Some armies sneak in for secret invasions… but these guys. They come right through the front door.
And burn through it with acid.
Dark Horse Comics is lunging forward with the return of three classic DH licensed titles: Aliens, Predator and Aliens Vs. Predator.
The story isn't over when the movie credits rolled, and Dark Horse is
returning to these fertile grounds for all new adventures for Aliens,
Predators and some head-to-head action.
Dark Horse editor Chris Warner is heading up this three-pronged attack,
and he's no stranger to these aliens. Originally breaking into comics
as an artist, he worked on the inaugural Predator comic series, a follow-up, and the comic Aliens Versus Predator
which later inspired that movie. He expanded later into writer and now
sits in the editor's chair at Dark Horse, being the one compiling
omnibuses of these various comics.
As Dark Horse looks to bring these three series back to the forefront, we talked with Warner to find out what's what.
Newsarama: Big news is coming out that Dark Horse is celebrating the respective anniversaries of Aliens and Predator with new series. What can you tell us about that?
Chris Warner: This month is the 20th anniversary of our first Aliens
comic (written by Mark Verheiden and illustrated by Mark A. Nelson), so
we thought that would be the perfect time to announce the re-launch of
the Aliens, Predator and Aliens vs. Predator comics franchises for 2009. May 2009 is the 30th anniversary of the release of Fox's Alien film, and we're planning the first issue of the new Aliens series to coincide with that. And the 20th anniversaries of the first Dark Horse Predator and AVP
comics also hit in 2009, so new series releases are planned to coincide
with those birthdays. Should be a good year for monsters.
NRAMA: Wow, those aliens have something to celebrate. What's a good anniversary gift to by say, a face hugging alien?
CW: Socks.
NRAMA: It seems like they might tear on their feet.
So what's the shape of these new comics? Are these ongoing, miniseries, one-shots?
CW: I'll have to take the Fifth on specifics for now. I can say
there are some tie-ins to the established comic-book universe. Other
than that, keep watching the skies.
NRAMA: To you, what stands out as the high points in the DH comics of Aliens and Predator? And you can mention your own work, drawing the original Aliens Versus Predator series and some Predator issues.
CW: Wow, there are so many. Over the past couple of years I've
been compiling Omnibus collections of the material we've published over
the past twenty years, and the creativity and ingenuity is just
astounding. The cover artwork alone over the years is like the best
museum ever. On a personal note, that the first Predator series (which I drew back in the day) became a story springboard for the Predator II
film was pretty exciting. I mean, there are scenes in the film ripped
right from the comics pages. That was almost unthinkable twenty years
ago. And certainly, the unprecedented success of the first AVP
series (which I believe is still the most successful licensed comics
series ever published) was just mind-blowing. I mean, Dark Horse had
like nine staffers at the time, and all of a sudden we had a single
comic-book that sold nearly half a million copies! It was like being
handed the keys to Disneyland.
NRAMA: Before we go, let's talk about the impact these have had
for you guys in Milwaukie. Dark Horse has a long history of doing
excellent licensed work, including being the genesis of what would be
the AVP movie. With that in mind, what's DH's goal this time with the relaunch?
CW: All three of these Fox series were key in Dark Horse making
the transition from a small, boutique publisher to a major player in
the mainstream, and those series really opened the doors for film and
other media properties to become viable, exciting comics series that
would become major components of the overall universes of the
franchises. Before we showcased the potential that licensed titles had
to spawn legitimate, must-read graphic fiction, licensed titles had
been considered part of the comics "ghetto," books simply to take
advantage of momentary mass popularity but not to be seen as featured
titles warranting top talent and serious consideration for hardcore
comics readers. To most publishers, licensed books were junk—to us they
were diamonds strewn on the ground. We couldn't believe that no one
else thought these could make not only good, but great comics. We feel
these landmark titles deserve first-class re-launches with all the
accompanying fanfare and commitment to quality that they deserve. There
might not even be a Dark Horse today without were it not for Aliens, Predator and AVP. These titles changed the comics industry, and that quantum shift changed the entertainment industry.
