Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus Vol. 1

Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus #1

by Mark Verheiden, Mike Richardson, John Arcudi

Collects Aliens (1988) #1-6; Aliens (1989) #1-4; Aliens, Earth War #1-4; Aliens, Genocide #1-4; Aliens, Hive #1-4; Aliens, Tribes #1; Aliens, Newt’s Tale #1-2; Alien 3 #1-3 And Aliens, Space Marines #1-12 — Plus Material From Dark Horse Insider (1989) #14-27 And Dark Horse Presents (1986) #24, #42-43, #56 And Fifth Anniversary Special.

As Marvel prepares for a xenomorph invasion, rediscover the comic book legacy of ALIENS! Familiar faces star in tales that expand on the movie mythos! As Hicks and Newt undertake a dangerous mission to destroy the creatures’ homeworld, a deadly outbreak leaves Earth overrun with aliens! Billionaire Daniel Grant sets his sights on an alien queen, and scientist Stanislaw Mayakovsky must retrieve the galaxy’s most precious alien royal jelly! But can even Earth’s finest fighting force, the Colonial Marines, hold off the most frightening and relentless creatures in all of film?

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

988 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2021

About the author

Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He was a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies for DreamWorks Television and the TNT Network.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a huge Omnibus that took me a bit to get through, not because it was bad, but because there's so many stories/change in tones, I took my time. What did I get out of it? Some great stuff, some good, and some bad.

I want to stress how much I love looking back on this book and seeing stories created after Alien/Aliens and before Alien 3 onward. So the first few stories decide to focus on Newt and Hicks. Ripley comes in later but the first two major stories are basically a direct sequel to Aliens. And while I appeciate them both, they feel oddly "safe". With Newt replacing Ripley as a badass by the end of the story (kind of) and Hicks doing the same mission again. I did indeed like the fact we got to see both deal with PDST but by the third and final story and Ripley's return it felt a bit weird how the story structure went. And basically the author didn't want to kill anyone important cause they could be used in future alien films. Funny how Alien 3 fucked that up anyway lol.

So that's the "Good" for me. Entertaining stories that felt like direct sequels. But what I actually REALLY enjoyed were two major stories. Hive and Genocide.

These stories are more off the walls and have new characters you never heard of. Even better one features basically waring Aliens killing each other to become dominate. Another story focuses on a drug sciencist and his friendly doggie ALIEN robot. yes. There is a Andriod that is a alien who can pull out a machine gun. Dude, I loved this shit.

There's also some cool black and white stories and a real solid Newt background story that serves as a nice before Aliens and recap of Aliens.

Alien 3 and the mini comics based on toys range from bad to meh at best. Alien 3 is a hot mess and with the exception of some decent parts I don't like the movie. The comic isn't much better. The alien toys storyline is so stupid even if we get some cool alien designs.

So yeah overall it is not a perfect collection but it has some pretty awesome stories in there. I dunno if I'd go full force 4 out of 5, but since I really enjoyed most of it I'll settle on a 3.5 and bump it UP to a 4. Bring on volume 2!

[Sam D’Antonio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid original stories, but a decent chunk is just retelling the movies in comic form, and a lot of the art is kind of meh…

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Space No One Can Hear You Scream..

Marvels new Alien title has been one of my favorites this year. I am a big fan of the franchise and consider Alien as one of my most beloved horror movies and Aliens as one of the best sequels ever. But i never read anything of the classic dark horse stuff. So when Marvel took over the Alien franchise,  you could (almost) hear my scream in space👽
This first omnibus is a sort of best off stories from the universe, with alot of shorter stories and different art teams and writers. I really like that aproach,  but its also a way to make a book not that consistent. This book is a shining example of that,  really great stories, and  fantastic artwork, but at times stories and art, so ugly and bad your like why is this not cut or anything, i do love the inclussion for completionists sake, but some stories really drag down the overall rating of the book I dont want to sound to bitter, because i really enjoyed most stories alot. This World is great,  and the Xenomorph a hell of a enemy, but i could have done without a aliens trading care comic... Just my opinion. It was great to see Newt and Hicks again, and Ripley, Newt and Hicks got other names later one, because they got killed off in the later movies,  but the comic was still ungoing.. overall a great collection, with some killer artwork (mostly)  and i really cant wait for that second omnibus to arrive. I also like to mention that a entite short novella is included from Stephen R. Bissette (Swamp Thing!) Something that i really liked but might not be for every comic reader, because of the word count.. Solid first omnibus.

