Re:Read - Aliens/Predator: War

Rob talks about Aliens/Predator: War. A 1995 graphic novel he once hated. But as tastes change have Rob's? Find out in this edition of Re:Read...

Hello, and welcome to Re:Read. A series where I read some of my older graphic novels, and then moan about them. No, to be fair I'll probably praise them too. So with that let's talk about...

Aliens/Predator: War

Aliens/Predator: War is the second instalment to the 1990 series that started it all - Alien/Predator. The original series focuses on Machiko Noguchi and the ranch planet Ryushi. It's your typical Alien story of corporate greed, horror and back-stabbing. The added twist is, yeah, the Predator. While almost everything that Aliens/Predator sets up has since been retconned, rebooted, and retconned some more, the general story still holds up today. Even so that the original story was developed into a film by video-game film destroyer - Paul W. S. Anderson. 

The AvP film was - for lack of a better word - "a bit shit". It wasn't helped by the fact that it was rated as a BBFC 15! How can two ultra-violent 18-rated films spawn a 15-rated crossover? 

If anything the AvP film is pure popcorn schlock. It's light on story, has next to zero character depth, and tried to give Lance Henrikson's Bishop android a credible yet unnecessary backstory - yes, I know "what about the Pred-Alien!?", well the less said about Requiem the better. 

While AvP was a terrible film, Anderson did at least attempt to incorporate some of the comics stories into the film. This comes from both the human character 'Alexa Woods' and the Predator 'Scar'. Much like the events of the comic, the movie focuses on a team-up between Woods and Scar as both Human and Predator parties get decimated by the Xenomorph. This then leads to a showdown at the end with Scar inducting Woods into its Predator clan to then succumb to his apparent face-hugging in a post-credit scene. Of course, when Anderson didn't appear for the film's sequel this got retconned into the shambles that became AvP: Requiem.

Both Scar and Woods take inspiration from the main stars of the A/P: War comic. The Predator 'Top-Knot' and human 'Machiko Noguchi'. Through the comic, we follow former corporate official Machiko as she attempts to deal with a Xenomorph outbreak on the Wayland Yutani world - Rishi. Much like the film, push comes to shove and both Machiko and her Yautja partner end up being the sole survivors. As such Machiko sets off with the Predators for a lifetime of hunting and other Predator fun. 

Fast forward to 1996. Dark Horse in their constant need to re-visit past franchises decides that Machiko needs yet another story. And so Aliens/Predator: War was born. Let's also not forget that the 'Machiko Noguchi' Trilogy would be complete with 2010's Three-Way War - talk about dragging it out! 

So, Alien Vs. Predator: War follows Machiko's life as an outsider who's thrust into the world of the Yautja and their pride/honour customs. The comic does do a great job in highlighting the fact that Machiko is looked down upon by the other clan members and they really couldn't give two hoots whether she's there or not. If anything the story is mainly about Machiko's dwindling relationship with the Yautja, her bond with TopKnot, and Human nature in an alien world.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. Aside from being a direct sequel to Alien/Predator. War also serves as a continuation to both Aliens Vs. Predator: Blood Time and Aliens: Bezerker. This continued story is seen through the Yautja, Top-Knot and the Human characters, Kat Lara, Martin Jess and Brian Ellis. Previous readers of both Bezerker and Blood Time were no doubt quite pleased with the conclusion to both storylines within War. But as someone who hadn't read either then War is a bit of a jumbled mess. There's no explanation whatsoever to what's gone on before, aside from a brief conversation when Kat, Martin and Brian land on Bunda and the fact that Wayland Yutani is tracking the trio. 

Taken at face value, War is an okay-ish story. Yes, it has its inconsistencies and relies on the reader having read the previous entries. But, on its own, it's a nice insight into Yautja customs. Through Machiko, we get to see that an outsider doesn't fit in with the hunter lifestyle, regardless of what honour they have previously been bestowed. The fact that Machiko has to fight for her place to be a part of the next hunt is an interesting premise. As is the growing rivalry with the Yautja "Shorty". There is a nice thrown back to the previous Predator story with the brief appearance of "Light-Stepper" - which closes the events of Aliens Vs. Predator: Duel (the one with the Pred-Alien, which was loosely adapted into AvP: Requiem).

Looking back I can safely say that the younger Rob didn't appreciate what writer, Randy Stadley set out to achieve with the War story. It's the culmination of at least three different AvP stories, that also attempts to tie up the loose ends left from the past. 

The art style is very reminiscent of the time and compared to today's standards they look way past their prime. There's a strong use of brown throughout the story which feels completely overdone. The colour is used extensively throughout the Predator design, which doesn't do any good when trying to work out who's who. Machiko is decked out in quite a vibrant purple which granted allows you to quickly identify the heroine but lacks any "hunter" practicality. The Xenomorph is well illustrated and the soft use of highlighting does a great job in showing the creatures sleek, menacing look. If anything, the Xenomorph is arguably the stories strongest subject...and that's a real shame.

Has the story aged well? Well no it hasn't. Most, if not all the events have been rebooted, retconned or even abandoned. Now with Marvel on the scene, the universe no doubt going to be retconned yet again. But re-reading War for this Re:View has been a positive experience. Yes, reading the whole story (which you can in the AvP Essentials Vol.1 Collection) is the greatest way of understanding Machiko's part in the whole situation. It's also interesting to see just what was adapted into the AvP movies and just how terrible they were.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev