March 11, 2015
The Thyme Fiend
It's not all in his head.
March 4, 2015
The Shape of My Name
How far can you travel to claim yourself?
February 25, 2015
The Hell of It
What will he wager?
February 18, 2015
Schrödinger’s Gun
Maybe in some other timeline it would have gone smooth.
Artist Donato Giancola, who wonderfully illustrated the Song of Ice and Fire 2015 calendar, has gifted us with more ASOIAF-inspired work. Recently he has posted several excellent drawings to his Facebook page, including one of Brienne of Tarth and this image of Arya and the fallen Hound. Check them all out!
Afternoon Roundup brings you Batman rumors, Mal and Wash on a spaceship again (sorta), and Commander Riker in Nerd Court!
Oh, this is a good day. You know why? Because we get to look at these amazing sketches of Ray Harryhausen’s work! This recently-unearthed sketchbook includes thumbnails for the finale of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (seen above), unrealized projects like War of the Worlds, as well as a scene that didn’t make it into the final cut of First Men on the Moon. Giant moths!
Morning Roundup travels to the far reaches of Middle-earth, Paul Feig travels to some dark corners of the internet, and we’ve finally learned why Baby Groot didn’t invite Drax to dance!
When the first still for the Sherlock Christmas special was released, we figured that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were channeling the classic Holmes and Watson for perhaps a stage play or a murder mystery dinner party. But it turns out the reason is a bit more bonkers, and rather intriguing: Co-creator Steven Moffat has confirmed that the Christmas special will actually be set in Victorian times.
Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of the wildly successful podcast Welcome to Night Vale, have written a novel set in the same bizarre universe! Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel will be published by Harper Perennial on October 20, 2015. Today, they’ve revealed the cover, designed by Rob Wilson, who also created the show’s logo.
All through the Thor and Avengers movies, Thor has wondered if he is truly worthy to carry Mjolnir to its true purpose... hammering this nail. Or so you would think in Francois Dourlen’s photo series (via PopSugar), in which he juxtaposes famous movie images on his iPhone with mundane settings. The rock-climbing/Spider-Man kiss snap is just as inspired.
Afternoon Roundup gives you the secret to plundering silver screen treasures; a catalogue of Tom Cruise’s deaths; and your key to complete dominion over all things Disney.
If you’re an art director looking for new talent or a fan who’s ready for an explosion of amazing sights, check out the new blog, Women in Fantastical Art.
Orgianizer Leesha Hannigan states, “I wanted to put together a gallery featuring work submitted by women in fantasy & sci-fi, to showcase some of the incredible diversity and range of wonderful styles I have come across.”
Women in Fantastical Art was created, in part, as a reaction to a number of controversies dealing with the roles of women in the illustration community, and within SFF art in particular. In a field where women are often marginalized as professionals, and diminished on canvas, it’s wonderful to see this as a celebration of the artwork created by women and a useful tool for hiring artists.
Awww...artist zRISes has created a great (if unlikely) pairing with Big Zelda 6! Although Link looks a little... ah, tentative about working with his friend here. Smash all the pots, Baymax!
Morning Roundup invites you to cheer as Robb Stark becomes Prince Charming! Thrill as Jeff Corwin hugs a stingray! Chill as The Ring returns!
Having conducted several AMAs on Reddit’s r/fantasy, Brandon Sanderson decided to hang out at r/books this time around for another Ask Me Anything thread. The Stormlight Archive, Words of Radiance, Mistborn, Firefight—everything garnered questions.
Sanderson fielded reader questions about what Parshendi singing actually sounds like, whether Scadrial will get an allomancy-based sport, romantic pairings (or lack thereof), balancing character deaths and resurrections, and much more. He chatted Shard“forks,” investitures, and Way of Kings-inspired tattoo sleeves. No surprise, it was a long and wide-ranging discussion, filled with lots of details and more than a few responses of “RAFO” (Read and Find Out). Check out the highlights below!
Also, spoilers ahead for Words of Radiance and the Mistborn series, among other Sanderson works.
We’re really digging these Art Nouveau Legend of Korra pieces from Scott “Swade” Wade. Korra looks especially badass, but the other Avatars are not shabby either, especially with each piece highlighting their specific elements.
Afternoon Roundup brings you the scariest horror movie of 2015 (so far), space travel reality TV fears, and what happens when you open the German meme floodgates.
