SFcrowsnest.net: The genre media magazine

A glitch has slipped through our safety net, and unfortunately it’s in the otherwise wonderful A Crown Imperilled. We would like to apologise wholeheartedly for any inconvenience the error may have caused you. We are aware of the fault, and are correcting it in the reprint.  If you have bought a copy of the first run and would like a replacement please send your old copy and postal address to...

http://www.voyagerbooks.com/2012/02/13/a-crown-imperilled-by-raymond-e-feist/

Harry Potter actress to star in big screen version of the fairy tale.

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/02/14/will-emma-watson-be-beauty-in-guillermo-del-toro%E2%80%99s-beast/

IMAGE EXPO is a three-day comic book convention commemorating Image Comics' 20th Anniversary and celebrating creator-owned comics, being held on February 24th, 25th and 26th 2012 at the Oakland Convention Center, USA. Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino, will be the guests of honor, appearing for signings, panels, and workshops. Other guests include Image founders Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio, plus the creators of various creator-owned comics, including Ed Brubaker and Brian K. Vaughan.

Exhibitors at IMAGE EXPO include companies publishing independent comics and the artists who create them, as well as retailers who support creator-owned comics. IMAGE EXPO will also be hosting programming for fans, aspiring creators, and retail professionals, ranging from panels to art, writing, and design workshops.

"The Walking Dead Live" panel will take place Saturday, hosted by Chris Hardwick, with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and actors Steven Yeun (Glenn) and Norman Reedus (Daryl). In the workshops, Image Comics founders will offer portfolio reviews and tips for aspiring artists. Image Comics will also be supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's work with a workshop on censorship led by the CBLDF's Charles Brownstein.

Tickets are $20 for a Friday or Sunday pass, $25 for Saturday, and $35 for all three days. There is also a $150 MVP three-day pass, which includes guaranteed panel seating and a gift bag. To purchase tickets and more information about the show, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com. 

This 53-foot-tall Optimus Prime snow sculpture, a month in the making, went on display today at the Asahikawa Winter Festival in Hokkaido.

http://geeks.thedailywh.at/2012/02/10/optimus-prime-snow-sculpture-of-the-day/

'Dragon Age: Asunder' by Bioware's lead writer, David Gaider, is third in a series of fiction set in the same world as the 'Dragon Age' video games. Set a year after the conclusion of 'Dragon Age II', 'Asunder' explores the repercussions of the cataclysmic end to that game. Instead of Kirkwall, however, the setting is Val Royeaux, home of the Chantry and the Divine and the White Spire, which houses the Orlesian Circle of Magi.

http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2012/Dragon-Age-Asunder-by-David-Gaider-16534.php

Mrs. Wibbsey (Susan Jameson) returns to the peaceful village of Hexford hoping for a bit of a sit down. The Doctor is off having adventures elsewhere but it's OK because a funny little man who plays the recorder has arrived along with a retinue of UNIT. They've come to the village as they are expecting the invasion of Hexford.

http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2012/Doctor-Who-Serpent-Quest-4-The-Invasion-of-Hexford-Part-4-by-Paul-Magrs-16543.php

BBC Worldwide announced today that Director Toby Haynes will be joining the Official Doctor Who Convention taking place on the 24th and 25th March at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre.

Toby Haynes has directed several Eleventh Doctor episodes and most recently came together with Steven Moffat again to film the nail biting series-finale of Sherlock.  Doctor Who episodes directed by Haynes include the US based opener to series 6 The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon; the 2010 Christmas special A Christmas Carol with guest stars Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins; and Series 5 episodes The Big Bang and The Pandorica Opens which saw the Doctor imprisoned in the fabled Pandorica Box.

“I love the idea of a Convention with a difference, bringing together all the people who make the show and letting the fans see the script to screen process in person. Often when I meet fans I'm blown away by their knowledge of Doctor Who and their enthusiasm to find out more, this event will go a long way to fulfilling that desire!” said Toby Haynes.

Toby joins a host of cast and crew appearing at the Official Doctor Who Convention including: Matt Smith; Steven Moffat; Arthur Darvill; Mark Sheppard; Nicholas  Briggs; Ian McNeice; Raquel Cassidy; Neill Gorton; Danny Hargreaves; Tom MacRae;  Barnaby Edwards; Caroline Henry; Stephan Pehrsson; Michael Pickwoad; Andy Pryor; Gary Russell; Simon Fisher-Becker and Marcus Wilson. The Convention is a full day event that will reveal the inner workings of Doctor Who, showing the journey from script to screen: Live special effects and pyrotechnic demonstrations; prosthetic masterclasses and in-depth Q & A sessions with the makers of the show will give an unrivalled glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of Doctor Who. 

Tickets are on general sale now, priced at £99 and available at: www.dwconvention.com