Monday News Roundup 11/09

Posted by Matt at 12:08 pm Geek Speak

Nov 092009

l_feb0de070c174e98a06e8d87f1c712d5

Geek Music is the topic for this Thursday’s podcast. In our third installment of the continuing Geek Music series, we have profiles of more bands to add to your play lists from a variety of genres including an interview with two of the members of one of our favorite bands, Sci-Fried, about their music and plans for the future.

Before the news, just a couple of reminders. You’ll want to clear your calendars for the weekend of November 20 – 22 for the Neptune Coffee Trivia Night hosted by the two of us and the third Seattle Geekly Game Night! Trivia Night is Friday, November 20 from 8 – 10 pm at Neptune Coffee and the topic will be the Whedonverse! Game Night is Sunday November 22 from 1 – 5pm (or later) and is again being held at Green Lake Games. Follow the links for more details.

Your Monday news is under the fold

Anime

One of the earliest Japanese TV anime series Prince Planet (Yuusei Shonen Papii) is returning to the U.S. for the first time since the 1960s. Hulu and YouTube are both streaming the series free!

Prince Planet tells the story of a member of the Universal Peace Corps from the Planet Radion coming to Earth on a mission to determine if this world meets standards for membership in the Galactic Union of Worlds and assist its inhabitants during his stay. While on his mission Prince Planet adopts the identity of an Earth boy named Bobby and gains comrades who work together alongside him combating evil forces both alien and terrestrial.
–Wikipedia

Boardgames

Days of Wonder is making a new campaign pack for their World War II boardgame Memoir ’44 available FREE at participating game and hobby stores while supplies last. Memoir ‘44: Vercors Campaign contains five new scenarios created by Jacques “jdrommel” David that highlight the heroic Maquisards of the French Resistance and their battle against overwhelming SS forces on the Vercors Plateau in the summer of 1944. The campaign requires the Memoir ‘44 base game, the Terrain Pack, and Campaign Book, Vol. 1.

Books

Quirck Classics is going to be publishing a prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies entitled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. The prequel is being written by a new author, Steve Hockensmith and is already listed on Amazon. Quirk describes the plot as follows;

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead.

We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, Dawn of the Dreadfuls invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!

Comics

read

News Bureau is reporting on research done by Carol L. Tilley, a professor of library and information science at the University of Illinois on improving literacy in young children through comics and the increasing acceptance of the conventions of the comic genre in non-comic works

“There has been an increase in the number of comic book-type elements in books for younger children,” Tilley said. “There’s also a greater appreciation among both teachers and librarians for what comics and comic books can bring to the classroom. For example, the National Council of Teachers of English sponsors an instructional Web site called ‘Read, Write, Think,’ which has a lot of comics-related material. Instructional units like these would have been much more rare 10 years ago.”

Brian Michael Bendis held an impromptu question and answer session with fans over his Twitter on Saturday. Robot 6 has a good wrapup, but highlights included word that Bendis has plans for a new storyline for Daredevil, a new Alias series in the works and a creator-owned crime project with his Daredevil and Spider-Woman collaborator Alex Maleev in the queue for summer 2010.

Share and Enjoy: