Marvel's First Alien Omnibus

Direct market exclusive cover by Mark A. Nelson

The first reprint omnibus collection of old Alien comics coming from Marvel's new licencing deal with Fox is due to hit stores in April.

Aliens Omnibus Volume 1 will contain:

• Aliens (1988) 1-6,
• Aliens (1989) 1-4,
• Aliens: Earth War (1990) 1-4,
• Aliens: Genocide (1991) 1-4,
• Aliens: Hive (1992) 1-4,
• Aliens: Tribes (1992) 1,
• Aliens: Newt's Tale (1992) 1-2,
• Alien 3 (1992) 1-3
• Aliens: Space Marines (1992) 1-12

Plus material from Dark Horse Presents (1986) 24, 42-43, 56; Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special (1991) 1; and Dark Horse Insider (1989) 14-27.

New Raised By Wolves Trailer Gives Us A Taste Of Ridley Scott's Story

You Could Own The Original Nostromo

The 11-foot Nostromo principal filming model miniature from Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror film Alien is coming up for auction in Los Angeles at the end of the month.

According to the auction catalogue, the estimate is $300,000 - 500,000

GM IDEAS: Wormholes & Space Travel

GM IDEAS: Asteroid Mining

After you've watched the short clip above from Ancient Aliens about the wealth of resources in our asteroid belt, check out the infographic below (you'll have to click on it to make it more legible) from space mining start-up Planetary Resources explaining the trillion-dollar potential of industrialised asteroid mining.

click to embiggen

GM IDEAS: Underwater Space Station

Fabien Cousteau, grandson of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, is proposing the construction of The Proteus, an underwater 4,000-square-foot modular lab off the coast of the Caribbean island of Curaçao.

CNN reports:

"Designed as a two-story circular structure grounded to the ocean floor on stilts, Proteus' protruding pods contain laboratories, personal quarters, medical bays and a moon pool where divers can access the ocean floor. Powered by wind and solar energy, and ocean thermal energy conversion, the structure will also feature the first underwater greenhouse for growing food, as well as a video production facility.

"The Proteus is intended to be the underwater version of the International Space Station (ISS), where government agencies, scientists, and the private sector can collaborate in the spirit of collective knowledge, irrespective of borders."

Not only do you have the potential for Underwater-style Earth-based adventures, but this idea of a submerged 'space station' could easily be transposed to any alien planet with a large body of water.

John Was Trying To Contact Aliens - Netflix Trailer

John Shepherd spent 30 years trying to contact extraterrestrials by broadcasting music millions of miles into space. After giving up the search he makes a different connection here on Earth.

GM IDEAS: Irradiated Oceans

Scientists studying exoplanets now believe that the class they've described as "mini-Neptunes" (just over twice the size of Earth)  may actually be "rocky exoplanets covered by thick, deeply-irradiated oceans", according to an article on Futurism.

The article, on research by scientists at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille, explains:

"...some may have oceans of highly pressurized and heated supercritical liquid that’s been irradiated by a powerful greenhouse effect. The ocean, just like a gas giant’s atmosphere, could account for the low density and mass of the exoplanets."

Just something else trying to kill your explorers in a cold, uncaring universe!

Raised By Wolves - Ridley Scott Trailer

Mother was programmed to protect everyone after Earth had been destroyed. When the big bad wolf shows up, she is the one we must trust.

Ridley Scott's American television debut, Raised by Wolves comes to HBO Max next month.

Written by Aaron Guzikowski, and with Scott directing the first two (of 10) episodes, the dramatic new sci-fi follows a pair of androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious, virgin planet. As the young colony of humans divides over religious differences, the androids learn controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous, difficult job.

The cast includes Travis Fimmel, Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Winta McGrath, Niamh Algar, Felix Jamieson, Ethan Hazzard, Jordan Loughran, Aasiya Shah and Ivy Wong.

Raised by Wolves is said not to be part of the Alien franchise... but then wasn't the same initially said of Prometheus?

It sure looks like it could fit the oeuvre, even if only unofficially.

Alien RPG Named "Game Of The Year"

At this year's (virtual) Gen Con, the gold Ennie Award for the Best Game Of The Year went to Free League's Alien RPG.

And check below for the recording of the live-streamed actual play of the scenario Hope's Last Stand: