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Aliens: Defiance #1-6
Aliens: Defiance, Vol. 1
Colonial Marine Private First Class Zula Hendricks is battling demons from her past while fighting for her life in the company of Weyland-Yutani synthetics. In deep space she is forced to question her strength and loyalty when the discovery of an insidious alien species on a derelict hauler sends her on a dangerous journey across the stars.
"The New York Times" best-selling comics writer, Brian Wood pens an epic space odyssey filled with gritty, fearless art by up and coming artist, Tristan Jones.
Aliens Defiance #1-6
"The New York Times" best-selling comics writer, Brian Wood pens an epic space odyssey filled with gritty, fearless art by up and coming artist, Tristan Jones.
Aliens Defiance #1-6
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2017
14 people are currently reading
303 people want to read
About the author
Brian Wood
1,180 books964 followersBrian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.
From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.
His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.
He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.
From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.
His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.
He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
October 4, 2018
This is a great idea. A rogue android and a colonial marine find out what Weyland-Uitani have been up to and are seeking out and eradicating Xenomorph infestations before the corporation can gather samples. It starts out really strong but has some editorial issues. It's established that the marine didn't know what the Xenomorphs were but then in a flashback was shown getting hurt while fighting Bugs. The art was good but I often found the panels too tight and the coloring too dark to make out the action. Still I liked it enough to seek out volume 2.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
March 24, 2023
Re-read 2023 - Still echo my old 2018 review. It's a damn fine Alien comic with plenty of cool moments. The idea of having our two main leads rely on each other heavily to survive, a human and a android, is great. Also some sick Alien deaths. The jumping around can be confusing at times but overall really still works. A 4 out of 5.
Old Review: Well finally I can recommend a great alien comic.
So this is a story of a woman and a robot working together to kill some xenomorphs. The thing is this is a deep look into a human and a andriod learning from each other and working to protect humanity. It's a interesting look into the mental endurance of a human and her push to protect humanity with her new friend.
Good: loved the hell out of the character. Multi complex characters with some major differences that work together. The coloring and art is great too. I really loved the pacing and storyline too.
Bad: The ending Is a bit off and confusing moments with certain characters.
Overall it was great. A easy 4 out of 5. Hope continues to be good.
Old Review: Well finally I can recommend a great alien comic.
So this is a story of a woman and a robot working together to kill some xenomorphs. The thing is this is a deep look into a human and a andriod learning from each other and working to protect humanity. It's a interesting look into the mental endurance of a human and her push to protect humanity with her new friend.
Good: loved the hell out of the character. Multi complex characters with some major differences that work together. The coloring and art is great too. I really loved the pacing and storyline too.
Bad: The ending Is a bit off and confusing moments with certain characters.
Overall it was great. A easy 4 out of 5. Hope continues to be good.
July 18, 2019
A nice return to the franchise for me.
Set between the first and second movie this comic does nothing really new but takes a few of the common motives of the series and provides some good entertainment.
Zula Hendricks, an AWOL Colonial Marine that is struggling with a serious back injury that she incurred in her first combat mission, and Davis 01, a rogue android, discover plans of Weyland-Yutani to get their hands on a Xenomorph sample. They set out to thwart those plans and take care of the Aliens themselves.
Brilliant idea.
This comic is more in the vein of the second movie than the first, as its focus is clearly on action rather than suspense. Though it could have done a better job with the latter if the creators would have showed some more patience here and there. I think Cameron's movie has some pretty suspenseful scenes too. And this one mostly doesn't.
But it is good fun, with sometimes great artwork. The dark and gloomy style fits the series well and the artists' work with scale and especially with light sources is impressive.
Overall an enjoyable read.
February 3, 2020
I was looking for more tags to attach from my bookshelves but I couldn't find, which might be a way of saying this is something I don't read much often.
Alien invasion (brought by some stupid power-hungry humans), some not-so-dumb humans trying to fight back, so-called aliens use humans as their hosts but good at combat without any training, androids going rogue to save human race, I can go on and on about this could be appealing and intriguing read but not for me...so sorry this didn't work out.
