Coming Soon for Alien Fans: AR Xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani Blueprints




Even though 20th Century Fox was not pleased with the box office performance of last summer's Alien: Covenant, this franchise’s many lines of merchandise seem to be moving along just fine. Home video sales for Covenant are good, NECA is selling action figures that are based on Xenomorph designs from Capcom's 1994 Aliens vs. Predator arcade game, and Eaglemoss has added Xenomorph designs from Kenner's Aliens toy line from the '90s to its ongoing series of collectible Alien franchise replicas. Furthermore, two reference books are coming out that look like must-haves for die-hard Alien fans like me: The Book of Alien: Augmented Reality Survival Manual by Owen Williams, which is being published by Carlton Books, and Alien: The Blueprints by Graham Langridge, which is being published by Titan Books.

Scheduled for release this November in the U.S., the official description of the The Book of Alien: Augmented Reality Survival Manual is that it was written for “new recruits of the U.S. Colonial Marines to impart knowledge of identification and combat of Xenomorphs. Protecting yourself and mankind against this significant and ever-growing threat is the goal. Study a Xenomorph autopsy, witness an Alien egg hatch in real-time, and see the deadly attacks of a face-hugger first-hand. For new recruits, you will also get to see what the life of a USCM pilot is like, and witness 'on the scene' footage of the marines in action, in the form of movie excerpts.”


A simulation exercise from The Book of Alien: Augmented Reality Survival Manual.


Scheduled for publication in September of 2018, Alien: The Blueprints “is a collection of brand new blueprints of all the major vehicles, ships and weaponry of the Alien movie universe. Artist Graham Langridge delves deep into the concept art, set designs and photography to recreate full and accurate blueprints of the drop ship, the Sulaco, the Nostromo and many more. Covering all the movies including Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Presented in a beautiful, hardcover art book, Alien: The Blueprints includes feature gatefold pages to allow the reader to explore larger vessels such as the Sulaco and the Covenant in stunning detail.”


A blueprint of the USS Sulaco from Aliens.


I know that I’ll be getting both of these books eventually, but the augmented reality (AR) manual really piques my interest. Xenomorphs have appeared in dozens of video games, but this is the first time that I've ever heard of them being in an AR setting. Carlton Books has published AR book/app combos before; it even published one that was a tie-in for Jurassic World back in 2015. I don't know how good these AR products are or how The Book of Alien: Augmented Reality Survival Manual performs as an interactive experience, but I'm eager to find out for myself. Then again, if it were up to me, I’d be sure that this book includes AR content from Prometheus, such as holographic star charts and ghostly holograms of giant Engineers in Bio-Suits that run around your house.




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