Comic Book Review: Alien #5 (2023)
A unique human/Xenomorph hybrid has cornered the synths of Steel Team, as well as the few remaining humans they sought to rescue. The egg they needed to fulfil their mission […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #4 (2022)
Steel Team have been betrayed by the human colony they’re supposed to be saving – but the humans themselves aren’t out of danger. Far from it; there’s a new problem […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #3 (2022)
The Steel Team of synthetics have arrived at their destination – and despite the fact that no one should be alive alongside the Xenomorphs on the planet, they’ve discovered a […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #2 (2022)
Though I’m still baffled by Marvel’s decision to relaunch their Alien series with a new number one, two issues in it does seem to have improved tremendously. The Steel Team […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #1 (2022)
Despite only launching their very first Alien series last year – with the franchise having previously been in the very capable hands of Dark Horse Comics since the late 80s […]
Comic Book Review: Alien Annual #1 (2022)
Before we even properly begin, we have to address the cover of Alien Annual #1. Just look at it, take it all in. Is it me, or is this one […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #12
Surrounded on all sides by vicious aliens of different types, the Spinners make a final stand as the military roll in to retrieve their presumably Xenomorph-hosting bodies. Yet Spinner leader […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #11
With their fellow survivor retrieved from the Xenomorphs – albeit at a terrible cost – Jane and the Spinners make their way to Gamma Station, now inhabited by another group […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #10
Escaping through the wilderness in the hope of finding a sanctuary to hide from the Xenomorph invaders, the Spinners find much, much worse than anything they faced in their colony […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #9
Though it does feature a few well-worn franchise tropes – the hidden, traitorous android and the dastardly company seeking to utilise the xenomorphs as bioweapons, for example – Phillip Kennedy […]
Book Review: Alien: The Official Cookbook
Filled with hilariously incentive recipes to turn usually innocuous meals into creations resembling different stages of the Xenomorph life cycle, Alien: The Official Cookbook is a great gift for the […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #8
It’s completely coincidental timing, but I’ve had a bit of a Western themed week: a board game review of Western Legends, a comic book review of weird west story The […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #7
The first story arc in Marvel’s new Alien series was a bit of a mixed bag; it was full of well-trodden Alien tropes, references and even the basic ‘Weyland-Yutani fails […]
The Titan Books Alien Series: Review Links
Having made my way through the entire current series of Alien novels from Titan Books, which began with Alien: Out of the Shadows in 2014, I’ve now reviewed all of […]
Book Review: Alien: Into Charybdis (2021)
Author Alex White’s previous Alien novel, Alien: The Cold Forge, was a remarkable book – though it took place in a Weyland-Yutani lab in which experiments to weaponise Xenomorphs were […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #6
Marvel’s debut story in its recently launched, ongoing Alien series – the comic book behemoth’s first foray into the Alien universe, following Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox – reaches […]
Book Review: Aliens: Phalanx (2020)
I’ve read a lot of xenomorph-related books this year, having got myself all excited about video game Aliens: Fireteam Elite, which is finally out tomorrow. In getting myself all worked […]
Book Review: Alien: Prototype (2019)
It’s a shame that so many Alien-related novels fall back on so many obvious tropes or rely on familiar characters to spin their tales. Though Alien: Prototype is loaded with […]
Book Review: Alien: Echo (2019)
Making my way through the recent range of Alien tie-in novels has been fun, but I must admit that – more times than not – the books have been entertaining […]
Book Review: Alien: The Cold Forge (2018)
“You know, Burke, I don’t know which species is worse. You don’t see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.” – Ellen Ripley, Aliens (1986) That quote has […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #5
Ex-security chief Gabriel Cruz gave his life to Weyland-Yutani. Even after retirement he’s been brought back by the company, in an attempt to recover a xenomorph sample from the lab […]
Comic Book Review: Aliens: Aftermath #1
Set 35 years after Aliens (which is quite a neat touch, given that this issue celebrates the movie’s 35th anniversary), Aliens: Aftermath sees a group of humans making their way […]
Book Review: Alien: River of Pain (2014)
‘ALL NEW STORY’, the cover loudly insists in all caps. Yet this book – the third in a supposedly canonical trilogy of Alien novels, starting with Tim Lebbon’s Out of […]
Book Review: Alien vs Predator: Armageddon (2016)
The Rage War trilogy comes to a close – following Predator: Incursion and Alien: Invasion – with Alien vs Predator: Armageddon. It’s been an odd ride, with the first book, […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #4
As Marvel’s very first original Alien series – after parent company Disney picked up the rights to the franchise in their Fox deal – the comic had a lot to […]
Book Review: Alien: Isolation (2019)
Despite being released in late 2014 – and still, despite a few pacing issues and difficulty spikes, being one of my favourite games of all time – it took until […]
Book Review: Alien: Invasion (2016)
The second book in The Rage War trilogy (following Predator: Incursion), Alien: Invasion centres on the newly revealed ‘Rage’ and their weaponised Xenomorphs, each battalion of which is headed up […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #3
Want to know my verdict on the third issue of Marvel’s first ever Alien series straight away? Then let me give you a quick hint: though I bought it upon […]
Book Review: Alien: Sea of Sorrows (2014)
A direct sequel to Alien: Out of the Shadows, albeit set 200 years later, Alien: Sea of Sorrows mostly takes place on LV-178, site of the abandoned mines that featured […]
Book Review: Alien: Out of the Shadows (2014)
The first book in a series that is considered to be canonical alongside the now somewhat tarnished continuity of the movie series (following the laborious, often nonsensical events of Prometheus […]
Book Review: Aliens: Infiltrator (2021)
With Aliens: Infiltrator being a prequel to Aliens: Fireteam – a co-op multiplayer video game due this Summer – there was a genuine concern that it’d be a lazy cash-in, […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #2 (Marvel)
Happy Alien Day! Though I’d usually write an article that’s wider in scope to celebrate 4/26 (as my friends across the pond note the date, which lines up with the […]
Comic Book Review: Alien #1 (Marvel)
When Dark Horse Comics continued the Alien saga with Aliens #1 back in 1988, it was an instant hit with fans hungry to see where the story went after the […]
Comic Book Review: William Gibson’s Alien 3
Back in the late 80s, one of my uncle’s friends decided to leave the London rat race and pursue his dream of opening a comic shop in Bath. He did […]
Comic Book Review: Aliens: Defiance
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a lifelong fan of the Alien franchise, even to the point where I genuinely have a soft spot for Alien 3. If only […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #6 (2023)
The Predator responsible for slaughtering Theta’s entire family is finally in her sights – but she needs a plan; there’s also the small matter of how many civilians stand in […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #5 (2022)
Though she’s bested another Yautja in battle, Theta’s search for the Predator that killed her family when she was a child continues. However, she’s been taken prisoner on a ship […]
Comic Book Review: Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #2 (2019)
In the first issue of Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions, we saw a Vader perceived as a heroic, ebony knight by a naive, oppressed alien race. This second issue […]
Comic Book Review: Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 (2019)
The first issue of Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 poses the question: how would Darth Vader be perceived by an alien race who hadn’t encountered him or the […]
Comic Book Review: Barnstormers #1
1927, North Carolina. Down on his luck, pilot Hawk E. Baron flies from town to town, entertaining the locals with dangerous flying feats in order to earn a living. An […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #4 (2022)
Having successfully turned the tables on the Predators nearly two dozen times, it seems that Theta’s hunts have finally caused the Yautja to have found her. Is it just Theta […]
Comic Book Review: Wild Cards: The Drawing of Cards #4 (2022)
All Croyd Crenson wants to do is be alert and look ‘normal’ for his sister’s wedding. The trouble is, his ‘Joker’ mutation sees him changing his form completely – and […]
Comic Book Review: Wild Cards: The Drawing of Cards #3 (2022)
The heroic Jet Boy has failed to stop the evil Dr Tod from detonating an alien bomb over Manhattan – and humanity will now be forever changed by the chaos […]
Comic Book Review: Heirs of Ashuradō #1
Creator Gil Murillo has crafted the beginning of an incredibly intriguing and original tale with the opening issue of Heirs of Ashuradō. Obedient student Tetsu is due to graduate from […]
Comic Book Review: Grimland: Ascension (2022)
As the cover of Grimland: Ascension states, the year is 3085. Human civilisation has expanded across the galaxy – and, following a war against previously subservient machines, humanity continues to […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #3 (2022)
Theta’s encounter with a Predator on a frozen planet brings her to a startling realisation about who’s hunting and tracking who. It also seems that the Yautja may be keeping […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #2 (2022)