Alien invasion (brought by some stupid power-hungry humans), some not-so-dumb humans trying to fight back, so-called aliens use humans as their hosts but good at combat without any training, androids going rogue to save human race, I can go on and on about this could be appealing and intriguing read but not for me...so sorry this didn't work out.
March 9, 2019
Als ich 1979 ALIEN - IM WELTRAUM HÖRT DICH NIEMAND SCHREIEN sah, habe ich den Film auf Anhieb geliebt. Einen so düsteren, so nervenzerreißenden SF-Film hatte ich noch nicht gesehen. Bis heute ist der Film ein Highlight, wobei rückblickend auch festzustellen ist, dass er wohl einer der ersten Filme war, der von einer so extrem taffen, starken Hauptdarstellerin lebt. Da war urplötzlich nichts mehr von Damsel in Distress, und Sigourney Weaver war die ideale Besetzung. Ein kleiner Schritt für Weaver, ein großer für die Popkultur! Ohne ALIEN wären Filme wie RESIDENT EVIL undenkbar.
Es folgten weitere Aliens-Filme, Bücher und Comics, aber entweder waren sie schwächer als das Original oder epigonal. Für ALIENS: DEFIANCE gilt leider beides. Trotz der ordentlichen Artwork (einschränkend ist anzumerken, dass nicht immer klar ist, was man auf den Panels eigentlich erkennen bzw. wie man sie sich zusammenreimen soll) hat mir das Buch wenig Freude bereitet.
Die Heldin ist Private Zula Hendricks, die sich durch stereotype Aliens-Situationen durchkämpfen muss. Spannung ist dabei nicht aufgekommen, dazu fand ich das Material zu klischeehaft. Auch erfährt man zu wenig von der Hauptfigur, um Sympathien zu entwickeln. Und die Handlung - ach ja, die kommt einem doch irgendwie sehr vertraut vor.
Fazit: Im Weltraum nichts Neues!
Es folgten weitere Aliens-Filme, Bücher und Comics, aber entweder waren sie schwächer als das Original oder epigonal. Für ALIENS: DEFIANCE gilt leider beides. Trotz der ordentlichen Artwork (einschränkend ist anzumerken, dass nicht immer klar ist, was man auf den Panels eigentlich erkennen bzw. wie man sie sich zusammenreimen soll) hat mir das Buch wenig Freude bereitet.
Die Heldin ist Private Zula Hendricks, die sich durch stereotype Aliens-Situationen durchkämpfen muss. Spannung ist dabei nicht aufgekommen, dazu fand ich das Material zu klischeehaft. Auch erfährt man zu wenig von der Hauptfigur, um Sympathien zu entwickeln. Und die Handlung - ach ja, die kommt einem doch irgendwie sehr vertraut vor.
Fazit: Im Weltraum nichts Neues!
April 9, 2021
This is the best Aliens comic I have ever read! Finally an idea worthy of this franchise. Premise: Cyborg rebels against its programming and teams up with a space marine to exterminate Aliens instead of collecting them for the big bad company. This needs to be made into a movie immediately! My only issue (and this is a frequent issue with Dark Horse comics) was the artwork. Sometimes it was a little too muddled for me to see what was happening and the lines weren't as crisp and sharp as I would have liked but that's small potatoes. Great stuff!
August 13, 2018
Wow! This was really, really good. Better than any Alien sequel since James Cameron. Great story that explores the ramifications of the Weyland-Yutani Corp.'s fixation on bringing home a live alien to weaponize. You've got Colonial Marines, space stations infested with aliens, squads of combat drones, including one who has started to hack himself and overcome his programming. This has it all, including some really nice artwork by Tristan Jones. I am very much looking forward to the second volume, which I will commence reading in just a few minutes.
December 19, 2017
surprinzător de bun
March 24, 2017
I received this from Edelweiss and Dark Horse Comics in exchange for an honest review.
The Aliens universe is my favorite science fiction universe, more so than even Star Trek or Star Wars. I've watched the movies, read most of the books and comics, and listened to the audiobooks. The universe is well-developed and usually well-written.
