ALIEN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY COMIC BOOK

Did you know that the scripts green lighted to begin movie production are often very different from the stories presented in the final film? For example, the Star Wars originally pitched to 20th Century Fox was much different than what appeared on the big screen. Whether changes in scripts are for better or naught wouldn't it be interesting to see the original vision for sci-fi classics like Star Wars and Alien?

Thanks to comic books being able to provide immersive storytelling experiences with significantly lower production costs than movies it is possible to share these stories with science fiction fans. I was geeked when Dark Horse Comics releases an eight issue mini-series that portrayed the first draft of Star Wars showing how George Lucas originally imagined a galaxy far, far away. It was fun to see what might have been in THE STAR WARS: BASED UPON GEORGE LUCAS' ORIGINAL ROUGHT DRAFT SCREEN PLAY and also made me very glad that lots of changes were made along the way making the movie so many of us love.

Now Dark Horse has done it again! They've taken the first draft screenplay of 1979's ALIEN and are sharing how that original story would have played out on the movie screen with a new comic book mini-series. The first issue of ALIEN: THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY hit store shelves at comic book shops this week. I had to pick this up!

This Dark Horse Comics mini-series is an adaption of Dan O'Bannon's original 1976 screenplay, originally titled STAR BEAST, that 20th Century Fox was on the fence about producing until the success of Star Wars. STAR BEAST was eventually released as ALIEN in 1979 which itself evolved into becoming a 6-film (8 if you count the two Alien vs Predator movies) motion picture franchise. An alien bursting through someone's chest is now engrained in pop culture having both horrified and delighted several generations of movie watchers.

If you are a fan of ALIEN, this will be a very interesting read comparing the differences between STAR BEAST and the final cut of the film. The visuals and the design of the space ships and the Alien in this comic book are based upon the descriptions by Dan O'Bannon in his screenplay which was written before the artistic involvement of H.R. Giger, Moebius and Ron Cobb became involved with the production of ALIEN. So as you flip through the pages of the comics keep an eye of for differences in the imagery as well as the story from the movie.

If you are fan of ALIEN or just enjoy science fiction in general, this is a must add to your pull list at your favorite comic book store. I wrapped up my week by chilling out reading the first issue of this comic book mini-series on the back patio after a long week. It made me feel like a kid again flipping through these pages. Escapism is such a great way to relieve stress!

When it comes to ALIEN, find out how it originally all began by reading this Dark Horse Comics adaption of the original screenplay. I very much enjoyed reading it and will be picking up the rest of the issues as they come out. Then I'm going to watch ALIEN and read all these comic books again to see what other details I might have missed from my not having seen the movie in awhile. And for my movie aficionado friends out there the series is promoted as part of "20TH CENTURY FOX UNCOVERED" which may mean this treatment for more movies may be on the way!

ALIEN VAULT

A free edition of this book was provided to review by Quarto Knows

Forty years ago Director Ridley Scott merged the genres of sci-fi and horror in the movie ALIEN. This story of a spacecraft crew being stalked by a terrifying parasitic creature that has invaded their ship still scares audiences decades after the film's release. Especially that iconic scene where the alien bursts through the chest of a crewmember after gestating within the man's body who was infested while exploring a derelict alien ship they stumbled across during their space mission. Oh that is gory!

I'm always interested in going beyond the content of my favorite movies learning more about the details of the characters and places within them. Biographies, concept art, prop schematics, and production storyboards are all things I eat up and love to scour through. They are a great way to further immerse yourself into the fictional universes of movies and expand your imagination beyond the scripts of your favorite flicks.

If you are like me and enjoy learning extra details about the creation of movies and discovering insights into the characters and settings in them, check out ALIEN VAULT from Epic Ink. This book takes readers behind the scenes in the production of ALIEN (1979). It includes interviews of the cast and crew sharing details about creating the movie, photographs taken on set, and production sketches used to shape the look of the sets and scenes within ALIEN. Sci-Fi fans will truly be geeked about all the content contained within ALIEN VAULT.

Originally published in 2011, an expanded version of ALIEN VAULT has just been released in recognition of ALIEN'S 40th anniversary with an additional chapter delving into the prequel films PROMETHEUS (2012) and ALIEN: COVENANT (2017). The book is chock full of concept art, production materials, and photographs that provide some incredible insight into the creation of the ALIEN franchise. I was fascinated flipping through its pages!

Highlights of the book include:

+  Imagery of Director Ridley Scott's annotated ALIEN storyboards along with Polaroids and script pages;

+  Preproduction concept artwork by H.R. Giger;

+ Costume designs by Moebius;

+ Sketches and construction blueprints for the Nostromo;

+ Never before scene photographs of the cast and crew during the production of ALIEN.

Plus there is more! There are pull outs secured within envelopes contained inside the book's cover with reproduced movie artifacts. These include a detailed schematic of the Nostromo, early designs of the facehugger concept, replicas of storyboards and a promotional poster from Japan. Pull these out to get a really close up look at these meticulously duplicated items used in producing and promoting ALIEN for its initial release way back in 1979.

This has been such an intriguing and interesting read for me, I absolutely have to give ALIEN VAULT a Geek Daddy nod of approval. Published by Epic Ink, an imprint of Quarto Knows. Epic Ink produces collectible books that celebrate entertainment and pop culture. Some other fine books by Epic Ink that this dad blogger has reviewed include Star Wars: Scum & Villainy and Star Trek: Stellar Cartography. To get your hands on any of these great sci-fi books, head over to quartoknows.com

Our Echo Adventure

When I got home from work the other day my phone started acting up showing these weird images and what looked like maps.  So I stepped out on the front porch to try getting better reception and that is when things really started to get weird...this little creature appeared on my screen and appeared to be trying to communicate with me.     I called out to my 5 year old twins to come out and take a look at this!

The images appearing on my phone seemed to be a map leading towards the neighborhood park down the street from our house.  The kids and I decided to take a stroll over to the park to check things out.  When we arrived the little creature popped back up on the screen and through a series of beeps, clicks and whistles urged us towards the park's playscape.

I encouraged my kids to go investigate.  They cautiously crept up the stairs to the playscape's upper level.  Then I heard a shout out from up top - hey Dad there's something up here!

We found two little creatures hiding in the playscape.  My daughter laughed out "those look like the alien from the movie Echo" and asked if they could take them home.  Yes, we can adopt them I replied.

My kids ran around the park showing their echos how earth children play.  They swung on the swings, slid down the slides, and chased each other in a game of tag.

Then we flew home for dinner where my kids shared with our new adopted family members their favorite meal - spaghetti & meatballs.

Thank you to Fox Home Entertainment for providing my kids with these great Echo plush toys.  Over the last few days these echos have watched my daughter's ballet practice, cheered on my son at his soccer game, enjoyed dinner at a restaurant, observed my carving a toothless Halloween pumpkin, and cuddled up on the couch with my kids to watch a few movies.  Speaking of movies, we received these toys as part of Fox Home Entertainment's promotion of the Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Download release of "Earth to Echo."

EARTH TO ECHO is a tale told through the eyes of Tuck, Munch and Alex, a trio of pals who make an out-of-this world discovery.  The best friends venture out of their neighborhood to find the true meaning of friendship.  After receiving signals on their phones, they meet Echo, a small but amazing energetic alien trying to make his way back to his home planet.  As they race to help their new friend, the boys will discover that little Echo has touched their hearts in unexpected ways and changed their lives forever.

If you would like to create your own echo adventure on your smart phone I downloaded a FREE  app off of iTunes.  Just open the app and point your phone's camera at the DVD's cover artwork and the special effects will automatically appear on your screen.  CLICK HERE to download the "Earth to Echo" augmented reality app.  Through a little creativity, acting and this app, I really was able to prank my kids and provide them with a special treat.

For more information about the movie, visit: www.callhimecho.com

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation for this post but is a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders Blogger program which provides this site with free movies for reviews and giveaways, and occasional other perks like these Earth to Echo toys, in exchange for promotional opportunities with our audience.

#adoptecho #echoinsiders