Documented Aliens, part 3

One of the more outstanding “Aliens” tales comes from 1997’s Aliens Special #1. The second (longer) part of the issue is the story “Elder Gods” by Nancy Collins. Here, we actually get a glimpse of the timeframe by which humans have spread across the stars in the Aliens-verse. “Elder Gods” states that the story occurs in the “last year of the 21st century” (2099 or 2100 depending on how technical you get) and that humanity has been journeying to other planets for “over 75 years.” That means interstellar travel began in 2024-25 on Earth in the Aliens-verse. Can you imagine starships in less than a quarter century? Only if we get lucky and have a major scientific breakthrough … or successfully reverse engineer an alien (lower case) craft.

At any rate, “Elder Gods” takes place on planet Mira Ceti IV. (It is interesting to note that the star[s] in the Mira Ceti system – a binary system, like the majority of star systems – is/are 350 light years distant, meaning human faster-than-light propulsion systems must be pretty damn good!) The Omni Tech company (obviously not The Company of “Alien” film fame) is busy scuttling the planet for its mineral wealth. Many of the workers employed by O.T. are quite eccentric, most especially so, perhaps, the cult which worships the 20th century horror writer Horace Payne Lovecraft. (The story has his last name as "Loveless;" however, Google provides virtually no information on a "Horace Payne Loveless" other than this very Aliens tale. Perhaps it is a late 21st century bastardization of his real name.) This cult, called the Esoterics and led by one Father Lumley, is sent on a mineral extraction mission by the higher-ups at the O.T. compound, and this doesn’t sit well with the good Father. Nevertheless, the company’s Chief Architect quotes Lumley his employment contract, and soon the Father and his flock are on their way miles from the compound.

A couple weeks into their quarry detail, a worker discovers something quite interesting: The top of the head of an Alien queen! About another week later, the entire creature is unearthed, and a tunnel below it is found. Father Lumley and his followers believe that they have discovered the “Crypt of Tulitu” (also referred to as “Cthulhu”) The old Alien nest is a near-perfect analogy to Lovecraft’s visions – horror beyond imagining. Lumley and the cult approach the cadre of Alien eggs and … !

A day later, the Esoterics return to the Omni Tech base, totally ignoring the demands of the Chief Architect to inform her as to why they are back from their mission so soon. That night, the cult plants the Alien eggs they have brought back with them throughout the company camp. The next day, all of the Esoterics are found mutilated, their chests somehow ... exploded from within! Except Father Lumley – he’s still alive, but in agony. He mutters some Lovecraft-laden swill … while chest-burster erupts from his torso! Soon after, mature Aliens surround and attack the compound workers!

The colony administrators realize they’re in deep doo-doo. The Chief Architect awoke with a sore throat (hello, facehugger!), the Esoterics are massacred, and now horrendous creatures are all over the place! It’s just a matter of time before the colony is ransacked by the Aliens …

The inks by John Stokes (over Leif Jones' pencils) are really what give this macabre tale its “umph.” The panel at the above left is a perfect example; just marvel at the utter madness on the guy’s face – this, in the midst of the Alien takeover of the colony! Also, during and after the Esoterics’ discovery of the Alien queen, Stokes' shadows are eerie and disturbing. At right is a glimpse of Father Lumley descending the ladder of his craft after returning to the Omni Tech base (and following his Alien implantation). His facial expression is determined and creepy at the same time. Perfect for this distressing Aliens tale!

“Elder Gods” is a must read for any true-blue Aliens fan.

Documented Aliens, part 2

As I mentioned in my previous "Aliens" post, virtually every comics tale about the evil insectoids involves some clandestine, sinister attempt to control and/or make use of the creatures. Which, I suppose, is understandable since the original movie ("Alien") alluded to the "Company" somehow knowing about the dastardly species (recall the android Ash telling the survivors before he was terminated how they were to "bring back a specimen ... all other orders rescinded ... crew expendable"). This doesn't seem to jibe with what we saw in the sequel "Aliens" as the slimy Burke sends the colonists who've settled on the planet (that Ripley and the Nostromo crew landed on) to the derelict "Space Jockey" starship once the rescued Ripley tells all about 'em. The fact that he did so indicates that the Company had no previous knowledge of the Aliens, else it would have sent a ship there long before allowing any colonists to settle.

In "Alien 3" we see at film's end a team from the Company arrive at the prison compound. It's here we get a clue to the Company's moniker: Weyland-Yutani. It's there to collect the Alien queen with which Ripley has been impregnated. Lastly, in "Alien Resurrection," the entire premise of the flick is scientists working to harvest Alien specimens from a cloned Ripley.

The comics keep this up. One of the first limited series after Mark Verheiden's original trilogy is Aliens: Genocide. Earth has been cleared of the Alien scourge, but good 'ol human greed just doesn't ever seem to die! A new drug made from the Aliens' royal jelly is all the rage, and the wealthy entrepreneur behind it finances a trip back to the Alien homeworld to gather more so he can perfect the composition! Of course there is some clandestine shenanigans afoot, leading to numerous deaths. But perhaps "best" of all, the Aliens are going through a "civil war" -- a mutant offshoot of the race has developed and challenges the standard bearer. The entrepreneur's sojourn arrives right smack-dab in the middle of this all-out donneybrook! Genocide makes neat use of Verheiden's invention of an Alien queen, her "elite guard," and the Alien royal jelly.

Speaking of royal jelly, Aliens: Hive follows up on the quest for the magical substance. Here, a scientist who developed a cybernetic ant to study [Earth] ant culture is persuaded by a beautiful thief to build a similar robotic Alien in order to infiltrate an Alien hive. Why? To get that royal jelly, of course! Hive is rather ho-hum as far as "Aliens" stories go; however, it features some of the creepiest Alien-on-human attack panels ever seen in "Aliens" comics. One panel has an Alien thrusting its secondary jaw through the back of a guy's head -- and coming out the other side through his open mouth. In another, an Alien just jams his his whole head into a dude's abdomen -- his internal munchers protruding through the poor soul's back! In a word: Ouch.

Be warned that the artwork in both Genocide and Hive is below par. Damon Willis' pencils in the former seem way out of place for an "Aliens" story -- too clean with well rounded lines, they're better suited for a superhero yarn. Kelley Jones' art in Hive are grittier and heavier, more suited to the genre. However, he's very inconsistent with portraying the characters. The female lead, Gill, vascillates from beautiful to butch tomboyish, which makes the reader wonder why in the world main character Dr. Mayakovsky has a thing for her.

Documented Aliens, part 1

In my opinion, Dark Horse’s best title has been their exploration of the “Aliens” universe – that which began with the scary-as-sh** 1979 film starring Sigourney Weaver. Seven years later, James Cameron upped the ante with “Aliens.” It’s really hard to decide which film is “better” because they’re two distinct films. The original is virtually a pure horror film, while the sequel is almost a pure actioner. (“Alien 3” and “Alien Resurrection” don’t even get mentioned because they’re pretty atrocious.)

The first big comics adventure into the Alien-verse was titled simply Aliens: Book One. Written by Mark Verheiden – who’s gone on to write for some pretty noteworthy projects, not the least of which is SciFi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” – it picks up fairly soon after the “Aliens” film. Newt, the girl Sigourney Weaver (aka Ripley) rescued, is now in a mental hospital, while Corporal Hicks has been virtually shunned by everybody, his acid burn scars leaving folks wondering if he is contagious and/or infected with some Alien germ. Meanwhile, the government has discovered the Alien homeworld. But so has the devious “Company.” And that means one thing: Bring back some specimens so it can [somehow] market the damn things! But better yet, a derelict spacecraft has made its way back to Earth orbit, one its pilots with an Alien “facehugger” attached to him. Uh-oh.

