Comments for Swancon36

Comment on Retrofuturist Hemlines: June Hudson by Grant Watson

Grant Watson — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:04:21 +0000

While there hasn’t been a book, there was a collection of prints published of June Hudson’s Season 17 and 18 design work on Doctor Who. From memory they were pretty expensive though – certainly more expensive than I could afford at the time.

Comment on What is retro-futurism? by Richard harland

Richard harland — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:39:17 +0000

I read Charlie Stross’s comment on the Dickensian past of steampunk, and agree with everything he says – except the implication that a place you wouldn’t want to live is also a place you wouldn’t want to read about. No, no, a thousand times no! It’s the dreadful, dangerous, hellish times that make for the most exciting fiction. And it’s the Utopias that makes for the most boring fiction. I’ve read a couple and they are BORING! I love steampunky fiction when it creates an alternative nineteenth century that’s even more dreadful and hellish than the real one.

Isn’t that why sf futures keep on taking on backward-looking qualities? An efficient, well-organized, smoothly running world just isn’t interesting. It’s when the future gets dark and dangerous and unpredictable that we get interested, as with post-apocalyptic futures. Steampunk isn’t necessarily retro-futuristic and retro-futures aren’t necessarily steampunk (though Phillip Reeve’s Mortal Engines certainly has the best of both worlds), but it’s the same impulse in both cases, I reckon!

Richard

Comment on Retrofuturist Hemlines: June Hudson by Sarah Xu

Sarah Xu — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:08:55 +0000

Who wore this coat best, Romana or Servalan?

was that rhetorical? no contest. Servalan totally owns it.

thanks for this wonderful post, I have been a big fan of Hudson’s work and without even thinking about who was behind it!

Comment on What is retro-futurism? by Laurie

Laurie — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:12:52 +0000

Hey,

Those pictures are very cool. People reading this article might be interested in the current issue of UK based journal Neo-Victorian Studies, which I was both excited and disappointed to discover is a special issue called “Steampunk, Science, and (Neo)Victorian Technologies” (Disappointed because I missed out on contributing).

http://www.neovictorianstudies.com/

Comment on They’re Fanzines, Jim, but not as we knew them by swancon36

swancon36 — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:41:03 +0000

Thanks Elaine, fixed!

Comment on They’re Fanzines, Jim, but not as we knew them by Elaine Walker

Elaine Walker — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:05:57 +0000

I think the link to eFanzines is missing a http:// in front of it, or some means for it to go somewhere other than this website. Sorry, but I thought someone ought to know.

Comment on Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty Program by Ann Poore

Ann Poore — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:15:53 +0000

It was lovely to have filking on the Worldcon program. Mind you, it would not have happened if it hadn’t been pushed…Would love to see more…And Perth has always had good filkers…If there was to be filking on the program, I would love to be involved, as it is a little niche of fandom that is close to my heart, and would be a sure way to drag me and my harp 5 days across country….(good thing I like long distance travel!!)

Comment on Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty Program by ADRIENNE LOSIN

ADRIENNE LOSIN — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:56:04 +0000

Truly a great effort went in to doing the recent Aussie Worldcon, but I found THE CON to be a geart disappointment as far as the MEETING OF NEW FANS,artshow,networking,fannish activities and opportunities for meetings pros (many of whom I’ve already chatted to at cons in USA, but few have that privelege). The indecipherable nametags were, I’m sure, a printing accident.BUT UNFORGIVEABLE!aND OF COURSE THEY WERE SHORT OF VOLUNTEERS AND ARTISTS AND COSTUMIERS…’cos treating creative people badly for years doesn’t make them flock to your cause.Next year I’m going to a fanrun litcon in NSW where costumes and fannish creativity are encouraged, but other litfen will never learn.

Comment on Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty Program by Gary Kemble

Gary Kemble — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:15:08 +0000

I think it would be great if the program could be offered in wiki format. It would serve two purposes – it’s easy to update but also, the wiki page for each event could become a place for bloggers to add links, thereby collecting all the coverage on each even in one place.

One thing I found with WorldCon is that there was so much blogging that much content probably got lost in the deluge.

Comment on Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty Program by Martin

Martin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:53:13 +0000

One panel I really enjoyed at a previous Swancon but has never been repeated since was “Iron Writer”, where three writers attempt to write a short story in half an hour based on suggestions from the audience and constant interruptions and additions throughout the time. Funnily enough, it’s an activity close to my heart.

I’d also love to see an SFnal version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” (Whose Alien Is It Anyway”???), with a bunch of good improvisers making up SF-related skits on the fly, again from suggestions from the audience. But I think that might be wishful thinking on my part! Ditto with a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game show for film nerds.