Prometheus: Fire and Stone 1

When the Prometheus never returned from her fateful journey to LV-223, the questions surrounding the origins of man went unanswered. Now a new team of explorers seeks to uncover the dark mystery that holds not only the fate of the original mission, but possibly their own damnation.

Set shortly after the hit film Prometheus, Prometheus: Fire and Stone sees a group of explorers setting out on what they believe to be a low-risk salvage mission.  Little do they know that they are actually headed toward LV-223, the planet where the crew of the Prometheus was lost.  All initial reports claimed that LV-223 was a deserted planet, meaning that it should just be a barren wasteland.  How surprised was the crew from the Geryon when they discovered a strange jungle on the planet’s surface.  As they journeyed further into the mysterious forest, the plant and animal life became stranger and stranger.  If they’re not careful, they’re fate may be the same as that of the Prometheus.

It reads a lot like many other sci-fi series, with the ships and computers giving all of the technical read-outs and the base designations for all of the unclassified planets.  Which is all well and good, but the problem I had was I just couldn't really get into it.  This series would be a great companion to someone who has seen the movie and wants to explore that universe some more, but as someone who hasn't seen the movies (yes, I’m one of those people) I just didn't get the impact of everything that was happening.  For all I know, the majority of the stuff the characters were talking about was in reference to the movie and here I am left out on the joke, so to speak.  I think if I had seen the movies, this would have been a lot more of an enjoyable read, but because I haven’t it read like another sci-fi story.

I will say I did like the artwork though.  The pencil-work and shading, gave it a more dated look, which is good, because I believe this is supposed to take place before the Alien movies.  Juan Ferreyra had some great detailing on the close-up shots and brought out some very nice designs with the ships.  He even managed to capture that Giger-esque look to the plant and animal life in the forest.  A nice mix of mechanical and organic.  If you haven’t seen the movies like me, the book is at least worth it to check out the artwork.

A nice addition to the Alien storyline, but it just doesn't work so well if you haven’t seen the movies.  But who knows, maybe you’ll pick this up and this’ll be what turns you on to the whole Alien series.  If that’s the case then by all means, grab a copy, otherwise you may not snag this one right away if you've been negligent in your nerd duties, like myself, and have yet to partake of these films.  In any case, Prometheus: Fire and Stone number 1 is a good buy for all of you Alien aficionados out there.  For more info on where to find this issue, visit the Dark Horse website, or the Dark Horse Facebook page.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.