''Aliens vs. Predator'' (also known as ''Aliens versus Predator'', abbreviated ''AVP'') is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

between 1989 and 2020 on an intermittent basis, written and drawn by various artists. Dark Horse also published the ''

Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, a lifeform with ext ...

'' and ''

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

'' lines of comics. AVP is part of the

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

franchise originated and published by

. According to the notes which accompany the first ''Aliens versus Predator'' graphic novel, the original idea of combining the

with

Predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

was the result of a late 1980s brain-storming session between the comic's creators and Dark Horse executives. ''AVP'' artist and editor

Chris Warner Christopher Alexander Warner is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera '' Shortland Street'' who has been portrayed by Michael Galvin since the show's first episode. Other than a 4-year gap as a result of Galvin's resignation in 1 ...

is credited with suggesting the concept. Eventually, a film, '' Alien vs. Predator'', was made in 2004, with a sequel in 2007 (called '' Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'') including a hybrid of a

Xenomorph The xenomorph (also known as a Xenomorph XX121, ''Internecivus raptus'', ''Plagiarus praepotens'', or simply the alien or the creature)Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report is a fictional parasitoid, endoparasitoid Extraterrestrials in fiction, extra ...

and a

. However, the films did not follow either the settings or the stories of the original comic series.

Original ''Aliens vs. Predator'' comic

The first ''Aliens versus Predator'' centers on Ryushi, a recently colonized planet, and Machiko Noguchi, the Chigusa Corporation's administrator there. The settlers on Ryushi raise cattle-like quadrupedal

ungulates Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Euungulata ("true ungulates"), which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. Once part of the clade "Ungulata" along with the clade Paenungulata, "Ungulata" has since been determined to b ...

called for export to other solar systems, and at the time of the story are in the process of assembling a shipment of the native livestock. Unbeknownst to the colonists, Ryushi is a traditional hunting ground of the Predators, and they are returning for their initiation rites. On board the Predator ship, the prey are prepared: an Alien queen lays eggs for delivery to Ryushi. Confounding the Predator's safeguards, this queen manages to slip an egg containing the seed of another queen into the shipment. On reaching Ryushi, the eggs hatch and infect . Led by a Predator elder, "Broken Tusk", the Predators arrive expecting to encounter Aliens. However, they soon encounter the settlers and, after Broken Tusk is incapacitated, change their plans to hunt them instead. Meanwhile, the infected have been loaded aboard a cargo transporter and, with a queen among their number, an Alien colony quickly takes hold. The Predator assault continues to the settler colony itself, and the surviving settlers find themselves pitched between the Aliens and Predators. Broken Tusk, now recovered due to the intervention of a human doctor, sides with Machiko, and together with the cargo ship's crew they arrange for the transporter's massive orbiter to crash into Ryushi and destroy the colony and the Aliens. In the ensuing fight, Broken Tusk is mortally wounded, but, admiring the courage of his human comrade, "bloods" Machiko with the mark of his clan. The story concludes with Machiko the sole inhabitant of Ryushi, the surviving settlers having been evacuated from the planet. She awaits, and is rewarded with, the return of the Predators and another hunt. One of Broken Tusk's former Predator rivals greets her and, recognizing Broken Tusk's clan symbol, accepts Machiko into the hunt.

Limited series

*''Aliens vs. Predator'' (1989-1990 short story,

) *''Aliens vs. Predator'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens versus Predator'', 1990, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator'' (1990 short story, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens: Space Marines'' (1992, Dark Horse Comics) *''Illegal Aliens'' (1992,

Eclipse Comics Eclipse Comics was an American comic book publisher, one of several independent publishers during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1978, it published the first graphic novel intended for the newly created comic book store, comic book specialty stor ...