Theta’s hunt for the Yautja – aka Predator – who massacred her entire colony continues. However, she runs into difficulty on a frozen planet – and in trying to survive, […]
Comic Book Review: Wild Cards: The Drawing of Cards #2 (2022)
The evil Dr Tod has possession of an alien bomb, primed with a substance that will mutate humans that come into contact with it once detonated. Dr Tachyon – one […]
Comic Book Review: Predator #1 (2022)
When Disney bought Fox and acquired all of their franchises, it was exciting to realise that the Alien and Predator movies might finally get back on track. Though Alien hasn’t […]
Comic Book Review: Wild Cards: The Drawing of Cards #1 (2022)
A long running shared universe series of novels and short story anthologies, the very first Wild Cards fiction was published back in 1987. The universe itself arose from a Superworld […]
Comic Book Review: The Mandalorian #1 (2022)
Back in the pre-internet days, sometimes your only way of finding out what happened in a particular movie for months after it released in the States was its novelisation or […]
Comic Book Review: Galaxy Grappling Alliance #1
Regular readers of this very blog – or people who actually know me in real life – will be more than aware of my love for professional wrestling, which grew […]
Comic Book Review: Jurassic League #1 (2022)
I’ve been pondering the adage ‘never judge a book by its cover’ recently, but for comic book readers, that’s something we’ve pretty much always done, often when seeking out new […]
Film Review: The Batman (2022)
Back in 1989, the concept of a dark, serious and Gothic-styled Batman was alien to mainstream audiences, whose point of reference when it came to Bruce Wayne’s alter ego was […]
My Book of the Year 2021
My choice for the best book I read in 2021 didn’t come out last year at all, but going by my rule of the ‘My X of the Year 2021’ […]
TV Review: The Book of Boba Fett – S1/E1: Stranger in a Strange Land
Legendary Bounty Hunter Boba Fett made a long-overdue and long-awaited return in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, with rumours of his death clearly exaggerated. Since first appearing in animated form […]
TV Review: The Movies That Made Us – S3/E4: Aliens
Anyone who knows me even a little is likely to know how much of an Aliens fan I am, and to a lesser extent the Alien franchise in general; certainly […]
Comic Book Review: DC vs Vampires #1
A mysterious figure races to the Hall of Justice, desperate to warn the Justice League of an impending war between the living and the undead. The strange situation is going […]
Comic Book Review: ET-ER #1
Far more than just clever wordplay (the ‘Universal Healthcare’ pun is pretty irresistible though), ET-ER is a vibrant, fun and exciting jaunt into a clandestine emergency room that caters for […]
Comic Book Review: Groo Meets Tarzan #1
I first encountered Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier’s Conan parody Groo the Wanderer back in the late 80s, when his adventures were being published by Marvel Comics imprint Epic. I […]
Review: Aliens: Fireteam Elite
The last time a game based on Aliens was released for computers and consoles, we got the absolutely disastrous Aliens: Colonial Marines from Gearbox and Sega. A buggy, derivative, just […]
Book Review: The Humans (2013)
A successful mathematics professor on the verge of a hugely significant breakthrough is found wandering naked through Cambridge. His family and friends – even his dog – realise that Andrew […]
Comic Book Review: My Little Pony/Transformers II #4
The second of IDW/Hasbro’s unlikely crossovers – featuring two of their biggest 80s toy lines, and which I’ve now reviewed in their entirety – comes to an end in this […]
First Impressions: Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Regular – or even passing – readers of my blog will know that I’m an absolutely huge fan of the Aliens universe. When Aliens: Fireteam Elite was announced, I read […]
Comic Book Review: Abyssal Albion #2
Our journey across a post-apocalyptic Great Britain, which has fallen foul of the emergence of Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones, continues in the second issue of Abyssal Albion. The first issue […]
Comic Book Review: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters: 4-LOM & Zuckuss
Another fairly unnecessary addition to the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, this one-off issue featuring the droid and alien Bounty Hunter team 4-LOM and Zuckuss catches us up on […]
Book Review: Fear Street: The New Girl (1989)
RL Stine is an absolute powerhouse in the world of gently scary, creepily amusing kid-friendly horror thanks to his perennially popular Goosebumps titles. There are sixty two titles in the […]
Book Review: Predator: Incursion (2015)
Despite feeling at times – with Ripley shoehorned into events between Alien and Aliens – like little more than fan fiction, the supposedly canonical Alien: Out of the Shadows by […]
Comic Book Review: Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters – Alpha #1
Marvel’s big 2021 Star Wars crossover begins here. A spectacular blockbuster event is promised (though as comic fans know, it always is, right?), with chapters released at least once a […]
