Customer Reviews

Aliens Omnibus Volume 5

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd rate this a 5 as it is a very entertaining collection of a lot of stories, but most of them are so short it's over right as you get into it. For those of you following the Dark Horse Aliens/Predator Omnibus collections, know that with this volume the Aliens side is starting to wind down. Mostly out of full length stories, Dark Horse includes a lot of short one-shots here instead.

Alchemy
Formerly a three issue, this is the story of a small colony founded when a ship crashed on a distant planet. It's got a religious theme, but not Christianity like Salvation & Sacrifice do. The art is a little odd at first, but it grows on you. The only thing that irked me was the ending. It's just so abrupt; a whole 4th issue could have easily been written at the time.
4/5

Kidnapped
This is an interesting and really entertaining story about a chestburster that carries some sort of disease and never reaches maturity. The reader follows several different groups of characters throughout the story, but never focuses on one main character. Again though, the ending is somewhat of a cop-out and comes very abruptly.
4/5

Survival
This is probably what I'd say is the gem of Volume 5. It's told from the perspective of a sick guy who's hallucinating and recalling the events that lead him to his current state. This is the final full-length story as the rest are all shorts.
4/5

Cargo
A lone smuggler is trapped on board a massive ship with an Alien. This sort of takes the Alien story into a crime/suspense sort of genre and it's an interesting spin on things.
3/5

Alien
A story about tribal alien creatures on a planet that hide from Aliens every night. Sort of a coming-of-age deal, but obviously a little different. I really enjoy the art and the design of the small alien guys.
4/5

Earth Angel
A story about a ship crash landing on Earth sometime during what looks like the 1960s and wreaking havoc briefly. Features a biker gang. It also tries stupidly to tie in with the films and become some kind of prequel.
2/5

Incubation
Actually the beginning story of Batman/Aliens #1. It's well done; great art by Bernie Wrightson. It's just kind of empty without the context of the real story following it.
3/5

Havoc
This is one of the better 2 issues that Dark Horse released. Oddly, each page is illustrated by a different artist, so it's got a strange feel to it. The story, being a sort of ghost story, fits with the artistic style though.
4/5

Lovesick
Kind of a dumb story about a chick, a little kid, and an evil scientist. The art is good and it's easy to follow and entertaining enough. The story itself is just kind of stupid.
3/5

Lucky
One man manages to survive an Alien infestation aboard a large ship. This would be a great full-length story; I'm disappointed that it's so short as it kind of hurts the overall impact.


Volume 5 is a very good entry in the series, but the non-stop shorts might be more well accepted by Alien fans and not a general comic reader.

Aliens Omnibus Volume 5 Graphic Novel Review
Grade: A-
The Aliens Omnibus's have always been great, holding great hits like Salvation, Labyrinth, and Apocalypse in their four-colored pages, and Aliens Omnibus Volume 5 is no exception. It packs on the gore, the terror, and of course, our friends the Aliens.
The graphic novel has ten different Aliens comics, ranging from graphic novels to one-shots, with the three-issue or more graphic novels coming first. The rest of the collection are the one-shots and little eight-page fillers, and they're just about all good; the main problem I'd seem to find: the art.
The first story in the Omnibus is Alchemy, the tale of one lady's tale of survival against an evil priest and the Alien, and the horrors mankind can do to itself. The story is excellent, written by John Arcudi; the thing that kills the story is the art. It seems off, and the details aren't really there. The cover art is great though, and the first issue's cover is the cover of the Omnibus. (The Alien is making the weird Star Trek alien peace sign, right?) Alchemy is worthwhile, and the story is one of the best I've seen, so I guess I'll push up the grade to a solid B.
The next story, Kidnapped, once again has an excellent idea, penned by the great Jim Woodring, along with Justin Green, and the art by Francisco Solano Lopez if great; the problem lies in the execution of the comic. Somewhere along the line, the plot gets silly, and winds up being dumb. I did like the fact that it revolves around a "baby" Alien, or a chest-burster for once, but the story still gets a B-.
Survival, the last of the long arcs, had little expectations from me; I had better expectations for Alchemy and Kidnapped, yet, this one was actually pretty good. The art, though sketchy, was decent, and the plot, about a man hallucinating (or is he?) about the Aliens is really good, on a par with Labyrinth. There are no major problems with this one, and I'll say no more about the plot, it's that great. You could say it grows on you, its one of those tales. A-
Then comes the one-shots. Cargo I didn't really like, it just didn't really click. A man gets a surprise in the form of an Alien. C-
Alien, on the other hand, is fantastic. Though only twenty-something pages, it's one of the best ever. Period. A
Earth Angel is great too, and has a pleasant surprise at the end. A
Incubation was just O.K., nothing really special. It is fun to see the race of humanoids encounter the Alien though. B
Havoc is pretty good, with a decent plot, but what's unique about it is that a different artist draws every page! My favorite page? Sergio Aragones's all the way. A-
Lovesick is just O.K. too, the plot decent, the art nothing special. C
The last story, Lucky, is a tale of murder, mayhem, and the things people will do to get away from the dreaded Alien. I just wish this one had been longer than eight pages. A-
All in all, if you don't mind some art problems, this Aliens Omnibus is the best one yet.

Aliens Omnibus 5 is a collection mostly based on one-shot comics, a sprinkling of graphic novels, and some trade paperbacks. Some of the best work has come from Dark Horse came in the form of one-shot comics, so it is good to see these not being ignored.
Included are:
Alchemy 1 - 3
Cargo (1-shot)
Survival
Aliens: Alien (Dark Horse Comics 17-19
Earth Angel (one-shot)
Aliens: Incubation (Dark Hose presents 101-102)
Aliens: Havoc 1-2
Aliens:Lovesick (1-shot)
Aliens:Lucky (Decade of Dark Horse TPB)
Aliens:Kidnapped TPB

Many of these have a smuggler connection in them (Kidnapped, Cargo,), others have the early conception of what an Alien might be (Earth Angel), and still others have a few odder variations that make the stories interesting. One I really did not care for is Lovesick - but that is more of an art problem than anything else. Aside from that, it is hard to give any description of a story that is less than a comic in length and I apologize for that. Still, ruining stories is not a good way to go. Also, if you've gone and are researching this Omnibus buy now I figure you may know a thing or two about our little friends and the chests they tend to haunt. While this does not mean you know the story itself, you have an idea of what is going on and you know that Dark Horse was the company that proved Aliens could make money (hence the books, the alternate idea of what the 3rd book should have been in the other Omnibus, and the fact that AvP was ever seen as a good idea).
Also, Dark Horse did not follow comic code - this means they are allowed all the violence they feel is necessary.

If you enjoy Aliens, there is some good content in all the Omnibus selections. Besides, where are you going to find the material at such a good price? With it all being out of print in other forms (especially the comics), one's best bet for some Alien fun is with a little touch of bunching.
Yup - give the gift that keeps on living (even in the void of space).

and they just don't have the same impact as a full-size page!!

I guess I'll have to read the product description a bit closer.