Sequart Organization » science fiction

Captain Video: Forgotten Father of the Sci-Fi Franchise

James Heath Lantz — Mon, 10 Jun 2019 16:41:31 +0000

Captain Video: Forgotten Father of the Sci-Fi Franchise" title="Captain Video: Forgotten Father of the Sci-Fi Franchise" style="float:left;" />Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Luke Skywalker, the Doctor, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, Captain Video… What do those names have in common? If you said they are protagonists that launched science fiction franchises you’d be correct,… [more]

Review of The Lost Puzzler

Brian Cowlishaw — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:53:55 +0000

The Lost Puzzler" title="Review of The Lost Puzzler" style="float:left;" />(I am a Harper Voyager Super Reader: HarperVoyager gives me free advance copies of upcoming science-fiction and fantasy titles, and in return I write honest reviews. This one is spoiler-free; I reveal nothing you couldn’t… [more]

Review of Kayin and Abeni: Afro Space Adventures #1-2

Tom Shapira — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 11:00:00 +0000

Kayin and Abeni: Afro Space Adventures #1-2" title="Review of Kayin and Abeni: Afro Space Adventures #1-2" style="float:left;" />One of the major problems with science-fiction comics, especially as the genre bursts into the forefront of the mainstream comics with the likes of Image and Boom and Aftershock, is that there’s this feeling that… [more]

It’s Sequart’s Fifth Annual Sci-Fi Week!

Julian Darius — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 12:00:02 +0000

Coinciding with this week’s release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Sequart is celebrating its fifth annual Sci-Fi Week! All this week, we’ll be running content focusing on sci-fi comics and popular culture. Sequart ran… [more]

Star Trek Nemesis: The End of an Era

Ian Dawe — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 23:00:57 +0000

Star Trek Nemesis: The End of an Era" title="Star Trek Nemesis: The End of an Era" style="float:left;" />Star Trek Nemesis, released 15 years ago at this time of year, is the nadir of the entire franchise. The 1998 Trek instalment, Insurrection, was also very weak, but weak within the normal parameters of… [more]

Descender #17: Connections

Ian Dawe — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 18:00:04 +0000

Descender #17: Connections" title="Descender #17: Connections" style="float:left;" />Descender takes a turn in issue #17 (released just before Christmas last year). This innovative and emotional science fiction comic has spent its past five issues on “singularity” stories, focusing on one character at a… [more]

Arrival: Science Fiction for Grownups

Ian Dawe — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 18:02:44 +0000

Arrival: Science Fiction for Grownups" title="Arrival: Science Fiction for Grownups" style="float:left;" />Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, has the structure of a magic trick. It slowly, carefully, shows us something in its first few minutes, then gives us about 70 minutes of misdirection before showing us what… [more]

Why I Admire Rogue One

Julian Darius — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 11:52:44 +0000

Rogue One" title="Why I Admire Rogue One" style="float:left;" />First, a warning: here there be spoilers. Seriously, spoilers. Spoilers… Okay? Still here? Good. Let me start by admitting that Rogue One is an imperfect movie. Ian Dawe has done his usual excellent job talking… [more]

Revisiting Crimson Empire

Sean McInerney — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 16:00:39 +0000

Crimson Empire" title="Revisiting Crimson Empire" style="float:left;" />Written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley and illustrated by Paul Gulacy, Crimson Empire first premiered in 1997, and followed the exploits of a former Imperial royal guard Kir Kanos, as he tries to seek… [more]

Rogue One Stumbles, then Soars

Ian Dawe — Sun, 18 Dec 2016 18:45:13 +0000

Rogue One Stumbles, then Soars" title="Rogue One Stumbles, then Soars" style="float:left;" />Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is appropriately titled. It isn’t a “Star Wars movie” in that it isn’t about the Skywalker family, nor is it about the specific large mythic arcs that define that… [more]

Can Shape-Shifters Change Into God-Like Beings?

