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Fire and Stone #2
Aliens: Fire and Stone
Directly tying in with the Prometheus and Aliens films, this excursion into terror is not to be missed!
An unlikely hero tries to save a small group of researchers and miners from the doomed, deep-space Hadley's Hope colony--which is now infested with vicious xenomorphs! Terraforming engineer Derrick Russell takes control during an outbreak of aliens and leads his desperate survivors onto the Onager, a rickety mining vessel. This role is new to Russell, as are the horrors he and his crew will face both in space and on the strange planet they crash on.
An unlikely hero tries to save a small group of researchers and miners from the doomed, deep-space Hadley's Hope colony--which is now infested with vicious xenomorphs! Terraforming engineer Derrick Russell takes control during an outbreak of aliens and leads his desperate survivors onto the Onager, a rickety mining vessel. This role is new to Russell, as are the horrors he and his crew will face both in space and on the strange planet they crash on.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2014
8 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Chris Roberson
549 books264 followersChris Roberson is the co-creator with artist Michael Allred of iZombie, the basis of the hit CW television series, and the writer of several New York Times best-selling Cinderella miniseries set in the world of Bill Willingham’s Fables. He is also the co-creator of Edison Rex with artist Dennis Culver, and the co-writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, Witchfinder, Rise of the Black Flame, and other titles set in the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. In addition to his numerous comics projects, Roberson has written more than a dozen novels and three dozen short stories. He lives with a teenager, two cats, and far too many books in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
September 25, 2024
Nice story in the Aliens universe. Good art ad plot. Recommended
April 12, 2018
As much as I’ve enjoyed the Alien(s) series, I’ve been a little disappointed with the franchise Prometheus onward. Disappointingly, this tale of Stone and Fire and Aliens follows this downward trend into the abyss. Why you might ask?
Let’s jump in!
Right off the hoof, the art succeeds as a hook. Like a small mouth bass snatched by the latest tackle, I couldn’t resist against Patric Reynold’s art. It clearly riffs of R.M. Guerra’s crunchy style yet, has its own take: Pleasant to the eyes and evocative in its own way.
No complaints here.
However, the complaints begin once the story takes off. From the ascent, to the descent our narrative sputters and coughs the entire way. Dull repetition, characters with a mere scintilla of humanity, and an unsatisfying conclusion left a bitter taste in my mouth. Ugh!
So, what went wrong?
It would be cruel to say everything but, most every aspect of the story itself is riddled in a confusion and shoddiness that borders on the upper limits of the Stupid-Meter ®. And it all centers around our dum(b)-dum(b) protagonist! Point the fingers at him!
If I was at the Roman Coliseum, my thumb would be thrust down at every single (goddamn) aspect of his character. He’s an engineer, we get it. He’s not too interested in much outside the world of observable and natural phenomena that can respond to experimentation. Yet, this gives us the simulacrum of a goddamn robot with the depth of a scrap of cardboard.
When our heroes are trapped on a foreign moon, far from their hopes and motives, he doesn’t give a shit; unblinkingly going about his experiments. When compatriots are gored left and right, with rivers of blood gushing everywhere, he doesn’t bat an eye. When the internal politicking of the tiny group of survivors bickers about their survival, Mr. Engineer (not to be confused with the bald Nephilim progenitors) is blissfully doing math and studying the natural landscape.
Since our main focus orbits the unfeeling main character, who seemingly lacks a single shred of humanity, I found myself unable to give a single shit about him our most anything else here. Even when
Unsurprisingly, when he finally
So what are we left with, dear readers? A dull and emotionally uninvestible backstory for when our Xenomorphs landed on the moon featured in Prometheus. Lame!
To quote good ol’ Porky Pig: “That’s all Folks!”
Let’s jump in!
Right off the hoof, the art succeeds as a hook. Like a small mouth bass snatched by the latest tackle, I couldn’t resist against Patric Reynold’s art. It clearly riffs of R.M. Guerra’s crunchy style yet, has its own take: Pleasant to the eyes and evocative in its own way.
No complaints here.
