Harry Markov, Science Fiction Frequency Launches ‘Women in Genre’ Month

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Too frequently fans and the people involved with genre fiction are asking where the women are. This has confused speculative fiction author Harry Markov, who regularly interacts with women who write, edit, and represent genre fiction. He and Science Fiction Frequency believe that this is a problem.

And they’re going to do something about it.

Gender politics is a messy thing and I don’t like to speak for the whole community, but if we’re still in the active pursuit of the answer to where women in genre are, then we have a problem. One heck of a problem. It’s healthy to talk about it, but it’s also healthy to do something about it, too.

Here’s what I will do in April. I’ll dedicate each day to tell a story about how a woman in genre has changed my life for the better through her hard work and dedication. That’s 30 days and 30 kick-ass women – critically acclaimed and small press names, new talent and established names, in the limelight and involved behind the scenes.

This is what the Women in Genre month is about and I’d like to see you talk online about all the wonderful women you encounter and admire. Let’s praise and celebrate and change the tone of the current conversation about gender in genre. I believe that if we push female creators to the forefront, we’ll send the correct message and maybe cure our gender blindness at least a little bit. And men talking about women will make all the difference.

If you want to join the conversation, SFF has ways for you to contribute to Women in Genre month.

Dark Horse Adapting Original Star Wars Concept

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At Wodnercon yesterday, Dark Horse revealed just what that Jonathan Rinzler-written project would be. According to BleedingCool.com, it’s going to be an adaptation of George Lucas’ original Star Wars concept.

At WonderCon, Dark Horse announces new eight issue Star Wars series for September – The Star Wars. Based on George Lucas‘ original concept that eventually became the Star Wars films.

Featuring Darth Vader not as a Sith/Jedi but just a General. Anakin Starkiller. An old General Luke Skywalker.  Jonathan Rinzler will write and Mike Mayhew will do the art.

Dark Horse also shared some concept artwork for the new series which you can see at the link above. For continuity purists, don’t even try to mesh this into canon and just enjoy it for what it is. A fun Infinities-style what-if.

What We’d Really Like to See in the Sequel Trilogy

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Lately we’ve been talking a lot about continuity and canon and multiverses on the blog. But with Disney buying Star Wars, I think it’s time to face the fact that our fandom isn’t going to cater to hardcore fans any longer–the ones like us, who blog and podcast just for the fun of it, the ones who have seen the movies ad nauseum, the ones who go to conventions. No, it’s time for Disney to focus on a new frontier of fan–those who haven’t seen any Star Wars films. Only then can Disney truly begin its era from a blank slate, not only without any Expanded Universe knowledge bogging down new projects, but also the pesky film backstory as well.

I asked my good friend Lisa what she’d like to see in the Sequel Trilogy. She was kind enough to write the following editorial for us. There’s no denying her insights are mind-boggling. We can only hope that J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt take some of her ideas to heart. – Nanci 

* * *

No one is denying how epic the movies in the Star Wars universe can be. I just think we can all agree that a new set of movies is the perfect time to shift the scope to smaller, more personal stories. Working on a smaller scale will also help them move toward featuring fan-favorite characters who haven’t had enough screentime in the past.

Not to mention that while the star wars themselves are a serious topic, there is plenty of room in the ‘verse for humor. Every movie doesn’t have to be Fate and Choice and War and Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! As a veritable Star Wars expert, I think it’s finally my turn to throw my hat in the ring with a few ideas for movies that should absolutely become part of the next trilogy.

Imagine Eddie Murphy’s head under there and Fett gets even more amazing.

Bounty Hunters: We Do Need Their Scum

Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters take the lead: I know Boba Fett gets all of the attention (probably due to his admittedly impressive accordion skills and theme song), but there’s a lot more to these bounty hunters than meets the eye. If we gather them all together for a family reunion, there’s bound to be enough drama (and let’s be honest- explosions) for a dozen movies. Depending on when in the timeline it’s set, the story could tie in with events from the earlier movies or be something completely new. Humor, adventure, bickering with the clone you raised as your own child…it’s basically everything movie audiences are looking for. Bonus point: they can cast Eddie Murphy as all of the Fetts!

Han and Leia: The Disney Version

Disney’s newest princess will definitely kick ass and take names: Star Wars is a timeless tale that will be passed down to our children and our children’s children, much in the same way that classic fairy tales were passed down to us- through catchy songs and an unstoppable marketing team.. Now that Disney has their hand in the pot, it’s only natural for their newest princess to get her own animated feature, complete with musical numbers. Leia is perfect for the new, snarkier direction Disney’s been taking their animated features in, and Han Solo is absolutely the love interest our daughters deserve. Besides, let’s be honest here- fairy tales don’t really count until Disney tells us they do. Bonus point: hook those fake nerd girls while they’re young!

Stormtroopers in Love

Now imagine they’re kissing!

The stormtrooper rom-com we’ve all been waiting for: They are, by far, the most ubiquitous characters in the Star Wars universe, but how much do we actually know about the stormtroopers? I’m not talking about things like their collective inability to hit a target or the fact that they’re all named Harry. That’s the simple stuff. We need to go deeper, if they’re going to get their own feature. We need to learn the important things, like their hopes, their dreams, and their workout regimen. At the end of the day, I think they want what we all want- to find love and gluten-free desserts in an uncivilized world. Isn’t it time they got it? Bonus point: finally, a Star Wars movie you can see with your girlfriend!

Crossover Appeal

Once the Star Wars cinematic universe is established as an undeniable part of our movie culture, even to the people who for some crazy reason have never seen a Star Wars movie, it’ll be time for the franchise crossovers to begin. My personal votes are for the Fast and the Furious (2 Fast Tatooine Furious?) or Step Up (a wookiee vs. stormtrooper dance fight will literally end all war on this planet) franchises, but there are so many possibilities out there!

The crossover that’s been waiting to happen.

Fare thee well, Mr. Timm

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bruce_timm_by_dkdelicious-d3ezn9nDC Animated Producer, director, art director, writer, occasional voice actor and all around awesome guy Bruce Timm steps down.  And as long as everybody else is doing it, I call bullshit too.

If you’re even close to my age, when you think about DC comics, you can’t help but think about some of the incredible animated programs that have been created over the course of the last twenty-one years.  To most of us, we know that his work more or less started with Batman: The Animated Series, which eventually became The Adventures of Batman and Robin.  In truth, a quick look at Timm’s IMDB page will show you he actually started working with DC animated characters as far back as 1981 on The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!

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Star Wars, Marvel, and the Multiverse

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In the Star Wars fandom, there’s always some war of words brewing between fans. We’ve seen the Ship Wars, the Prequel Trilogy consternation, the Clone Wars skirmishes. One that has been on slow simmer for years is cold war between Expanded Universe Completists and Film Purists. Countless words have been written defending the merits of one and tearing down another.

To say things have blown up since the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the announcement of the Sequel Trilogy would be an understatement. There seems to be a belief among the most ardent of Star Wars fans that the Expanded Universe and the Sequel Trilogy cannot exist simultaneously. One has to vanish in order for the other to thrive.

To borrow a phrase from Nanci earlier this week, I say bullshit.

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Tosche Station Radio #51: I Want That On My Body

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The hosts are joined by costumers Bria and Heather to talk costuming and cosplay on this episode of Tosche Station Radio!

Kicking off the show, Nanci highlights what’s New on the Blog. Bria reviewed Legacy #1 and visited more of the YJK books on the Waru Express. Meanwhile, Nanci explained how the Sequel Trilogy and the EU aren’t mutually exclusive.

In Fixer’s Flash, Nanci’s kept herself busy by visiting the Orlando Science Center to see the Star Wars: When Science Meets Imagination Exhibit. While there she attended a Q&A and Meet and Greet with Ashley Eckstein. She also started reading Wool by Hugh Howey and Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn. Brian, meanwhile, kept himself busy with sports. Lots of sports. Bria’s been reading Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and has blogged at her other gig at the White Hot Room. Heather was over at PAX East and Brian is very jealous.

Deak’s Dirt kicks off with Harrison Ford talking Episode VII. In that other Star franchise, there’s a new Star Trek Into Darkness international trailer. Her Universe has a new Dalek dress available now and other stuff coming in May. Finally, it’s reported that the Clone Wars bonus content will be two arcs and layoffs at Lucasfilm animation have already taken place.

This week’s Camie’s Concerns is all about costuming and the hosts are joined by staff writer and White Hot Room blogger Bria as well as Zhobot’s Heather. Did you know they’re both also members of The Lady Rogues and the Outlander Club? The guests and hosts discuss the allure of cosplay and costuming, the cosplay they’ve done, and offer up advice for costuming rookies.

Wrapping up the show, the hosts field questions in our Ask Us Anything segment.

Tosche Station Radio is the official podcast of Tosche-Station.net and a part of Majestic Giraffe Productions. If you like what you hear, please leave a review on the iTunes Music Store. We can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Nanci and Brian are the co-founders and writers of Tosche-Station.net. You can find Nanci on Twitter with the handle @Nancipants and you can find Brian with @LaneWinree.

This podcast has been brought to you in part by Her Universe and Audible.com.

Her Universe - Flaunt Your World - www.heruniverseshop.com Listen to a bestseller for $7.49 at audible.com!

The Sequel Trilogy and the Expanded Universe

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Note: I will not be surprised if Episode VII bulldozes the entire post-Return of the Jedi era Expanded Universe. But that’s not the point of this post.

Lately I’ve been seeing people argue that Episode VII can’t and shouldn’t use elements from the Expanded Universe, else the story idea will be limited. I certainly understand that argument. Also, we already know that Episode VII will follow an original storyline, meaning Episodes VII, VIII, and IX won’t be The Thrawn Trilogy or some other EU book. People point to that statement as evidence that the Sequel Trilogy won’t use anything from the EU, because it would be too difficult to explain who these new characters are.

To that, I say bullshit.

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EXTERMINATE! New Dalek dress from Her Universe

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dalekdressWith Easter approaching, you can almost hear the Doctor Who fans bubbling with excitement as the show gets set to return from its mid-series hiatus. Now there’s another reason for (female) fans to get excited. Her Universe has introduced another Doctor Who themed item: a Dalek dress.

This is another Hot Topic exclusive item that fans can pick up for $26.50-30.50. Keep in mind that Ashley did say this one runs small but not as small as the previous TARDIS dress.

Report: The Clone Wars bonus content to be two arcs, layoffs at Lucasfilm Animation

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tcw_s5logo_smFans are still reeling from the sudden winding-down of The Clone Wars. Over the weekend there was a Save The Clone Wars protest on Twitter that garnered nearly 7,000 tweets aimed at Disney to get them to reconsider their plans on ending the popular animated series. Fan sentiment is there for more TCW material, but the question is how much will fans get? Lucasfilm promised that bonus content would be released, so at the very least fans would get something more than the season five finale. According to TFN, it sounds like  there will be two additional arcs.

A source in the know tells me that Lucasfilm is only finishing two story arcs from the material that they had planned for The Clone Wars Season Six. Among the story arcs that will not emerge in this post-cancellation era is one that dealt with Boba Fett and the other bounty hunters who have menaced the heroes for several seasons. This story arc, which my source tells me was almost done, would have shown us the fates of Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.

Based on this report and the mere fact this material is being called “bonus content,” I doubt that there’s going to be much in the way of meaningful conclusions for lingering questions in this era. At least in an animated format, anyway. This could be an area where the Expanded Universe comes in to fill the void, either in comic or written form.

Additionally, it appears that layoffs occurred at Lucasfilm Animation last Friday. While it’s not unusual for an animation studio to experience layoffs after the conclusion of a project, it’s still a disappointment to fans and the employees involved. With any luck, they’ll be able to land work quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney proper comes calling for their services when it’s time to escalate work on the next Star Wars animated series.