Benjamin Hall — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 16:30:35 +0000

The answer to the titular question is yes and no. However, in order to properly explain how I have come to this conclusion we first have to define the type of shape-shifter. There are the… [more]

Darth Vader – Office Bully

Jon Cormier — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 18:15:42 +0000

It wasn’t until I recently rewatched the three original Star Wars movies (and The Force Awakens) that I realized the Rebels win because of their diversity. They have women in positions of power and non-white… [more]

The Road to Rogue One

Mark Newbold — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 17:30:13 +0000

Rogue One" title="The Road to Rogue One" style="float:left;" />This time last year, as we were preparing to dig into the delights of The Force Awakens, long-time fans knew that at the very least the thought of doing a seventh episode and a third… [more]

Money and Trade at the End of the World

Brian Cowlishaw — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 18:00:45 +0000

Every video roleplaying game has basically the same setup: shops offering increasingly powerful items and equipment accompany the path toward the final boss. You sell your junk there, make repairs, upgrade cloth armor to leather… [more]

The Present Future: A Critical Examination of Contemporary Science Fiction and its Connection to Current, Historical, and Social Events

Jarrett Mazza — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 21:05:28 +0000

Great science fiction is not defined by space operas or interstellar warfare, it is defined by its execution and integration of social, historical, and contemporary issues and whether it instills a specific message or conveys… [more]

Revisiting The Left Hand of Darkness

Michael Campochiaro — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 16:00:01 +0000

The Left Hand of Darkness" title="Revisiting The Left Hand of Darkness" style="float:left;" />Reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness in Freshman English during college was a formative experience. Only, I wasn’t prepared yet as an eighteen year old to fully appreciate how so until years… [more]

She Made Them in Their Image: Sebex in the Universe of ODY-C

Matthew Kirshenblatt — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:11:28 +0000

ODY-C" title="She Made Them in Their Image: Sebex in the Universe of ODY-C" style="float:left;" />For the longest time, ever since high school, I have been reading Homer’s Odyssey. This is something that has followed me from Undergrad all the way into my Graduate studies. But not too long ago… [more]

It’s Sequart’s Fourth Annual Sci-Fi Week!

Julian Darius — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 12:00:02 +0000

Coinciding with this week’s release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Sequart is celebrating its fourth annual Sci-Fi Week! All this week, we’ll be running content focusing on sci-fi comics and popular culture. Sequart… [more]

Sequart Releases Book on Star Wars Comics

Julian Darius — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:00:30 +0000

Star Wars Comics" title="Sequart Releases Book on Star Wars Comics" style="float:left;" />Sequart is proud to announce the publication of A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics, edited by Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato. After Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, the moviegoing experience was… [more]

Descender #16: A Real Killer

Ian Dawe — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 19:25:33 +0000

Descender #16: A Real Killer" title="Descender #16: A Real Killer" style="float:left;" />All of the characters in Descender (with the possible exception of the TIMs) have an undercurrent of rage and confusion. Their world changed so dramatically, and so quickly, with the Harvester attack that it re-drew… [more]

Descender #15: Effie

Ian Dawe — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 21:30:55 +0000

Descender #15: Effie" title="Descender #15: Effie" style="float:left;" />Descender’s”singularity” series continues in issue #15, with a new and interesting twist: a love story. But there’s nothing sentimental or false about this particular love story; it recounts a tragic, wise and emotionally realistic relationship… [more]

Invisible Republic Begins a New Arc in Issue #11

Ian Dawe — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:15:30 +0000

Invisible Republic Begins a New Arc in Issue #11" title="Invisible Republic Begins a New Arc in Issue #11" style="float:left;" />The new story arc of Invisible Republic, which begins here in issue #11, is a bit of a departure from previous issues and arcs in this compelling and complex science fiction drama. Readers will remember… [more]

Droids, Slaves and C-3PO’s Red Arm

Ian Dawe — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 19:40:00 +0000

The role of droids in the Star Wars universe has always been fairly clear, and yet tinged with some troubling implications. They’re servants, essentially, but they’re also companions and, most interestingly of all, they have… [more]

Descender #12: Brothers

Ian Dawe — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 22:10:46 +0000

Descender #12: Brothers" title="Descender #12: Brothers" style="float:left;" />One of Descender’s strongest themes has always been the notion of robots having souls — sometimes souls more pure and more sensitive than the flesh and blood humans that surround them. Our central robot character,… [more]

Descender #11: Stuck in the Middle

Ian Dawe — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 22:00:28 +0000

Descender #11: Stuck in the Middle" title="Descender #11: Stuck in the Middle" style="float:left;" />The moral sides are rather sharply drawn now in issue #11 of Descender. We’ve met humanoid fanatics, bent on the destruction of all robotic life (The Scrappers of Gnish) and now we’ve met the other… [more]

Julian Darius on The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made

Mike Phillips — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 18:00:19 +0000

The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made" title="Julian Darius on The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made" style="float:left;" />As part of its ongoing Patreon campaign, Sequart runs a Book/Movie of the Month Club. Patrons get a digital copy of a Sequart book or movie at the beginning of each month, and they’re invited… [more]

Descender #10: Picking a Side

Ian Dawe — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 23:15:45 +0000

Descender #10: Picking a Side" title="Descender #10: Picking a Side" style="float:left;" />We’ve spent so much time getting to know the characters and their personal challenges over the past 10 issues of Descender that it’s good to be reminded in the new issue that the freaking galaxy… [more]

Martian Comics #3: Review

Colby Pryor — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 18:00:48 +0000

Martian Comics #3: Review" title="Martian Comics #3: Review" style="float:left;" />[Before I begin to review Martian Comics #3 I wanted to state that the idea behind this review was all mine. Julian, the head of Sequart, and the Sequart team were worried that having their… [more]

Descender #9: Simple Feelings

Ian Dawe — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 20:50:36 +0000

Descender #9: Simple Feelings" title="Descender #9: Simple Feelings" style="float:left;" />Despite the epic sweep of this science fiction adventure, the best moments in this latest issue of Descender come in the form of a simple conversation between the two TIM robots, now being taken through… [more]

Descender #8: Andy’s Story

Ian Dawe — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 12:00:05 +0000

Descender #8: Andy’s Story" title="Descender #8: Andy’s Story" style="float:left;" />In Descender #8 we finally meet the series’ Han Solo character. There’s even a Chewie equivalent (a giant slug with six eyes but he’s still charming). One could cry foul and say that Jeff Lemire… [more]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Breaks Box-Office Records

Julian Darius — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 18:23:08 +0000

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Breaks Box-Office Records" title="Star Wars: The Force Awakens Breaks Box-Office Records" style="float:left;" />Star Wars: The Force Awakens took in an estimated $238 million domestically in its opening weekend. It’s the biggest opening weekend in history, besting Jurassic World, which set a new opening-weekend record with $208.8 million, earlier… [more]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Awakens and Awakens…

James Rovira — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 22:37:36 +0000

Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Awakens and Awakens…" title="Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Awakens and Awakens…" style="float:left;" />My friend Kellie on Facebook wanted to post something about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but before doing so, she posted this insane spoiler alert: I wanna discuss A Thing about Star Wars. If you’re… [more]

The Crazy Star Wars Theory that Makes Sense of Everything

Julian Darius — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 18:00:52 +0000

Star Wars Theory that Makes Sense of Everything" title="The Crazy Star Wars Theory that Makes Sense of Everything" style="float:left;" />Watching both Star Wars trilogies, it’s hard not to notice the incongruities. The prequels are longer — and also bigger, with a cast of thousands and elaborate lightsaber battles. They feel different. The original trilogy features old-fashioned… [more]

The Red Wing

Mario Lebel — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 12:00:26 +0000

The Red Wing" title="The Red Wing" style="float:left;" />Time travel stories can be some of the most enjoyable, as well as some of the most complex science fiction stories. When done well, they’re intricately plotted and deal with a number of complexities that… [more]

Thatcherism in the Space Era (Courtesy of Grant Morrison & Rian Hughes)

Arcadio Bolanos — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 20:00:48 +0000

“Dare to look to the future”. Because we remember the past and we live in the present, we hold dear the future. We never know what tomorrow might bring and we love dreaming about adventures… [more]

Why Didn’t I Love The Martian?

Ian Dawe — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 12:00:23 +0000

The Martian?" title="Why Didn’t I Love The Martian?" style="float:left;" />Of all people, I should have loved The Martian. If I were to imagine a Hollywood film perfectly calibrated to my tastes as a) someone with a background in science, b) a gigantic space nerd… [more]

Man in the High Castle and The Flexibility of the Science Fiction Genre

Ian Dawe — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 18:00:07 +0000

Man in the High Castle and The Flexibility of the Science Fiction Genre" title="Man in the High Castle and The Flexibility of the Science Fiction Genre" style="float:left;" />Science fiction is one of those genres everyone thinks they know, but seems to find it difficult to pin down in terms of a definition. It’s such a porous genre, that is, one that can… [more]

On Altered States and the Art of Making a Science Fiction Cult Classic

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 14:00:23 +0000

Altered States and the Art of Making a Science Fiction Cult Classic" title="On Altered States and the Art of Making a Science Fiction Cult Classic" style="float:left;" />The science fiction film Altered States bears all the hallmarks of a cult film. For one thing, it’s about outsider topics, like psychedelic mind states, genetic memory, float tanks, and entheogens. For another there’s a… [more]