Preview: Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Video games based on the ever-popular Aliens franchise have been a mixed bunch, despite the premise put forth in the movies, particularly 1986’s Aliens, being absolutely perfect for gaming. At […]
Comic Book Review: Rok of the Reds #2
Despite a crazy mashup between sci-fi and soccer, the first issue of Rok of the Reds felt a little off, thanks to dated exposition techniques and an unlikeable pseudo-protagonist. Thankfully, […]
Comic Book Review: Rok of the Reds #1
Writers John Wagner and Alan Grant are best known for their work on 2000AD’s iconic Lawman of the Future, Judge Dredd – though both have also worked on Batman (not […]
Film Review: Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four (2015)
The early 90s was a truly weird time to be a comic book fan. Comics were becoming known for unbelievable excess, with many popular titles launching and relaunching, often with […]
Comic Book Review: Fresh Romance #1
Though I’d normally provide a respite from the all pervasive influence of special days, I regret to inform you that I’m jumping on the bandwagon for today’s post, with the […]
Comic Book Review: 2000AD Regened (Prog #2206)
Available now from 2000AD.com, with free UK postage on week of release The fourth and final all-ages 2000AD issue of the year is here – and it once again makes […]
Comic Book Review: 2000AD Regened
Regular readers of the blog – and my Twitter followers – can’t have failed to notice that I’ve been covering an awful lot of 2000AD-related material over the past few months. It started on my birthday, when I purchased a copy of the latest Judge Dredd Megazine as a treat to myself; it wasn’t long before thrill-power took over once […]
Comic Book Review: The Ballad of Halo Jones: Volume 1
Thanks to the brilliant 2000AD Humble Bundle, I’ve been able to get hold of an awful lot of reading material, some of which I’m catching up with for the first time. The Ballad of Halo Jones (which is included in the bundle in its entirety) is a comic that I’ve read before, though not for many years – and certainly […]
Comic Book Review: Predator vs Judge Dredd (1997)
Coming in 1997 – ten years after the first Predator movie hit screens and twenty years after Dredd’s comic book debut – Predator vs. Judge Dredd hardly came at the height of either character’s popularity. It had been seven years since the Predator’s not exactly well received second cinematic outing – and just two since Stallone’s mostly-helmetless Dredd disgraced the […]
Comic Book Review: Transformers/The Terminator #1
I’ve always been a fan of crazy, leftfield comic book crossovers. Comic books feel like the only place you can really get these utterly bizarre pairings of inter-company, multi-franchise characters […]
The Cloud Dungeon – Review
Available from http://www.andhegames.com My love for tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs) started a long time ago – way back in the early 80s, when I became obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons. I’d […]
Detective Pikachu – Spoiler Free Movie Review
Adapting books to film is a delicate balancing act that, even when successful, will often yield grumbly clichés from viewers who proclaim that the book was better – all the while ignoring the fact that a 500 page novel is a very different beast to a two hour film. Imagine, then, the difficulty inherent in translating a video game to […]
Broforce – Game Review
There’s nothing quite like Broforce. Sure, there are other run and gun games out there – and there are plenty of heartfelt, nostalgic tributes to the 80s to be found. […]
My Biggest Achievements of 2021
Though there’s a general lack of oomph – that I’m sure befalls everyone – after the excitement and then relaxation of the Christmas period, it’s a good time to pause […]
More Shameless Self-Promotion
Well, it doesn’t happen often – does it? Regular readers of the blog will know that I’ve been catching up with the Titan Books Alien novels, which I’d been reading […]
Weekly Round-Up
When I first started Mid-Life Gamer Geek back in the now utopian beforetimes of *checks notes* 2019, my intention was to continue writing about gaming; video games, board games and […]
Weekly Round-Up
It’s been a while since I’ve done a round up of articles, but I’ve covered quite a bit of ground this week and even managed to finish off the original Gears of War trilogy too. Thanks COVID-19! Alien Day Last Sunday was Alien Day, it being the date which matches the number designed to the planet under threat in 1986 […]
Portfolio
Hello to all of you readers out there, new and old. I appreciate you all taking the time to check out my blog – it’s not always easy to find […]
Halo: Combat Evolved – Anniversary Edition (The Master Chief Collection)
Not being able to afford an Xbox when it was first released – being the owner of a Dreamcast, PS2 and GameCube at the time Microsoft’s console came out in […]
Family Dinner – PC
Out Now – PC – Available from itch.io and Game Jolt – Price: $3 – Developed by: Boto Alien I don’t do well with horror games. At all. These days, […]
MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews 