Star Wars, Comics & Sci-Fi this Weekend!

Well it is only Monday morning and already I am thinking about the weekend!
 
Why this weekend amongst 52 others of the year you may ask!
 
As many people of the geeky persuasion already know Saturday is May the Fourth – also known as Star Wars Day and Sunday is the sequel – Revenge of the 5ith.
 
starwarsday
Apart from three excellent films, two Ewok spin-off movies, three prequels of varying quality, two Clone Wars animated series and cartoons there is an entire expanded universe of novels, comics, computer and table top role-playing games.
 
Admittedly the novels vary from excellent to um not so good actually.
 
My personal favourites being the Heir to the Empire trilogy (aka the Thrawn Trilogy) by Timothy Zahn and Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber which is Star Wars with Zombies!
starwarsbooks
 
Star Wars is instantly recognizable as a brand and the novels & comics may attract reluctant readers who prefer movies. Posters are fairly easy to get hold of (or you could create your own) and making a display of Star Wars related library materials can be eye-catching and if you run a teen group they could be inspired to try new books or even create Star Wars fan fiction and comics if you tie it in to creative writing.
vaderhatesthatyoudontread
 
vaderslittleprincessVader’s Little Princess is also being launched at Forbidden Planet on Saturday.
 
Not only that, but May 4th is also Free Comic Book Day.
 
fcbgWhat is “Free Comic Book Day?”
As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book speciality shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops.
 
When is Free Comic Book Day?
Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May each year.
 
Are they really free?
Yep! Different shops have policies on how many free comics you can receive, but you will receive at least one free comic if you enter a participating shop location. Check with your retailer for their policies and plans for FCBD.
 
Find participating stores that may be near you here:
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator/
(be sure to click on the Locate shops outside of North America link underneath the search bar)
 
Staying with the whole geeky, comic vibe this week marks the launch of Sci-Fi London!
 
sci_fi_london_2013SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film), is a UK based film festival, dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres. Now in its 12th year Sci-Fi London launches on Wednesday and runs until Monday 6th May.

Designed to be a festival that “takes a serious look at sci-fi and fantasy, bringing new, classic and rare movies from around the world to the UK”, Sci-Fi-London (SFL) annually screens world and UK Premieres, seminal cult classics, as well as documentaries, debates and talks.
 
Short films are also an important part of the festival programme, screening in front of every movie shown, as well as together in the Blink Of An Eye short film programme. Over its history Sci-Fi-London has also held a number of Short Film competitions, and in 2008 launched the Sci-Fi-London 48hr Film Challenge, in order to encourage filmmakers to create sci-fi short films over a very short space of time.

So if you love anime, science-fiction, fantasy and the weird (and can get to Stratford Picturehouse in East London) it is a phenomenal festival!

By Matt Imrie on April 29, 2013 · Posted in News

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