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William Shatner, Chris Carter & Syfy’s 12 Monkeys at Smithsonian’s The Future Is Here Festival

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logoFanboy favorites from Star Trek star William Shatner and The X-Files creator Chris Carter to Syfy’s hit series 12 Monkeys and Deadpool director Tim Miller are squarely in the spotlight for Smithsonian magazine’s fourth annual The Future Is Here Festival, a three-day event highlighting the most advanced thinking in science, technology, space, art and engineering from a dazzling array of experts, visionaries and noted science-lovers.

The Festival kicks off on Friday, April 22nd at the Shakespeare Theatre’s Sidney Harman Hall with an exclusive ticketed evening event featuring Shatner, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek; a conversation with Carter, fresh off the triumphant return of The X-Files to television; and an exclusive glimpse into the thrilling second season of Syfy’s hit series 12 Monkeys (premieres April 18) with special advance footage presented by stars Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull and executive producer Terry Matalas.

USA TODAY entertainment writer Brian Truitt will conduct the conversation with Carter, and renowned astronomer/author Phil Plait will moderate the 12 Monkeys panel.

Tickets for this exclusive Friday night event can be purchased now.

Programming for Saturday and Sunday includes appearances by Deadpool director Tim Miller, The Martian author Andy Weir, explorers Céline & Alexandra Cousteau, noted science fiction author Bruce Sterling, leading NASA scientists and a profound list of visionary speakers and presenters, offering the audience an eye-opening look into the future. Among the entertaining events on the weekend slate is an electrifying concert by Tesla Coils band Arc Attack, and a performance of mind-bending techno tricks by Marco Tempest, the world’s leading cyber illusionist.

The Future Is Here Festival convenes the world’s leading experts in science and technology, including:

  • Vint Cerf – Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google, one of the “fathers of the internet”
  • Alexandra Cousteau – Explorer, storyteller, environmental advocate
  • Céline S. Cousteau – Explorer, Founder & Executive Director, CauseCentric Productions
  • Frans de Waal – Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University & Author, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
  • Anthony Fauci – America’s point man on epidemics, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health
  • Kirk Johnson – Director of the National Museum of Natural History
  • Nicholas Negroponte – Co-founder of the MIT Media Lab, Founder of One Laptop Per Child Project
  • Rebecca Newberger Goldstein – Philosopher & Author, Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away
  • Dava Newman –Deputy Administrator of NASA
  • Fiona Raby, Professor of Design and Emerging Technology at Parsons
  • Martine Rothblatt – Transhumanist and Founder of Sirius Radio, Geostar and United Therapeutics
  • Sara Seager – Planetary Scientist and Astrophysicist
  • Seth Shostak – Director of Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)
  • Adam Steltzner – NASA Engineer/Mars Rover, Author, The Right Kind of Crazy
  • Bruce Sterling – Science Fiction Author
  • Marco Tempest — Cyber Illusionist
  • Andy Weir – Author of The Martian (via Skype)

Additional speakers/programming will be announced as confirmed.

The Future Is Here Festival, an exciting and mind-expanding live event taking place April 22-24 in Washington, D.C., is accompanied by Smithsonian’s May “Future” issue, which hits newsstands April 26th, bringing the excitement of The Future Is Here Festival™ to 6.8 million readers and 5 million digital viewers across the country and around the world.

Review: The X-Files Season 10 #4

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20130913-211144.jpgDedicated fans usually bemoan movie adaptations of their favorite television series (akin to the eternally obnoxious sayings, “the book was WAY better” or “that’s not even the best song on their album”). For me, the opposite was true. Although I had seen a number of episodes, it wasn’t until The X-Files: Fight the Future came out on the silver screen that I was convinced it was one of the best shows of the 90s.

Despite overstaying it’s television welcome and a dreadful follow up movie (with an equally awful title, I Want To Believe, ugh), the show maintains an ever present fan base. These fans, like myself, will be relieved to know IDW‘s five issue miniseries The X-Files Season 10 is a fantastic and reverent continuity of the characters and mythos.

In this series, the former Special Agent’s discreet, mundane lives in rural Virginia (Spotsylvania County, just south of Graphic Policy‘s northern Virginia headquarters) are shattered when the FBI database is hacked and a mysterious group begins targeting Deputy Director Skinner, Dr. Scully, and a child very close to her and Mulder. This group, known as the Acolytes, is an assemblage of beings determined to help bring about the alien re-population of planet earth, as eloquently theorized by a familiar cigarette-smoking individual. Is it all just another alien conspiracy theory, or are their lives in danger from forces not of this world?

It is  apparent that IDW Publishing and writer Joe Harris went above and beyond to stay true to the series and deliver to the fans. After seeking Fox’s approval, Harris met with series’ creator Chris Carter who agreed to come on board as executive producer. The script pays homage to the TV series with witty dialogue from Mulder and well-timed appearances from Agent Doggett, The Lone Gunmen, and The Smoking Man. While I was afraid the alien conspiracy plot was going to be a ‘been there done that’ storyline, it turned out to be a perfect continuation of the show.

