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Peter Hogan Talks Resident Alien: An Alien In New York

Published

8 years ago

March 27, 2018

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Biting The Big Apple

♦ Tripwire’s editor-in-chief JOEL MEADOWS talks to writer Peter Hogan about Resident Alien: An Alien In New York, starting next month from Dark Horse…

TRIPWIRE: Give us the one line elevator pitch for An Alien in New York.

PETER HOGAN: Harry discovers that he might not be the only alien on the planet – and since it seems like there might be another one in New York, Harry decides to go there to find out for sure.

TW: This is the fifth miniseries featuring the character. What have you found that’s new to say about him ?

PH: It’s an ongoing thing. Each miniseries has its own story to tell, or mystery to solve, whichever way you want to look at it – but it’s also about Harry, and he’s on his own internal journey, which progresses with each series. I’d say that’s changing him – and his interactions with others – as he goes along, and hopefully the readers will find all that intriguing enough to stick with.

TW: The new series is set in New York. What is it about this city that attracted you to set the latest adventure ?

PH: I’ve always loved the place. It’s the citiest city, as someone once remarked. I’ve been there many times, and had an extended stay at one point in my late twenties when I thought I might settle there long-term, but it didn’t work out.

Anyway, it occurred to me long ago that Harry’s actually an immigrant – perhaps the ultimate immigrant – so New York seemed a logical destination for him. The whole story’s kind of a weird one, and also off on a tangent from the main ongoing narrative. It’s about being an immigrant – which has become a lot more of a topical issue since I wrote the thing – and also about art, and NYC, and lots of other things as well. I think it’s the best series to date, but then I always think that about the latest one.

TW: You are working with Steve Parkhouse again. How closely do you collaborate with him ?

PH: Steve’s the co-creator of the whole shebang, so … we probably talked a hell of a lot right at the very beginning of Resident Alien, and before the beginning. After that, we’ve pretty much trusted each other to get on with it, and that’s the way it’s been ever since we first collaborated on stories for The Dreaming. Once in a while we talk on the phone, just to stay in touch, and of course we also thrash out any problems that might arise for Steve once I’ve finished the script. Other than that, it’s all what you see on the page.

TW: How much is sci fi the perfect conduit for satire ?

PH: Hmm. With some literary fiction, I sometimes find an annoying lack of imagination on the author’s part. I mean a lack of imagination about the world, and about life in general. Whereas with fantastical fiction of any kind that’s never an issue, since imagination is fully in play from page one. As a result, I think you can say all kinds of interesting things about the real world – satirizing it being just one of them – and the readers will take it all in their stride.

TW: There were rumours of a Resident Alien TV show in the works … is that going to happen ?

PH: We’re still talking to people, that’s all I can tell you. Obviously, I’d be very happy to see a good adaptation come to pass … but I’d also rather there be no adaptation at all than a bad one. My experience of Hollywood so far is that you never know what’s going to happen, only that it will happen or not happen very, very slowly.

TW: What else are you working on ?

PH: Lots of things, but nothing I can tell you about just yet.