However, the complaints begin once the story takes off. From the ascent, to the descent our narrative sputters and coughs the entire way. Dull repetition, characters with a mere scintilla of humanity, and an unsatisfying conclusion left a bitter taste in my mouth. Ugh!
So, what went wrong?
It would be cruel to say everything but, most every aspect of the story itself is riddled in a confusion and shoddiness that borders on the upper limits of the Stupid-Meter ®. And it all centers around our dum(b)-dum(b) protagonist! Point the fingers at him!
If I was at the Roman Coliseum, my thumb would be thrust down at every single (goddamn) aspect of his character. He’s an engineer, we get it. He’s not too interested in much outside the world of observable and natural phenomena that can respond to experimentation. Yet, this gives us the simulacrum of a goddamn robot with the depth of a scrap of cardboard.
When our heroes are trapped on a foreign moon, far from their hopes and motives, he doesn’t give a shit; unblinkingly going about his experiments. When compatriots are gored left and right, with rivers of blood gushing everywhere, he doesn’t bat an eye. When the internal politicking of the tiny group of survivors bickers about their survival, Mr. Engineer (not to be confused with the bald Nephilim progenitors) is blissfully doing math and studying the natural landscape.
Since our main focus orbits the unfeeling main character, who seemingly lacks a single shred of humanity, I found myself unable to give a single shit about him our most anything else here. Even when
Unsurprisingly, when he finally
So what are we left with, dear readers? A dull and emotionally uninvestible backstory for when our Xenomorphs landed on the moon featured in Prometheus. Lame!
To quote good ol’ Porky Pig: “That’s all Folks!”
November 1, 2017
Vote: 3,5
Storyline/artworks are sometimes confusing, but it was just great coming back to LV-426/Acheron again.
September 10, 2017
A prequel showing how the Onager (the ship where the Aliens are hiding in Prometheus: Fire and Stone) made it to LV-423 from LV-426 (the planet from Aliens) and what happened to everyone aboard. The art's not very good and the story isn't very exciting. This one felt phoned in.
October 2, 2018
Ugh...I really think with any type of horror/suspense (in film, comics, literature etc.), to make it effective there needs to be a slow building of dread, punctuated by moments of humor and then have the scares go straight for the old jugular. It doesn’t hurt to also have characters that, if not completely developed, are at least likeable and somewhat memorable. We do not get that here. As other reviews have noted in so many words, this is as boring as it gets for an aliens franchise spin-off. Don’t waste your time.
July 1, 2016
The drawings are nice enough but the story itself it`s an incoherent mess without any meaning whatsoever.
March 22, 2018
I know that this is second volume of the Fire and Stone series but it's actually a prequel before Prometheus... which places this volume in an interesting timeline against the other two.
Not much of a story line due to the way it's been set up but again it's early on still so I'm reading this as a filler volume to get the ball rolling for the next two volumes.
Not much of a story line due to the way it's been set up but again it's early on still so I'm reading this as a filler volume to get the ball rolling for the next two volumes.
December 1, 2014
So I heard there was a big hooha about Fire and Stone, a big event spanning across multiple franchises such as Promethus, Alien, Predator and AVP. I got this to see what it was all about. All it is people running from xenomorphs... BORING!
March 4, 2018
2.5 stars. It's listed as #2 in the Fire and Stone series, but it actually comes before the Prometheus volume chronologically. It wasn't bad, but not a whole lot really happens and the people who land on LV-223 end up dying before you can really form any connection to them. Derrick is around a little longer, and is responsible for the writings + diary Francis and Elden find in the cave in the Prometheus volume, but? even his character seemed somewhat underdeveloped.
