Comments on: Round 1 of the Dinosaurs vs Aliens Throwdown http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2012/07/round-1-of-the-dinosaurs-vs-aliens-throwdown/ Where Paleontology Meets Pop Culture Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:48:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Alan http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2012/07/round-1-of-the-dinosaurs-vs-aliens-throwdown/comment-page-1/#comment-6673 Alan Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:53:08 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/?p=8143#comment-6673 FYI the creatures in Aliens are not parasites but rather are parasitoids. Parasites just feed off their hosts in a manner that does not kill but keeps the host alive as an ongoing source of food. By contrast, parasitoids always kill their hosts, as in wasps which lay their eggs inside the larvae of other insects, later to hatch and eat their way out. FYI the creatures in Aliens are not parasites but rather are parasitoids. Parasites just feed off their hosts in a manner that does not kill but keeps the host alive as an ongoing source of food. By contrast, parasitoids always kill their hosts, as in wasps which lay their eggs inside the larvae of other insects, later to hatch and eat their way out.

]]> By: Walter http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2012/07/round-1-of-the-dinosaurs-vs-aliens-throwdown/comment-page-1/#comment-6660 Walter Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:39:38 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/?p=8143#comment-6660 I purchased a digital version of DvA last week, and I largely agree with your review. If anything, I think you downplay just how much the comic falls apart in the third act. For the first two chapters, it is the best-looking dinosaur comic I’ve come across, then the artwork takes a 180-degree turn—I had a hard time believing it was the same artist. The gorgeous panels are replaced by little more than hastily drawn sketches. The story also loses steam, with the aliens mostly just clichés (the soft-hearted love interest, the genocidal military general, etc.). Both left me less enthused for Part 2, if it ever comes. WARNING TO IPAD/TABLET USERS: I was very disappointed with my digital copy, which I purchased with the iVerse comics app. The file was low resolution, so much so I have trouble reading text in the frequent two-page spreads, even when I enlarged the image. The artwork itself was noticeably pixelated. I contacted iVerse to request either a higher-resolution file or a refund if one isn’t in the works. It has been more than a week and I haven’t heard back. What I’m saying is if you purchase this comic, it is probably best to buy the print version. I purchased a digital version of DvA last week, and I largely agree with your review. If anything, I think you downplay just how much the comic falls apart in the third act. For the first two chapters, it is the best-looking dinosaur comic I’ve come across, then the artwork takes a 180-degree turn—I had a hard time believing it was the same artist. The gorgeous panels are replaced by little more than hastily drawn sketches. The story also loses steam, with the aliens mostly just clichés (the soft-hearted love interest, the genocidal military general, etc.). Both left me less enthused for Part 2, if it ever comes.

WARNING TO IPAD/TABLET USERS: I was very disappointed with my digital copy, which I purchased with the iVerse comics app. The file was low resolution, so much so I have trouble reading text in the frequent two-page spreads, even when I enlarged the image. The artwork itself was noticeably pixelated. I contacted iVerse to request either a higher-resolution file or a refund if one isn’t in the works. It has been more than a week and I haven’t heard back. What I’m saying is if you purchase this comic, it is probably best to buy the print version.

]]> By: Rhys http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2012/07/round-1-of-the-dinosaurs-vs-aliens-throwdown/comment-page-1/#comment-6659 Rhys Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:26:46 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/?p=8143#comment-6659 I think the downshift in quality in the third chapter was intentional, actually. Given that it's the aliens' first contact with the dinosaurs, which they viewed as simple savages, they were illustrated as such. There's one panel showing the very crudely drawn 'raptor dead on the ground and another darting in after their leader's headdress that's shown in the full detail they had earlier. I'm certain that the two styles being used in the same panel like that was to show what the two groups thought of the dinosaurs. It's also worth mentioning that the crudely drawn dinosaurs lack the decorative armor and paint/tattoos they had earlier, making them look much more animalistic. I think the downshift in quality in the third chapter was intentional, actually. Given that it’s the aliens’ first contact with the dinosaurs, which they viewed as simple savages, they were illustrated as such. There’s one panel showing the very crudely drawn ‘raptor dead on the ground and another darting in after their leader’s headdress that’s shown in the full detail they had earlier. I’m certain that the two styles being used in the same panel like that was to show what the two groups thought of the dinosaurs. It’s also worth mentioning that the crudely drawn dinosaurs lack the decorative armor and paint/tattoos they had earlier, making them look much more animalistic.

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