Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, and Games

Weekend Animations, Episode 4

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0500

A Short Love Story in Stop Motion by Carols Lascano The Filmmaker writes:

A couple of pencil-outlined birds escape from a little girl's drawing, leading us through the life she dreams of.
You can find more about the making of at this link: http://www.carloslascano.com/

Overflowing with both style and emotion, this is yet another example of conquering both style and substance. This film has flavor. You'll see what I mean. If you enjoyed this one, or if you're looking for darker fare, then you might also want to check out Carlos's Legend of the Scarecrow [Spanish, no subtitles].

365 Days of Manga, Day 52: MW

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:44:37 -0500

MW （ムウ) • Osamu Tezuka • Vertical (2007) • Shogakukan (Big Comic, 1976-1978) • Seinen Action Suspense • 16+ (graphic violence, nudity, sex) Stoic Catholic priest Iwao Garai has a dark secret: he is the lover and confessor of Michio Yuki, a beautiful, bisexual, Kabuki-trained sadist who commits crimes of shocking depravity--rape, kidnapping, murder--between trysts with Father Garai. The two men are the sole survivors of an accident, covered up by the Japanese government, in which a deadly nerve gas developed by a foreign country (unnamed but obviously the United States) wiped out an entire island village. What happened in the village changed Garai from a juvenile delinquent to a guilt-ridden priest, and Yuki from an innocent boy to a soulless killer, and now Yuki torments Garai like a demon from his past. But there is a method to Yuki's madness, as he tracks down the people responsible for the accident and the chemical weapon itself, MW. One of Tezuka's bleakest works, MW consists mainly of a long litany of Yuki's crimes and evil schemes, which Father Garai watches with maddening passivity. The plot is as convoluted and improbable as any of Tezuka's attempts at intrigue; even the characters admit that the final denouement is like something out of a cartoon. But it's arrestingly told and endlessly audacious, and the effeminate, sexually magnetic, unabashedly wicked Yuki is one of Tezuka's most memorable characters--and an interesting counterpart to the more sympathetically portrayed gay and bisexual bishonen just gaining popularity in shojo manga at around the time MW was serialized. (Review by Shaenon Garrity) Today's review is another Tezuka review by my good friend and amazing writer/artist/mangaphile, Shaenon Garrity. As I mentioned yesterday, I gave Shaenon the job of doing all the Tezuka reviews for Manga: The Complete Guide (both the original book and this update), because Tezuka is too classy for me and I would rather spend my time grubbing around in the dirt reading manga like "Enmusu" and "Violence Jack." -_- *ahem* Anyway! The good folks at suvudu.com recently tallied up the statistics for the first 50 days of "365 Days of Manga" and answered the question "Just what sort of person fills out forms for free manga online?" Personally, I kind of imagined a mixture of people like Tank Girl in the '80s and Bruce Campbell in those Old Spice commercials. More realistically, I've gathered some data from the forms, and I'll share it with you now. First, your ages: Over 18 - 77% Under 18 - 23% I had noticed that most of the winners are over 18, despite the attempts by companies like VIZ and Udon to publish "all ages" and preteen manga. Is the age of manga readers rising? Teenagers and preteens, send us your manga requests! But what about your manga preferences? Shojo/Josei - 30% Seinen - 22% Shonen - 15% Yaoi - 11% No Preference - 24% Shojo/josei is the highest requested category, although so far the winners have been mostly seinen lovers -- is this just bad luck for the shojophiles? The preference for seinen over shonen might be linked to the ages of the readers. We have a steady undercurrent of yaoi requests, and a lot of "no preferences," which I take to mean "prepare to receive the weirdest manga I have." So those are my wild guesses about the demographic of web-savvy manga maniacs. There's something else I've been wondering which can't be answered by the suvudu form results -- do "365 Days of Manga" readers read just manga, or do they also sup of a variety of other types of graphic novels and comics? Do they know the joy of "Yokaiden", "Scott Pilgrim", "Finder", "Won Ton Soup," the work of Dylan Meconis and Jason Shiga and Derek Kim and Jen Wang? Recently I've been working on some of my own comics, specifically on a comic adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft story The Strange High House in the Mist. I'm a horror and fantasy fan from way back and it's a huge pleasure to draw my own stuff when I'm not reading manga. I'm currently on page 11 of a projected 16 pages, so please check it out! And now, today's winners! Today's new manga winner is Mona K. of California (congratulations!), and the repeat winner is Adele S.! Congrats, Adele! I'll do my best to send you some really awesome books that you don't already have for your next 5 manga. Till tomorrow, it's "365 Days of Manga," over and out.

Review: World Fantasy 2009!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:01:52 -0500

Conventions are great fun! Del Rey Books editor-extraordinaire Chris Schluep has supplied Suvudu with a diary of sorts cataloging some of his adventures at last weekend's World Fantasy Con. Want to know how an editor spends some of his time? Below is his account! Enjoy!

Greetings from San Jose! World Fantasy 2009 is now in the books, and I am leaving, tired and slightly humbled by other people's energy, but with spirits high. What a great time! After a several-year hiatus, I found that little has changed on the World Fantasy front (other than the host city). There were still lots of writers, editors, and agents on hand. There were fans and pros. There were seemingly endless conversations, meetings, parties, drinks, ad hoc meetings at parties, meals, meetings over meals, and more drinks. To be honest, I feel like the weekend lasted about a week and a half. I flew into San Francisco on Friday afternoon, where I met my friend and fellow editor Fleetwood Robbins. We had decided to take CALTRAIN down to San Jose together. But first, there was time for the initial Mexican meal of the weekend. I have included documentation. Welcome to California! After carnitas, a short train ride, and an even shorter cab ride, we got to the Fairmont hotel. Almost immediately, we began to see old friends. We spent the afternoon catching up, and then a dozen or so of us headed out to find dinner. we ended up sitting outside, enjoying a pleasant evening, and eating Moroccan food. I have included a picture I took from the evening.

365 Days of Manga, Day 51: Apollo's Song

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:05:59 -0500

APOLLO'S SONG (Apollo no Uta, "Apollo's Song") （アポロの歌) • Osamu Tezuka • Vertical (2007) • Shônen Gahosha (Weekly Shônen King, 1970) • Shonen Science Fiction Fantasy Romance • 16+ (graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations) Apollo's Song opens with one of the most outlandish and unforgettable sequences in all manga: hundreds of naked men race down a tunnel toward a naked woman with a crown and scepter, at which point it becomes clear that the men are sperm and the woman an ovum. One man embraces the woman and merges with her, forming new life. From there, Tezuka launches into a weird, choppy exploration of his ideas about romantic love. As punishment from the goddess Aphrodite, juvenile delinquent Chikaishi Shogo is condemned to love and lose the same woman in one reincarnation after another, from the past to the distant future. Or is he just experiencing hallucinations brought on by shock therapy? It may sound like the material of a sappy love story, but in Tezuka's hands it's anything but: Apollo's Song is certainly melodramatic, but it's far from romantic, as Tezuka fills his pages with violent men, icy women, pop psychology that was dated even in 1970, and action-packed plotlines that have nothing to do with the nominal central theme of love. The structure is similar to Phoenix, but on a smaller scale, with Shogo zipping back and forth through time but always running up against the same fate. It's not one of Tezuka's better adult-oriented works, mainly because he seems to have so little interest in his chosen theme, but even lesser Tezuka is rife with eye-popping moments. (Review by Shaenon Garrity) Today's review is by Shaenon Garrity, creator of numerous comics, manga editor, comics critic, and one of my best friends. For "Manga: The Complete Guide" and 365 Days of Manga, I asked Shaenon to review all the manga by Osamu Tezuka. I love Tezuka, but to be honest, so much has been written about him that I have never had a strong desire to write about him myself. There are other, lesser known manga creators who need the attention. Writing about Tezuka reminds me of that scene in the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story" when the kid is fantasizing about his teacher giving him his grades "A plus... plus... plus... plus... plus!" Actually, not all Tezuka manga deserves an A+ (Apollo's Song for one), but still, although I can't put down a Tezuka manga once I pick it up, I gave the Tezuka honors to Shaenon so I could spend more time reviewing yaoi manga, shojo manga and stories about spiky-haired young boys who want to be the best at something. Today's winner is Nathan G. of Indiana! Congratulations, Nathan! Soon you'll be getting five free manga, just like this other dude, Brandon W.: Thanks for sending us your photo, Brandon! You've allowed us to continue the "circle of manga" by sending you five more graphic novels. See you all tomorrow!

