Aliens Omnibus Volume 4 v 4
Like sports, the victor is he who wants it more. Unlike sports, the loser earns extinction! Mankind has fought for survival over countless millennia, but nothing has threatened humanity’s existence like the murderous Alien scourge. While some have tried to use the creatures’ deadly abilities to serve their own selfish ends, no one can dance with the devil, and ultimately only one species must prevail. To that end, men have turned their own lethal instincts and cold intellect against the monsters, creating engineered plagues, cybernetic fighting suits, and even bogus android aliens, but survival rides not on technology, but on the primacy of the most deep-rooted, feral instincts.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars I’d Like to Teach the world to sing in PERFECT HARMONY
Omnibus 4 has a few really great pieces wrapped within its lining, making me glad I decided to once again read them. Since no listing exists at this time, here we have (1) Music of the Spears, (2) Stronghold, (3) Frenzy, (4) Taste, (5) Mondo Pest and (6) Mondo Heat.
Out of these, I would have to say that I am inclined to side with Music of the Spears first and foremost. I say that both because it has a rich texture and because it has something odd to offer the Alien world. As Aliens are found almost everywhere by now, it have obviously become a crime to keep one - despite the fact that many collectors do. Aside from the dangers that are obvious in that statement are more subtle things: to keep one, a person would have to themselves be dangerous. They would have to feed the beast and love the beast and keep it stocked with live bait because Aliens do not like dead prey. A person would also have to have a reason, too, and the reason here is quite evocative. Here we are dealing with a musician, a great one, who wants to do something profound. In order to create that perfect concerto, one would have to have the perfect instrument. As one takes more and more of the very essence of the Alien into them (AKA Royal Jelly), they begin to understand that the most beautiful sound is not something they can create but something they can manipulate. An Alien: The perfect musical host. This read is too enjoyable to say more other than to read it and wonder what is more monstrous - the man or the musical mandate?
I also like Taste in some of the same rights because, simply, it is odd for an Alien issue. I can’t say much about it because it is easily ruined. So, instead, I’ll say it is fun little get together with a little heart that bursts a long way.
Nest on the list is Stronghold. Stronghold is a story of something besieged and what it means to try to stay alive. It has a lot of action elements, shows a nice face on the art plateau, and makes the reader happy with a little depth and a lot of motion. I personally liked it over things like Frenzy because it had characters and, well, characters make worlds go round. Speaking of Frenzy - or Berserker as it is better known-, it introduces M.a.X. and explains a little of the Hive dynamic to people out there. It isn’t complex - many of the stories are not - but it is a nice little page rage and it makes for something good to read.
The Mondos - well - they are decent IF you get past the art. I liked them because all pieces in this universe add something and they are forgotten ones that a person will not find just setting about. They are also good to have because, simply, there are not enough stories involving the Alien and people. Granted, this is a goofy look at the Alien and, in some ways, defeatist to what Aliens tried to be for so long. Still, you have to remember that these were Dark Horse’s little gifts to a big world and many of them had to laugh at themselves.
So take the Music and the Tatse, enjoy the middle selections, and dance like a monkey on a bender while reading the rest. Having these stories is great and that is a beautiful fact. I had to break a wallet to collect these myself once upon an ago and, looking back now, I’m glad I did. That said, having them at a great price is certainly better and I recommend all the sets because of that. Besides, missing the one containing “music” would be dire.
Read it and just maybe I won’t slip a facehugger in your bedroom as a joke. Dismissed.
Filed under: Comic Book Reviews