3.5 stars.

For now.

[Hugo Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coleccion de comics inspirados en las pelis de alien. Algunos mas buenos y otros mas malos

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never really read these books when they originally came out, but they are a lot more appealing to me in an oversized omnibus format. My favorite stories are Aliens (1989) with painted art by Denis Beauvais, Aliens Genocide written by John Arcudi, and Aliens Earth War with art by Sam Keith. There are a couple of clunkers in here, like the adaptation for Aliens 3 that would have been a little better if the panel layouts didn't suck so bad and I really can't stand Kelley Jones' art in Aliens Hive. The rest is still a lot of fun to read, but be ready for this to put you in a dark frame of mind. I found myself reading lighter stuff in between some of the chapters just to cheer myself up.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theory of Alien Propagation, ☆☆☆☆
ALIENS (1988), ☆☆☆☆
ALIENS (1989), ☆☆☆☆☆
ALIENS: Earth War, ☆☆☆☆
Advent/Terminus, ☆☆☆
Countdown, ☆☆☆
Reapers, ☆☆☆
The Alien, ☆☆☆☆
Genocide, ☆☆☆☆☆
Hive, ☆☆☆☆☆
Tribes, ☆☆☆☆
Newt's Tale, ☆☆☆☆
Alien3, ☆☆☆
Space Marines, ☆☆☆
Trading Card Comic, ☆☆☆

[Paul Cocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re an Aliens fan, Aliens: The Original Years Omnibus Volume 1 might just scratch that itch. It collects the early Dark Horse comics that picked up after Aliens but before Alien 3 rewrote the timeline. The early stories focus on Newt and Hicks, offering a satisfying — if "safe" — continuation where nobody major dies and PTSD is explored, but the stakes never feel quite as brutal as the films.

The volume really hits its stride when it embraces bold storytelling and creative expansion of the mythos:

- "Theory of Alien Propagation," written by Mark Verheiden and illustrated by Mark A. Nelson, serves as a perfect jumping-on point. It mixes chilling biological horror with stark, textured artwork that feels both grounded and nightmarish.  

- "Aliens: Earth War" by Mark Verheiden and Sam Kieth pushes the chaos even further. Kieth’s hyper-expressive, almost cartoonish character designs amplify the emotional intensity and physical horror at the heart of the story. 

- "Aliens: Genocide,: written by Mike Richardson with art by Damon Willis, unleashes a brutal alien civil war, pairing savage, kinetic visuals with a bold expansion of the xenomorph mythos.

- "Aliens: Hive," Jerry Prosser and Kelley Jones dive deep into obsession and body horror. Jones' gothic, shadow-drenched art stretches the visual tone of the franchise into pure nightmare territory.

- "Aliens: Newt’s Tale" by Mike Richardson and Jim Somerville offers a retelling of Aliens through Newt’s eyes, capturing both raw terror and fragile hope with expressive, emotional artwork. 

Taken together, these stories show the franchise at its best—mutating familiar ideas into something grim, inventive, and visually unforgettable.

Not everything lands. The Alien 3 adaptation is rough, and the toy tie-in comics range from goofy to forgettable. "Aliens: Tribes," a prose-heavy novella written by Stephen Bissette, offers a different flavor — beautifully illustrated but heavily text-driven. If you’re expecting a typical comic book experience, this story won’t be for you.

Still, for anyone who loves the Aliens universe, this omnibus is a fascinating glimpse into where the expanded lore could have gone — full of ambition, atmosphere, and unforgettable imagery. I’m looking forward to diving into the next volume and reading it cover to cover.

