This article is about the original 1995 comic book series, Aliens vs. Predator: War. For the 1999 novelization of the same name, see Aliens vs. Predator: War (novel).
Cover to Aliens/Predator: War TPB by Duncan Fegredo
Aliens vs. Predator: War (originally Aliens versus Predator: War, and then Aliens/Predator: War in trade paperback) was a five-part comics series published by Dark Horse Comics from May-Aug. 1995 numbering issues #0-4. The contents of issue #0 were originally serialized in issues #1-14 of the promotional series Dark Horse Insider, Vol 2.
War was written by Randy Stradley and drawn by Chris Warner, Mike Manley, Jim Hall, & Mark G. Heike. It was inked by Ricardo Villagrin and Warner. Covers were provided by Richard Corben. Additional interior artwork for issue #0 was also allegedly provided by Stradley himself, according to the Dark Horse comics website. Issue #0 was edited by Edward Martin III & Bob Cooper, while the rest of the series was edited by Cooper alone.
The series was first collected in trade paperback form under the new title of Aliens/Predator: War in May 1996 featuring a new painted cover by artist Duncan Fegredo and an introduction by Robert Sheckley. (This trade paperback also collected the stories Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time and Aliens vs. Predator: Duel.) It was finally definitively reprinted under the title "Aliens vs. Predator: War" in Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus: Volume 1 in June 2007.
Aliens versus Predator: War 0 cover by Richard Corben
The series was also adapted into a novel of the same name as part of the Aliens vs. Predator novel series.
War served as a direct sequel to the original Aliens vs. Predator comics series (1989-90), continuing the adventures of original series protagonist Machiko Noguchi. It also featured tie-ins with the previous AVP story Aliens vs. Predator: Duel and the Aliens story Aliens: Berserker. In 2010, Dark Horse Comics launched the new series Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War which further continued Noguchi's adventures and thus--along with the original AVP series and War--completing a trilogy of AVP comics series starring her.
In the AVP comics line, Aliens vs. Predator: War was published concurrently with Aliens/Predator: Deadliest of the Species (July 1993-Aug. 1995) and was followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Booty (Jan. 1996).
Plot
Official description of individual issues:
Aliens versus Predator: War 1 cover by Richard Corben
Sometimes reeling-in the catch of your life can mean the end of your life. Machiko Noguchi, the last survivor of the colony on Ryushi, is journeying aboard a massive Predator ship when a freshly caught Alien Queen snaps her tethers, destroying all in her path. Unfortunately for her, Machiko is in that path.
First blood or last breath. Those are the only choices in Aliens vs. Predator: War! The Predators converge on the seed planet, Bunda, for the biggest bug hunt yet, each taking position to draw first blood. Machiko, the human survivor from Dark Horse's historic first Aliens vs. Predator series, and now a full-fledged member of the Predator clan, is forced into a duel in order to claim her rightful place in the upcoming hunt. But when a new group of humans shows up, including the three survivors from the end of Aliens: Berserker, what began as sport becomes serious business.
The quick death of a fractured spine, or the extended agony of birthing a chestburster. If you had your choice, which would it be? Find out how a band of displaced humans deals with this dilemma in the second issue of Aliens vs. Predator: War! Loose ends begin to tie together, drawing characters and situations from the first AvP series, from Aliens: Berserker, and from the very recent AvP: Duel! This issue comes packed with adrenaline!
Aliens versus Predator: War 2 cover by Richard Corben
Aliens and Predators: two deadly species fighting for domination of an otherwise abandoned world. What they didn't count on was the added confrontation of the deadliest species of all... the species known as humans! Guns are pumped, knives are wrapped, and claws are sharpened in preparation for the all-out battle for the planet Bunda! Three bloodthirsty armies prepare themselves for an all-out WAR!
War is all about lines, the kind you draw between your enemies and your allies. But those lines become blurred in the conclusion to Aliens vs. Predator: War! Machiko Noguchi has abandoned her Predator allies and joined the human survivors on Bunda. But perhaps she'll reconsider her position when the humans find themselves caught between the ultimate in rocks and hard places! It's the final battle of this all-out war, with the Aliens on one side and Predators on the other, and the outmanned humans hang their only hopes on a fearsome and uncontrollable suit of MAX berserker armor!
Full Synopsis (Spoiler Alert)
The story starts as Machiko Noguchi living now with Top-Knot's clan. They are in a world dominated by xenomorphs in a mission to capture a Queen. Machiko is now bullied by a hunter she calls "Shorty", who mimicks Machiko's voice mocking her. Machiko takes a little revenge on him by saving his life, which is a mayor insult in the yautja culture. The hunters capture the Queen but she tries to free herself and killed a hunter called "Three Spot". Machiko controls the situation but disobeys Top-Knot in the process. The Queen again frees but now inside the ship, and Shorty closes the hatch trapping Machiko in the hold with her, Machiko escapes barely.
The clan is preparing one of the greatest hunts ever. Meanwhile Machiko listens random chat on her leapwave receptor from Ryushi, inadvertively to her, the chat is from the Nemesis survivors: Katherine Lara, Martin Jess and Brian Ellis, whom are calling for help. They receive response from Big Archey. a floating platform over the jungles of Bunda, which is the same planet in which the hunt is to be. The platform's administrator, Kevin Vincent, is warned by a Weyland-Yutani corporative, Mr Briggs that the survivors must be on quarantine due to a possible infection.
Meanwhile, on the yautja ship, the clan is gathering and one of the last are Light-Stepper, a one-handed young yautja which uses a USMC flag as bandage. Machiko thoughlessly touches it, making him angry and make the submissive sign, losing her place in the hierarchy, the only way to regain it is fighting those at the bottom, namely Shorty. Machiko is winning but Shorty cheats and Machiko loses the fight and her place in the hunt, so she stays at the ship. As the Nemesis APC lands on Big Archey, a monkey-like creature is facehugged in the jungle below and the survivors are inmediately arrested by Big Archey personnel.
Later, two surveyors, Pratt and Rembert are chased by a xenomorph and gets facehugged. Top-Knot's shuttle lands and the hunt begins, but soon they hear Mr Briggs shuttle overhead and for some reason they decide to attack humans. Lara, Jess and Ellis are interrogated by Mr. Briggs and his two bodygards, Keene and Nirasawa, about their mission data of Terminal 949. The yautja then attack the platform on that instant and Mr. Briggs, Vincent and Nirasawa go to control as Keene watches the prisioners. Lara kills Keene as he is distracted and they escape.
Machiko lies inside her room and listen the SOS from Big Archey. Learning that the hunters are killing humans, she decide to change sides and betrays the clan. She kills the ship's captain, seals the bridge and frees the captive Queen. She flew the ship towards the signal of Top-Knot's shuttle. A yautja attacks the survivors as Brian is refueling the APC, but he doses the predator in jet fuel and causes a big explosion that causes the platform to crash. Feeling bad about how his actions always causes disaster, Ellis flees, as Machiko crashes the ship in from of Jess and Lara.
After a short presentation, Machiko and the survivors are interrupted by the hunters, leadered by Top-Knot. The two-way battle turns into a three-way battle as the queen and her offspring join the fight. Machiko, Jess and Lara are saved by Ellis, now inside the MAX unit, they flee to the jungle and soon are found by Nirasawa, who is revealed to be an android, carrying a facehugged Mr Briggs.
The clan attacks again and Machiko and Nirasawa makes a stand to buy time for the others to get into the shuttle. Machiko fights and kills Shorty and Nirasawa is destroyed. Lara is trying to fly the shuttle as Machiko arrives. All are reunited and they flees as Jess puts Mr. Briggs inside the MAX unit to fight the bugs and the hunters while he is still alive. They return home together.
Trivia
♦ The way in which the two surveyors from Bunda Survey were facehugged is very similar to the scene of AVP:Requiem were Buddy and his son Sam gets chased and facehugged. Maybe the scene in AVP:R is a reference to Aliens vs Predator: War, as the comic was published first.
♦ Theoretically, the warrior aliens in Bunda must be Predaliens as Machiko freed the Queen inside the ship and it proceed to infect the crew, and in Aliens vs Predator: Duel (a precuel to War) and AVP: Requiem both states that an infected Predator produces a Predalien.
See also
- Machiko Noguchi
- Ellis
- Top-Knot
- Aliens vs. Predator: War (novel)
- Dark Horse Comics
- Aliens vs. Predator (comic series)
- Aliens: Berserker
- Aliens vs. Predator (Series 1)
- Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time
- Aliens vs. Predator: Duel
- Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War
- Aliens vs. Predator: War
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