For the post-apocalyptic sci-fi lovers: check out Rosa, an epic sci-fi short film set in a future where all natural life has disappeared (warning - violence):

From the destruction awakes Rosa, a cyborg deployed from the Kernel project, mankind’s last attempt to restore the earth’s ecosystem. Rosa will soon learn that she is not the only entity that has awakened and must fight for her survival.

Unbelievably, Rosa was created entirely by young comic-artist Jesús Orellana over the course of a year with no budget. Happily, after the feature won prizes at a number of festivals, Hollywood got interested and Rosa is now in development to be a feature film. Certainly, a number of aspects of the short film hint at a much larger storyline and already-constructed fictional world...so I'm looking forward to seeing the full deal.

A quick heads-up for any Grailers who are interested: Comic Cavalcade have just put on sale a signed, limited edition (200 copies) hardcover of Alan Moore's Lovecraftian-themed Neonomicon (illustrations and wonderful cover by Jacen Burrows). If interested, I'd get in very quickly (I did!):

A warning note for the uninitiated (pun unintended): Neonomicon certainly puts the graphic into 'graphic novel' - it is full-on, adults-only, murder and (beast-)sex fare. Consider yourself warned...

Well this is just wonderful: The Call of Cthulhu, by H.P. Lovecraft, channeled by Dr Seuss:

In the month of March '25 it occurred
(amongst other ills of which you might have heard)
Wilcox asked Professor Angell to explain
the visions of R'lyeh assaulting his brain.

Browse all of the pages via Dr FaustusAU's Deviant Art gallery.

Last month I linked to NPR's list of the Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy books. For those, like me, who thought it might be a good idea to work through the (unread portions of the) top 100 as a future reading list, here's a handy tool to help you out with individual selections: SFSignal has posted an awesome flowchart "designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and fulfill (indeed exceed!) any need for pithy commentary you might harbor".

The flowchart starts with the simple choice of sci-fi or fantasy, and then narrows down the selection based on what subjects you'd like to read about (e.g. Sci Fi/Not Cyberpunk/Space-Based/Not Military/Peaceful Aliens/"Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke):

Update: Now also available in an interactive version.

You might also like:

• Map of the History of Science Fiction
• The World Beyond the Hill

Back in 2004 my good friend Mark James Foster (design genius behind our online mag Sub Rosa and various books released by Daily Grail Publishing) gave me a book that he had written, titled Everywhere But No Place. Up until that point, I only knew Mark as a wonderful graphic designer - but after reading his book, I was sickened to learn that he may be an even better fiction author...far too much talent for one person to have in my opinion! Everywhere But No Place is a great science fiction and fantasy crossover (in my opinion), taking virtual reality and infusing it with a strange magic (being far more worthy of the famous Matrix quote, "Buckle your seatbelt Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye!"). And his descriptive flourishes are just spot-on (seven years later, I still remember the line describing two decrepit tower blocks in a housing estate as looking like "a pair of dark concrete fingers telling the sky to f**k off".)

Unfortunately, Mark's book was never picked up by a big publisher (perhaps because it didn't conform to tired old formulas). However, the recent 'revolution' in publishing has meant that Mark has now been able to release the novel as a Kindle eBook, for the absolutely crazy price of $2.77 at Amazon US (£1.71 at Amazon UK, and €2.99 at Amazon.de)! At that price I recommend you *all* go and download a copy, for reading on your Kindle, Apple/Android/Blackberry device or just on your computer via Amazon's Kindle software.

Here's a view of the cover with some of the internal text:

If you'd like a taste of the novel before buying (seriously though, at that price?!), head to the official Everywhere But No Place website, where you can read more about the book, including some sample material. Well worth a couple of dollars - hours of enjoyment in return. Would be great to see the Grail battalions push it up the Kindle charts where it might receive further attention from others!

Get your copy now:

• $2.77 at Amazon US
• £1.71 at Amazon UK
• €2.99 at Amazon.de

Unbeknownst to most of the world due to limited availability, back in February a graphic novel - H2O - hit the stands that caught TDG’s attention for two primary reasons: the subject matter, and the fact that it was created and written by one of TDG’s own, Friday news admin Grant Calof!

Here’s a quick summary of H2O, in case the title didn’t give it away...

Set two hundred years in the future, after a 100-year drought and a failed rainmaking experiment decimate the Earth and its atmosphere, the extinction of humankind appears all but certain... until two scientists on opposite sides of what’s left of the world discover a vast, buried glacier - setting off a deadly race to claim the planet’s last source of fresh water.

Now if that wasn't cool enough, here's the kicker: we're making the comic available to all TDG readers for free, as a downloadable PDF. Just click the cover image below to head off and download your own copy (courtesy of the author). The PDF will only be available for a limited time, so get in.

The artwork is sumptuous - a real treat for the eyes. Grant noted to me that the original story for H2O was actually twice as long, but significant portions of the backstory and connective tissue wound up getting cut – so at times the story reads, in his words, "like an abridged action flick". That said, if the stars continue to align, H2O could very well be an action flick coming soon to a theater near you...

In case you’re interested in reading more about the artists, the writer or the inspiration for the comic/graphic novel, Newsarama.com published a lengthy interview in October of 2010 (the book's original release date).

A few weeks back I pointed out NPR's reader poll of the top 100 science fiction and fantasy titles. Well, after more than 60,000 votes, the results are now in - here's the top ten as voted by the public:

1. The Lord Of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire series, by George R.R. Martin
6. 1984: A Novel, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

View the entire top 100 at NPR

Not a lot of surprises at the top of the list, although I was rather shocked that one of my personal picks, The Day of the Triffids, didn't even make the top 100. Any other notable inclusions or omissions that caught your eye (remembering that Young Adult and horror were left out, as they will get their own poll...so, no Harry Potter by default)?

Also at NPR: Parsing the results.

Jon Ronson has a fascinating piece at GQ on real-life 'superheroes' who dress in costumes and patrol the streets:

Photo by Peter Yang

They're watching us, murmuring to one another. Their problem is that nobody wants to buy crack in front of three men dressed as superheroes. While Phoenix and his crew stand here, they're losing all their business.

Phoenix points to two packs of cigarettes under the windshield wiper of a nearby car. "Those are indications that you can buy here," he says. "So I'm going to take them off and annoy the crap out of them." He scrunches the packets up and throws them onto the sidewalk.

At this, one of the gang heads toward us. If you were watching from across the road, it would seem as if he just wanders past, but in fact he whispers something as he does: "You keep staying on our block, we gonna have to show you what the burner do."

"Thank you, it's great meeting you," says Phoenix.

The man loops and rejoins the others.

The streets are deserted, and it's starting to feel exceedingly dangerous. It's just the dealers and their guns and us. But then, miraculously, a taxi passes. I flag it. The superheroes all have (supposedly) bulletproof vests. I have a cardigan.

...And then, suddenly, the whole gang, all nine of them, some with their hands down their trousers as if they're holding guns just under their waistlines, walk toward us. I can't see much of Phoenix under the suit, but I can see by the way his hands are shaking that he is terrified.

..."Are we leaving or are we standing?" says Phoenix. "We're standing," says Ghost. "We're standing," says Pitch Black.

While, as is often the case, Jon takes a little poetic licence with a few of the happenings, it's still a wonderful portrait of some of these characters who "exist in some shadow world between fantasy and reality". Although, if (when?) something really bad does happen in future to one of these guys, it may seem a whole lot more tragic than entertaining...

Read the whole article at GQ.

NPR are currently running a poll to determine the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books. Last month they took nominations, and an expert panel assembled a 'short' list of contenders:

Scrolling through the list of great science fiction and fantasy reads below will feel like a journey back in time for some of us, a voyage of discovery for others. But novice or veteran, everyone loves a contest. So, let the voting begin!

Here's how: Everyone gets 10 votes. Select your top 10 favorite titles, and then scroll down to the bottom of the poll and click "Submit." Feel free to lobby for your favorites in the comments. We'll be back in about 10 days with the results.

It's a great list, though I'm sure there'll be plenty of debate about some of the inclusions and exclusions. I have to say also that I'm not sure that it should have been one list for science fiction and fantasy - while the genres sometimes approach each other, they also differ enormously at the other ends of the spectrum.

For what it's worth, here's the ten I picked (in alphabetical order). Fairly mainstream I have to say...perhaps I need to start digging in to some more obscure titles in future.

• American Gods
• The Day of the Triffids
• The Dune Chronicles
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• The Illuminatus! Trilogy
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• Neuromancer
• The Road
• Solaris
• Watchmen

The final results will be announced on August 11. So, what's your top 10? And: what books *aren't* on the list that should have been there?

Today's a good day to brush the moths out of your wallet/purse and add some goodness to your bookshelf: July 19 marks the U.S. release of two separate books which touch on the work of two magical (literally) comic book storytellers.

Gary Spencer Millidge's authorised "visual biography" of Alan Moore, Storyteller (released August 1 in the UK), is definitely a must-have for any comics afficionado:

The definitive book on Alan Moore, renowned as one of the most important talents in contemporary comics and graphic novels, and his trailblazing works of visual storytelling. Alan Moore is one of the most important creative forces in the history of comics. His innovative works, which include V for Vendetta, Watchmen, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, have become enduring features of the modern cultural landscape, inspiring countless artists, from writers and illustrators to graphic novelists and filmmakers. Moore has won more awards and prizes than can be named — including nine Eisners, seven Harveys, multiple Jack Kirby awards, and the only Hugo ever awarded for work on a comic.

Drawing on new and unpublished interviews, as well as rarely seen art and photos, this is the first book on his work to have Moore’s cooperation and support, making it a must-have for his many fans and for anyone interested in the art of visual storytelling. Alan Moore: Storyteller is a survey of his expansive work, from his high-profile best sellers to rarely seen experimental projects, such as spoken word and performance art. Individual works are richly illustrated from Moore’s personal archives and paired with critical context. An audio CD will feature excerpts from some of Moore’s multimedia performances and songs, making this the Alan Moore handbook: a must-have for his many comic-book fans and anyone interested in the art of visual storytelling.

Plenty more information about the book available via the links in this blog entry over at the Ilex Press website. (On a sidenote, make sure you check out the latest instalment of Erik Davis's "Expanding Mind" podcast, in which he talks to Alan Moore about "psychogeography, John Dee, comic gods, and the art of magic".)

The other book release is Grant Morrison's Supergods (Amazon US or Amazon UK) in which the enigmatic Glaswegian writer explores the modern mythology of the comic book superhero:

The first superhero comic ever published, Action Comics no. 1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men—the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they’ve gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us?

For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the “superworld,” these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero—why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are...and what we may yet become.

If you enjoy Morrison's book, you might also want to check out Chris Knowles' Our Gods Wear Spandex (2007) and Jeff Kripal's recent Boing Boing article, "Psi-Fi: Popular Culture and the Paranormal".