That being said, I'm not sure how to rate this volume. It didn't come close to the normal level of intensity seen in Alien books. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't care about the characters in this one. And there wasn't nearly enough of the aliens. They were there, but they weren't used in the plot as the hunters we normally see.
The Aliens universe is my favorite science fiction universe, more so than even Star Trek or Star Wars. I've watched the movies, read most of the books and comics, and listened to the audiobooks. The universe is well-developed and usually well-written.
That being said, I'm not sure how to rate this volume. It didn't come close to the normal level of intensity seen in Alien books. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't care about the characters in this one. And there wasn't nearly enough of the aliens. They were there, but they weren't used in the plot as the hunters we normally see.
July 22, 2019
nice one!
Very exciting.. lot of tension..
On to the next one ;)
Very exciting.. lot of tension..
On to the next one ;)
January 14, 2018
Another issue where there's two separate editions of the same book on GR! :( Here's my original review:
Very good! So the Alien and Predator Licenses have always been restricted to just mini series; but now we have a ongoing Alien Series; and its very good! The plot I feel is hard to describe, if I described it, you would probably find it boring; so I feel its something you just have to read for yourself; but I can assure you its not boring! Brian Wood really does capture the feel of the Alien movies in this comic, its perfectly combines the more horror tension of 'Alien' and the action of 'Aliens', In way I thought never possible. Also the characters are very well written, as this series has deep characterization! A very vague review, but all I can say this is a great series that everyone should be reading!
Very good! So the Alien and Predator Licenses have always been restricted to just mini series; but now we have a ongoing Alien Series; and its very good! The plot I feel is hard to describe, if I described it, you would probably find it boring; so I feel its something you just have to read for yourself; but I can assure you its not boring! Brian Wood really does capture the feel of the Alien movies in this comic, its perfectly combines the more horror tension of 'Alien' and the action of 'Aliens', In way I thought never possible. Also the characters are very well written, as this series has deep characterization! A very vague review, but all I can say this is a great series that everyone should be reading!
October 1, 2019
I consider Alien: Isolation one of the greatest things to happen to the Alien universe in recent history since 1979. I consider it the purest type of canon. It terrified me just as the original Alien did way back when I was a kidlet. I had to take long breaks so my heart would stop pounding. It was even moreso elevated for me thanks to the inclusion of Amanda Ripley, Ellen's daughter. Also, that in the majority of the game we only have one single xenomorph made for a thoroughly horrifying experience. Having bazillions of them just makes them seem less powerful and you habituate after a little while *glares angrily at the AVP franchise*.
Presenting: Melty McMelt-Face.
I said to my partner just days before checking out Aliens: Defiance that comics need to leave the Alien franchise alone now because they're kinda ruining it by just churning out whatever rubbish. Sticking a xenomorph in a story with a gun-wielding lady does not an Alien story make. But if you build on what has come before, incorporating a number existing elements, paying homage to the original work of O'Bannon, Schusset, and Scott, well be my guest. And who could do that but Brian Wood, apparently.
Yaargh
The one addition to the Alien franchise that I loved was the Working Joe androids. This is where this review finally starts talking about the comic. Aliens: Defiance features not only Amanda Ripley (albeit very briefly) but the Working Joes also play a major role. Even the maintenance jack gets some attention. The story takes place in a couple of locations - a derelict ship, a science station - and, much to my glee, Sevastopol and Tranquility Base are mentioned. Weyland-Yutani plays a role as does the Seegson Corporation. The story is interesting and fun. We learn more about the Working Joes. Welearn are reassured that Weyland-Yutani will never not be a bunch a dickheads.
Hello? It's me Jack.
The locations throughout Alien: Defiance have the same lo-fi aesthetic as both the original Alien movie and Alien: Isolation, which makes it very easy for Defiance to slip right into the canon. That Defiance is able to seamlessly and beautifully merge elements of the Alien and Isolation makes it one of the best additions to the Alien Universe I've yet read. Also: xenomorphs. Yay
My Rating: 5 'holy fuck, it's behind me's out of 5.
