Writer: Mark Verheiden
Artist: Mark Nelson
Publisher: Dark Horse
"Aliens: Book One" takes place right after James "king of the world" Cameron's "Aliens", the second movie from the quadrilogy. It follows the destiny of Newt and Corporal Hicks after their return to Earth. Both get involved in a trip whose purpose is to grab some specimens from the aliens' very homeworld. Ripley made it safe too but she's nowhere to be found in the book, except for a couple of short references. Of course, those of you who've seen Alien³ know perfectly that Newt and Hicks died and that Ripley didn't reach Earth, at least not right away. If you are bothered by the lack of proper continuity, Dark Horse has released a "remastered" edition, called "Aliens: Outbreak". In addition to renaming the main characters, it's also in full colour. I haven't seen it, but I would guess you're better off with the original, reviewed here. The black and white art fits the story perfectly and you follow characters you can relate to and whom you're already familiar with.
The story is quite different from what you probably expect. The emphasis doesn't lie in hide, seek and trap, like it does in the movies. Instead, we get to discover plenty of behind-the-scene conspiracies that the movies alluded to but didn't really develop. So don't expect to be scared. That doesn't make the book any less interesting, though. On the contrary: if you're ready to fully immerse yourself and to concentrate a bit (it's sometimes difficult to follow) you'll learn a lot about the government, the corporation and their fight for controlling the most fantastic biological weapon (or so they foolishly think). Hell, there are even fanatical worshippers of the Aliens interfering. The result is dense, very dense. Definitely more akin to a political thriller than a horror comic. Suits me perfectly, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea. The story is close to perfect, until our heroes reach the homeworld (near the end), at which point quality goes down a bit. First, the homeworld is much less exciting than I had hoped for. Second, a "special guest" happens to be there too at the very same time for no apparent reason. This kind of coincidence is quite a cheap trick, if you ask me. There is nothing wrong with his inclusion in the story, it was even a welcome surprise, but Verheiden could have been slightly more delicate with how he introduced him. While very slightly disappointing, the ending problem shouldn't inhibit your enjoyment of the book, or just barely. If it weren't for it, though, I'd give "Aliens: Book One" a full five bullets score.
Of course, I just spoiled the rest of my review. Silly me! You've guessed what I think about the art by now, which is generally very good. Clean, cold and very detailed, it contrasts a lot with the dirty environments and the Giger's organic art you're treated with in the movies. So much for feeling at home, but, since the story is also very different, I find it perfectly logical that the art differs too. The black and white Aliens are just how you want to see them, with fantastic views of the Alien Queen. The panels' layout is often creative, making for some impressive cinematic-like effects. I really hope the colourist of the "remastered" edition is competent, because color is so likely to ruin this perfection.
If I wasn't clear enough, I cannot praise or recommend this book enough to those willing to fully dedicate themselves to it during a couple of hours. I don't know how good the remastered edition is, but anyway, you can't go wrong with the regular one.
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