Visiting Random House

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:08:42 -0500

I flew into New York City a few days ago in preparation of an online signing I would be having with author Naomi Novik for her newly released omnibus, In His Majesty's Service. If I haven't said it before, I love New York City! I have been here twice, both times for the NY Comic Con. I haven't done very many tourist-type things—meetings, events, dinner and drinks at the Comic Con take up a great deal of time—but instead have tried to embrace the city as it is. Great food. Great people. Great city. I highly recommend a visit if you haven't, especially if a visit to Comic Con can be worked in! The first time I visited I had author Terry Brooks and his wife Judine as a guide; they have been here many times before and found the very best restaurants and fun things to do away from the convention. The second time I was alone and spent more time walking the city to discover its true nature. Chaotic fun! This time I have been almost exclusively at Random House. And I thought it would be fun to write a post about it!

365 Days of Manga, Day 50: Baku

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:24:50 -0500

BAKU (Baku) (ばく) • Hakase Mizuki • Tokyopop (2007) • Shinshokan (2003) • 16+ This anthology contains two short stories by Mizuki (The Demon Ororon). In the title story, Takeshi, a slender young model who lives with relatives since his mother was institutionalized, discovers that he is the reincarnation of a Baku, a supernatural creature. (In Japanese folklore, the Baku is a monster which eats dreams, but this defining element doesn't even come up.) In the more comedic second story, "Mephisto," a half-demon kid exorcist lives with his twin sisters, a pet hamster, and a pixie he keeps in a suitcase. Both stories have bits of clever plotting (the title story is nicely dark and wistful) and demonstrate Mizuki's distinctive minimalist, elongated artwork, but they feel like incomplete fragments of longer, unfinished tales. 50 days... 50 manga reviews... 250+ manga sent like mushroom spores out of my house to germinate in the homes of others. (Is that metaphor appropriate?) It's been an exciting first 1/7th of the giveaway. One of the most interesting things, for me, is seeing the photos that people send in. It's like a high school yearbook of the kind of people who read manga (or at least, who read manga and enter online contests) in America. I could have almost called this contest "365 Faces of Manga," although (1) that sounds a little inappropriate and (2) not everyone who wins manga in the first round submits their photo for the second round. I hope you're all enjoying the manga, first-round manga winners! It's fascinating seeing this Studs Terkel-esque survey of manga readers. Speaking of winners, today's winner is Francene L. of Michigan. Congratulations, Francene! I hope you like the manga (or "mangers", as my friend Dr. Urian Brown would pronounce it)!

Thank You, Shel Dorf!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:43:44 -0500

It's interesting. There are some people who you know you're indebted to, even though you've never met. Folks who created something popular and valuable and precious that lasts and thrives and grows, sometimes to the point that its origins and originator are forgotten. And while that's natural, it's also important to occassionally take the time to remember. On November 3, 2009, Shel Dorf, the creator of that which is now known as Comic-Con International: San Diego, died.

New Releases 11/3/09

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:55:10 -0500

Here are the book, video game, DVD and movie releases for the week! Hardcover • Death Masks: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher • The Silver Mage: Book Four of the Silver Wyrm by Katherine Kerr • Heart's Blood by Julliet Marillier • Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt • Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner • Eyes like Leaves by Charles de Lint • Elegy Beach by Steven R. Boyett • Gaunt's Ghosts: Blood Pactby Dan Abnett • The Dragon Book: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois • The Sisterhood of the Rose by Jim Marrs • The Captain's Witch by Rosemary Hawley Jarman Paperback • Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon • Code Geass Novel Stage 3 by Goro Taniguichi and Ichiro Okouchi • Chasing Midnight by Susan Krinard • Agents of Artifice: A Planeswalker Novel by Ari Marmell • Corsair: Blades of the Moonsea, Book II by Richard Baker • Crusade: Destroyermen, Book II by Taylor Anderson • The Fall of Highwatch: Chosen of Nendawen by Mark Sehestedt • Finch by Jeff VanderMeer • The Golden Tower: Book Two of The Warriors of Estavia by Fiona Patton • Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier • The Lord-Protector's Daughter by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. • Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk • Asmodeus by Dawn McClure Video Games • Dragon Age: Origins • Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier • Zodiac Online • Battle of Giants: Dragons - Bronze Edition • Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron • The Force Unleashed: Sith Edition DVD Release • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra • Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One In Theaters Friday • The Fourth Kind