Presenting: Melty McMelt-Face.
I said to my partner just days before checking out Aliens: Defiance that comics need to leave the Alien franchise alone now because they're kinda ruining it by just churning out whatever rubbish. Sticking a xenomorph in a story with a gun-wielding lady does not an Alien story make. But if you build on what has come before, incorporating a number existing elements, paying homage to the original work of O'Bannon, Schusset, and Scott, well be my guest. And who could do that but Brian Wood, apparently.
Yaargh
The one addition to the Alien franchise that I loved was the Working Joe androids. This is where this review finally starts talking about the comic. Aliens: Defiance features not only Amanda Ripley (albeit very briefly) but the Working Joes also play a major role. Even the maintenance jack gets some attention. The story takes place in a couple of locations - a derelict ship, a science station - and, much to my glee, Sevastopol and Tranquility Base are mentioned. Weyland-Yutani plays a role as does the Seegson Corporation. The story is interesting and fun. We learn more about the Working Joes. We
Hello? It's me Jack.
The locations throughout Alien: Defiance have the same lo-fi aesthetic as both the original Alien movie and Alien: Isolation, which makes it very easy for Defiance to slip right into the canon. That Defiance is able to seamlessly and beautifully merge elements of the Alien and Isolation makes it one of the best additions to the Alien Universe I've yet read. Also: xenomorphs. Yay
My Rating: 5 'holy fuck, it's behind me's out of 5.
April 9, 2017
A Colonial Marine and a squad
of Synthetic soldiers are sent to
secure a Xenomorph for study.
Things of course go right to Hell.
The Marine and the leader of the Synthetics
decide that the Alien is too dangerous
to be brought back. So against orders
and against programming they begin to
hunt the creatures back along the trail of their
infections spread through Human space.
An exciting series that brings into question
the difference between following orders and doing what is right.
And in the case of the Synthetics, what is the line between
man and machine.
of Synthetic soldiers are sent to
secure a Xenomorph for study.
Things of course go right to Hell.
The Marine and the leader of the Synthetics
decide that the Alien is too dangerous
to be brought back. So against orders
and against programming they begin to
hunt the creatures back along the trail of their
infections spread through Human space.
An exciting series that brings into question
the difference between following orders and doing what is right.
And in the case of the Synthetics, what is the line between
man and machine.
May 21, 2019
I always felt myself confined while watching the Aliens movies. It's the horror element which never sat well with me. If anything, this comic replicates that effectively. On top of that you have the point of view of the main character and narrator who is just as in the dark as the reader is. Her predicament is soon revealed to be a threat for her life and, even injured, she fights on.
Zula Hendricks is a colonial marine working for Weyland-Yutani. While checking out a derelict ship, she and her team of androids are attacked by xenomorphs. Several androids are destroyed and Zula is placed in statis for almost a month due to her existing spinal injury, making her trust her so-called allies even less. Their mission was to return the ship along with the xenomorphs aboard, but one of the androids chooses to destroy them and prevent their use as weapons. They head to the other locations in the ship logs where they believe xenomorphs are to be found.
Zula Hendricks is a colonial marine working for Weyland-Yutani. While checking out a derelict ship, she and her team of androids are attacked by xenomorphs. Several androids are destroyed and Zula is placed in statis for almost a month due to her existing spinal injury, making her trust her so-called allies even less. Their mission was to return the ship along with the xenomorphs aboard, but one of the androids chooses to destroy them and prevent their use as weapons. They head to the other locations in the ship logs where they believe xenomorphs are to be found.
June 26, 2018
This trade was excellent. I’m on my way to the library to pick up volume 2. This is a high quality Alien franchise spin-off that treads into some interesting places. Big recommend
November 26, 2016
Very good! So the Alien and Predator Licenses have always been restricted to just mini series; but now we have a ongoing Alien Series; and its very good! The plot I feel is hard to describe, if I described it, you would probably find it boring; so I feel its something you just have to read for yourself; but I can assure you its not boring! Brian Wood really does capture the feel of the Alien movies in this comic, its perfectly combines the more horror tension of 'Alien' and the action of 'Aliens', In way I thought never possible. Also the characters are very well written, as this series has deep characterization! A very vague review, but all I can say this is a great series that everyone should be reading!