Laughing Squid has shared this fabulous Batman made from multiple, tinier Batmans! Or Batmen! Whatever! Artist Mr. Garcin created the collage from many, many chopped-up comics. How many Bat-characters can you spot?
Morning Roundup brings you the wisdom of Terry Pratchett, news on the Star Wars universe, a very silly reason to come to New York!
The past few months have seen several stories about organizations utilizing 3D printing technology to build prosthetic arms for children with partially-developed hands and arms. This latest story will tug at your heartstrings even more, because it involves Robert Downey Jr. getting in character as Tony Stark to present an Iron Man bionic arm to 7-year-old Alex Pring.
Since Frozen’s release in 2013, Disney has prolonged its runaway hit through a Once Upon a Time season arc, the animated short Frozen Fever, and a forthcoming Broadway show. But no word on a sequel, until today: At its annual shareholders meeting, Disney officially confirmed Frozen 2.
Disney and Lucasfilm have announced the first Star Wars standalone film at their annual shareholders meeting. Rogue One will star The Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones as—we’re assuming—the first prominent lady member of Rogue Squadron.
You fools! Why would you give a key to the city to Cobra Commander? And less than a month before the G.I. Joe Collectors’ Convention. Clearly the mayor of Springfield, Illinois has been corrupted, as he is giving the Joes’ greatest enemy more power than he could possibly imagine. Comics Alliance explains the true danger of this baffling move, and why we need the Joes more than ever.
Afternoon Roundup brings you the first look at the Sand Snakes, a deep dive into one of the most nefarious fanfics, and all the cover reveals.
Well this is an even-more-depressing version of The Road, or maybe A Boy and His Dog? Boingboing shared Max Dunbar’s terrifying - yet oddly poignant - portrait of a post-apocalyptic Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Now can we get Lucy in a Tina Turner Beyond Thunderdome wig? Peppermint Patty and Marcy as MasterBlaster?
Morning Roundup looks back at a time travel classic, and forward into the future of justice in sci-fi. Plus, if you’re interested in becoming the Spider Jerusalem of the present, we may have the chance you’ve been waiting for!
Award-winning author Elizabeth Bear plays in all of your favorite genres: Steles of the Sky, the conclusion to her epic fantasy Eternal Sky trilogy, was one of your favorite books of 2014; her new novel Karen Memory is a rollicking steampunk Western adventure yarn; her short story “This Chance Planet” takes us into a near-science fiction future while retaining familiar mythology.
In a recent AMA on Reddit’s r/fantasy subreddit, Bear discusses how she builds these unique worlds by importing conventions of one genre into another; drops hints about the next Eternal Sky trilogy; calls dibs on past-tense verb/adjective titles; and shares what her second choice for animal surname would be (Bulfinch). And those are only the short answers! Read on for the AMA highlights.
Last weekend, the British Quidditch Cup was held at none other than Wayne Manor. (Well, Wollaton Hall and Park in Nottingham, where key scenes from The Dark Knight Rises were shot.) We’d like to think that Quidditch could have done young Master Wayne some good; Batman is definitely a Beater. (Hat-tip to @annesmart for the photo; check out another great shot.)
Afternoon Roundup brings you live-action Dumbo with a trippy director; a digital quilt of fantasy paintings; and the opportunity to see Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk together on a spaceship again!
Artist Joshua Ketchen has brought the full force of sci-fi nostalgia to these classic videogames! His series of pulp book covers reimagines Bioshock, Resident Evil, and Mega Man as old-school paperbacks. We can practically smell them...
Morning Roundup brings you glorious hand-sized insects, heroines who are not Wonder Woman (but wonderful nonetheless), and a zombilicious cookie recipe!
PlayStation has premiered the first episode of its original series Powers online, free to watch. Based on Brian Michael Bendis’ comic book series, Powers follows Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley), a former superhero who now works for the LAPD apprehending people who didn’t get the memo about great power(s) coming with great responsibility.
A few years ago, advertising agency Oskoui + Oskoui released their Star Wars By the Numbers series—tongue-in-cheek infographics measuring speciesism in the Galactic Empire, Anakin Skywalker’s approval rating through all six movies, and limbs lost by demographic. It’s a fun way of looking at the Star Wars universe; hopefully they’ll be inspired by the new trilogy to whip up some more infographics. (Hat-tip to Imgur for resurfacing these.)
Afternoon Roundup brings you another new Ghostbusters movie, more fantasy and genre label debate, and books on AI.
