Dark Horse Announces Aliens: Defiance

[The Old One]

I don't know if it's in the new edition of Defiance, I don't own it.

[Xiggz456]

It's not. I had seen some of this art from Tristan but thought it was just something unrelated. Very cool though!

[Corporal Hicks]

I re-read the series in one sitting yesterday in the new Library Edition. I like the series more every time I read it. I think that was probably my 4th or 5th time through it. It's still got those moments that irk me - looking at your "not a scratch" then suddenly dead, or the Covenant-tier facehugging - but I think as an entire package it's actually pretty good.

I really do love the episodic/TV series feel to it. In that vein I think the different artists works as in different directors, but Stephen Thomas and Tony Brescini are similar enough in style to Tristan that I think there's enough visual continuity between them.

[SM]

Which Covenant tier facehugging?

[Corporal Hicks]

Hollis' impregnation.

[SM]

Hollis was impregnated before Zula and Davis showed up.

[Corporal Hicks]

Where does that come up? But it also seems like a snafu in her being attacked by the huggers in the first place, so it doesn't work either way IMHO.

[The Cruentus]

It doesn't at all if I remember correctly, SM and I had pretty much the same conversation awhile back about this, and while his explanation is sound and could be a possibility (as it is a queen chestburster after all, which means longer gestation period) nothing in the comic as far as I recall even hints at Hollis being impregnated prior to the facehugger attack. Her cut lip gets pointed out after the attack, so I get the impression that it was meant to hint at something.

[SM]

It seems very obvious that she was already carrying the Queen.

a) it's a Queen and they take days to gestate
b) it explains how Hollis is the only survivor
c) Davis kills the hugger before it attaches itself to her.

[Corporal Hicks]

a) it's a Queen and they take days to gestate

Yep, that was an issue I had with her being infected during the attack.

b) it explains how Hollis is the only survivor

Not so sure on that one. Newt wasn't infected. And Hollis could have just have been hiding too.

c) Davis kills the hugger before it attaches itself to her.

But they still attack her.

Either way, it isn't satisfactory for me which is why this particular thing will be something that just annoys me about Defiance. But like I said, it's just one of those few things that gets on my nerves about the series, but I'm finding I just enjoy the whole thing more each time I revisit it.

[The Cruentus]

Even cold forge has the facehuggers insta-impregnate their host, I think one page mentions how as soon as it attached to the chimp it was already implanting the plagiarius praepoteans into them. One guy does say that it does remain attached for a day but it still another one of those covenant-issues.
Personally I don't like it, I prefer the original life cycle timing.

[SM]

Not so sure on that one. Newt wasn't infected. And Hollis could have just have been hiding too.

Was she hiding?  Newt was able to hide due to being small.  Everyone bigger than her was dead.

But they still attack her.

Why would they not?  They attacked Ripley in Resurrection and she was part Alien.  The Alien in Alien 3 was a beartbeat away from killing Ripley before it held back.  The Queen in AvP killed Scar who was packing.

Ultimately Hollis isn't shown to be hugged during the events of the comic.

Her being attacked might be an issue; but it's not 'Covenant-tier facehugging' since she didn't get face hugged.  Lope did, if only very briefly.

Even cold forge has the facehuggers insta-impregnate their host, I think one page mentions how as soon as it attached to the chimp it was already implanting the plagiarius praepoteans into them.

Why would it not start implanting straight away?

[Corporal Hicks]

Not so sure on that one. Newt wasn't infected. And Hollis could have just have been hiding too.

Was she hiding?  Newt was able to hide due to being small.  Everyone bigger than her was dead.

Whose to say she wasn't hiding? If I remember rightly the Aliens had all actually been locked away - because Davis unleashes them on the marines. There are more ways to hide or avoid detection than just being small and getting into a little hidey hole.

But they still attack her.

Why would they not?  They attacked Ripley in Resurrection and she was part Alien.  The Alien in Alien 3 was a beartbeat away from killing Ripley before it held back.  The Queen in AvP killed Scar who was packing.

All good points, but none are completely applicable and most can be explained away. Ripley 8 was still human, and we know capable of hosting an Alien. I would assume someone already infected wouldn't be able to just host another burster from a second hugger - but given the Requiem burster in Resistance who knows how far Wood was going to go.

The Queen didn't hit his chest, and I would imagine that's deliberately. You could also argue that his danger to the Queen's continued existence was more important to her. The Alien 3 is a little harder to explain, but we get to see it actually retreat away from her which leads me to ...

Ultimately Hollis isn't shown to be hugged during the events of the comic.

Her being attacked might be an issue; but it's not 'Covenant-tier facehugging' since she didn't get face hugged.  Lope did, if only very briefly.

It may not have been shown, but the main takeaway from that sequence for most folk is that it was either something equivalent to Lope's impregnation or not quite work because she is being attacked. I'm sure I'm not alone in that, and I think this'll be an ongoing complaint about the series.

I think it'd have been a more satisfying sequence if we'd actually seen the huggers retreat from Hollis after they'd got to her. If we're thinking it takes proximity for them to sense the embryo (if that scene in Alien 3 is the Runner realising for the first time), then I'd have been okay with them going for her and then backing off.

[The Old One]

I totally agree with you on principal, but also, instantaneous impregnation is just the way it is now, so I don't mind.

[SM]

The Queen didn't hit his chest, and I would imagine that's deliberately.

Probably, but that's beside the point.  She still killed a host.

It may not have been shown, but the main takeaway from that sequence for most folk is that it was either something equivalent to Lope's impregnation or not quite work because she is being attacked.

I don't see how it's equivalent to Lope - when its clearly not the same as Lope.  A hugger doesn't attach to her face like Lope so can't implant anything.