November 27, 2018
Great addition to the Aliens universe. Art work is good, very good, the story line is new, one that I really enjoyed. Added to my Aliens collection.
August 23, 2017
ARC REVIEW
Story: Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks was sent on a mission with a bunch of Wayland-Yultani synthetics. She was just supposed to type in a key to the computer giving over the rights from the abandoned ship over to WY as salvage. What happens next Zula doesn’t remember she was knocked unconscious and when she woke up she was still on board with a handful of the synths remaining. One of the synths in particular is helping her with the designation Davis 01.
Davis tells her what happened something was brought on board and it killed the whole crew and when they boarded the strange aliens started to kill the synths. Davis managed to shoot them all out the airlock along with most of the other synths. Davis further tells her that WY has plans to bring back a specimen so they can weaponize it. Zula understanding what she is hearing also picks up on the fact that Davis has gone against his programming. Davis admits it and again surprised her by saying he has evolved into something better he has taught himself new things and to let WY get its hands on something as dangerous as these creatures would be horrible. After barely surviving the first time Zula agrees with Davis and together they begin to thwart WY at every turn.
The Aliens are not the only thing Zula is battling right now she has massive spinal damage due to a previous and only mission. Zula is dealing emotionally, psychologically, and physically with the damage and pain she’s going through. Davis and Zula become friends they even pick up a sole survivor at a filling station and continue to do what they think is right but Davis has secrets of his own.
Art: The art was my favorite thing about this but it’s not surprising when you have fantastic artist like Tristan Jones and Massimo Carnevale. The illustrations were just so beautifully detailed and dark, it’s dark and gloomy in that typical Alien style but not so dark you lose the fine details. Massimo’s work on the covers and the chapter breaks is stunning, there is one that I would love to have a print of to hang on my wall.
Overall: I love the Alien franchise, I have loved it since my sister first showed me Alien as a kid in the late 80’s. (Yeah, my mom wouldn’t let me watch horror movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th but she was ok with Alien) I haven’t read as many Alien comics as I would like, aside from Sandman they were one of the first ones I did read when I first got into comics. I think Zula is a perfect fit with the typical type heroine we normally see in these roles. I think I like her even more because she is so broken. I loved the tie in with Alien: Isolation and Amanda Ripley. The story is great it’s so much more than just fighting aliens, there’s great character development and the relationship between Davis and Zula, I like where it’s going. This was a great one I really look forward to the rest of the series.
Story: Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks was sent on a mission with a bunch of Wayland-Yultani synthetics. She was just supposed to type in a key to the computer giving over the rights from the abandoned ship over to WY as salvage. What happens next Zula doesn’t remember she was knocked unconscious and when she woke up she was still on board with a handful of the synths remaining. One of the synths in particular is helping her with the designation Davis 01.
Davis tells her what happened something was brought on board and it killed the whole crew and when they boarded the strange aliens started to kill the synths. Davis managed to shoot them all out the airlock along with most of the other synths. Davis further tells her that WY has plans to bring back a specimen so they can weaponize it. Zula understanding what she is hearing also picks up on the fact that Davis has gone against his programming. Davis admits it and again surprised her by saying he has evolved into something better he has taught himself new things and to let WY get its hands on something as dangerous as these creatures would be horrible. After barely surviving the first time Zula agrees with Davis and together they begin to thwart WY at every turn.
The Aliens are not the only thing Zula is battling right now she has massive spinal damage due to a previous and only mission. Zula is dealing emotionally, psychologically, and physically with the damage and pain she’s going through. Davis and Zula become friends they even pick up a sole survivor at a filling station and continue to do what they think is right but Davis has secrets of his own.
Art: The art was my favorite thing about this but it’s not surprising when you have fantastic artist like Tristan Jones and Massimo Carnevale. The illustrations were just so beautifully detailed and dark, it’s dark and gloomy in that typical Alien style but not so dark you lose the fine details. Massimo’s work on the covers and the chapter breaks is stunning, there is one that I would love to have a print of to hang on my wall.
