NYCC: Dark Horse Announces New ALIENS And AVATAR Comics

Alien_Defiance

Indie publisher Dark Horse Comics built much of its business in its early days on the strength of its movie tie-in comics, specifically their mini-series stemming from director James Cameron’s entry in the Alien film franchise. Earlier this year, the publisher returned to its roots with a quartet of connected miniseries spinning out of both the Alien and Predator films. At New York Comic Con this weekend, Dark Horse announced two new series that continue that return with their connection to James Cameron – a 12-part Aliens series titled Aliens: Defiant and the first comic series to be based on Cameron’s hit hit film Avatar. The press releases with details for each series, as well as promotional art and Cameron’s video announcement of the Avatar comic series are below.

alien-defiance

As announced on the Dark Horse: CLASSIFIED! panel at New York Comic Con, writer Brian Wood (The Massive, Rebels) and artist Tristan Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road, TMNT) will take on the xenomorphs just in time to celebrate the anniversary of Aliens with a new ongoing series—Aliens: Defiance!
“Alien was groundbreaking when it first debuted, and has only grown in relevance and pop culture legend since,” remarked Wood. “Thirty-seven years is an impressive amount of time for any entertainment property to thrive, much less still top mainstream headlines and fuel speculation like it does. It’s an honor to be invited to add to that legend.”

In space, no one can hear you scream . . . Aliens: Defiance follows struggling Colonial Marine rookie Zula Hendricks as she goes AWOL to protect Earth from an unknown alien species.

“Few films are as timelessly terrifying and the fact that it continues to grip audiences and affect them beyond any of its successors and imitators (of which there are plenty) is the strongest testament to how truly transcendent everything that went into, and came out of, Alien is,” added Jones. “Being asked to be a part of something so defining, and so instrumental to the creative development of not just me, but so many, many others, is a lifelong dream come true.”

Aliens: Defiance #1 (of 12) is in stores April 27, 2016. Preorder your copy today at your local comic shop!

Avatar-Promo-Image

During a special panel at New York Comic Con 2015, Dark Horse Comics in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment announced that AVATAR, the highest-grossing film in history, will expand into the world of comic books in anticipation of the three upcoming film sequels.
In a special prerecorded message, James Cameron revealed that the new series of comics will help shed more light on the mythology and history of the beloved film franchise.

Cameron also noted, “For the past twenty-seven years, Dark Horse has been associated with my films The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. I am excited that between now and the release of the first sequel, Dark Horse Comics will be bringing you new adventures from Pandora—covering the time before, during, and after the events of the original AVATAR film.”

“James Cameron is one of the film industry’s greatest talents. His films, always on the cutting edge technologically, feature rich characters and amazing worlds, a fact reflected in AVATAR’s status as the all time box-office champion,” said Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson. “We couldn’t be more excited about working with James and his team at Lightstorm to expand the breathtaking world of Pandora.”

“We’re excited to be working with our longtime partner Dark Horse Comics to expand upon the rich storytelling of the AVATAR universe, providing a whole new way for fans to interact. There are so many possible stories to explore and this is just beginning,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products.

See a special message from James Cameron to AVATAR fans on YouTube, and stay tuned for more details on the AVATAR comic book series in the coming months.

Released in 2009, James Cameron’s AVATAR is the highest-grossing film in motion picture history, with a box office gross of nearly $2.8 billion. Mesmerizing all ages across the globe with its otherworldly visuals and groundbreaking special effects, the film quickly became a worldwide phenomenon so popular it will be followed by three sequels, with the first sequel due for release in late 2017. AVATAR was named best drama at the Golden Globes and won Academy Awards for cinematography, visual effects and art direction.

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About Rich Drees 7271 Articles
A film fan since he first saw that Rebel Blockade Runner fleeing the massive Imperial Star Destroyer at the tender age of 8 and a veteran freelance journalist with twenty-five years experience writing about film and pop culture. He is a member of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle.
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