It felt a little bit pointless tbh, more like a very bare-boned setup for what comes later, but the art was nice and it was kind of interesting to see how the xenomorphs got onto LV-223. Definitely gonna continue with the Fire and Stone series, but only because I want to see how things play out for characters in the Prometheus volume : " )
It felt a little bit pointless tbh, more like a very bare-boned setup for what comes later, but the art was nice and it was kind of interesting to see how the xenomorphs got onto LV-223. Definitely gonna continue with the Fire and Stone series, but only because I want to see how things play out for characters in the Prometheus volume : " )
February 11, 2024
Interesting setup, but not too intriguing. The art was not my favorite and the story was kind of all over the place, but Chris Roberson did what he could with the page-limit. I'm reading the entirety of Fire and Stone, so I can get to supposedly a really great Predator miniseries set during this event by Joshua Williamson. So far, a weak beginning. I'm hoping Prometheus: Fire and Stone picks things up a bit.
March 14, 2015
This was of course the "Aliens" volume of the Fire and Stone series. This one is actually a prequel to the Prometheus volume, but I think that wanted you to read it after. It ties into the first volume nicely and expands on the story. This one also reads like a traditional Aliens comic, but a good one. Story and art are both very nice. Another great volume in the Fire and Stone series.
October 10, 2015
Cash-grab trash. Tries to be canon but fails. Tries to be scary and doesn't succeed. Reduces the xenomorph to mindless beasts instead of the terrifyingly cunning, silent hunters that have been depicted so well in (some of) the films. Pointless, unlikable characters that simply act as fodder for alien snacking. *snore*
February 2, 2015
One of the greatest challenges in crafting a tale within an established franchise property is successfully meeting the needs of the established readership while also delivering something fresh, bold, and new. As you can imagine, fans come to a property like ALIENS with certain expectations: there should be a mix of known elements like Xenomorphs, trapped humans, and ratcheted-up tension (these things are requisite in any adventure set within this universe). Still, the trick for any writer is “What can I add to the formula while keeping the reader’s interest?” After all, perhaps anyone can tell an ALIENS-specific story … but only a master storyteller can meld the needs of this particular world with the template for something greater.
Despite a few shortcomings, I thought Chris Roberson and his talented crew delivered ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE as an understandably cerebral departure for some of what’s come before in Ridley Scott’s inspired universe. There was just enough old and new as there was borrowed and blue (make that ‘blood red’) to make this wedding one worth attending for SciFi fans young and old.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From Dark Horse’s publicity materials: “During a vicious xenomorph outbreak, terraforming engineer Derrick Russell leads a desperate group of survivors onto a rickety mining vessel. They hope to escape the creatures overrunning their colony-but they'll face horrors both in space and on the strange planet where they crash. Ties in with the Prometheus and Aliens films! Collects the four-issue miniseries.”
I had the good fortune of following this tale as it developed, having read this as individual issues, and that’s the perspective from which I’m penning this review. (If Dark Horse provides any supplemental materials with the publication of this trade, I’ll try to craft a quick post-script once I’ve read and reviewed for future addition here.)
I think the best advice I can give any reader going into FIRE AND STONE is to clarify this one succinct reality first: it’s best to approach this particular ALIENS tale in knowing it’s only one piece to an even greater puzzle – indeed, Dark Horse is weaving a larger tale across their Predator, Aliens Vs. Predator, and Prometheus titles. What scribe Chris Roberson explores here is only one piece to that big puzzle, but I can assure you that having read the entire affair this one stands pretty solidly on its own two feet; little will be lost in reading this independently of the others, but that’s not entirely the case if you’re looking at reading the other trades. (Several developments here make those other collections have greater meaning.)
Second, I think it’s best to grasp that like the film PROMETHEUS and in ways unlike ALIEN and its first sequel ALIENS, this departure of FIRE AND STONE is vastly more complex. It’s a cerebral tale, one meant to take readers on the tour of experience almost thought-for-thought with a survivor: engineer Derrick Russell finds himself and his crewmates stranded on an alien world that’s growing increasingly bizarre with each passing day, and only he’s hell bent on making sense of it all. Because this is more of a psychological study of that scientist, action is secondary. Don’t misunderstand me: there’s plenty of Xenomorph terror that one has come to expect from any trip into this universe, but all of that pales to the journey of discovery undertaken to tell a big story against an even bigger backdrop.
Consequently, Roberson and his collaborators here spend many panels in some very dark places. Like any visit to the world of the seminal ALIEN, the stakes are high, and the prospects for survival are always in flux. In fact, one of the meatier aspects to FIRE is the reality of this world: because it’s been overrun with the world-changing technology presented from the PROMETHEUS film, the environment and its various ‘creations’ are always on-the-move. Just when Russell and readers think they have a clear-cut picture of what they’re collectively up against, Roberson spins the wheel again with a new development, and this unpredictability gives the story more teeth than your run-of-the-mill Xenomorph!
However, because this is a tale best told in one’s head – we’re always better at imagining darker places than we ever give ourselves credit for – I suspect this FIRE might not burn as brightly for some readers. Hang with it, though, and you’ll be rewarded … so long as you go into it knowing full well that few have ever faced dire circumstances and lived to tell the tale.
ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE (Trade Paperback) is published by Dark Horse Comics. For those who need it spelled out perfectly, this is a trade paperback collection of a four-issue mini-series previously published individually as ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE issues 1 through 4. The story is written by Chris Roberson; the art is drawn by Patric Reynolds; the colors were completed by Dave Stewart; and the letters were filled in by Nate Piekos of Blambot. The collection bears the cover price of $14.99, and – so far as this reader is concerned – that’s a bargain for the genius that’s contained between the covers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Grim and dreary, this FIRE AND STONE may not please everyone. But I liked it quite nicely. It’s a far more existential tale of dread than we’ve heard from this universe (so far as I can recall), and while it’s closing panels leave you precisely where you need to be I daresay few will be entirely happy about it.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Dark Horse Comics provided me with a digital reading copy of ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE (Trade Paperback) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
Despite a few shortcomings, I thought Chris Roberson and his talented crew delivered ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE as an understandably cerebral departure for some of what’s come before in Ridley Scott’s inspired universe. There was just enough old and new as there was borrowed and blue (make that ‘blood red’) to make this wedding one worth attending for SciFi fans young and old.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From Dark Horse’s publicity materials: “During a vicious xenomorph outbreak, terraforming engineer Derrick Russell leads a desperate group of survivors onto a rickety mining vessel. They hope to escape the creatures overrunning their colony-but they'll face horrors both in space and on the strange planet where they crash. Ties in with the Prometheus and Aliens films! Collects the four-issue miniseries.”
I had the good fortune of following this tale as it developed, having read this as individual issues, and that’s the perspective from which I’m penning this review. (If Dark Horse provides any supplemental materials with the publication of this trade, I’ll try to craft a quick post-script once I’ve read and reviewed for future addition here.)
I think the best advice I can give any reader going into FIRE AND STONE is to clarify this one succinct reality first: it’s best to approach this particular ALIENS tale in knowing it’s only one piece to an even greater puzzle – indeed, Dark Horse is weaving a larger tale across their Predator, Aliens Vs. Predator, and Prometheus titles. What scribe Chris Roberson explores here is only one piece to that big puzzle, but I can assure you that having read the entire affair this one stands pretty solidly on its own two feet; little will be lost in reading this independently of the others, but that’s not entirely the case if you’re looking at reading the other trades. (Several developments here make those other collections have greater meaning.)
Second, I think it’s best to grasp that like the film PROMETHEUS and in ways unlike ALIEN and its first sequel ALIENS, this departure of FIRE AND STONE is vastly more complex. It’s a cerebral tale, one meant to take readers on the tour of experience almost thought-for-thought with a survivor: engineer Derrick Russell finds himself and his crewmates stranded on an alien world that’s growing increasingly bizarre with each passing day, and only he’s hell bent on making sense of it all. Because this is more of a psychological study of that scientist, action is secondary. Don’t misunderstand me: there’s plenty of Xenomorph terror that one has come to expect from any trip into this universe, but all of that pales to the journey of discovery undertaken to tell a big story against an even bigger backdrop.
Consequently, Roberson and his collaborators here spend many panels in some very dark places. Like any visit to the world of the seminal ALIEN, the stakes are high, and the prospects for survival are always in flux. In fact, one of the meatier aspects to FIRE is the reality of this world: because it’s been overrun with the world-changing technology presented from the PROMETHEUS film, the environment and its various ‘creations’ are always on-the-move. Just when Russell and readers think they have a clear-cut picture of what they’re collectively up against, Roberson spins the wheel again with a new development, and this unpredictability gives the story more teeth than your run-of-the-mill Xenomorph!
However, because this is a tale best told in one’s head – we’re always better at imagining darker places than we ever give ourselves credit for – I suspect this FIRE might not burn as brightly for some readers. Hang with it, though, and you’ll be rewarded … so long as you go into it knowing full well that few have ever faced dire circumstances and lived to tell the tale.
ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE (Trade Paperback) is published by Dark Horse Comics. For those who need it spelled out perfectly, this is a trade paperback collection of a four-issue mini-series previously published individually as ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE issues 1 through 4. The story is written by Chris Roberson; the art is drawn by Patric Reynolds; the colors were completed by Dave Stewart; and the letters were filled in by Nate Piekos of Blambot. The collection bears the cover price of $14.99, and – so far as this reader is concerned – that’s a bargain for the genius that’s contained between the covers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Grim and dreary, this FIRE AND STONE may not please everyone. But I liked it quite nicely. It’s a far more existential tale of dread than we’ve heard from this universe (so far as I can recall), and while it’s closing panels leave you precisely where you need to be I daresay few will be entirely happy about it.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Dark Horse Comics provided me with a digital reading copy of ALIENS: FIRE AND STONE (Trade Paperback) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
January 1, 2022
Está bien, siempre rascando y descubriendo cosas nuevas, aunque ninguno de estos cómics me llega como las películas.
December 27, 2014
I read this particular story as it came out each month.
The story supposedly ties into some kind of comic event, Fire and Stone, which deals with several different aspects of the Alien, Predator, Prometheus and Aliens vs. Predator mythos. I'm judging this book entirely on its own merit, because I didn't look into any of those other titles.
The Fiona Staples cover for the first issue was gorgeous, and got me flipping through the book. The issue was intriguing enough to commit to the rest of the series.
The art in the book is decent. It's largely dark, ominous and lonely... which is what the title should be going for. The story itself is mostly self contained, but nothing really get accomplished or resolved. The book flounders in the middle and delivers an ending that really isn't good enough. However, I found it surprisingly satisfying.
There's little here that's truly outstanding or memorable. However, bigger fans of the whole Alien/Prometheus history might be more engaged. I couldn't stand Prometheus, so the appearance of elements from that movie here just caused me to lose interest that much faster.
I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of both Alien and Prometheus. If you think Aliens is better than the original, don't let this title fool you. Aliens: Fire and Stone is much more psychological thriller/horror than action movie. And if you hate Prometheus and the things it brought in to the Alien storyline, then it's probably best to just skip this one.
The story supposedly ties into some kind of comic event, Fire and Stone, which deals with several different aspects of the Alien, Predator, Prometheus and Aliens vs. Predator mythos. I'm judging this book entirely on its own merit, because I didn't look into any of those other titles.
The Fiona Staples cover for the first issue was gorgeous, and got me flipping through the book. The issue was intriguing enough to commit to the rest of the series.
The art in the book is decent. It's largely dark, ominous and lonely... which is what the title should be going for. The story itself is mostly self contained, but nothing really get accomplished or resolved. The book flounders in the middle and delivers an ending that really isn't good enough. However, I found it surprisingly satisfying.
There's little here that's truly outstanding or memorable. However, bigger fans of the whole Alien/Prometheus history might be more engaged. I couldn't stand Prometheus, so the appearance of elements from that movie here just caused me to lose interest that much faster.
I'd definitely recommend this one to fans of both Alien and Prometheus. If you think Aliens is better than the original, don't let this title fool you. Aliens: Fire and Stone is much more psychological thriller/horror than action movie. And if you hate Prometheus and the things it brought in to the Alien storyline, then it's probably best to just skip this one.
