Has it been a year already? Why, yes it has! This week we celebrate the anniversary of the Seattle Geekly podcast with e-mails and voice mails from some of our amazing friends and listeners, plus we interview Len Wein, one of our Geek Heroes and co-creator of Marvel Comics’ Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler, DC’s Swamp Thing, editor for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons on Watchmen and innumerable other accomplishments. We also have our first impressions of Star Trek Online and an interview with Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated curator Mike Schneider.

And, as always, we have the weekly Geek News and geek events in the Seattle area.

Our Geek Week

• Listening to the audio book of Lamentation by Ken Scholes
• Reading Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge (who is the Guest of Honor at this year’s Norwescon!)
• Watched the finale of Dollhouse
• Went to Nerdcore Night at the Blue Moon with Billy the Fridge and Death*Star.
• Went to the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival
  The films shown were:
  • Alma (full movie) *Second Place winner*
  • Beast of Burden (trailer only)
  • Charlie Thistle (full movie) *Third Place and Audience Choice winner*
  • Die Schneider Krankheit (trailer only)
  • Extra•Ordinary
  • S.S. Humanity (full movie)
  • Shuttle T-42
  • The Control Master (full movie) *Grand Prize winner*
  • The Kirkie (full movie)
  • To The Moon (full movie)
  • Afterglow (trailer only)
  • Arthur’s Lore (full movie available in the spinny menu)
  • Burden (trailer only)
  • CC2010 (full movie)
  • Elder Sign (full movie)
  • Hands Off
  • Hangar No. 5 (full movie) *Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects*
  • Nanosporin AI (full movie)
  • Singularity
  • Third Day’s Child
• Watched Caprica
• Watched Moon
  

• Played Star Trek Online
  Ogou, Matt’s Human Science Officer and Xandia, Shannon’s Trill Tactical Officer
  

One Year Madness

Thanks so much to Gamewatcher and GrrlGotGame, Jim Krieg, Gary Brantner, Rob Welch, “Bonehand” Steve, Brother D, Geek Girl Kristin, Brenda Cooper, C0splay and MC-3PO, David Wu, Dr. Vern and all the listeners who wrote or called to wish us well.

Let it be said no more that geeks are anti-social! There is an amazing community out there and we are delighted to be a small part of it.

Geek Hero Interview: Len Wein

Best known for co-creating DC Comics’ Swamp Thing, Marvel Comics’ Wolverine and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men (including the co-creation of Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons’ influential DC miniseries Watchmen.

Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2009, former X-Men writer Chris Claremont said, “The history of modern comics would be incredibly different if you took [Wein's] contributions out of the mix. The fact he doesn’t get credit for it half the time is disgraceful. We owe a lot of what we are – certainly on the X-Men – to Len and to Dave [Cockrum]”
–Wikipedia

The “New X-Men” that Len Wein helped to create in Giant Size X-Men #1 was the X-Men team that we grew up with and were a big part of why Matt started and continued reading comics. Having the opportunity to talk to people like this is one of the biggest benefits of putting in all the work we do for the Podcast. Thanks to Caite in Olympia who helped to facilitate us getting the interview and, of course, huge thanks to Len for taking the time to talk with us.

Dare Shannon to Watch a Bad Movie

This week’s movie was Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li trailer

Next week’s movie will be Pathfinder (2007)

News

• Night Of the Living Dead: Reanimated returns to Seattle! The film will be playing February 12 – 21 at the Grand Illusion Cinema 1403 NE 50th St, Seattle
  

• The 82nd Academy Award Nominations were announced this week. Get your predictions ready and print out a copy of the Seattle Geekly Awards Show Drinking Game. The awards will be given out Sunday March 7 and the ceremonies are going to be broadcast on ABC.
• A PS3 version of the bestselling Settlers of Catan board game is headed for North America

