The world of Alien, yes… Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien, is one of the newest additions to the massive world of Disney, having been part of the acquisition of 20th Century Fox. That world is continually growing, not only with a new film in the works for Hulu, but also through novels and games.
Today at San Diego Comic-Con, the “Alien: Expanding a Dark and Frightening Universe” panel gave us a closer look at the Alien franchise as seen through the development of new fiction, comics, games, and more. On the panel were Steve Saffel (Alien fiction editor, Titan Books), Violet Castro (author, Aliens Vasquez), Clara Carija (author, Alien: Inferno's Fall), and Andrew Gaska (writer, Alien: The Roleplaying Game).
A trio of new Alien novels are being developed, with Alien: Colony War already out, and Alien: Inferno’s Fall on its way. The latter novel is about two women and authored by two women. Co-author Clara Carija talked about her encyclopedic knowledge of and love for the franchise. She noted how her stories were improved by infusing the culture of both Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew Gaska was up next to talk about the development of Alien: The Roleplaying Game. He thinks of it as a source book for the Alien universe, a way to tie years of stories together (at least as best as possible). As the RPG continues to grow, it will take a specific incident from the new trilogy of novels and insert your player into those events.
Finally, author Violet Castro spoke about her new novel based around the character of Vasquez from 1986’s Aliens. Aliens Vasquez expands on the character’s backstory, fleshing out her life, her Mexican-American heritage, and answers just why she is the way she is in the film.
Fiction edition and panel leader Steve Saffel summed up the novels the best, calling them “groundbreaking storytelling.” Whether you’re a lifelong fan of Alien or new to the franchise, these new novels offer something new for everyone.
Be sure to follow along right here for all of our San Diego Comic-Con 2022 coverage all weekend long.