September 2, 2015
Quite enjoyed this one. This is much more like what I'd hoped to be seeing from the Aliens comics as a whole: great art and interesting story lines that explore more of the 'world', etc.
I understand that this was "the second" in a larger interconnected story arc. But chronologically it was first, so I read it first.
It did have that 'you should already know some things, so we won't explain them' feel, but that was fine. I may be one of the few people in the world who actually liked the movie "Prometheus", so I personally found this comic a really good expansion for that story.
I'm looking forward to reading the Prometheus section of this series. I'm looking forward to seeing what this new 'planet' holds. That's what I've wanted from these comics all along, really: ~more details~ about the larger world and the creatures in it.
I'll give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I understand that this was "the second" in a larger interconnected story arc. But chronologically it was first, so I read it first.
It did have that 'you should already know some things, so we won't explain them' feel, but that was fine. I may be one of the few people in the world who actually liked the movie "Prometheus", so I personally found this comic a really good expansion for that story.
I'm looking forward to reading the Prometheus section of this series. I'm looking forward to seeing what this new 'planet' holds. That's what I've wanted from these comics all along, really: ~more details~ about the larger world and the creatures in it.
I'll give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars.
January 27, 2016
I want to give this four stars, I really do, but it was just too light on action and the characters make such bad decisions that it was frustrating to read. That said, it's still a fairly solid inclusion to the Aliens/Predator mythos. The backup story featuring Hicks that puts this arc into better perspective with the movie Aliens was a welcome addition.
December 5, 2014
hard to judge when this is part of a larger whole, but it's a decent Aliens comic that connects directly to the Alien antics on LV-426, back when Newt was there and Ripley had just finished snoozing in the shuttle.
January 11, 2015
Should be 3.5 stars. Would have gone 4 but the ending left me a little wanting. An interesting continuation of Cameron's film, though, and a nice companion piece to Prometheus as well. Definitely worth the read.
October 16, 2016
No complaints about the artwork, it looks good.
I also like the concept of the story - classic 'Alien' franchise.
However, the end is sudden, and rather a let-down - left me unsatisfied and wondering what the point of it was.
I also like the concept of the story - classic 'Alien' franchise.
However, the end is sudden, and rather a let-down - left me unsatisfied and wondering what the point of it was.
November 2, 2014
Just finished the first two issues in the series. Can't wait to see how everything is all tied together.
January 8, 2020
Okay, I see now. This is a continuation of the world of Aliens the same way that Prometheus: Fire and Stone is a continuation of Prometheus.
Unlike Aliens, which is a great movie but which I think suffered a bit due to having marines as protagonists, the protagonists of Aliens: Fire and Stone are a group of colonists from Hadley's Hope, aka Acheron, aka LV-426, who manage to escape on a mining transport to the neighboring moon of LV-223. Due to shenanigans from Prometheus, it is not a barren, lifeless rock as they expected, but filled with breathable air and a teeming jungle...and also the aliens that they brought with them on their ship. As the colonists are picked off one by one by the aliens, one colonist resolves to study the environment and figure out how it came to be and, if possible, find some solution that would allow them to survive the aliens long enough to activate the distress beacon on the Onager and get rescued.
Probably my favorite part, just like in Prometheus: Fire and Stone, was the characters were competent in their area of expertise. The colonists of Hadley's Hope were mostly there for mining and running the terraforming machines, and so they immediately look at the jungle and wonder how it could have possibly sprung up in only a few decades. That's completely beyond the reaches of human science, so what was the cause?
Unfortunately, and the reason that this book only gets three stars, is that's about as far as it goes. The previous book ended on a cliffhanger, with the few survivors finding the cave refuge of one of the colonists and wondering how it was that they survived, who they were, and what happened to them? Alien: Fire and Stone is about that...but it also ends on a definite cliffhanger where I'm pretty sure I know where the story is going, but they're teasing it out for another book. I would have preferred that something actually get resolved in this book rather than it just be one person asking a bunch of questions that either I already know the answers to because they're in the previous volume or which I don't find out the answers to because they're not in here.
Hopefully the next volume has a satisfying resolution to all this.