Overall: I love the Alien franchise, I have loved it since my sister first showed me Alien as a kid in the late 80’s. (Yeah, my mom wouldn’t let me watch horror movies like Halloween or Friday the 13th but she was ok with Alien) I haven’t read as many Alien comics as I would like, aside from Sandman they were one of the first ones I did read when I first got into comics. I think Zula is a perfect fit with the typical type heroine we normally see in these roles. I think I like her even more because she is so broken. I loved the tie in with Alien: Isolation and Amanda Ripley. The story is great it’s so much more than just fighting aliens, there’s great character development and the relationship between Davis and Zula, I like where it’s going. This was a great one I really look forward to the rest of the series.
November 7, 2021
Stop me if you've heard this one: The Weyland-Yutani Corporation is determined to get a xenomorph specimen so they can weaponize the species, and they don't care who or what they have to sacrifice to get it. So it's up to a handful of battle-hardened survivors to stop W-Y from bringing these things back to Earth, and potentially wiping out the human race.
Pretty much the plot of more or less every story set in this universe, right? So, you might be rightly asking yourself why, then, did I give this graphic novel four stars? Well, it's for the characters, really.
Underpinning the "been there, done that" plot structure, there are a lot of surprisingly human moments, and this element goes a long way toward keeping the pages turning, even when you've seen the broad strokes of the story a hundred times. Zula Hendricks is a Colonial Marine who's trying to prove she can still fight, after suffering a major injury on her very first mission. Reliant on pain medication and mobility treatments, she's desperate to still feel like she's worth something to the Marines. Davis is a combat android who's striving to become something more than a simple killing machine. An unlikely friendship forms between the two, as they find themselves fighting for their lives during a mission gone wrong, and then figuring out where the hell they go from there. Davis doesn't treat Zula with derision due to her lingering injuries, and Zula doesn't see Davis as a defective machine that needs to be taken in for reprogramming. Seeing these two find solace in one another is really the crux of the story--I just wish it had taken place in a narrative that wasn't so formulaic.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, since this is one of the best Alien stories I've seen since the second film.
Pretty much the plot of more or less every story set in this universe, right? So, you might be rightly asking yourself why, then, did I give this graphic novel four stars? Well, it's for the characters, really.
Underpinning the "been there, done that" plot structure, there are a lot of surprisingly human moments, and this element goes a long way toward keeping the pages turning, even when you've seen the broad strokes of the story a hundred times. Zula Hendricks is a Colonial Marine who's trying to prove she can still fight, after suffering a major injury on her very first mission. Reliant on pain medication and mobility treatments, she's desperate to still feel like she's worth something to the Marines. Davis is a combat android who's striving to become something more than a simple killing machine. An unlikely friendship forms between the two, as they find themselves fighting for their lives during a mission gone wrong, and then figuring out where the hell they go from there. Davis doesn't treat Zula with derision due to her lingering injuries, and Zula doesn't see Davis as a defective machine that needs to be taken in for reprogramming. Seeing these two find solace in one another is really the crux of the story--I just wish it had taken place in a narrative that wasn't so formulaic.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, since this is one of the best Alien stories I've seen since the second film.
July 8, 2017
This Aliens story is both straightforward and original. We find a marine who's going against her training and a synthetic who becomes sentient. Both of them defy orders to save the human race.
I like this story because it establishes the main characters as anti-heroes who are doing bad things for good reasons. As usual, Weyland-Yutani can't wait to weaponize the aliens, but our main characters know the Aliens are too dangerous to be weaponized and they will probably just end up destroying the human race if ever introduced to Earth's ecosystem, so they will do anything to prevent that.
The main character also has a physical disability she's struggling with which adds yet another layer to the story. A very different type of Alien tale, and very good.
I like this story because it establishes the main characters as anti-heroes who are doing bad things for good reasons. As usual, Weyland-Yutani can't wait to weaponize the aliens, but our main characters know the Aliens are too dangerous to be weaponized and they will probably just end up destroying the human race if ever introduced to Earth's ecosystem, so they will do anything to prevent that.
