New AvP, Alien & Predator Comics to share the Prometheus Universe

Chris

Jungle HunterAdmin22181 XPOct-10-2013 9:30 PMDark Horse Comics is gearing up for a reboot of their popular [i]Aliens vs. Predator, Alien[/i] and [i]Predator[/i] comics. In addition to the new comics, Dark Horse will also be producing a lineup of [b]Prometheus[/b] comics, which are supposedly set to follow the events which took place in the film - a medium between Prometheus and the Prometheus sequel. However, recent updates from [i]New York Comic-Con[/i] suggest that the [b]Prometheus[/b] story line will share the same Universe as the new [i]AvP, Alien[/i] and [i]Predator[/i]... Writers Chris Roberson, Paul Tobin , Joshua Williamson and Chris Sebela recently sat down with [i]io9[/i] to discuss some of the key facts regarding the upcoming series. Here are some of the quotes from the interview that we found interesting: [i][b]Regarding Aliens...[/b] [b]Io9: Are you keeping all of the original four movies as canon? Is there anything you’re dropping?[/b] [b]Roberson:[/b] Definitely, everything in the original movies is "canon" as far as I’m concerned. We won't be directly referencing anything that happened with Ripley and company, but nothing that we'll be doing will contradict or conflict with anything we've seen before, either. ... [b]io9: How much are you collaborating with the other writers to make a unified universe?[/b] [b]Roberson:[/b] The level of collaboration here between the writers is pretty phenomenal, actually. Chris, Paul, and Joshua are all friends of mine who I hang out with on a regular basis, but it was an interesting experience getting to sit together in one room with them and hash out the intricacies of these various characters and their individual stories, and how they would sync up and interact. When Scott brought me onboard, he described it as a "writer's room," which is something that I hadn't really been a part of before. And when you factor in that we also had Patric Reynolds and the editorial geniuses from Dark Horse in the room, there was a lot of brainpower at work putting these stories together.[/i] [center] [img]http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/192sngh0ot3d5jpg/ku-bigpic.jpg[/img] [/center] [i][b]Regarding Prometheus...[/b] [b]Io9: Are you focussing on new characters too, or will this be the further adventures of Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender’s head?[/b] [b]Tobin:[/b] We're definitely focusing on original characters. I think the Prometheus movie opened a wealth of questions about the nature of the Engineers, and the aliens, and the universe as a whole. It's interesting how some people watch the movie with a feeling of, "Oh, well, THAT answered some questions!" and others have a different reaction, seeing the work as a springboard for even further mysteries to be answered, for more to be explored. Myself, I love to focus on what's still out there, both in the glory of exploration, and the horror of finding out answers you're not ready for. New characters fit us best for those purposes. [b]Will the Engineers be returning?[/b] [b]Tobin:[/b] They'll have a strong presence throughout the entire project, because the nature of the Engineers and the theme of creation is a strong one throughout the whole of our project. Just what KIND of presence the Engineers will have... that I can't reveal at this time. But they're too enigmatic a race to stay away from, and the way that the various species interact... THAT'S very fascinating to me. How do humans see Engineers? How do Predators see Engineers? Where do we clash? Find common ground? When we first started having meetings to work out the overall story structure, these were some of the questions we were asking each other, so we knew that the questions needed to be addressed in the story. [b]Do you plan on addressing any of the many mysteries the movie presented, such as the similar but different "eggs" between Prometheus and the first Alien movie?[/b] [b]Tobin:[/b] Definitely going to be exploring several mysteries of that nature. The fun is in the surprise of HOW those mysteries are going to be explored. Josh had a moment at one of our summit meetings, something he mumbled while we were all jabbering at the same time and eating home-made cookies (we're freelancers, meaning we devour all free food in the manner of the Sarlacc Pit devouring Boba Fett) when he said an offhand comment about an approach to a couple of these mysteries, and the whole room went silent, and then we all started nodding, writing down the notes, so pleased with ourselves that we decided to reward our collective brilliance by having a few more cookies[/i] [center] [img]https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/13261_429834503797009_1759539525_n.jpg[/img] [/center] [i][b]Regarding Aliens vs. Predator...[/b] [b]Will any aspects of Prometheus creep in, or is this strictly Aliens and Predators?[/b] [b]Sebela:[/b] Yeah, there will be Prometheus-adjacent things in AvP, but, wah wah, I can't tell you what. Prometheus is the warm, beating heart of all these books, everything spins out from the Prometheus book that Paul is writing, so AvP can't help but contain aspects of it just by dint of being part of the line-up, coming from the same hive-mind of our writer's room. But there'll be some other, less touched on aspects from Prometheus that do show up, because I'd be foolish not to try and get my fingers in all the pies. [b]Regarding Predator....[/b] [b]Are there any major changes that will surprise readers of the previous Predator comics?[/b] [b]Williamson:[/b] Not so much, no. I've made it a point to keep the heart of those stories and just tell the best story possible and honor what has come before me. If they liked those Predator comics, and are a fan of the Predator franchise, then they’ll like what were doing.[/i] These are only a few excerpts, the entire interview is quite detailed and dives deep into this upcoming series. You can read the entire interview, over on [url=http://io9.com/exclusive-details-on-the-comic-relaunch-of-alien-preda-1443548904]io9[/url]. Now, I'm sure many of you are thinking [i]"what the hell does this mean for Prometheus 2?!"[/i] - and hopefully nothing. The idea of mixing the Prometheus Universe with the AvP Universe is a dangerous game to play, especially since the fans for both franchises respectively are so diverse and polarized in most cases. However, will it be cool to see an Engineer kick some Alien and Predator ass? Absolutely! Keep in mind, these are merely comic books and [i]should[/i] not have any real bearing on the turnout of [b]Prometheus 2[/b], so to those stricter fans reading this, enjoy it for what it is and keep an open mind. Dark Horse has delivered some seriously awesome comics in the past - they kick-started the AvP franchise after all. So expect some great stuff when the comics hit shelves! But what are your thoughts? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Judge Baggins