Events

Conventions
• February 5 – 7, 2010 – Gotta Con – Victoria, BC Canada
• February 6 – 8, 2010 – BeyondCon – Gig Harbor, WA
• February 12 – 14, 2010 – RadCon 5B – Pasco, WA
• February 19 – 21, 2010 – Tsukino-Con – Victoria, BC Canada
• February 20, 2010 – Chibi Chibi Con – Olympia, WA

Events

• February 5 – February 15, 2010 SIFF Cinema 321 Mercer Street, Seattle – Akira Kurosawa Screenings. SIFF presents five films from one of the world’s great masters—Akira Kurosawa—in beautiful 35mm prints from Janus Films. Films showing are Stray Dog (1949), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), The Hidden Fortress (1958), High and Low (1963), The Seven Samurai (1954). See the SIFF site for details.
• February 5 – 6 midnight, 2010 Egyptian Theater 805 East Pine Street, Seattle Midnight Movies: The Evil Dead – See a director’s print of the uncut version! Not to be missed!
• February 6, 2010 1pm Seattle Public Library Central Branch 1000 4th Ave, Seattle – George Clayton Johnson. Join legendary Twilight Zone writer George Clayton Johnson to discuss his career as an award-winning science fiction author, screenplay writer and director. This event will be moderated by local science fiction and fantasy author Greg Bear.
• February 6, 2010 1pm Borders Books Redmond 7525 166th Ave NE, Redmond – Lee Fodi. YA fantasy author Lee Fodi reads and signs his latest book Kendra Kandlestar and the Box of Whispers.
• February 6 – March 6, 2010 Odd Duck Studio 1214 10th Ave – Seattle – I Still Won’t Be Ignored. Blood Squad presents fully improvised shows live onstage in the style of horror films based on a made-up title from the audience. For this run they will perform in the “bunny boiler” genre. Your wife is out of town, your marriage hasn’t exactly been paradise. And then, after some heavy drinking and solemn reflection about who you are as a couple, a super hot chick comes out of nowhere for a night of crazy sexy time. It’s just one night…or so you think. Who’s leaving strange messages on your wife’s phone? What about that strange woman who visited your daughter at school? Why are those closest to you….dying. If that crazy bitch can’t have you, then no one can…and she won’t be ignored!
• February 7, 2010 1pm University Bookstore 4326 University Way NE, Seattle – Connie Willis. Connie Willis reads and signs her latest book Blackout.
• February 12, 2010 7pm University Bookstore 4326 University Way NE, Seattle – Walter Jon Williams. Nebula Award winning author Walter Jon Williams reads and signs his latest book This Is Not a Game
• February 12 – 14, 2010 Market Theater 1428 Post Alley, Seattle – Comedy Of Love. Unexpected Productions presents Comedy Of Love, an improv show that pokes fun at relationships, sex, babies, marriage, blind dates, and everything else love plays a part in! As a special twist, all the improvisors are real life couples! Shows February 12 – 13 at 8:30pm and February 14 at 7pm. Tickets are $15.

Contests

Zombie Valentine Giveaway!

We have a selection of 8 greeting cards from Monkey Minion Press including 4 valentines, 1 birthday, 1 St. Patrick’s Day card and 2 generic greeting cards. The cards are sealed individually in plastic and would make great wall-art if you didn’t want to use them as cards.

The contest runs from today until February 7 with the winner picked on February 8. We’ll ship them to you via USPS in time for Valentine’s Day!

“How do I enter?”
Please register / log in to our website, and leave a comment on THIS POST. You can just say “hi” or whatever! One entry per person please, we’ll delete any multiple or offensive posts. Make sure you use a valid e-mail address when you register so we can contact you if you win!

“How will you randomly pick someone?”

We have D&D dice of all shapes and sizes, even a 100 sider! We’ll roll and see who wins!

Music

Music this week was selections from Death*Star and Kirby Krackle. Catch Death*Star live March 12 at Cafe Venus / Mars Bar and March 25 at the Skylark Cafe and look for Kirby Krackle’s second album E for Everyone coming the first week in March.

Next week’s show will be all about Geek Romance – we’ll talk to a couple of geek couples and give you hope about finding that perfect geek boy or girl for you!