) *''Aliens vs. Predator 2'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens vs. Predator II'', 1992-1993 short story, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Deadliest of the Species'' (1993-1995, Dark Horse Comics) — In this story, the aliens have overrun the Earth and the rich have left the surface to live in skyliners. In one of these airships a girl is having strange dreams and they are about to start coming true. *''Aliens vs. Predator: Blood Time'' (1994 short story, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Booty'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens versus Predator: Booty'', 1995-1996, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Duel'' (1995, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: War'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens versus Predator: War'' and ''Aliens/Predator: War'', 1995, Dark Horse Comics) — In this story, Machiko Noguchi, disgruntled with her life amongst the hunters, turns on the Predators as they conduct a xenomorph hunt on a planet with a human exploratory colony. Three refugees from a prior corporate-staged Alien encounter have just arrived on the planet and also trying to battle their way to freedom. *''Aliens vs. Predator: Booty'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens versus Predator: Booty'', 1996 collected version, Dark Horse Comics) *''Dark Horse Classics - Aliens versus Predator'' (1997, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Eternal'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens versus Predator: Eternal'', 1998, Dark Horse Comics) — An old man uses technology from a salvaged Predator ship to gain fame and fortune, and uses Predator body parts to unnaturally extend his life. In the near future, a self-serving reporter gets caught up in his schemes just as the man unwittingly unleashes xenomorphs from the ship, attracting a Predator hunting party. *''Aliens vs. Predator: Annual'' (1999, Dark Horse Comics) — Contains ''Hell-Bent'', ''Pursuit'', ''Lefty's Revenge'', ''Chained to Life and Death'' and ''Old Secrets''. *''Aliens vs. Predator: The Web'' (1999, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Xenogenesis'' (a.k.a. ''Aliens vs. Predator: Genocide'', 1999-2000, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator: Thrill of the Hunt'' (2004, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator: Whoever Wins... We Lose'' (2005, Dark Horse Comics) *'' Alien vs. Predator: Sand Trap'' (2007, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus: Volume 1'' (2007, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus: Volume 2'' (2007, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Deadspace'' (2008, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator: Civilized Beasts'' (2008, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War'' (2010, Dark Horse Comics) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Special Collector's Edition'' (2010, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator:

Fire and Stone ''Fire and Stone'' is a comic book series crossover set in the fictional universe of the '' Alien vs. Predator'' franchise. It was first published by Dark Horse Comics in the fall of 2014 and continued until 2015 and was followed by the crossov ...

'' (2014-2015, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator: Life and Death'' (2016-2017, Dark Horse Comics) *''Alien vs. Predator: Thicker Than Blood'' (2019-2020, Dark Horse Comics)

Crossovers

Other series have thrown extra combatants into the mix in a range of

s: * '' Witchblade/Aliens/Darkness/Predator'': **''Mindhunter'' (by David Quinn,

Mel Rubi Mel Rubi is an artist best known for his comic book work. Bibliography Interiors Pencils Interior pencilling work includes: * '' Aliens vs. Predator Annual'' (1999) * '' Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator'' #1 – #4 (2000) * '' Aliens vs. P ...

, and

Mike Perkins Michael Perkins (born 20 November 1969) is a British comic book artist known for his inking work and full art duties on comic books such as Ed Brubaker's List of Captain America titles#Captain America (Brubaker era), run on ''Captain America ( ...

, four-issues miniseries, 2000, tpb, 96 pages, 2001, ) **''Overkill'' (by Paul Jenkins and Clarence Lansang,

Top Cow Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint (trade name), imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. The company is known for publishing titles such as ''Cyber Force (comics), Cyberforce'', ''The Darknes ...

, two-issue mini-series, 1999) *''

Aliens versus Predator versus The Terminator ''Aliens versus Predator versus The Terminator'' is a comic published by Dark Horse Comics about fictional characters from three separate movie series: '' Alien'', ''Predator'', and '' Terminator''. The series was in four parts, with parts 2–4 ...

'' (2000,

) *'' Superman and Batman versus Aliens and Predator'' (2007,

); a.k.a. ''Superman and Batman vs. Aliens and Predator'') *''Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens: Splice and Dice'' (2016-2017,

); a.k.a. ''Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens'')

Publications

''Aliens vs. Predator'' was introduced in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #36 in February 1990 as a conclusion to a three-part story arc. The two previous issues had separate stories for the two franchises, #34 (November 1989) had an Aliens story and #35 (December 1989) had a Predator story with #36 bringing the two franchises together for the first time.

Collected editions

A number of ''Aliens vs. Predator'' trade paperbacks have been published: * ''Aliens vs. Predator'' (by

Randy Stradley Randy Stradley (born March 4, 1956) is an American comic book writer and editor, who spent 35 years in an executive position at Dark Horse Comics. He has written under pseudonyms Mick Harrison and Welles Hartley. Career Stradley began working ...

, and

Phill Norwood Phill (usually a diminutive of Phillip) may refer to: *Phill Brown (born 1950), British audio engineer *Phill Calvert (born 1958), Australian rock drummer and producer, played in the influential post-punk band "The Birthday Party" *Phill Davies (b ...

