A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.
In episode 164 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Books we’re thankful for – and why.
Jack the Giant Slayer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult) into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.
Epic is a 3D CG action-adventure comedy that reveals a hidden world unlike any other. From the creators of Ice Age and Rio, Epic tells the story of an ongoing battle deep in the forest between the forces of good who keep the natural world alive and the forces of evil who wish to destroy it. When a teen age girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world..and ours.
Check out the latest trailer after the jump…
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Okay. First – this is Not Safe For Work.
Second. Whoa. You can do a lot when you have an actual budget…
Check it out after the jump.
DC Nation over on CartoonNetwork, continues to add to their slate of DC Comics related shows (Young Justice, Green Lantern) with a new Batman cartoon: Beware The Batman. Fans of Batman: The Brave and The Bold might not be looking forward to this, but fans of Batman: The Animated Series might have a different take. Although done in a CGI style that, so far, looks similar to the blocky Green Lantern, Beware The Batman looks to be a more serious take on the caped crusader, which should appeal to fans of the Batman comics and movies.
A teaser trailer has been released – check it out after the jump!
In episode 163 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester and his rag-tag band of panelists, discuss:
Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, Timothy Zahn, The Thrawn Trilogy, Star Wars: Episode 7, the Star Wars Extended Universe, Star Trek, Pathfinder Tales, Tie-In novels, George Lucas, Stargate, The X-Men, the 501st Legion, Lucasfilm, Disneyland, Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Pixar, Disney Princesses, Disneyland’s overhaul / rebranding of the iconic Submarine Ride as the new “Gungan Undersea Extravaganza’, Marvel Comics, Joe Quesada, Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara, Triumph over Tragedy, Attack of the Show, Newsroom, Pirates 101, Baldurs Gate, The Jar-Jar Binks Live Action Generic Non-Traditional Holiday Special with guests Tinkerbell, Wolverine and The Incredibles, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Ship Breaker, The City’s Son, and Reboots…
I had the opportunity to see the new Bond flick, Skyfall, this week, and while the movie itself is wonderful, it was the title music that struck a chord with me early on. The folks behind the Bond flicks have always done elaborate opening title sequences featuring music from some of the biggest names around. I remember a quote from Paul McCartney saying something like, “Being asked to do the music for a Bond film means you’ve arrived.” This from a former Beatle.
The music in those opening sequences haven’t always resonated with me. In fact, there’s been quite a few that have fallen flat. I believe Shirley Bassey set the tone for Bond when she recorded Goldfinger, and every band or singer since, has been held, at least in my mind, up to that for comparison. Adele’s soulful rendition of Skyfall harkens back to Bassey’s Goldfinger in a way few others have been able to manage, and has prompted me to do a top ten list of my favorites.
In episode 162 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester recorded a live panel at MileHiCon 44 in Denver Colorado on Saturday, October 20th, 2012. Panelists were: Connie Willis, John E. Stith, Nathan Lowell and Cherie Priest, who was also the Guest of Honor for MHC 44.
What? Who are you accusing of being late to the party?
Iron Man 3. I can’t wait. Seriously, this looks great. Extremis? Pepper as Rescue?! (Maybe.) The Mandarin?! The Iron Patriot? AGENT COULSON RIDING A UNICYCLE?!
In episode 161 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Adam Christopher, who admits to loving American pancakes and Twinkies…
About Adam: Adam Christopher is the author of Empire State and Seven Wonders from Angry Robot, and the forthcoming Shadow’s Call from Tor Books. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Adam grew up watching Pertwee-era Doctor Who and listening to The Beatles, which isn’t a bad start for a child of the 80s. In 2006, Adam moved to the North West of England. When not writing Adam can be found drinking tea and obsessing over superhero comics and The Cure.
In episode 156 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester gathers a group of SFSignal folks to discuss: Hard SF books for the beginner.
Hard SF has a reputation for being inaccessible to the beginning or casual reader. What Hard SF Book(s) have you read that you would recommend to someone trying to jump in with both feet?
We also digress into how The 13th Warrior is THE GREATEST MOVIE YOU HAVE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN – SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, WATCH THIS MOVIE! DON’T LISTEN TO JAY GARMON!
Dark Horse Comics and Geek and Sundry keep pumping out some pretty cool motion comics. I like these more than the ones I’ve seen from Marvel in the past (Iron Man Extremis or SPIDER-WOMAN: Agent of S.W.O.R.D.) – I think the animation style is just better.
Today, we have Dinosaur Porn-er, I mean, Age of Reptiles: Tribal Warfare.
About Age of Reptiles: Tribal Warfare:
From Ricardo Delgado–a prolific development and storyboard artist who has worked on such hit films as Men in Black, The Incredibles, WALL-E, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the Matrix series– an epic tale about the most unlikely cast of characters: dinosaurs. Since that first foray into the world of sequential art–which earned him an Eisner win for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition–he has returned to his critically acclaimed Age of Reptiles again and again, each time crafting a captivating saga about his saurian subjects.
Check it out after the jump!
In episode 158 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with prolific author Laura Resnick.
Another stellar motion comic from Dark Horse and Geek and Sundry. This is the beginning of a new multi-part adaptation of The Massive from Brian Wood (Channel Zero, Generation X, DMZ, Local).
About The Massive:
What does it mean to be an environmentalist after the world’s already ended? In The Massive, Callum Israel—leader of the Ninth Wave oceanic activist group—asks himself this question everyday, a question that cuts to the core of his identity. In a post-war, post-crash, post-disaster, post-everything world, nothing is certain and ideologies are meaningless. But the mission remains: search this crumbling world for answers to the cause of the “crash,” and keep up the hunt for their missing sister ship, the Massive, lost and adrift in the chaos. But, before the crash, the members of the Ninth Wave were defined by different missions, different stories. Stories that united them in a common goal. Stories about the ocean…
Check out Part 1 of The Massive after the jump.
Just in time for this weekend’s return of The Walking Dead to AMC (October 14th – check your local listings), the folks over at How It Should Have Ended have released an extended cut of their popular Zombie Song…
He’s just a lonely zombie.. who could really eat some brains…
From director Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan, and based on the Dark Horse comics series The Strain, comes a new motion comic on the Geek and Sundry Youtube channel.
When a Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport and goes dark on the runway, the Center for Disease Control, fearing a terrorist attack, calls in Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team of expert biological-threat first responders. Only an elderly pawnbroker from Spanish Harlem suspects a darker purpose behind the event–an ancient threat intent on covering mankind in darkness…
Check it out after the jump. Warnings for mild language and gore.
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In episode 157 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester chats at WorldCon with Electric Velocipede Editor John Klima.
In episode 156 of the SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester gathers a group of SF Signal folks to discuss: Are optimistic SF stories gone forever?
We’ve discussed this before, but, I still wonder – with so much dystopian and apocalyptic future sf out there, is the idea of a positive future gone forever? Is this just a trend? Will we see the cycle come back around to positive futures again? Soon?
REVIEW SUMMARY: A gritty, faithful adaptation of Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns.
MY RATING: 
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: An aging and retired Bruce Wayne sees his city spiraling down into crime and fear at the hands of Harvey Dent and a new threat, the Mutant Gang, forcing Bruce to reclaim the mantle of the Batman to bring order and justice back to Gotham.
MY REVIEW
PROS: Excellent animation, acting and storytelling; gritty and dark, channeling the original material well.
CONS: As dark as it is, the PG13 rating means most of the ‘in your face’ violence and themes of the original work have been watered down.
BOTTOM LINE: A fine addition to the growing library of Warner Brother’s Premiere / DC Animation titles. Well worth your time and money.