The Complete D.R. & Quinch: Alan Moore’s Sci-Fi Fun Time

Mario Lebel — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 12:00:53 +0000

The Complete D.R. & Quinch: Alan Moore’s Sci-Fi Fun Time" title="The Complete D.R. & Quinch: Alan Moore’s Sci-Fi Fun Time" style="float:left;" />Like many readers who discovered the world of comics in bookstores rather than comic shops, the works of Alan Moore made an immediate impression on me. He’s a comic book rock star and, undeniably, one… [more]

Star Wars: From a Successful Film Franchise to One of the Greatest Hits in Comics

Arcadio Bolanos — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 20:00:35 +0000

Star Wars: From a Successful Film Franchise to One of the Greatest Hits in Comics" title="Star Wars: From a Successful Film Franchise to One of the Greatest Hits in Comics" style="float:left;" />For some reason, I’ve never been a fan of film adaptations, much in the same way that I’m not a fan of videogames turned into comics, or TV series transformed into novels. In my opinion,… [more]

My (Very Brief) History with SF

Mark J. Hayman — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 12:00:49 +0000

Speculative Fiction, more commonly referred to as “Science Fiction”, has been described as perhaps the best means of conveying complex ideas. It is a broad genre that was, and for some remains pigeon-holed, like comic… [more]

Sid and Marty Krofft’s Wormholes to Hell

Brian Cowlishaw — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 21:00:20 +0000

If you’re an American of a certain age, chances are you fondly remember the weird and wonderful worlds dreamed up by Sid and Marty Krofft—especially H. R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, and Land of the Lost. Those… [more]

The Stars My Destination: A Sci-Fi Masterpiece for Sci-Fi Week

Ian Dawe — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 12:00:46 +0000

The Stars My Destination: A Sci-Fi Masterpiece for Sci-Fi Week" title="The Stars My Destination: A Sci-Fi Masterpiece for Sci-Fi Week" style="float:left;" />When Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination was first recommended to me, it was with the promise that he “packs as much world-building, plot and character into 170 pages as Asimov did in the entire… [more]

Constructing a Perfect Reality

Jeff Hayes — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 20:00:19 +0000

“Thus only in a dream we are at one, Thus only in a dream we give and take The faith that maketh rich who take or give”- Monna Innominata by Christina Rossetti The topic of… [more]

We are the Heroes of Earth-Prime: The Role of the Reader in the Multiverse

Richard Gray — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:00:47 +0000

You. Yes, you. Staring at us. Studying us. Picking over these words and looking for meaning. Did it not occur to you that you are the one giving this significance? Every word you read is… [more]

It’s Sequart’s Third Annual Sci-Fi Week!

Julian Darius — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 12:00:16 +0000

Coinciding with this week’s release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Sequart is celebrating its third annual Sci-Fi Week! All this week, we’ll be running content focusing on sci-fi comics and popular culture. Sequart ran… [more]

Invisible Republic #7: You Can’t Leave

Ian Dawe — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 20:45:23 +0000

Invisible Republic #7: You Can’t Leave" title="Invisible Republic #7: You Can’t Leave" style="float:left;" />“I’ve been involved in several cults, both as a leader and a follower. You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader.” -Creed Bratton We have to start the… [more]

Sequart Announces Its Third Annual Sci-Fi Week

Julian Darius — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 13:00:47 +0000

On 14 December, Sequart will begin its third annual Sci-Fi Week, timed to coincide with that week’s release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Over the course of the week, Sequart will publish content focusing… [more]

Descender #7: A New and Bold Chapter

Ian Dawe — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 18:00:04 +0000

Descender #7: A New and Bold Chapter" title="Descender #7: A New and Bold Chapter" style="float:left;" />Sometimes, maybe all the time, compelling narrative storytelling is about constantly raising the stakes. For a book that started with the destruction of a major human civilization, Descender has fairly masterfully managed to raise the… [more]

Tomorrowland: I Hope

Ian Dawe — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 18:00:25 +0000

Tomorrowland: I Hope" title="Tomorrowland: I Hope" style="float:left;" />It took some time, but I finally got around to seeing Brad Bird’s fascinating sci-fi film Tomorrowland, and this morning I am somewhat shocked to discover that, when I have a quick gaze across the… [more]

Sequart Releases A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe

Julian Darius — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 13:00:16 +0000

A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe" title="Sequart Releases A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe" style="float:left;" />Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe, edited by Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato. In 1977, the cinematic world was changed forever, thanks to… [more]