The Company takes the pilot into possession and keeps close tabs on him. And wouldn’t ‘ya know it? He’s impregnated with a queen. How lucky for the company! Of course, they keep the queen sequestered and allow it to lay eggs at will, which they hope to eventually use as weapons. Somehow. Meanwhile, the government organizes a mission to the Alien homeworld. Unbeknownst to it, the Company has jetted off its own craft right behind the military one. That Company is just too damn greedy!

You can imagine what follows: The imprisonment of the Alien queen goes awry, and the Company mission to the Alien homeworld has disastrous effects on the government’s mission. Oh, and did I mention a live alien – no, not the ant-like monsters which the films are named after, but one of the race we saw in that derelict craft from the original film (the “Space Jockey” in Alien parlance) -- makes an appearance? Yep. And its intentions aren’t good.

Verheiden’s script and dialogue are masterful, while artist Mark Nelson’s black and white pencils are gritty and detailed, not to mention not for the faint of heart.

Aliens: Book Two picks up right after Book One. Verheiden continues with the scripting chore, while Denis Beauvais handles art. The pencils aren’t as strong as Nelson’s, but his painting adds a neat touch. In this yarn, Earth has been overrun by the Aliens, and a rogue element of the military, now situated on another planet, is doing what the Company had attempted in Book One – that is, control and even train the Aliens to do their bidding.

(And that’s the overriding theme of virtually all the Aliens stories to one degree or another: Some “rogue” or unscrupulous group or individual -- usually a "mad scientist" -- has some "secret plan" for the Alien(s). But hell, even after the events of Book One and Book Two, nobody freakin' learns a damn thing! Much more on this in another post!)

Thankfully, our hero(ine) from the first two movies arrives at the end of Book Two -- Ripley. She has a plan to eradicate the Alien scourge from our home planet, and it involves snatching a "queen mother" from the [presumed] homeworld. This plays out in the third chapter, Aliens: Earth War.

Earth War continues the excellent writing of Verheiden; however, art chores this time out are done by Sam Keith. And needless to say, his pencils are pretty atrocious. This is a real shame as the climax of Verheiden's trilogy deserves much better -- because Ripley's plan proves successful. Well, it appears that way! The concept of an Alien "queen mother" and her "elite guard" ups the genre ante nicely, and is used in subsequent Aliens tales.

Oh, and what about that "Space Jockey" alien who appeared in Book One? He's not been forgotten, natch. He has his own plan for Earth -- terraforming it for his own people's purposes! Unfortunately, Ripley and Co. can't do much to stop him. But, despite the US government being as corrupt as the Company that essentially runs it in this future-era, it still is a force to be reckoned with.

And it shows just this in Earth War's continuation via Dark Horse Presents: Aliens #1. In the book's last story, "The Alien," John Arcudi details the US's plan to thwart the "Space Jockey" alien from making our Big Blue Marble his new home. Unfortunately for the president of that future-time, it involves him being impregnated with an Alien! The prez is summoned by the "Space Jockey" to apparently discuss terms, but just as the latter realizes there is plotting afoot, the prez sips a small amount of liquid hidden in a molar of his -- causing the Alien within him to burst out of his chest! The "Space Jockey" fears the Aliens more than anything, and it quickly becomes distraught with utter fear! Thus distracted, the military launches a salvo of ICBMs at the "Space Jockey's" spacecraft, annihilating it!

"The Alien" also shows that Ripley's efforts to destroy the Alien scourge from Earth was only partially successful. We see the US president monitoring TV sets showing Alien activity across the planet. But it is substantially less than what it was before Ripley's plan in Earth War.

New readers should be aware that Dark Horse changed the names of [some of] the main characters in the Verheiden-scripted trilogy. After the debut of the "Alien 3" film, in which Corporal Hicks and Newt were killed, the publisher altered the names so that the stories would still be relevant to the film franchise. (For what it's worth, Hicks became "Wilks" while Newt changed to "Billie.") The first two stories also got actual titles instead of just number designations. But you can still find the originals via the usual sites, like eBay.