Aliens: Outbreak

What can I say; an absolute classic tour de force, Mark Verheiden is Mr. 'Aliens.' for those who are in the know this is the where it all begins; the first book in the excellent Aliens graphic novel series, and it's an absolute stormer! It hits on so many levels, not just the obvious sci - fi horror of killer bugs that are born by bursting out of your stomach and grow to the size of men but also the meaning - and nature of life - what it means to be human (is a clone a human?), our psychology, the origin of the aliens, their psychology and social organisation, mankind's place in the universe, the problems of our planet, and more. Verheiden goes deep into what the aliens stand for, what they mean, their implications for us, as well as the obligatory comparisons between man and alien. He shows us that he knows aliens more than the filmmakers did. If ever there was a case study of how to take a concept and run with it, then this is it. Verheiden sensibly cuts out Alien 3 continuity: the two characters who survived Aliens along with Ripley (the girl Newt and the soldier Hicks) but were pronounced dead at the beginning of Alien 3 are central characters in this book. The book's underlying premise is the downward tendency of human nature when confronted with challenges and problems beyond our ken and normal frame of reference. We see twisted people trying to use the alien menace for their own ends: depravity that includes twisted scientific experiments, bio-weaponry and focuses for cult worship, with the resultant excesses of human suffering and dying. Indeed, it is humanity's collective weaknesses and baser desires that let the monsters in; that let them get a foothold on the planet (hence the title 'outbreak'), that causes earth's infestation as the aliens' - despite not possessing 'intelligence' - exploit our human failings. All too late do we realise that the aliens are a cancer, a cancer that has infected our earth and made it unliveable. Thus the scattered remnants of humanity have to flee, for earth is lost. A quite superb plot that leaves you speechless. A gripping, complex and ultimately tragic sci-fi horror saga from the one and only Mark Verheiden, who saw the potential in the Aliens phenomena and went into creative overdrive, giving us a timeless science-fiction classic. Who cares about film sequels when the comics are this good?

This is one of the best Aliens graphic novels ever. In Outbreak, the government brings Wilks, (supposed to be Hicks) out of prison to lead an expedition to the Alien planet in order to secure a specimen. Wilks in the process decides to free Billie (newt) from the mental hospital she's in. In the midst of all this, various cults form around the worship of the alien, conspiracies are abound, and there is fierce competition of who will get the Alien specimen to Earth first. The story is extremely well crafted, it has great plot surprises everywhere and in the conclusion it actually teaches us something about human nature. The art wasn't the best, but it was good nevertheless for such a lengthy comic. Well done dialogue, well crafted characters and a great story make this a must buy for every alien fan.

Out of all the aliens comics and books i have read this is the best.It tells about the new sightings of xenomorphs and also about Hicks and newt 13 years after the second movie. There names are changed though because of complications around the third movie. it has more plot and less aliens which is actually better. the aliens are hardly even seen until the end. the very end of the comic is amazing. it's really nice how it revolves around many different characters who are all important to the plot but mainly don't interact with eachother. it's a great opening to the aliens series and completly surpasses the movies. choose this comic above all.