Invisible Republic Touches Greatness in Issue #6

Ian Dawe — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 11:00:29 +0000

Invisible Republic Touches Greatness in Issue #6" title="Invisible Republic Touches Greatness in Issue #6" style="float:left;" />Everyone wants the Reveron journal. That’s been true since issue #1 of Invisible Republic, and it’s, if anything, even more true as we pass into the second major story arc here in issue #6. Once… [more]

8House Kiem: Another House, Another Story

Ian Dawe — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 17:00:38 +0000

8House Kiem: Another House, Another Story" title="8House Kiem: Another House, Another Story" style="float:left;" />It’s fairly well established that Brandon Graham conceived of 8House as not just a connected series of stories, set in the same science fiction universe, but as a “label”, under which any number of stories… [more]

Invisible Republic TPB Vol 1: Great Science Fiction

Ian Dawe — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:00:22 +0000

Invisible Republic TPB Vol 1: Great Science Fiction" title="Invisible Republic TPB Vol 1: Great Science Fiction" style="float:left;" />Invisible Republic is celebrating its first TPB release this week, collecting issues #1-5, and this is the perfect opportunity to catch up with this fascinating and intelligent science fiction comic. While ostensibly a science fiction… [more]

Sequart Releases The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes

Julian Darius — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 17:00:49 +0000

The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes" title="Sequart Releases The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes" style="float:left;" />Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes, edited by Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato. Since the 1970s, the Planet of the Apes franchise has… [more]

Descender #6: Ostracism

Ian Dawe — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 11:00:29 +0000

Descender #6: Ostracism" title="Descender #6: Ostracism" style="float:left;" />A significant part of the new issue of Descender takes place fifteen years before the start of our main story, on a dusty old planet named “Ostrakon”. It’s a very clever and literate reference for… [more]

Shatner’s Man O War: A Voice is Missing

Daniel Rasmus — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 11:00:28 +0000

Man O War: A Voice is Missing" title="Shatner’s Man O War: A Voice is Missing" style="float:left;" />We are given Chapter 1, “How it All Began.” Opening the book we are told “in the near future, humanity has colonized the moon and Mars, but corporate greed and over reliance on technology have… [more]

No Future For You – Crossed +100

Emmet O'Cuana — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Crossed +100" title="No Future For You – Crossed +100" style="float:left;" />*SPOILERS for the six issue Crossed +100 storyline* Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin – Exodus 16 We all know what the post-apocalypse looks… [more]

Ernest Cline’s Armada: One Remove Too Many

Brian Cowlishaw — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 11:00:24 +0000

Armada: One Remove Too Many" title="Ernest Cline’s Armada: One Remove Too Many" style="float:left;" />At last, Ernest Cline, best-selling author of Ready Player One, has released his second novel, Armada. RPO was so fun to read, and so perfectly constructed, that its follow-up was bound to be disappointing. And… [more]

Celebrating Apollo 11 Day: A Short Look at Space Travel and Pop Culture

Ian Dawe — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 11:00:06 +0000

Apollo 11 Day: A Short Look at Space Travel and Pop Culture" title="Celebrating Apollo 11 Day: A Short Look at Space Travel and Pop Culture" style="float:left;" />Today is an historic day in world history, and ironically it will probably be some sort of world holiday at some point in the future. But as of 2015, we’re still grappling with the historic… [more]

An Exploration of the Scientific Accuracy on Orphan Black

Maria Karen — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 11:00:44 +0000

Orphan Black" title="An Exploration of the Scientific Accuracy on Orphan Black" style="float:left;" />Science fiction, even at its most absurdly whimsical and farfetched, is never easy to produce. Some stories contain fictional elements so preposterous that all scientific credulity is lost. Others make the opposite mistake, and fill… [more]

The Martian is Revealed in a New Trailer

Ian Dawe — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 19:00:04 +0000

The Martian is Revealed in a New Trailer" title="The Martian is Revealed in a New Trailer" style="float:left;" />The trailer for the highly anticipated big-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian went live yesterday, and gave us our first in-depth glimpse at Ridley Scott’s latest science fiction vision. The Martian is essentially a… [more]

Julian Darius, Sequart’s Founder, on his Sci-Fi Comic Kickstarter

Cody Walker — Sun, 31 May 2015 11:00:34 +0000

Julian Darius, the founder of Sequart Organization, is also a comics writer. His heady sci-fi comic, Martian Comics, is currently on Kickstarter with a 52-page special. CODY WALKER: For the uninitiated, what is the story… [more]

Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War Finally Hitting the Big Screen