Previous Review: Prometheus: Fire and Stone.
Next Review: Alien vs. Predator: Fire and Stone.
Unlike Aliens, which is a great movie but which I think suffered a bit due to having marines as protagonists, the protagonists of Aliens: Fire and Stone are a group of colonists from Hadley's Hope, aka Acheron, aka LV-426, who manage to escape on a mining transport to the neighboring moon of LV-223. Due to shenanigans from Prometheus, it is not a barren, lifeless rock as they expected, but filled with breathable air and a teeming jungle...and also the aliens that they brought with them on their ship. As the colonists are picked off one by one by the aliens, one colonist resolves to study the environment and figure out how it came to be and, if possible, find some solution that would allow them to survive the aliens long enough to activate the distress beacon on the Onager and get rescued.
Probably my favorite part, just like in Prometheus: Fire and Stone, was the characters were competent in their area of expertise. The colonists of Hadley's Hope were mostly there for mining and running the terraforming machines, and so they immediately look at the jungle and wonder how it could have possibly sprung up in only a few decades. That's completely beyond the reaches of human science, so what was the cause?
Unfortunately, and the reason that this book only gets three stars, is that's about as far as it goes. The previous book ended on a cliffhanger, with the few survivors finding the cave refuge of one of the colonists and wondering how it was that they survived, who they were, and what happened to them? Alien: Fire and Stone is about that...but it also ends on a definite cliffhanger where I'm pretty sure I know where the story is going, but they're teasing it out for another book. I would have preferred that something actually get resolved in this book rather than it just be one person asking a bunch of questions that either I already know the answers to because they're in the previous volume or which I don't find out the answers to because they're not in here.
Hopefully the next volume has a satisfying resolution to all this.
Previous Review: Prometheus: Fire and Stone.
Next Review: Alien vs. Predator: Fire and Stone.
April 20, 2021
Probably not as good as I thought it was, but I've read some pretty bad alien comics, so when I come across a merely competent story it can feel fresh and exciting.
Aliens: Fire and Stone is short and sweet, with a relatable and interesting main character who I wanted to know more about. I definitely want to know what happens next in the story.
I subtracted one star because the alien attracts are a bit too frequent to be surprising or scary, and the author probably should've let us get to know some of the characters a bit more before they become xenomorph lunch.
As a side note, this is the second book in a series, which I did not know, but as long as you've seen Aliens you won't be lost at all (even if you haven't, you probably wouldn't be lost that much). The previous installment dealt with the plot of Prometheus, which I'm not all that excited to dive into, but after reading this comic perhaps I'll give it a try.
Aliens: Fire and Stone is short and sweet, with a relatable and interesting main character who I wanted to know more about. I definitely want to know what happens next in the story.
I subtracted one star because the alien attracts are a bit too frequent to be surprising or scary, and the author probably should've let us get to know some of the characters a bit more before they become xenomorph lunch.
As a side note, this is the second book in a series, which I did not know, but as long as you've seen Aliens you won't be lost at all (even if you haven't, you probably wouldn't be lost that much). The previous installment dealt with the plot of Prometheus, which I'm not all that excited to dive into, but after reading this comic perhaps I'll give it a try.
May 16, 2018
This is the second volume in the massive crossover event that ties together the Alien, Predator, and Prometheus franchises and its ... fine ... I guess.
Its a prequel to volume one, and it doesn't do a whole lot to provide new information. Its neat to see some survivors from the Aliens film visit the planet from Prometheus. If you were a big fan of those xeno-monkeys from Volume One, then boy oh boy do I have a treat for you -- they're back and they get a couple panels!
Narratively, there's not much here. The characters are kind of bland, and there's not much to the conflicts. Its mostly just people running around getting eaten by the spooky space raptors. Still curious about the next volume though, but its definitely a step down from Volume One.
I'm gonna go eat a hamburger now.
Its a prequel to volume one, and it doesn't do a whole lot to provide new information. Its neat to see some survivors from the Aliens film visit the planet from Prometheus. If you were a big fan of those xeno-monkeys from Volume One, then boy oh boy do I have a treat for you -- they're back and they get a couple panels!
