"All-New Series" shouts its cover blurb. Yeah, sure.

How do you milk an alien? Publish an all-new comic book series on the popular creature-feature, Alien, for the umpteenth time. Yeah, and they threw in Predator, that other popular monster from that other popular creature-feature. Again.

Throw it out. At least that would seem to be a reasonable attitude. But, occasionally, one must reason anew. Aliens vs. Predator: Xenogenesis, although completely predictable, is also completely fun.

Well. Not completely. Here is the well-worn premise for these crossover mini-series: humans gather for a purpose that leads them unexpectedly into a fracas with an Alien and Predator, who are also in a fracas.

Here's the plot to this mini-series: a female convict is sprung by her boyfriend who has just received an assignment to team with several other white-collar criminals to pull of an undisclosed heist. When they enter a huge building to do so, they run into Will and Grace.

Nah. Da aliens.

It's a shame this title is so well written. It's so tempting to criticize what doesn't deserve criticism. Wouldn't you know that the art steals your chance at trashing this new title as well? It is very stylized, an easy visual read, blends perfectly with its colors, and does a good job in making each character visually distinctive.

Dad gummit. It's enough to make you want to go out and buy the silly comic book.

And then there's the announcement in the back of the book that a new Alien/Predator/Terminator title is on its way to a comic book shop close to you! Holy Hannah, bat-reader! It will probably be good, too!!

In a nutshell, Dark Horse Comics has done a better job at pulling another quart out of a movie-based series than any publisher in comics history. Again. Dang it.

[ by Michael Vance ]
Rambles: 30 November 2002