Dom Fonce — Mon, 11 May 2015 18:00:35 +0000

The Forever War Finally Hitting the Big Screen" title="Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War Finally Hitting the Big Screen" style="float:left;" />In 1974, Joe Haldeman’s The Forever War hit book stores and hardcore sci-fi fans’ hearts. Two years later (1976) the novel won some of the most coveted sci-fi awards out there, the Hugo, the Nebula,… [more]

Interstellar and the Question of Sci-Fi Plausibility

Matthew Berg-Johnsen — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 12:00:30 +0000

Interstellar and the Question of Sci-Fi Plausibility" title="Interstellar and the Question of Sci-Fi Plausibility" style="float:left;" />Warning: Mild spoilers of Interstellar are discussed in this article. The spoilers do not give any description of what actually occurs, but if you want to avoid even the vaguest of descriptions, then avoid this… [more]

Black Mirror: The Best TV Show You’re Not Watching

Ian Dawe — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:00:25 +0000

Black Mirror: The Best TV Show You’re Not Watching" title="Black Mirror: The Best TV Show You’re Not Watching" style="float:left;" />Few would seriously argue that Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone is one of the seminal texts in popular culture, particularly in science fiction. Serling took TV sci fi out of the spaceships-fight-aliens-with-lasers cliche and brought… [more]

Confessions of a Paranoid Humanities Scholar: On Big Hero 6 and Interstellar

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 12:00:55 +0000

Big Hero 6 and Interstellar" title="Confessions of a Paranoid Humanities Scholar: On Big Hero 6 and Interstellar" style="float:left;" />A couple of weeks ago I parked next to an SUV covered in decals all warning about the coming “zombie apocalypse.” I chuckled, largely because I’ve never had a moment’s worry about zombies. But there… [more]

Interstellar Wows While Asking Big Questions

Julian Darius — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:00:09 +0000

Interstellar Wows While Asking Big Questions" title="Interstellar Wows While Asking Big Questions" style="float:left;" />Probably no director in the world successfully combines intelligence and artistic ambition with commercial success the way Christopher Nolan does. His movies often orbit around exactly the kind of high concepts Hollywood hates because they can’t… [more]

The Original Science-Fiction Hero, Part 2: Buck Rogers and the Art of the Reboot

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 12:00:43 +0000

In last week’s column, I wrote about the original novella from Amazing Stories that first introduced Buck Rogers. This week I want to look at two recent attempts to reboot the character. Whenever I talk… [more]

When Marvel Comics Adapted Blade Runner

Julian Darius — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 18:00:38 +0000

Blade Runner" title="When Marvel Comics Adapted Blade Runner" style="float:left;" />One of the most interesting movie adaptations published in Marvel Super Special was the adaptation of Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner (Marvel Super Special #22, Sept 1982). The comic-book version was written by Archie… [more]

When Blade Runner Mixed with James Bond

Julian Darius — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:00:25 +0000

Blade Runner Mixed with James Bond" title="When Blade Runner Mixed with James Bond" style="float:left;" />In 1977, Marvel Comics launched Marvel Super Special (officially titled Marvel Comics Super Special for its first four issues). Long before graphic novels became routine, Marvel Super Special offered magazine-size graphic novellas, generally containing a… [more]

Science Fiction Doesn’t Have to be Dystopian

Ian Dawe — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 21:00:13 +0000

Have to be Dystopian" title="Science Fiction Doesn’t Have to be Dystopian" style="float:left;" />I love Science Fiction, whether it be in literature or film/TV, but as a fan, I’m frustrated at the moment. In the past years there was been quite a lot of product in this area,… [more]

It’s Sci-Fi Week 2 on Sequart!

Julian Darius — Sun, 02 Nov 2014 12:00:44 +0000

Sequart will be celebrating this week’s release of Chris Nolan’s Interstellar with a week of content focusing on sci-fi comics and popular culture. This is Sequart’s second annual Sci-Fi Week. Sequart ran its first Sci-Fi… [more]

The Martian by Andy Weir: Superb Hard Science Fiction Storytelling

Ian Dawe — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 17:00:34 +0000

The Martian by Andy Weir: Superb Hard Science Fiction Storytelling" title="The Martian by Andy Weir: Superb Hard Science Fiction Storytelling" style="float:left;" />The Martian, by Andy Weir, is a rare example of excellent “hard” science fiction, great suspense writing and an old-fashioned space adventure, complete with lots of plausible and realistic science and some great characters. It… [more]

Outsourcing War and Profiteer Heroism in the Jacamons’ Cyclops

Desmond White — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 09:00:02 +0000