365 Days of Manga, Day 49: Awabi

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:08:15 -0500

AWABI (Awabi, "Abalone") （泡日） • Kan Takahama • Fanfare/Ponent Mon (2007) • Junkudo (2004) • Underground Comedy Drama • 1 volume • Unrated/16+ (sex) Kan Takahama (Monokuro Kinderbook) is an underground artist whose work, as much like jôsei as it is like any conventional manga demographic, deals with age, depression and relationships (generally younger woman-older man, and often unhealthy). Her un-idealized characters and gray, tonal artwork, which appears to be scanned directly from the pencils and computer-painted, have a warmth and depth not often found in manga, even when the action consists mostly of people talking. In the title story, "Awabi," a troubled young woman collapses drunk in a pool outside an old folks' home, prompting a moment of lucidity from a senile old man inside, and forming a bond between the woman and the old man's former mistress. This wry story is followed by several short vignettes--in "My Life with K," a middle-aged man gets involved in the life of a suicidal young woman, in "Something's Not Quite Right Story" a young Korean man talks about his depressed manga artist girlfriend, and in "Local Wide Show" Takahama makes up an imaginary tabloid scandal about her own life. There's also a two-page collaboration with French artist Frédéric Boilet (Yukiko's Spinach). While none of the other pieces are as substantial as the title story, and some are fairly cryptic, it's an insightful, if downbeat, collection. Fanfare/Ponent Mon is one of the highest-quality publishers of art-manga (and European comics) today. Who else would publish work as underground, as personal, as Kan Takahama's? Their books don't have the best distribution, so keep an eye out for them. Today's winner is Carolyn U. of Utah! Congratulations, Carolyn! We've also received a new photo from a previous winner, Noel of Florida: Thanks for sending your photo! I hope you enjoy the manga, particularly "Category: Freaks" and the out-of-print horror manga of Junji Ito, creator of "Uzumaki." I'll be sending you five more possibly less horrific manga in the immediate future as soon as I run to the post office. See you tomorrow, and as they'd say in "One Piece," "do it with a DON!"

Free Library: November Additions!

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:35:20 -0500

November is here! You know what that means. Halloween has just passed, leaving both kids and adults alike with candy galore. The clocks have fallen behind, giving everyone an extra hour to read (you didn't use it for sleep, did you?). The blustery fall weather is torturing what foliage remains and is quickly becoming winter—at least in the northern hemisphere. And bookstores have begun gearing up for the holiday sales season. It is also time for new additions to the Suvudu Free Library! We have three great books ready for your free download: A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton has been a fixture in the urban fantasy / paranormal romance section of the bookstore for a long time now. Through Anita Blake, she gave readers a fun and sexy vampire / werewolf / undead story. But Anita is not her only great creation. A Kiss of Shadows is the first book in the Meredith Gentry series and it is just as fun and as filled with glorious romping as her other series. Definitely give A Kiss of Shadows After all, it is free!

Trading In Danger by Elizabeth Moon

There has been some fantastic space opera done the last five years and Elizabeth Moon is one of the authors producing it. Even though my favorite book by Elizabeth is The Speed of Dark, Trading In Danger is a great read as well, the first in a new series spanning the universe with a kick ass heroine. And here you get to read it for free!

The Best of Robert E. Howard: Crimson Shadows by Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard is one of the most famous and influential pulp authors of the twentieth century. Though largely known as the man who invented the sword-and-sorcery genre—and for his iconic hero Conan the Cimmerian—Howard also wrote horror tales, desert adventures, detective yarns, epic poetry, and more. This spectacular volume, gorgeously illustrated by Jim and Ruth Keegan, includes some of his best and most popular works. Can't argue with free!

There you go! The new free eBooks for the Free Library! Pretty soon, with the fast approaching holiday season, you'll want to spend your time with your nose in a book instead of talking to that wacky, fruitcake-making aunt who never remembers your name. Use the Free Library!! And keep some of your sanity!

Chat with Scott Westerfeld and Naomi Novik

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:22:56 -0500

Coming up on Monday, November 16 at 7:00pm EST, join us on Suvudu for a chat with authors Naomi Novik and Scott Westerfeld! The authors will be discussing their books, along with the challenges and benefits that come with writing fiction that transcends both genre and age categories. And they'll be taking your questions, so come prepared! Scott Westerfeld is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book Leviathan and the bestselling Uglies series. His other novels include The Last Days (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and the sequel to Peeps), So Yesterday (another ALA Best Book for Young Adults) and the Midnighters trilogy. Scott alternates summers between New York City and Sydney, Australia. Visit him on the Web at scottwesterfeld.com or on twitter at twitter.com/ScottWesterfeld. Naomi Novik received the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer at the 2007 World Science Fiction Convention. She is the author of the Temeraire series, which has been optioned by Peter Jackson, the Academy Award-winning director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A history buff with a particular interest in the Napoleonic era, Novik studied English literature at Brown University, then did graduate work in computer science at Columbia University before leaving to participate in the design and development of the computer game Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide. Novik lives in New York City with her husband and six computers.

Bitten and Stirred: Top Ten Reasons Why We Love True Blood

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Because we couldn't get the cast of New Moon (in theaters November 20th) on Suvudu, we decided to do the next-best thing and devote the next three Mondays to our current, favorite vampires. Today's feature is all about True Blood. Feel free to add your reasons. We had to limit ourselves to 10 but there are endless reasons why we love True Blood. 10. It's chock-full of supernatural creatures, including, but not limited to: vampires (duh) shape-shifters, maenads, and telepaths. 9. The fabulous Lafayette. LGBT friendly. Only on HBO. (credit: The Costumer) 8. Gotta love a southern accent, especially on a vampire. 7. Generally, synthetic blood is underused and underrated and it's an excellent alternative to the ketchup-like crap you usually see on other vampire shows. (credit: Hollywood Hills) 6. Unlike most shows, season two is actually better than season one. 5. Major cliffhanger endings that make you feel like you're going to die, literally, if you don't catch the next episode. 4. We love that Todd Lowe's prior television role was on Gilmore Girls and now he's on a bad-ass vampire show on HBO. (credit: Fandomania) 3. Because we truly believe in Bill and Sookie's love. (credit: Bloody Good Horror) 2. Superhot Swede: Alexander Skarsgård. (credit: Stay Frosty) And the #1 reason why we love True Blood... Steamy, vampire-human love connections. Need we say more?

365 Days of Manga, Day 48: Reptilia

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:44:23 -0500

REPTILIA (Hebi Shôjo, "Snake Girl") (へび少女) • Kazuo Umezu • IDW Publishing (2007) • Kodansha (Weekly Shôjo Friend, 1966) • 1 volume • Shôjo Horror • All Ages (violence) One of Umezu's earliest horror manga, this anthology of snake- and reptile-themed shôjo stories feels as much like fairytales as horror. (A girl's mother is replaced by a snake-woman doppleganger, a legend tells of a monstrous snake in the forest, etc.) The stories lack the psychological depth of some of the better works in Umezu's Scary Book, and the characters' behavior is illogical even by Umezu's standards, but the simple artwork is lively and the collection ends on a high note. Kazuo Umezu is one of my favorite manga artists. I learned Japanese to read his stories, and I later had the privilege of editing "The Drifting Classroom," one of his epics, for Viz. Umezu started out drawing shojo manga in the '60s and children's gag comics in the '70s, but his work always had an undertone of horror, and in the '80s and '90s his work became increasingly violent and terrifying, culminating in the mature-readers splatter manga "Fourteen" and "The Left Hand of God, The Right Hand of the Devil." "Reptilia" is from his early-mid period, when his work was still basically children's comics with a fairytale feel. I actually prefer his later, gorier manga, but "Reptilia" is still a fun book, if you don't mind the general lack of logic. Umezu, who is retired, is also a famous eccentric, known for fronting a band in the '70s, painting his Tokyo house pink (over the objections of his boring neighbors) and singing Paul Anka's "You Are My Destiny" on Japanese TV. Moving on, today's winner is Lisa A. of North Carolina! Congratulations, Lisa! I'll be sending you five manga in the mail today. Let the manga rumpus start!

George Romero on Zombies, Braaaaaiiiinnnnns, and Disney

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:38:00 -0500

In case you missed it, George Romero, the father of the modern zombie movie, was the guest of honor on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..., NPR's humorous weekly news quiz show. Here's the way this game works, for those who are unfamiliar: George is interviewed for the audience and then he's asked three questions on a subject or topic completely unrelated to their perceived expertise, so in this case George Romero, Mr. Zombie, gets three questions about Disney. But wait! There are some great tidbits about George and his career contained in the interview. And the game portion isn't that bad either. For instance, apparently Romero never explicitly called his monsters "zombies" in Night of the Living Dead, it was the press coverage that started calling them such. It's neat little things like that. You'll hear a lot about George's early career and his thoughts on his zombies versus the new zombie trend. Give it a listen, I think you'll be entertained. From NPR's Site:

In honor of Halloween we're talking zombies with legendary movie director George Romero -- how to recognize them, how to defend against them, and—since this is Public Radio—how to try to reason with them, and come to mutual understanding and respect.

Romero is the man behind Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead. He's made a career out of zombies and exploding brains and dismemberment, so we've invited him to play a gamed called "Bippity-boppityBRAAAAAINS!" Three questions about nice, cuddly Disney movies.

Source: NPR.org, Director George Romero Plays 'Not My Job'