If you aren’t familiar with Sci-Fi-O-Rama, you really ought to check it out. They feature “art, design, & illustration with a sci-fi or fantasy slant.”
Today’s offering, in particular, is pretty awesome. It’s the original cover of Robert Heinlein’s book Have Space Suit – Will Travel, a wonderful illustration by Ed Emshwiller.
Summer TV tends to be pretty hit or miss. I liked Traveller a few years ago, and Black Donnellys was great, but neither attracted enough of an audience to be renewed. That said, I’d describe myself as “cautiously optimistic” about NBC’s upcoming show Merlin.
And to whet my appetite Sci Fi Wire has an interview with Colin Morgan, the wizard himself. The conversation includes descriptions of what it’s like to act in anticipation of the special effects, and some details about the world of the show.
E3 was last week, and there was plenty to get excited about for anyone who likes video games. For sci-fi fans there are a few games in particular aimed at us, and they’ve got write ups over at Sci Fi Wire.
First up is upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. I’m usually not a big MMO fan (I don’t like having to pay for something more than once), but the trailer is pretty BAMF.
Unlike the original BioShock, BioShock 2 will have multiplayer. That sounds pretty cool to me, but the previewer at Sci Fi Wire is a bit apprehensive.
The Conduit is reputed to be the first great FPS for Wii. I don’t know about that (even though it’d be awesome), but Mark Sheppard of Firefly and Battlestar Galactica fame voices the main character. That in and of itself is pretty awesome.
Darkest of Days has a pretty awesome premise – time travelers visiting important historical battles to ensure that the right people survive. This preview adds to the excitement.
If you liked the Aliens vs. Predator game or movies, you might be interested to know that they’re coming out with a next-gen version.
I mentioned earlier that I’m not big into MMO’s, but I do get excited (or at least intrigued) by the premises of some. Jumpgate Evolution sounds like a game I’ve wanted since 3rd grade - MMO meets space shooter. And Heroes of Telara describes itself as a “massively social” game that will attempt to do most of the processing server-side instead of on player machines.
Most movies, no matter how dark, have at least a few funny bits (whether or not they’re intentional). Some, though, really stand out. io9’s made a list of what they think are the ten greatest sci-fi comedies.
Some are obvious choices (Spaceballs squeaks in at #10, and Army of Darkness and Shaun of the Dead share a spot). Some real gems show up on the list, though.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home appears at #4, appropriately, pulling double-duty as a great comedy and one of the better Star Trek movies. And while Groundhog Day isn’t usually thought of as sci-fi, its time-travel element qualifies it for the list.
Mystery Men and Galaxy Quest are probably the funniest movies on the list that don’t have mainstream popularity, but Ghostbusters and Back to the Future may be the “greatest” movies on the list.
It’s June, which means temperatures are up and it’s time for grill out at least twice a week. It also means that most of our favorite TV shows have wrapped up their seasons, and won’t be back for a few months.
Fortunately, Sci Fi Wire has a list of every sci-fi and fantasy show putting out new episodes this summer.
Some of them sound like duds (a brown dwarf star collides with the moon? really? I think we’d have bigger problems than the moon’s suddenly decaying orbit), but a few have me excited.
Merlin, on NBC, will hopefully be a good source for epic fantasy, and SyFy’s Warehouse 13 has a premise that reminds me of the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Storm is just a miniseries event, but it sounds like it’ll be interesting.