Cyclops" title="Outsourcing War and Profiteer Heroism in the Jacamons’ Cyclops" style="float:left;" />The Jacamons' Cyclops is a science-fiction war thriller about a world where wars are delegated to private mercenary companies and televised for entertainment. Gruesome, amoral, but close to home with the modern reliance on mercenaries, the progress of communication technologies including helmet-cams, and the rising popularity of reality television. [more]

Sequart Announces Book on Planet of the Apes Comics

Julian Darius — Wed, 21 May 2014 10:31:44 +0000

Planet of the Apes Comics" title="Sequart Announces Book on Planet of the Apes Comics" style="float:left;" />Sequart is proud to announce that it will be publishing The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes, edited by Rich Handley and Joe Berenato. Since the 1970s, the Planet of the Apes franchise… [more]

2010: The Year We Make Contact: An Adaptation of an Adaptation

Ian Dawe — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:00:35 +0000

2010: The Year We Make Contact: An Adaptation of an Adaptation" title="2010: The Year We Make Contact: An Adaptation of an Adaptation" style="float:left;" />For those who, like me, are longtime readers of Science Fiction, we’re very familiar that classic literature in this genre falls into a few recognizable categories. In general, either it’s concerned with plausible technology and… [more]

Julian Darius on Martian Comics

Cody Walker — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 13:03:58 +0000

Martian Comics" title="Julian Darius on Martian Comics" style="float:left;" />Julian Darius, founder of Sequart Organization, has a Kickstarter up for a comics series called Martian Comics, to be published by his company Martian Lit. The first storyline was co-created by Sequart contributor Kevin Thurman.… [more]

On The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made, the Book on Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Julian Darius — Sun, 26 May 2013 22:00:46 +0000

The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made, the Book on Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey" title="On The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made, the Book on Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey" style="float:left;" />It’s been a pleasure to write about Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey here at Sequart, especially as part of its Sci-Fi Week event. It’s also my pleasure to announce that all of this material is… [more]

Where Did All the Science Fiction Go?

Mike Greear — Sun, 26 May 2013 11:00:26 +0000

In the interest of participating in Sequart’s special look at the genre of science-fiction, I’ve volunteered to devote this column entirely to that genre of storytelling, rather than to the usual 1,500 word ramblings about… [more]

Jack Kirby Vs. Arthur C. Clarke: A Tale of Two 2001 Continuations

Julian Darius — Sat, 25 May 2013 23:00:48 +0000

2001 Continuations" title="Jack Kirby Vs. Arthur C. Clarke: A Tale of Two 2001 Continuations" style="float:left;" />Having introduced Jack Kirby’s 2001, looked at his adaptation of the film, and looked at the first few issues of his continuation, let’s look at his continuation of that film — and how it contrasts… [more]

The Optimism of Colonel Daniel Dare (Part 2 of 2)

Colin Smith — Sat, 25 May 2013 17:00:32 +0000

Continued from earlier today. Hampson released more than just a little of that accumulated despair and tension as Eagle moved into its second calender-month of publication.With a modest smile and the characteristic arcing of a… [more]

Anxiety & Optimism in Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare

Colin Smith — Sat, 25 May 2013 11:00:20 +0000

There are very dark things going on here. From the perspective of 2012, it can be hard to grasp just how challengingly bleak the set-up of the first month of Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare was.… [more]

On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation, Part 2

Julian Darius — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:35 +0000

2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation, Part 2" title="On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation, Part 2" style="float:left;" />Having introduced Jack Kirby’s 2001, and looked at his adaptation of the film and the first issue of his bizarre continuation, let’s continue examining one of the oddest sci-fi comics in history. Issue #2: Vira… [more]

On Alex Raymond & Don Moore’s “Flash Gordon: On the Planet of Mongo”

Colin Smith — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:00:24 +0000

It would be far easier to discuss those relatively few aspects of sci-fantastical fiction which haven’t been in any way influenced by Alex Raymond and Don Moore’s Flash Gordon. Even those genre creators who reject… [more]

Cosmic Existentialism in Jim Starlin’s Warlock

Mark Ginocchio — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:43 +0000

Warlock" title="Cosmic Existentialism in Jim Starlin’s Warlock" style="float:left;" />In the 1970s, a brash set of Marvel writers and artists set out to transform the “House of Ideas” from a factory of radioactive superheroes to a new era of “cosmic” consciousness. These creators took… [more]

