More new Aliens tie-ins from Titan Books
Titan Books has published a respectable collection of various Alien/Aliens-themed novels, movie tie-ins, and fun printed companions to what many consider to be the only worthwhile xenomorph movies (1-4). Not only is the publisher putting out completely new Alien short stories from authors who helped create the extended universe on paper, but Titan keeps churning out making-of and behind-the-scenes art books for movies new and old within the canon. Their latest is The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant, which takes a deep dive into Ridley’s Scott’s newest film. But wait, there’s more. As a few cherries on top of the xenomorph sundae, Titan Books continues to release omnibus collections of handfuls of extended universe novels that have been written over the years, and The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 4 drops later this month. If you’re a fan of the film franchise, the alien itself, the space setting, or the extended universe, you owe it to yourself to dig in to the Alien/Aliens offerings from Titan Books.
Take a peek inside The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant and order your copies of the first three The Complete Alien Omnibus books after the jump.
Ridley Scott, the man who helped bring the original xenomorph/Alien to life in his 1979 film, just can’t seem to get enough. He’s back in the director’s chair for Alien: Covenant, and after Prometheus it seems the director is intent on driving this Alien ship in new directions. It’s great to see top-tier directors being given the freedom to expand on their ideas and take bold approaches to original sci-fi blockbusters, and that’s what Scott keeps doing with his franchise (is it kosher to call it his franchise?) again and again. Bringing A-list actors, impressive sci-fi set locations, and mind-boggling creation concepts framed by familiar canon is a feat, regardless of how you felt about Alien: Covenant. Personally, I’m still not sure whether I enjoyed the movie for what it was (a sequel/reinvention of canon/new adventure), but there were convoluted knots of intriguing notions buried throughout the film that were worth unraveling.
Enough soapboxing. I’m here to flip through a few pages of The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant with you. These types of books are always a treat for film fans who not only love the finished product but also enjoy stepping behind the scenes to see how a movie was made. So much work and technical effort goes into each new blockbuster of this scale, and it’s that much more intriguing when you’re a sucker for the material (much like I am for the Aliens franchise). The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant follows a fairly standard format, detailing characters and walking through set pieces, but I think it was the sporadic snippets of insight from the actors about the process and their characters that I enjoyed most this time around. Scott is a director who can attract big names regardless of the project. For Alien: Covenant, he wrangled in a few familiar faces that many were expecting to ruin the movie (Danny McBride turned out to be one of the more developed and reliable characters despite viewer fears).
Reading that Michael Fassbender found inspiration for his David/Walter dynamic from Spock is fun an insightful, and following Fassbender as he goes on to say he viewed David through the eyes of a serial killer akin to Jeffrey Dahmer is fascinating from a technical/behind the scenes perspective. It’s these kinds of quotes that help round out the visual material in the book, which in turn makes it worth reading from start to finish rather than flipping through quickly to check out the photos and drawings. That’s not to say those aren’t worth your attention, though. Take a look at these pre-vis/mockup treatments for various elements from Alien: Covenant, and notice Bishop (the android first seen in Aliens) serves as a placeholder. Kind of cool.
What’s even more impressive about Scott’s Alien movies and his process is the director likes to use practical effects whenever possible. Sure, Alien: Covenant had some apparent CGI work done to smooth out the edges and bring to life the neo/xenomorph at various times, but The Art and Making of Alien: Covenant shed light on the puppetry and impressive practical work that also breathed life into these weird, bloody little monsters. I had no idea these little guys were practical/puppets before flipping open the book.
With these art and making of-type books there are so many peeks and pics I could share to try and sell readers/viewers on the content, but doing so always seems like spoiling the magic in some way. While most follow a formula for formatting, there are always a few hidden gems within the pages that help shed light on a director’s process, share insight from actors and members of the production team, and pull back the curtain to reveal exciting details fans might otherwise miss. It’s not my place to give those away, but I like to tease as much as I can and share my own interest when a particular book or printing catches my eye. Fortunately for Titan Books and readers like myself alike, the publisher keeps churning out movie-related publications and more awesome xenomorph books than I’ve been able to keep up with.
Quick anecdote: I discovered the small science fiction section in my modest library when I was growing up in a small town, and sharing the shelves with a handful of other books were a few Aliens extended universe novels from authors Steve and Stephani Perry. The father/daughter pair introduced me to the Earth Hive trilogy, which were novelizations of the original Dark Horse comics that followed Newt and Hicks after the events of the Aliens movie (the names of Newt and Hicks were changed to Billie and Wilks after the characters were unceremoniously killed off). The books are bloody and sexy and scary, and damn are they fun.
If you’re reader and xenomorph lover like me and you haven’t read these books, you’re in luck. In December 2015, Titan Books began releasing a series of omnibus books that are currently forecasted to continue releasing through December 2018. The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3, have already hit shelves, with Volume 4 coming our way June 27, 2017, and each book collects two or three of the extended universe novels together to make collecting them easier. Volume 1 includes all three books from the Earth Hive trilogy (Earth Hive, Nightmare Asylum, The Female War), and that’s where I’d recommend starting or re-starting your reading.
Buy The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 1
Buy The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 2
Buy The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 3
Also, get your hands on The Complete Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus to help round out the collection while you’re at it!