Narratively, there's not much here. The characters are kind of bland, and there's not much to the conflicts. Its mostly just people running around getting eaten by the spooky space raptors. Still curious about the next volume though, but its definitely a step down from Volume One.
I'm gonna go eat a hamburger now.
June 15, 2024
Short series with sort of muddy art. The xenos were pretty great, the characters were at least characters (visually), unique from each other and interesting enough I guess. The story, however, was not.
There was a strange amount of repeated dialogue and descriptions in this book, made it very tedious. The story itself starts out fine, but just kind of fumbles along, then gets really dry when we follow the emotionless engineer along. I actually did sort of like the character himself, but he just wasn't enough to carry the book. He was best a side character.
The ending was pretty lame, at least if it's gonna go that way, make it a good final page.
Eh, it wasn't like horrible, but it wasn't that great.
There was a strange amount of repeated dialogue and descriptions in this book, made it very tedious. The story itself starts out fine, but just kind of fumbles along, then gets really dry when we follow the emotionless engineer along. I actually did sort of like the character himself, but he just wasn't enough to carry the book. He was best a side character.
The ending was pretty lame, at least if it's gonna go that way, make it a good final page.
Eh, it wasn't like horrible, but it wasn't that great.
March 8, 2025
Body horror is such a crucial part of alien, the first time I saw the chest burst scene I knew this was going to be my type of Alien movie. This comic goes deeper into the lore of WHAT the aliens and promotheans are (if you have seen Prometheus, when the god drinks a cup full of black goo and slowly disintegrates creating man, this story explores what that goo was) but doesn’t get much deeper than what you know already.
Now my biggest issue, I was between a 2 and 3 because I just didn’t enjoy this version of the half alien a half human hybrid thing- it was gross and unsettling but just didn’t feel that cool. The human engineer exploring the alien culture is the best part and the madness that comes with the answers. I’m going to read the sister comic and see if it’s better.
Now my biggest issue, I was between a 2 and 3 because I just didn’t enjoy this version of the half alien a half human hybrid thing- it was gross and unsettling but just didn’t feel that cool. The human engineer exploring the alien culture is the best part and the madness that comes with the answers. I’m going to read the sister comic and see if it’s better.
February 28, 2018
A band of castaway idiots
From the school of running away in a straight line comes a new money grab milking the dopes who still care about the Aliens franchise.
Faced with insurmountable danger we watch as the alpha leaders lead the way in - arguing and name calling.
"Where is Luiz?" Really, that's the question of the day? There is only one place he could be. There is only one place anyone could be.
Insane and Inane. There is no plot. If you've watched Prometheus, then this stupidity is deja Vu. Pass on this drivel and you will retain your sanity.
It's too late for me I'm afraid.
From the school of running away in a straight line comes a new money grab milking the dopes who still care about the Aliens franchise.
Faced with insurmountable danger we watch as the alpha leaders lead the way in - arguing and name calling.
"Where is Luiz?" Really, that's the question of the day? There is only one place he could be. There is only one place anyone could be.
Insane and Inane. There is no plot. If you've watched Prometheus, then this stupidity is deja Vu. Pass on this drivel and you will retain your sanity.
It's too late for me I'm afraid.
August 25, 2024
Entretenido para fans de la saga. Lo mejor es poder seguir explorando el universo AvP y continuar la búsqueda de nuevos horrores cósmicos. Lo peor son algunos diálogos bastante encorsetados para dar explicaciones a decisiones absurdas e incoherentes, que por otro lado, son marca de la casa, porque ¿a qué biólogo no se le ocurriría que la mejor forma de testar un líquido alienígena totalmente desconocido es introducirlo directamente en vena para ver qué reacción causa? 🤣
April 28, 2023
This tells the prequel story of the first comic; I liked that it jumped right into the past without any follow or update on the current situations. I love the connect to the movie, it makes this amazing.
November 27, 2017
A little choppy but gruesome with cool art.
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