On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation

Julian Darius — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:00:14 +0000

2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation" title="On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Continuation" style="float:left;" />Having introduced Jack Kirby’s 2001, and looked at his adaptation of the film, let’s look at his continuation of that film. Kirby’s continuation of 2001 is nothing short of flabbergasting. It shouldn’t exist. It’s so… [more]

The Best of All of Us: “Doctor Who: Death to the Doctor,” by Jonathan Morris and Roger Langridge

Colin Smith — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:00:54 +0000

In which the blogger hopes that folks might stick around while he discusses a thoroughly fine and not unimportant story which many of you probably haven’t read, but which you really might want to, regardless… [more]

Doctor Who as Warden in the 50th Anniversary “Prisoners of Time” Series

Hannah Means-Shannon — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:52 +0000

IDW’s comic series “Prisoners of Time”, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Doctor, is a twelve-parter devised with an overarching plot to hold the tales of each respective regeneration of the Doctor in tandem. Meanwhile,… [more]

On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation (Part 2)

Julian Darius — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:30 +0000

2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation (Part 2)" title="On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation (Part 2)" style="float:left;" />Continuing an examination of Jack Kirby’s adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey begun here. Kirby’s more successful at other points in this chapter, and he seems to thrive on the conflict in this section of… [more]

A Galaxy Far, Far Away Gets a Little Closer: On Brian Wood’s Star Wars

Logan Ludwig — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:35 +0000

Star Wars" title="A Galaxy Far, Far Away Gets a Little Closer: On Brian Wood’s Star Wars" style="float:left;" />Brian Wood isn’t the obvious choice for writer of an ongoing Star Wars comic. Wood’s a great writer, and his comics have successfully played in quite a few diverse worlds, but he’s also a very… [more]

Tag and Bink are Relevant: Comics and the Theater of the Absurd

Stuart Warren — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:34 +0000

Star Wars is not without its faults. Though being a noteworthy entry into the expanding universe of modern science fiction, continuity problems continue to manifest themselves today, as hosts of underground creatures, confined to their… [more]

On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation

Julian Darius — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:00:08 +0000

2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation" title="On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey Adaptation" style="float:left;" />Introduced yesterday. Before Jack Kirby continued the story of 2001, he adapted the film into a 70-page comic. Although the comic adapts the film — it uses Jupiter, for example, whereas the novel used Saturn… [more]

Wrestling Robots and Philosophical Musings: Examining Pluto

Harry Edmundson-Cornell — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:30 +0000

Pluto" title="Wrestling Robots and Philosophical Musings: Examining Pluto" style="float:left;" />Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto is a damn good comic. If there’s only one thing you get from this article, it should be a burning desire to purchase and read Pluto. Naoki Urasawa is one of the… [more]

On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Julian Darius — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:00:03 +0000

2001: A Space Odyssey" title="On Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey" style="float:left;" />Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is surely one of the strangest sci-fi franchise comics ever published. For one thing, the comic appeared in 1976, eight years after the 1968 film debuted. Most other sci-fi… [more]

The NASA Symbol and Warren Ellis & Colleen Doran’s Orbiter

Cody Walker — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:12 +0000

Orbiter" title="The NASA Symbol and Warren Ellis & Colleen Doran’s Orbiter" style="float:left;" />Warren Ellis isn’t a prophet. Sure, 10 years ago, Ellis and Colleen Doran’s Orbiter was released and it begins with the horrific image of a shanty town built around the ruins of the Kennedy Space… [more]

On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1979

Julian Darius — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:00:04 +0000

In the last two days, we’ve discussed the seven original Star Trek stories produced by Peter Pan Records in 1975-1976 (parts one and two). Today, we look at the company’s 1979 Star Trek offerings. The… [more]

On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1975-1976 (Batch Two)

Julian Darius — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:00:25 +0000

Yesterday, we discussed the Star Trek stories produced by Peter Pan Records, including the first three stories. Today, we continue that discussion. “The Time Stealer” “The Time Stealer,” the first track on the second 12″… [more]

On the Star Trek Peter Pan Records of 1975-1976

Julian Darius — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:16 +0000

People who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s will likely remember Peter Pan Records (and its imprint Power Records), which published original audio stories featuring licensed properties during this time. Peter Pan Records actually… [more]

The British Star Trek

Julian Darius — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:40 +0000

While U.S. publisher Gold Key was busy printing Star Trek comic books, Britain had its own Star Trek comics. Comic strips, to be more accurate. American comics traditionally are monthlies, starring a single character or… [more]