[Alain del Risco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Highly recommend for anyone who loves the Alien franchise. Total new perception on the Aliens franchise. After reading this omnibus, now I take the perspective that human greed and the military complex dominance on reverse engineering is the main reason for the downfall of human survival. Reminds me of today's hidden governmental backdoor agenda. Second, after reading vol. 1, I have a somewhat greater appreciation for Alien3 [film], I will go back and carefully reanalyze the first three films with a greater emphasis on Alien3. Also, I will focus on the character-Hicks. Third, wow, I truly love how a short story [novella] was embedded within the omnibus. The story plot for "Tribes" [novella] was priceless and the illustrations were beautifully drawn. Furthermore, I'm in love with the whole power loader machine concept. There are so many details I missed in the movies. My favorite story arcs were EARTH WAR and GENOCIDE!!! Wow, I love the whole plot of Aliens populating Earth and basically taking over!!! In my opinion, the most important takeaway was educating myself with the whole Dark Horse beginnings. I was not aware many of the comic stories were written prior to the making of Alien3, meaning, many of the previous Dark Horse plots did not parallel the movies. I'm ok with it, kind of reminds me of the whole EU [expanded universe] in the Star Wars literary library. Sometimes, non-canon is best. Last, definitely, I will have to buy, somehow, the Alien3 Dark Horse trading card set online. I highly recommend this omnibus.

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
If this was going to be anything like the thoroughly underwhelming Predator omnibus released around the same time, then I was very much going to regret having three volumes already sitting on the shelf. Thankfully for me, this turned out to be a surprisingly consistent affair, with some exceptional artwork to boot.
Confession, I've never actually seen any of the first 3 Aliens movies. I remember seeing Aliens resurrection in my late teens, and quite liking it, though something tells me it won't have held up quite so well should I ever find myself watching it again. That said, the Aliens movies have always appealed to me from afar. I'll have to pull my finger out and watch them one of these days.
Initially released during the halcyon days of comics, from the late 80's and early nineties. This collection contains much of what was great from that era. Beautiful art, and some damn solid storytelling, even if none of it was as memorable as the pictures accompanying them. The mostly 4 issue storyline arcs please, and the few that don't, don't hang around long enough to truly stink up the place, so that's always a plus. If you're looking for an alternative to the capes and spandex, then this book might just have what you're looking for. 3.75/5


OmniBen.

[Daniel Freer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for serious fans of Alien and the lore but for the casual fan I say start elsewhere

The story is very good, SOME OF THEM, 2 are just basic retellings of aliens and alien 3. The ones that have Hicks and Newt aka Rebecca and a lot of surprises were the real change of pace and in a way the Alien 3 i think alot of fans were hoping for. The story while very good suffers from that late 80s, early 90s mass production and some very cheesy amd stale dialog is at points rough but then there is the art!!! And there ESPECIALLY with the Aliens does the stories collected here really shine. From the ones we're used to. To the story in this called hive wars and seeing the different aliens and especially the cover art between issues or when stories end and a new one starts is nothing short of amazing. I enjoyed it but at the panel for panel pretty much aliens and aliens 3 here in comic form is nice but would have loved something original in those parts which you DO GET in this omnibus. Would have given 3 & 1/2 stars if i could.

[Yany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que buena recopilación por favor!!! Cuando se me de la oportunidad espero adquirirlo en papel porque lo vale. Comienza con los cómics secuela de la película "Aliens el regreso" donde Newt y Hicks son los personajes principales. Lamentablemente después de que salió Alien 3 y sabiendo el destino de estos personajes los cómics no tuvieron sentido pero se decidió cambiar los nombres a los personajes en reediciones posteriores.
Me fascinó muchísimo absolutamente todo y siempre me indigna y siempre me va a indignar la estupidez humana, la estupidez del hombre por querer demostrar a otro hombre (nación) quien la tiene más grande. A que me refiero? A que siempre buscan mejorar sus armas en vez de mejorarse como personas, siempre pensando en aniquilar a otros y tener más poder. Por eso es que me fascina tanto Alien, porque nadie puede contra estos seres.
Ya vi que hay 3 tomos más así que a buscarlos!