As much as I enjoyed this miniseries as a whole, I, unfortunately, was not a fan of the artwork. Michael Walsh‘s illustrations, while unique, lacked the gritty detail I was looking for in an X-Files comic (I still can’t pinpoint what I envisioned, maybe Ten Grand‘s Ben Templesmith?). There was also a couple reoccurring artistic decisions that bothered me, including a blue light shining out of the Acolyte’s eyes that looked like a misplaced icicle.

I was going to wait for the next and final issue to post a review, but I wanted to get this up to convince anyone on the edge that it’s worth it. Old and new fans alike will appreciate what Harris and Carter have done for the series.

Story: Joe Harris, Chris Carter Art: Michael Walsh
Story: 8.5 Art: 6 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

SDCC 2013: IDW Announces Exclusives!

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IDW Publishing is renowned for having great exclusives at San Diego Comic-Con every year, but 2013 finds them taking it to the next level. See below for a complete list of SDCC exclusives, which promise to be the most sought after of the show!

Some of the items will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store beginning July 2nd. Fans that preorder will be able to pick up their books from the IDW booth (These items will be noted below with an *asterisk).

IDW’s web store can be found here: IDW Con Exclusives

A limited edition product not available anywhere else, the Artist’s Edition: Best of EC Covers Portfolio will be on hand. Featuring eight amazing prints of class EC covers by such luminaries as Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman and more, this edition will be limited to 250 copies and priced at $50. It will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

Speaking of EC and Artist’s Editions, an exclusive edition of the Best of EC Artist’s Edition will be premiered at Comic-Con as well! Signed by the legendary Al Feldstein, numbered, and limited to 250 copies, this edition will feature a variant cover and be priced at $200. This title will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

That’s not the only big Al Feldstein news at this show. Also debuting is, Felstein: Mad Life & Fantastic Art.  IDW is celebrating the release of this beautiful book with a deluxe, slip-cased version, complete with hand sketches and signatures from Feldstein himself! It will be limited to 100 copies, and be priced at $150, will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer. This book is literally at the printer as this is being written, and will be dashed to the show for a last-minute release!

AND, there’s another exclusive EC Artist’s Edition this year! Artist’s Edition: Jack Davis EC Stories Signed & Limited is signed by Jack Davis himself and has a variant cover by the incomparable artist. This edition will be limited to 250 copies and priced at $200. It will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

A special convention exclusive edition of Mark Schultz’s Xenozoic Tales: Artist’s Edition will also be available, featuring a variant cover by Mark Schultz! This edition is limited to just 250 copies, priced at $200, will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, and there is a limit of 3 to a customer.

For My Little Pony fans, IDW has a special surprise! An exclusive glitter variant cover of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #9. But, here’s the trick: it contains 8 pages of material that isn’t in the regular edition, featuring the Equestrian Girls! Fans worldwide will be clamoring to get a copy of this, and the ONLY place to read this story is in this exclusive, and the ONLY place to get it is the IDW booth at SDCC! This item is limited to 1,000 copies, with a limit of 5 to a customer. **Note – Watch for the Diamond Comics variant, available to Comics Retailers at SDCC.

Another My Little Pony treat is the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Variant Edition HC. This is the only way to get this material in a hardcover format! With a variant cover by fan-favorite J. Scott Campbell, this edition is limited to 500 copies, priced at $25, with a limit of 3 to a customer, and only available at the IDW booth.

Skelton Crew Studio have done it again, producing not one, but two new Locke & Key high-quality pewter key replicas! 100 copies of the Locke & Key: Shadow Key and 100 copies of the Locke & Key: Music Box Key will be available for $25 each, only at IDW’s booth, with a limit of 3 to a customer.

But wait, there’s more!

  • The Hollows Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Sam Kieth, limited to 200, priced at $25, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Chris Ryall and Sam Kieth!
  • Worlds of Sam Keith Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Sam Kieth, limited to 200, priced at $50, it will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Sam Kieth!
  • The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Walter Simonson, limited to 100, priced at $25, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Walter Simonson and Mark Waid!
  • The Rocketeer/The Spirit: Pulp Friction #1 Variant – Variant cover by Darwyn Cooke, limited to 500, priced at $5, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 5 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Mark Waid!
  • X-Files: Season 10 #1 Variant – Variant cover by Joe Corroney, limited to 500, priced at $10, only available at the IDW booth, limit of 5 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by X-Files creator Chris Carter, writer Joe Harris and artist Joe Corroney!
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Artobiography Variant Edition HC – Variant cover by Kevin Eastman, limited to 250, priced at $50, it will be available for pre-order from IDW’s web store*, limit of 3 to a customer. Get it signed at the show by Kevin Eastman!

In addition to all these exclusives, IDW will be debuting advance copies of two highly anticipated books! Superman: The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies Vol. 1 (100 copies available, priced at $50, only available in the booth) and Berkeleyworks: The Art of Berkeley Breathed: From Bloom County and Beyond (100 copies available, priced at $50, only available in the booth) will be seen for the first time anywhere! Get these books signed at the IDW booth by Dean Mullaney and Berkeley Breathed!