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-10-2013 10:01 PMI think that this will be very interesting. It is funny how they want to tie in the [i]Prometheus[/i] and [i]AVP[/i] universes. Man, if the humans thought that the Xenos and Preds are dangerous, just wait what kind of weapons and danger the Engineers pose.

Svanya

Alien DroneAdmin4321 XPOct-10-2013 11:39 PMI am not pleased with this news....

FREEZE!

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-10-2013 11:46 PMLet the cannon train begin... not so sure about this.

King

Alien EggMember3 XPOct-10-2013 11:57 PMYea likewise I'm very skeptical about this, not very keen on the general direction their going with.

Chris

Jungle HunterAdmin22181 XPOct-11-2013 12:04 AMYeah, can't say I'm loving this idea of merging the franchises into a comic, but I'll remain optimistic. Hopefully they don't think this is an option for the sequel to Prometheus... I seriously pray they don't merge the franchises on screen - that would be the final nail in the coffin. Prometheus has set out to breathe new life into the Alien franchise, with a fresh set of concepts and ideas. I would hate to see Fox let someone butcher this "young", new franchise by mixing it with the likes of AvP and Predator. Leave those franchises to their own demise and give Prometheus the growing space it needs. We haven't even begun to crack the potential it has.

FREEZE!

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-11-2013 12:14 AM"that would be the final nail in the coffin." You said it best Chris, hopefully they won't stretch the imagination out too far for loyal fans of the Alien franchise. Prometheus is a new approach for us all to debate over until we get a glimpse at Paradise... if that happens. I appreciate Dark Horse Comics, and will remain optimistic that they have their history correct and not make things complicated! :D

Judge Baggins

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-11-2013 9:55 AMI think that it could actually be done very well if done right. People have to remember that the comics have never affected the actual film canon. Since it doesn't, Dark Horse is able to take liberties with the source material. Also, I would have to disagree with Chris that the [i]Alien[/i] and [i]Predator[/i] film franchises are dead. There are still some good ideas left. I think that [i]Predators[/i] set up that world with a lot of good ideas, and I think that, if done right, [i]Prometheus[/i] can breathe new life into the [i]Alien[/i] franchise.

spacecat

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-11-2013 5:54 PMI think that the connecting thread between Prometheus and Alien isn't going to be fleshed out any more than it was onscreen in Prometheus, since Lindelof and Ridley have stated an infinite amount of times how the events in Prometheus are tangential, but not related to Alien, and how from this point on we'd be delving into new territory. So, that being said, Dark Horse just might be able to feed us some satisfactory answers that, while not necessarily cannon, would certainly be fun to read and maybe offer some closure on that front.

Nostromo9468

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-12-2013 10:10 AM"....get away from the more militaristic tone of the franchise from the second film onwards, and push back closer to the “horror” vibe of the original film." Finally... I'm pretty stoked about this. I know that some of the old [i]Aliens[/i] comics had the engineers in them and I don't think that was done quite right. But with [i]Prometheus[/i] as a backdrop and new writers I think it has potential to be cool. I'm really excited about the AVP comics too. And who knows, if the comics do well, maybe there will be another movie for me to be disappointed in.

xeno_alpha_07

FacehuggerMember211 XPOct-12-2013 6:13 PM*Sigh* Dear oh dear. Won't be reading those when they come out. Not liking this at all.

Lone

Alien DroneMember2674 XPOct-13-2013 3:19 AM"Milking it" is the phrase that comes to mind!

shambs

Alien EggMember40 XPOct-22-2013 12:05 AMI have been reading some discussions about this in AVP galaxy. what I find funny is that many fans seem to see the EU as canonical. IMHO the comics are just to enjoy, like video games, There's no reason to want to get angry about it, unless the stories are horrible, but that's another point.

Judge Baggins

Alien EggMember0 XPOct-22-2013 7:13 AM@shambs, I agree with you. The games, comics, and novels are just there to tell stories. They are not part of the canon. That is what makes the comics so good as well because they can tell the stories that they want to tell without messing up the film timeline. Also, let us not forget that there are some great ideas in the comics that people could incorporate into future films. I am not saying that they should make a direct adaptation of any of the comic book story lines, but there are alot of ideas that could make for great [i]Alien[/i] and [i]Predator[/i] films.