Can the new video game and its tie-in TV show (or is it the other way around?) give a new twist to an old alien invasion tale?
by Kellie Sheridan
THE CONCEPT
Four years ago, Syfy/Universal Cable Productions teamed up with Trion Worlds (the creators of MMORPG, Rift) to work on something they hoped would be revolutionary for science fiction entertainment… and Defiance was born. On the one hand, Defiance is a video game in the Rift-school, a Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game potentially featuring thousands of individual avatars and scores of plotlines. …

An homage to Sam Raimi’s cult horror trilogy, in the wake of the (inevitable, really) remake.
by David Baldwin
After years of rumors, the remake of Evil Dead is finally here. I thought it was well worth the wait, but obviously anything will be considered inferior to Sam Raimi’s original trilogy.
Shot between 1979-1980 but not officially premiered until 1982, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead introduced the world to the now legendary Bruce Campbell, and his buffoonish jerk character Ashley J. Williams – but we all know him better as Ash. Although movies …

Greetings, Salutations and Happy Easter one and all! Also, we’d like to extend a happy belated Passover to those it applies to, and also a very Happy Rites of Spring to anyone so inclined.
And now… look, we received a lot of the lovely mail this past month, full of your likes and your dislikes regarding our last issue as well as other stuff from the Archive. But without doubt the mostly hotly contested, debated, praised and detested work to have sent you flying to our Contact Form was February’s Geek …

From genies to mermaids to gods and whatever the heck those things in Fantasia are, we pick our favorites from the Mouse House.
by Rachel Hyland and Kellie Sheridan
Since 1937, with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there has been no bigger name in the world of animated film than that of Disney. Yes, you have your DreamWorks, your Warner Brothers and even your Disney-adjacent Pixar Studios, but with a legacy of fifty-two feature-length animated cinema releases thus far to its name (alongside numerous straight-to-video/DVD sequels, prequels and …

I grew up around a lot of Disney, and it played a bit of a role in my childhood. In the 80s, the Disney Channel was a pay channel, like HBO for kids, and it didn’t have commercials. My mom paid extra for it so that we could have programming to keep my sister and I occupied while she did stuff. And unlike Nickelodeon, Disney didn’t promote kids talking back or being rude to authority figures so it was a bit more parent-friendly.
The bloom was off the rose for Disney …

For a company that has helped shape generations of childhood memories, Disney sure has to spend a lot of time defending itself against all kinds of accusations. Sure, things in the Magic Kingdom may not be perfect, but the outlook it projects to children and adults alike is invaluable. For me, being exposed to Disney’s brand of magic did so much to shape the grownup I turned into. I’ve seen most of the animated movies multiple times, made two trips to the parks in Florida and still own a few …

How a hardcore gamer came to host a Canadian genre entertainment news show for a living.
by Kellie Sheridan
From comics to video games, it takes all kinds to make geek culture happen. Some among us have been lucky enough to take their passion for all things geek and turn it into a career. So, how do they get there? Does working in the industry take away any of the appeal? And, is it all as awesome as it sounds?
Short answer: Yes!
This month, I had the opportunity to speak with Ajay Fry, …

A bargain, a rip-off, a bizarre trophy or a priceless momento? A look at the practice of paying a celebrity to be nice to you.
by Rachel Hyland
There is a tangible electricity in the air, a frisson of anticipatory glee as scores of men and women – mostly women – stand in line for an approximately 30 second encounter with Jason Momoa. A privilege for which they have paid quite handsomely.
Star of Stargate Atlantis, Conan and Game of Thrones (Season 1, anyway), Momoa’s is a towering presence as he emerges from …

In the first installment of a new series, one gamer takes on a new MMORPG—and we’re along for the ride.
by Kellie Sheridan
In July of 2012, Funcom released The Secret World, a massively-multiplayer online game set in a world of Urban Fantasy. The game takes place in the modern day real world, but includes all kinds of fantasy elements, from mythology all the way to pop culture. The result is an immersive game that sheds traditional game elements like levels and character classes in order to give its players a unique …

Justin Cronin’s despised sequel The Twelve, and a great literary tradition it might well uphold
by Kate Nagy
The Twelve, the sequel to Justin Cronin’s wildly popular 2010 vampire thriller The Passage, was published last fall to reviews that were, alas, rather less than ecstatic. “The Twelve bites,” was the succinct, if somewhat unkind, conclusion drawn by one waggish reviewer. Various critics have cited the book’s overpopulation, tissue-thin characterization, and surplus plot lines as flaws, and I have to concede that they have a point. There are too many characters, not to …