Batman/Aliens Two

Rating:
Summary: Two ideas that do not mix...
Review: As much as I found Superman/Aliens to be a mix that did not work for comics, I don't find these Batman/Aliens crossover stories not much better either. The two come from very highly competive studios (Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox). They pretty much have their own stories for different reasons. The Aliens are useually encountered on a distant planet while Batman lives on planet Earth in a place called Gothom City. There is no reason for them to meet and when they do, it turns out to be both weak artwork and weak story. They have also regretfully become two long running movie franchises from both studios that ran out of gas quite a long time ago, and these patheic comic book stories are the end result of that.

Rating:
Summary: Two ideas that do not mix...
Review: As much as I found Superman/Aliens to be a mix that did not work for comics, I don't find these Batman/Aliens crossover stories not much better either. The two come from very highly competive studios (Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox). They pretty much have their own stories for different reasons. The Aliens are useually encountered on a distant planet while Batman lives on planet Earth in a place called Gothom City. There is no reason for them to meet and when they do, it turns out to be both weak artwork and weak story. They have also regretfully become two long running movie franchises from both studios that ran out of gas quite a long time ago, and these patheic comic book stories are the end result of that.

Rating:
Summary: Let's Rock!
Review: Edginton's script is straightforward and action orientated. The way it should be. You will not be subjugated to any Devin Grayson like psycho babble or a Greg Rucka snooze fest.

In a fictional universe where Gods walk amongst men and strange visitors from other planets are about as common as catching a cold in January, Edginton brilliantly merges the terrifying uniqueness of H.R. Giger's creatures and the super-hero fantasy settings of Batman. The cast as well as its dialogue is realistically credible and solidified by a script that will divert the casual sci-fi fan to the hard-core comic book fanboy.

Edginton could have easily hacked a story to take the money & run but proves to be a writer with artistic integrity. He injects wildcard elements such as Batman's Rogue Gallery and a mysterious female character who is certainly more than what she seems to be into the mix. This definitely heightens the excitement, suspense & flow of this project's novelty besides doing what many comic books featuring Batman have failed to do in the last decade; Entertain the audience.

This is my first introduction to Staz Johnson's artwork although I am aware that he has previously penciled monthly periodicals such as Robin, Nightwing & Catwoman. His sense of storytelling shines through in this comic and truly gave me the impression that I was following the story boards for a movie. Johnson's panels are incredibly cinematic and the overall visual appeal is very strong.

He is also no slouch when it comes to background work and brings Gotham City to life with detailed architecture. Johnson's keen eye for anatomy & facial features is rooted in realism but his style also possesses a larger than life quality that is needed to bring about the tripping the lights fantastic of Edginton's script.

In a medium where too many people have completely forgotten the excitement level of these graphic stories and transformed the entertainment factor into a geeks only club, it is great to see a series like Batman/Aliens on the shelves to remind everybody that comics are supposed to be enjoyed by one & all.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Piece of Work
Review: Hi all,

I just happened to come across this "graphic novel" which collected all the issues of "Batman vs Aliens #2" one day. I took a glance at it and picked it up right away. I did not regret it at all.

The overall story and writing is terrific and you'll have no problems following it. The story starts in the past, goes to the present and then jumps around at various points to explain the plotlines involved. There will be some interesting surprises in this story involving the Aliens.

The art was solid as well. I had no complaints over how all the characters were drawn.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the ending. The comic spends a lot of time building to a climax, but I felt the ending was a little abrupt and readers are lefting hanging like Batman is at the end of the story. Perhaps they are setting up for Batman/Aliens #3?

But other than that, this is worth a pickup. Check it out!!

Rating:
Summary: Solid Piece of Work
Review: Hi all,

I just happened to come across this "graphic novel" which collected all the issues of "Batman vs Aliens #2" one day. I took a glance at it and picked it up right away. I did not regret it at all.

The overall story and writing is terrific and you'll have no problems following it. The story starts in the past, goes to the present and then jumps around at various points to explain the plotlines involved. There will be some interesting surprises in this story involving the Aliens.

The art was solid as well. I had no complaints over how all the characters were drawn.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the ending. The comic spends a lot of time building to a climax, but I felt the ending was a little abrupt and readers are lefting hanging like Batman is at the end of the story. Perhaps they are setting up for Batman/Aliens #3?

But other than that, this is worth a pickup. Check it out!!

Rating:
Summary: Solid Piece of Work
Review: Hi all,

I just happened to come across this "graphic novel" which collected all the issues of "Batman vs Aliens #2" one day. I took a glance at it and picked it up right away. I did not regret it at all.

The overall story and writing is terrific and you'll have no problems following it. The story starts in the past, goes to the present and then jumps around at various points to explain the plotlines involved. There will be some interesting surprises in this story involving the Aliens.

The art was solid as well. I had no complaints over how all the characters were drawn.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the ending. The comic spends a lot of time building to a climax, but I felt the ending was a little abrupt and readers are lefting hanging like Batman is at the end of the story. Perhaps they are setting up for Batman/Aliens #3?

But other than that, this is worth a pickup. Check it out!!

Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous
Review: The first Batman/Alien crossover was phenomenal...with excellent art, a great story...and one of the most interesting aspects of all was that it spun off directly from a 'Dark Horse Presents' short Aliens story. However, Batman/Aliens 2 suffers from what most other Dark Horse/DC Crossovers have done as of late...purely ridiculous storylines.

The story starts out well enough...early in the 20th century an explorer and his party high up in the mountains discover a hive of Aliens on Earth. After mass casualties, the explorer returns...obsessed with the Alien he is carrying inside him, and making sure to preserve it. Fast forward to the present, in Gotham...the explorer's underground facility is found, and huge plot hole or two later, one very old alien is loose in Gotham under the control of one of the explorer's cohorts, who herself is holding a dark secret.

Decent enough, but when an organization raids Arkham Asylum for some of Gotham's worst (resulting in one of the most hilarious and memorable Joker lines in recent history), the story just takes a turn for the worst. Soon, after another plot hole, we have Alien mutant hybrids running around that talk, wear army fatigues, and carry guns.

I almost threw the book down in disgust near the end, but I forced myself to finish it. It was probably too much to ask to see a Batman/Aliens sequel that was as good as the original, which is the case with most comic book sequels, but they definitely could've done better than this. It seems that Alien Resurrection not only ruined the movie franchise, but the comic franchise as well, in that this book has the same general idea: cloned, mutant Aliens that are horrible mockeries of the original creature. I could've lived with Aliens that had taken some of the characteristics of the villains, but not the mockeries that were in this book.

Maybe I'm being too hard on it...it is a comic book after all, and comic books are all subject to fantasy and interpretation...but is it too much to ask to leave the Aliens the way they were meant to be, and not follow in the footsteps of the abysmal Alien vs. Predator vs. Terminator comic, or the Alien: Resurrection ideas?

I don't recommend this comic to anyone, unless they are die-hard Alien or Batman fans. Even then, unless you like either Batman or Aliens no matter how awful the story is, you probably won't like this comic. I'm very sorry to say that this is one of the worst Dark Horse/DC Crossovers I have ever read, and certainly one of the stupidest Alien mutations I've seen yet in the comics.