Aliens: Life and Death

Aliens: Life and Death

by Dan Abnett, Justin Norman (Illustrator), Rain Beredo (Illustrator)

in the aftermath of the battle with the Engineers, the surviving humans on LV-223 are wounded and scattered- and easy prey for a gathering horde of Aliens!

The Colonial Marines get a taste of what it's like to be at the bottom of the food chain!

In 2017 look for a re-emergence of the "Alien"/"Aliens" franchise as no fewer than two films are slated to be released- original director Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenant"
(formerly titled "Prometheus 2") and Neil Blomkamp's currently untitled "Alien" project starring Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn.

Collecting: Aliens: Life and Death Issue #1-4

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

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2017

Reviews

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artist's style was just too much cartoonish for this genre of comic and not liked at all how he used to draw characters' faces, but Abnett's storyline is just so good that you can forgive that.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Colonial Marines have to be some of the dumbest people ever to have been born. They get rescued by the rest of their team and go back to save one civilian who'd been taken to the Alien hive to be implanted. So yeah a crap load of them get killed to save a chick who's going to die anyway. It's pretty much the end of Aliens when Ripley goes back for Newt. Moritat's art is hit and miss. Some panels are nice and gritty while others are way too cartoony for an Aliens book. Plus he forgets to draw noses sometimes and relies on the colorist to fill them in. It looks weird.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got back to this series. There are four in the arc and I reviewed the Predator entry back in Oct. 2016. This one wasn't quite as good though it does include Colonial Marines going to battle on LV-223. The art on this one was pretty good, and the inclusion of an Engineer made it interesting. I liked the Predator entry much more. Still have two in this series to read, and I have them now so more reviews incoming.

Danny

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These all seem the same....soldiers stranded fighting their way out.

[Zardoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good art, but the story kinda went off the rails on this one.

[new · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Michael Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting concepts. So far this story arc is not quite up to the level of Fire and Stone, but it is entertaining, with some fun idea-play. Third of the four series

[Malcolm Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whenever I pick up a book or graphic novel, I check the front, spine and inside cover to see if it's the first in a series. This book had no indication as to its numerical positioning so I assumed, as with most books thus unmarked, that it's the first. I read it, it had lots of combat with aliens and humans dying in nice, visceral ways, but hadn't the first clue as to what was going on. After finishing the book, I examined the cover again and spotted, in the bottom right-hand corner of the back cover "Book 3". Not the most prominent of positions for such an important piece of information, but it at least explained a lot. Subsequent research shows that this is part of a 4-book crossover event from Predator, Prometheus, Aliens & Aliens Vs. Predator (in that order, I believe).
So, based on the merit of this book, the artwork was okay, nothing particularly special but also drawn and coloured with a slightly cartoony flair. The action scenes were intense with a lot going on in them. Not knowing who the characters were meant that there was little emotional impact accompanying their demise (but I can't blame a book for reading it out of order...). The story itself was unoriginal for the franchise, using many plot points from the films and other books though I would say the Engineer vs. Xenomorph Queen vs. Predator which was pretty cool in the few panels it features in.

[Gavin Wask · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I joined this story half way through as so much had happened to the characters already and I had no idea who they were but felt as though I should have.
So I did a little research and yep, this is part of a much bigger story. My fault for not looking into it before.

This has Colonial Marines, Aliens and Predators as well as the screwed up Alien creators from Prometheus. Lots happens, lots die, there is strange teamwork going on and some crazy decisions. Think I'll go back, find the correct reading order and update my reviews once I have got through them all.

But to be honest, it may take me a while as though I enjoyed this, I am in no rush to make more sense of it.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cool part of the story. We have a group of Colonial Marines on a hostile planet caught between the Engineers and the Alien, with only a lone Predator for big gun back up. The marines really just want to get away at this point, but they don't want to leave anyone behind.

The art is good once again. As far as cool moments go, let's just say it goes something like Engineer Vs. Alien Queen!

A solid story overall, even if it does seem a little drawn out. Looking forward to the next installment!

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this used for $1, and I'd say it was worth my buck.
As I had not read the previous entries, I was a bit lost in the beginning (I especially got confused on which character was which), but not really the graphic novel's fault there.
Overall the story was fine but kind of blah, just the usual: humans trying to fight Aliens and often failing. I kinda liked how the one guy befriended the Predator, and the end "boss battle" with the Engineer and the Alien Queen was a good climax.

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, but without reading the prior books or being able to read the subsequent book, do miss a bit. Interesting little snippet of a tale, and the Aliens are certainly at their deadly best here, but at times the deaths seemed a bit to sudden / common, and the decisions made at time certainly don't seem that sensible / likely. Not a bad read though, and the drawings themselves I found very good :)

[L J Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third of four volumes in the Life and Death series is a bit of a letdown. The artwork is not nearly as good as preceding volumes, but that would have been forgotten had the storyline proved to be excellent. Truth is, the story kind of dragged. Looking forward to the last book due out next month!

[Sapphire Detective · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little read, but unfortunately the Space Marines were always one of the less interesting parts of the lore for me. Also didn't realize this was a part one until getting to the cliffhanger at the end.

My rating: 4/5
Would I own/re-read?: Not necessarily.
TW: Violence, Gore, Assault, War
Does the animal die?: No animals are killed in this Alien story.

[Sean Goh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, these marines show more courage than sense. Still, it drives the storyline forward.

[Miss Sunshine girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Az egész sorozatot egyben értékelném. A rajzstílus hektikus, nem is mindegyik tetszik. A sztori kemény darálás, nincs megállás, hull itt minden és mindenki. A logikát fel is áldozták, mert végig azon gondolkodtam, mit a fenét esznek az Alienek? Egymást? És hogy a fenébe vannak annyian? Tuti egymást eszik, más magyarázat nincs. De ettől függetlenül persze tetszik. Vannak benne olyan gyönyörű panelek, hogy csak bámulom és kell a falamraaa, jaj!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Paget’s heroic entrance in an APC is the most badass shit ever, and I just love how overjoyed her comrades are to see her! When Chris9 gets captured by Xenomorphs but manages to send a distress signal from inside the hive, Captain Paget decides to go rescue her! She gives a speech to her troops where she says this is a horrible idea, and that if she were able to run it by command they would absolutely not approve it, so she is only taking volunteers. And then basically her whole squad volunteers. It’s just… it’s just the best, guys. It might be cliched as fuck, but I just love it so much. And I super love that Freebody, aka badass butch mohawk black chick, is literally the first volunteer. Queer solidarity, yo.

Chris bullying the alien queen into not killing her friends, and then ultimately into fighting the Engineer, was fucking amazing. And Chris and Jill’s tearful reunion embrace/kiss was so cathartic. I think this might be the first time since Ripley saved Newt in Aliens that I’ve seen someone get rescued from an Alien nest? So having it be a lesbian couple was so, so amazing.

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Check out my compilation review of the Alien and Predator franchises on my blog, 24,000 Miles to the Moon! https://24000milestothemoon.com/2022/...

[Julie Rylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The library broke my heart cause they do not have the rest of the volumes on this series.

How am i going to know who won the fight? The queen alien or the ingeneur? Will this incubator woman be saved or carry the last healthy baby alien? Very important stuff

[MonumentToDecency · Rating 3 out of 5]

-1 for the sloppy, almost lazy, art style.
+4 for the great story, though heavily derived from existing Alien stories and canon.

[Will Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

some very dumb decisions here