understand him a bit better.

[Luke John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly comedic in execution, this 'what if' tale attempts to reframe the cowardly villainous Burke as an occasionally heroic, but still deeply flawed, constantly quipping guy who just wants what is best for his family. Tonally the tale is not consistent with the general mood of the Alien universe, but that's not really a criticism, just don't expect any weighty stuff here about guilt, remorse or even a convincing redemption arc. This is just a bit of fun, and enjoyed on that level it can certainly be just that.

[Julia Cannistra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than expected, dark comedy

This was a fun read. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, as Marvel’s other Alien series up till now have ranged from decent to poor. The artwork was solid and the writing was too, granted it’s a dark comedy and doesn’t really fit with other entries in the Alien universe. The Alien lifecycle timeline and some other bits were off, but being that this is essentially comedy, I give it a pass. I was expecting something else, but enjoyed it just the same. Would recommend.

[TheNatalieAnnC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Alternative Universe!

As a lover of the Marvel What if series and the Alien movies I was thrilled to comes across Aliens: What if...? Produced by Marvel Comics and not did I enjoy this!

Fantastic visuals (Parental Advisor) and brilliantly thought out storyline through every turn of the page; I found myself on the edge of my seat and rooting for the bad guy turned good from the start.

A definite recommendation!

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like that this was tonally different from everything else Marvel has done with the Alien franchise so far. Also kind of fun to see Burke as a bumbling stooge with a heart of gold rather than the vindictive corporate asshole he is in the film. The story is just ok, so it's really the concept that sells this, similar to the adaptations of early Alien and Alien 3 screenplays Dark Horse put out towards the end of their run.