The main character also has a physical disability she's struggling with which adds yet another layer to the story. A very different type of Alien tale, and very good.
December 12, 2021
Marine Zula Hendricks, recovering from back surgery, and synthetic Davis hunt down aliens to prevent them from falling into the hands of a corporation.
This was a good Aliens fix. I read the novel "Aliens: Prototype" first and liked Tim Waggoner's handling of Zula enough to seek out this comic where she was first introduced. Zula is bad ass - I like the way she's dealing with chronic pain but still able to push through it to kill aliens. Davis is a great character as he tries to become more 'human'. Tristan Jones' artwork in three of the six chapters was wonderful - tiny details on spaceships and buildings and true horror in the depictions of aliens. I'll read the second volume.
This was a good Aliens fix. I read the novel "Aliens: Prototype" first and liked Tim Waggoner's handling of Zula enough to seek out this comic where she was first introduced. Zula is bad ass - I like the way she's dealing with chronic pain but still able to push through it to kill aliens. Davis is a great character as he tries to become more 'human'. Tristan Jones' artwork in three of the six chapters was wonderful - tiny details on spaceships and buildings and true horror in the depictions of aliens. I'll read the second volume.
April 13, 2017
Well this is by far one of my favourite books in all of the Aliens comics franchise. Tristan Jones' and Riccardo Burchielli's art simply shines though often I found the colouring to be lacking, and I just loved the story and the characters. It's all one should want to see in an Aliens story: Unlikely heroes against the greed of Weyland-Yutani and the horror of the xenomorphs. And when the heroes are a misfit private of the colonial marines and a synthetic gone rogue against his own masters... Well I won't spoil anything bul let me recommend you to give this book a try.
April 11, 2019
I like that Alien: Isolation (a video game) has become canon in the Alien universe.
But I'm not super interested in the Colonial Marines (from Aliens), and really didn't particularly like or follow along with the story.
But, I mostly read thia because the main character is a Black woman who was disabled during a war (well, she experiences chronic pain from her injuries).
But I'm not super interested in the Colonial Marines (from Aliens), and really didn't particularly like or follow along with the story.
But, I mostly read thia because the main character is a Black woman who was disabled during a war (well, she experiences chronic pain from her injuries).
June 4, 2017
A prequel to the video game Alien: Isolation--with some really interesting art and ideas. Good stuff!
July 18, 2017
I guess it was at least somewhat unrealistic to expect this to be Alien Covenant but in a comic book (in a non-literal way). But it was still ok.
December 30, 2018
Full review to come in the New Year at http://www.highfeverbooks.com.
May 26, 2017
I don't particularly like the art but it's a reasonably interesting story.
July 8, 2019
The cover for this caught my eye at my local library, so I thought I would give it a chance. I would probably rate it 2.6 - 2.8 stars, rounded up to three stars. It moves at a decent pace, I guess. The first three issues are "standalone" issues; issues 4 - 6 focus on a 'single' storyline. It is about a group of Colonial Marine synthetics and a USCM still recovering from wounds received who are sent to a derelict freighter and the leader of the synthetics decides to go rogue, taking the human female and the surviving members of his squad/unit with him. It has decent character development, I guess (considering the cast consists primarily of two individuals until the latter two issues in the series). With only two 'real' cast members, it had better have some kind of character development!
It does a decent job of balancing out the "sci-fi" elements with the "horror" elements, in my opinion. Actually, I do not know that I was ever really 'horrified' while reading this compilation
I have not followed the Alien comics, so I am not sure of the continuity. I read on a website that this series is set between the first Alien movie and Cameron's classic sequel, Aliens. I could see that being the case, on the one hand. I do like this series better than the other Alien mini-series I have read (but I also realize that is not saying much, considering how few of the other, earlier, series I liked). I thought it was an interesting premise, to have a synthetic "go rogue" and be able to reprogram itself so that it can try to better fulfill its mission to protect the human race (even if that means protecting the human race from the greed and stupidity of a small group of humans).