[S. Naomi Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of these strips when they first did the rounds back in the 80s and 90s, and most of them have stood the test of time. Over the years many of the stories in this volume have been pushed further and further away from the established canon of the cinematic Aliens franchise, making it more of a parallel reality than an extended universe, but it still has a depth to it that I genuinely love, to the point that if I ever get around to running the role-playing game based on the franchise, I'm sorely tempted to use this version of the universe rather than the official one.

Yes, there is some dross in here, and some of the artwork is mediocre at best, but it's still a brilliant collection and paved the way for a lot of IP-based comics that came afterwards. For that alone, it's worth digging into.

[Vicente Ribes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tomo que recopila los primeros comics que Dark horse hizo sobre Alien y que contiene tres series que continuaban la peli de Aliens. La verdad es que esta continuación para mí es superior a lo que sería la tercera película de la franquicia. Aqui Hicks y Newt han sobrevivido y intentan convencer a la gente en la tierra del peligro de los Aliens pero se topan con que el gobierno ya lo sabe y están enviando naves para tratar de capturar y entrenar a los aliens como arma. Eso ya se dejaba entrever en la segunda peli y aquí se desarrolla de forma fenomenal en unos comics llenos de acción.
En la tercera serie y con la aparición de Ripley, que estaba desaparecida se cierra una historia que pinta un futuro nada halagueño para la tierra. Un placer recuperar estos viejos cómics.

[Miguel Ángel González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un compendio de historias originales de finales de los 80 y principio de los 90 que continuan la narración iniciada en los films de alien. Me ha gustado en lineas generales aunque las historias y dibujos más Top han sido, para mi gusto, las 2 que se basan en la película de Aliens y Alien3... Hay una parte que se basa en mini-relatos que venían junto con merchandising de Alien (muñecos de la franquicia) que no me ha gustado nada por ejemplo... con ello quiero decir que este libro engloba una variedad de cómics del mundo Alien muy variado en calidad e interés y que dependiendo del equipo creativo presenten en cada volúmen se aprecian diferencias más que notables en el resultado final.

[Sam Judge · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable re-read through the first foray into the Alien world via Dark Horse comic. I first read a lot of these stories as a kid in the 1990's so it was fun to come back in my mid-30's with a more mature perspective. The artwork is very much of it's time and is stylistically quite sketch based, the stories on the other hand are top-notch and expand the Alien lore nicely. We have a few arcs which follow on from the 1986 Aliens film, some original stories and complete illustrative retellings of Aliens & Aliens 3 (which completely breaks the arcs written before its release, keep this in mind when you read)

[MaskedSkull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es increíble ver el progreso de cada comic agregando un pedacito al lore de Alien desde sus inicios, me dejo con ganas de seguir viendo los diversos estilos y escritores y las historias de los siguientes tomos, me encanto ver el estilo de la época reflejado en cada uno. No todos son perfectos, pero siguen siendo algo que atesoro tener y apreciar.

Hubo una historia escrita en particular dentro de este tomo que me pareció muy interesante, creo que se le llama "novelette" al termino, si alguna vez leen este tomo de Aliens.. ¡No se lo salten solo porque está escrito sin muchas ilustraciones! vale la pena y es corto.

[Myk Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Aliens Omnibus Vol 1 contains 45+ classic Alien comics dating back to 1988. All four omnibus volumes are ginormous, containing about 1,000 pages each. The first Aliens comic was released just a few years after the 1986 movie sequel, Aliens. The stories are great! They take the Alien mythology in directions I didn’t anticipate. The artwork of Mark Nelson, Kelley Jones, and Les Dorscheid are beyond inspiring. I’m reading all of these comics for the first time, 30+ years after they came out, and I think I’m just as in awe as I would’ve been at 12 years old.

[Sotofunkdamental · Rating 4 out of 5]

La teoría de la propagación alienígena: ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Aliens #1-6 USA (1988): ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Aliens #1-4 USA (1989) ☆☆☆☆☆ (5/5)
Guerra en la Tierra ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
La Llegada/La última parada ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Cuenta atrás ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Merodeadores ☆☆ (2/5)
El Alienígena ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Genocidio ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Colmena ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Tribus ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
La historia de Newt ☆☆☆☆ (4/5)
Alien 3 ☆☆☆ (3/5)
Marines Espaciales ☆☆ (2/5)
El cómic de la colección de cromos de Alien 3 ☆☆ (2/5)

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and a lot of fun. I enjoyed the asides from the various artists and some of the historical context placed into this compendium about the original runs that happened decades ago in most cases. This was a library book for me, and so while I'd definitely look for Volume 2 I won't be buying it or anything.

If you're a fan of the Aliens and Predators series though this one would be one to add to your list!

[Martijn Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a whole a beautiful collection that feels very complete thanks to the addition of the novella (Tribes) and the comics that came with the toy for free. The quality of the comics themselves varies greatly. From good (Countdown) to nice (Aliens 1988) and downright lousy (the Alien3 comic and Hive).

Can't wait to read the rest of the volumes.

[Caleb Stratos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it loved it loved it!

The 1st couple hundred pages were a perfect sequel to Aliens. Made so much sense how things played out (what a shame the movies didn't go that way :D)
My childhood was brought back with the aliens comic action figure series as well! Such a fun collection, I can't wait to get into the other volumes.

[Julianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning collection of the Alien comics all in one place. I’d read the book versions of some of these comics but not all and it was such a treat to get to get to admire the gorgeous artwork. Alien: genocide is easily the best of the collection gathered. I loved the story, character growth, and artwork. Overall this was a splendid read as a big fan of the alien franchise.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. I love all things Alien, but did not like the old art at all. It was dark, undefined, and it was hard to tell who was who based on the vague facial features. I couldn't follow the plot lines in each story at all. Maybe I'll give it a re-read later, but hopefully later volumes are better.

2.0/5

[KniznyAtlant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main comic series takes place right after the events of the second film, Aliens, and follows the characters of the girl Newt and Corporal Hicks, who, together with Ripley, manage to escape from the xenomorph-infested planet. Although the third film swept these characters under the rug and the comic creators had to rename them, this collection presents them as they originally appeared. You’ll also find a short prequel from Newt’s and her family’s perspective, set just before the arrival of the rescue team, which then transitions into a comic retelling of the events of the second and third films. There are also several original and interesting stories included, though unfortunately also a few that were created merely as supplemental “fun” pieces to boost action figure sales.

Visually, this omnibus is equally diverse. While the first comics reflect the traditional style of their time (late ’80s and early ’90s), there are also pieces that stand out from the standard. I especially have to highlight the artwork of Denis Beauvais, which absolutely blew me away considering the year it was made. Unfortunately, right after his series comes artwork that feels like a return to the 1960s, with a heavy retro style that I really don’t enjoy. Besides comics, this collection even includes a short novella accompanied by gorgeous and appropriately “gritty” illustrations.

As a whole, however, it’s a great choice for fans of comics and the Alien franchise. I still have three more volumes ahead of me, whose artwork leans much more toward the original and stylish aesthetic, so I’m really looking forward to them.

[Panu-Petteri Väänänen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope.

Aliens is one of my alltime favourite movies. The best part in this was two stories which were remakes of Aliens and Alien 3. Also the novel was fine. The actual comics were either childish or stupid, some of them mildly interesting at times. The art was uneven, multiple artists does that. Nothing memorable on that front, either.

[Haakmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Artwork is Good to fair (getting worse as you get through it), and the stories themselves are not really good. I am certain I read some novels when I was younger that were based on these comics and did them better. The stories here are short and not very enjoyable.

[Julia Cannistra · Rating 5 out of 5]

impressive collection

Lots of great Alien stories but some that aren’t as good. Collection includes some of the rarer and harder to get comics such as the comics from the Alien toys and Alien3 card series. It has various alternate covers as well.

[alejandro galvez · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!

Now that's a damn comic! 5 stars. So much love put into this and it shows. You just can't beat the classics. So much effort went into this and that too, shows. Buy it. Its worth every penny.

[Xroldx · Rating 4 out of 5]

80's artwork and stories that happen between the Alien movies. Dark, brooding and lots of drool.

[David]

Not going to rate this one as I mostly skimmed it. Generally, it was not to my taste. I am looking forward to the next volume as it reprints a Mike Mignola story.