, tpb, 176 pages,

, 1991, ,

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of the British entertainment company Titan Entertainment, which was established as Titan Books in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cine ...

, 176 pages, 1992, ) * '' Aliens/Predator: Deadliest of the Species'' (by

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...

, with pencils

Jackson Guice Jackson "Butch" Guice (June 27, 1961 – May 1, 2025) was an American comics artist who worked in the comics industry beginning in the 1980s. Biography Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960 ...

and inks by John Beatty (1-3) and full art by

Eduardo Barreto Luis Eduardo Barreto Ferreyra (March 1, 1954 – December 15, 2011) was a Uruguayan artist who worked in the comic book and comic strip industries including several years of prominent work for DC Comics. All of his children are artists. Two o ...

(4-12), Dark Horse Comics, 320 pages, tpb, 1996, ,

, 1998, , hardcover, 1997, ) collects: ** ''Aliens vs. Predator: Deadliest of the Species'' Book 1 (tpb, collects ''Deadliest of the Species'' #1-6, 152 pages, 1995, Boxtree, , Warner Books, ) ** ''Aliens vs. Predator: Deadliest of the Species'' Book 2 (tpb, collects ''Deadliest of the Species'' #7-12, 156 pages, 1995, Boxtree, ) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: War'' (by

, 5-issue mini-series, 1995, tpb, 1996,

, 176 pages, , Dark Horse Comics, 200 pages, ) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: Booty'' (by

Barbara Kesel Barbara Randall Kesel (née Randall, born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and editor of comic books. Her bibliography includes work for Crossgen, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. Biography K ...

and Chris Chalenor, 1996) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: Eternal'' (by

Ian Edginton Ian Edginton is a British comic book writer, known for his work on such titles as ''X-Force'', '' Scarlet Traces'', '' H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds'' and ''Leviathan''. Career Ian Edginton is known for his steampunk/alternate history work ...

and

Alex Maleev Alex Maleev (Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Алекс Малеев) is a Bulgarian comic book illustrator, best known for the Marvel Comics' series ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics series), Daredevil'' (vol. 2) with frequent collaborator Brian Michael ...

, Dark Horse Comics, 4-issue mini-series, 1998, tpb, 88 pages, 1999, ) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: Xenogenesis'' (by

Andi Watson Andrew Watson (born 1969) is a British cartoonist and illustrator best known for the graphic novels ''Breakfast After Noon'', ''Slow News Day'' and his series ''Skeleton Key'' and ''Love Fights'', published by Oni Press and Slave Labor Graphics. ...

and inkers Mark Lipka and Norman Lee, 4-issue mini-series, 1998-1999) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: Thrill of the Hunt'' (by Mike Kennedy and

Roger Robinson Roger Robinson may refer to: * Roger Robinson (American football coach) (died 2004), American football player and coach * Roger Robinson (actor) (1940–2018), American actor * Roger Robinson (poet), writer and performer * Roger Robinson (academic) ...

, Dark Horse Comics, tpb, 96 pages, 2004, ) * ''Aliens vs. Predator: Civilized Beasts'' (by Mike Kennedy and Roger Robinson, Dark Horse Comics, tpb, 96 pages, 2005, ) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Omnibus - Volume 1'' (collects ''Aliens vs. Predator'' - original series, ''Blood Time'', ''Duel'', ''War'', ''Eternal'', ''Old Secrets'', and ''The Web'', 456 pages, April 2007, ) *''Aliens vs. Predator: Omnibus - Volume 2'' (collects ''Deadliest of the Species'', ''Booty'', ''Hell-Bent'', ''Pursuit'', ''Lefty's Revenge'', ''Chained to Life and Death'', and ''Xenogenesis'', 448 pages, October 2007, )

Notes

References

*''Aliens/Predator Panel to Panel'' (Dark Horse Comics, 192 pages, 2006, , ) An official companion to the Dark Horse Comics' Aliens, Predator and AVP series. *''Beautiful Monsters: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to the Alien and Predator Films'' (by David A. McIntee, Telos, 272 pages, 2005, )

External links

Dark Horse Comics's ''Aliens vs. Predator'' section

Alien vs. Predator Hub Comics Section
{{Alien vs. Predator (franchise) 1990 comics debuts Alien vs. Predator (franchise) comics Crossover comics Dark Horse Comics limited series fr:Aliens (série de comics) ja:エイリアンVSプレデター (コミック)