I think what I 'liked most' about this series was that the author does not make the humans involved (even the 'bad' humans) so incredibly stupid, does not portray them as being super smart up to a point then devolving to incredible levels of negligence and stupidity, like other authors have done in other series/stories. I did not feel like the author was insulting my intelligence with this story (so far), and I appreciated that.
Overall, it was an interesting story to read. I will keep an eye out for the second volume in the series, to see how it wraps up. I am glad I took a chance on reading this compilation.
It does a decent job of balancing out the "sci-fi" elements with the "horror" elements, in my opinion. Actually, I do not know that I was ever really 'horrified' while reading this compilation
I have not followed the Alien comics, so I am not sure of the continuity. I read on a website that this series is set between the first Alien movie and Cameron's classic sequel, Aliens. I could see that being the case, on the one hand. I do like this series better than the other Alien mini-series I have read (but I also realize that is not saying much, considering how few of the other, earlier, series I liked). I thought it was an interesting premise, to have a synthetic "go rogue" and be able to reprogram itself so that it can try to better fulfill its mission to protect the human race (even if that means protecting the human race from the greed and stupidity of a small group of humans).
I think what I 'liked most' about this series was that the author does not make the humans involved (even the 'bad' humans) so incredibly stupid, does not portray them as being super smart up to a point then devolving to incredible levels of negligence and stupidity, like other authors have done in other series/stories. I did not feel like the author was insulting my intelligence with this story (so far), and I appreciated that.
Overall, it was an interesting story to read. I will keep an eye out for the second volume in the series, to see how it wraps up. I am glad I took a chance on reading this compilation.
October 16, 2017
Story 5/5. Art 3.5/5 on average (as there are multiple artists).
Everyone's different but for me, if a story is well structured and interesting, I'll read the comic no matter what I think of the art. This series has an EXCELLENT story.
Zula Hendricks, Colonial Marine, is as tough as you'd expect any woman in the extended Aliens universe to be, but she's increasingly likable as her background story gets revealed. Takes-No-Sh*t 5'1'' young black woman, she's fought tooth and nail to get taken seriously among her fellow Marines until an accident nearly leaves her paralyzed. Mobile only through advanced technology and medicine, she's on borrowed time when we meet her at the GN's opening.
Her counterpart, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (...I'm seeing a bit of a pattern here in the Aliens comics) named Davis 1 will give the jeebies to anyone who's played Alien Isolation and gotten caught off guard by a Seegson android , but he too gets more endearing as it goes on. I can't say much more because spoilers, however I will say that he's /not/ supposed to be able to think for himself, and how starts to learn human traits is...interesting.
As for that pattern I've begun to notice
AND ANOTHER NOTE: if you haven't figured it out from all this, there is a crossover aspect with the game Alien:Isolation, and I highly suggest you watch a playthru of it, the "cutscenes" of the game, or at very least read its Wikipedia page.
Everyone's different but for me, if a story is well structured and interesting, I'll read the comic no matter what I think of the art. This series has an EXCELLENT story.
Zula Hendricks, Colonial Marine, is as tough as you'd expect any woman in the extended Aliens universe to be, but she's increasingly likable as her background story gets revealed. Takes-No-Sh*t 5'1'' young black woman, she's fought tooth and nail to get taken seriously among her fellow Marines until an accident nearly leaves her paralyzed. Mobile only through advanced technology and medicine, she's on borrowed time when we meet her at the GN's opening.
Her counterpart, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (...I'm seeing a bit of a pattern here in the Aliens comics) named Davis 1 will give the jeebies to anyone who's played Alien Isolation and gotten caught off guard by a Seegson android , but he too gets more endearing as it goes on. I can't say much more because spoilers, however I will say that he's /not/ supposed to be able to think for himself, and how starts to learn human traits is...interesting.
As for that pattern I've begun to notice
AND ANOTHER NOTE: if you haven't figured it out from all this, there is a crossover aspect with the game Alien:Isolation, and I highly suggest you watch a playthru of it, the "cutscenes" of the game, or at very least read its Wikipedia page.
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