Once again, IDW is proud to have Ashley Wood and ThreeA as a part of their booth with exclusives in tow! Ash’s Machine Sabbath Variant Edition HC (250 copies available, priced at $25, only available in the booth) and Glitter Sausage Variant Edition SC (500 copies available, priced at $25, only available in the booth) promise to be exciting additions to the Ashley Wood library.

But Ash is bringing a lot more than that! For a complete list of what ThreeA has in store for SDCC this year, visit their blog here:  http://www.threeaonline.com/blog/

IDW Limited will of course be well represented in the booth as well, bringing their incredible assortment of small-run merchandise. For a complete rundown on IDW Limited’s amazing items, go here: http://www.idwlimited.com

Providing an exclusive suitable for each and every fan in the building, the IDW Booth promises to be one of the place to be at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con!

Review: Wild Blue Yonder #1, The X-Files Season 10 #1

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Wild Blue Yonder #1

Wild-Blue-Yonder-1_CTake to the skies in this thrilling new action-adventure sci-fi tale. In the near future, mankind has destroyed the Earth, and the only refuge from radioactive pollution can be found in the skies. Unfortunately dwindling supplies and bloodthirsty air-pirates make life all the harder. Will the crew of the Dawn escape the merciless Judge and survive another week?

I love stories about fighter pilots duking it out in the sky. Then there’s stories like these with settings where planes are cobbled together in an alternative history. Crimson Skies is something similar that comes to mind. Those are worlds I find interesting and entertaining.

The comic starts off relatively slow, but entertaining. After a quick introduction to some of the main characters, what goes from slow blasts into full throttle and we don’t look back. There’s something brilliant in that execution.

At first I thought the comic was good. The characters and world seemed interesting enough, and then we’re thrown into the action with excitement that had me hooked. I loved the dog fights and interesting air battle we’re thrown into the middle of. It was fun, exciting and the quick change of pace made it all the more fun because it was unexpected.

The first issue introduces us into the varied characters, the cool world and some of the story. Wild Blue Yonder had buzz going in to its release and it lives up to every bit of it. Can’t wait for the second issue.

Story: Mike Raicht, Austin Harrison Art: Zach Howard
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

The X-Files Season 10 #1

the x-files season 10 #1 coverFor years they investigated the paranormal, pursued the “monsters of the week,” and sought the truth behind extraterrestrial activity, along with the grand conspiracy surrounding it rooted deep within their own government. But when Agents Mulder and Scully reunite for a new, ongoing series that ushers The X-Files into a new era of technological paranoia, multinational concerns and otherworldly threats, it’ll take more than a desire “to believe” to make it out alive. The X-Files: Season 10 also sees creator Chris Carter return to the fold as Executive Producer!

I was a die-hard X-Files fan back in the day. I’d watch the show weekly, often heading to friends houses to enjoy each new episode. At it’s best, it was one of the best sci-fi/mystery series ever on television. I suffered through its decline, the movies, the ho-hum ending, but I remember it as a solid series, one I’d watch now regularly if it were on re-runs.

So, I went in to this first issue with hope. Where could it go from the series ending?

The first issue is pretty decent. Really it has a lot on its hands, as it needs to follow up on how the series ended and continue on with Mulder and Scully’s story. It’s hard to judge this first issue, as the X-Files really needs to be rated episode by episode, so it’s weird judging one issue as opposed to a full arc (to me its like reviewing 15 minutes of an episode).

The comic is good. I felt like time hasn’t passed and got right back in to two familiar characters, not realizing how much I missed their adventures. The set up is interesting and seems somewhat new. But it’s one chunk of the story and I think the arc, thus the trade, will be better than any individual issue.

With our modern era and all the things going on, there’s no better time for the X-Files to return. With so much real world conspiracy going on every day, it’s only fitting that two of the best investigators of it are back in action.

Story: Joe Harris Art: Michael Walsh
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review

ECCC 13 – IDW and Fox Announce Details for The X-Files: Season 10!

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Fans of The X-Files and the paranormal exploits of Special Agents Mulder and Scully are in for a treat! Yesterday at Emerald City Comic-Con, IDW Publishing and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products announced the creative team for their upcoming comics based on the legendary television series. The entire project will be executive produced by The X-Files creator Chris Carter, who is returning in an active role to help steer his characters back to the forefront of popular culture once again.

The X-Files: Season 10 will be written by Joe Harris, writer of the acclaimed series Great Pacific, with art and colors by the Comeback team of artist Michael Walsh and colorist Jordie Bellaire. Issue #1 will feature covers by Dave Johnson, Joe Corroney, and Carlos Valenzuela, along with a classic photo image of Mulder and Scully.

In the opening story arc, “Believers,” readers will catch up with Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, living normal lives together under secret identities. However, a visit from an old friend threatens to rip them from suburban anonymity, as they learn that someone is preying upon everyone involved in The X-Files. Prepare to revisit familiar faces—some very unexpected, threats old and new, and an intriguing mystery designed to return the beloved franchise to its former glory!

The X-Files: Season 10 launches this June when fans everywhere can enjoy a new supernatural experience.

The X-Files: Season 10 #1 (FC, 32 pages, $3.99). In stores 6/19/13