GUILLERMO DEL TORO (LEFT) AND PETER JACKSON (RIGHT) ANSWER FANS’ QUESTIONS.

The live Internet chat “An Unexpected Party” between The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro, producer Peter Jackson and thousands of excited fans lasted only one hour but offered a wealth of information about the upcoming film(s).

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IMAGE COURTESY OF WETA

It’s called “An Unexpected Party” and we’re all invited. The Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro and producer Peter Jackson have asked fans to participate in a Q&A session via live chat on the Internet to discuss the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel.

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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT KIRCHHOFER/TRIBUNE

After tapping comic books for creative ideas with box office success, Hollywood has turned its attention to anime as a new source of inspiration and revenue. Adapting Japanese animation into live action will definitely pose a serious challenge for filmmakers as American audiences are not used to its nonlinear storylines, fantastic characters and unique visuals.

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The Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) is a wonderful place. It takes classic characters from the movies like Chewbacca, Emperor Palpatine and Han Solo and puts them through the ringer as only demented sci-fi and fantasy novelists can — killing some, resurrecting others and putting still others in the position of having a daughter who asks a certain bounty hunter who once had you frozen in carbonite help her kill her brother.

Yes, it’s not much of a secret by now that in the Star Wars — Legacy of the Force series of novels, Princess Leia and Han Solo’s son Jacen (love that name!) has embraced the dark side of the Force and even taken a Sith moniker for himself: Darth Caedus. And his twin sister Jaina Solo has decided to take him out rather than watch all her parents fought for go up in flames.

If you’ve never had the chance to sample the EU, or if you’ve simply lapsed a bit, the gods of tie-in fiction have granted you a reprieve: Now through May 13, when the series-ending Invincible goes on sale, you can download a free PDF, audiobook or eBook of the first volume in the series, Betrayal. See Del Rey for details. Read the rest of this entry »

Orson Scott Card’s Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel Ender’s Game and its follow-up Ender’s Shadow will be visualized in another medium for the first time by Marvel Comics.

Sci-Fi Wire reports that a limited comic book series based on the first book will hit shelves this fall.

Also, Tor Books will publish a direct sequel to Ender’s Game – called Ender in Exile — late this year.

Ender’s Game is the story of gifted Earth children in the future taken from their parents to train for war when the planet is threatened with another attack from an alien species. One of these kids, Ender Wiggin, becomes Earth’s salvation — but only after a tragic sacrifice.

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What does a diehard Star Wars fanatic do when he’s not watching the Trilogies or blogging about the upcoming television series (plural) set in a galaxy far, far away? He curls up with a good Star Wars book, of course!

They have books, you say? Yes! I answer. Star Wars has a long tradition of spin-off media, known collectively as the Expanded Universe, or EU to hardcore fans or haters. Of which there are many. If you think it’s tough keeping track of all the characters in George Lucas’ movies, just wait until you throw in thirty years of follow-up adventures!

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IMAGE COURTESY OF DC COMICS

The Joker got a fresh coat of paint this week and reminded us why we love his brand of psychotic villainy in the 20th anniversary special hardcover edition of Batman: The Killing Joke. Originally released as a one-shot comic in 1998, The Killing Joke was written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland. Among fans of Batman and comics it is considered the greatest Joker story ever told. The new hardcover edition of the book features all-new coloring by Bolland, an introduction by artist Tim Sale and an additional story An Innocent Guy by Brian Bolland previously featured in Batman: Black and White.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, passed away today at the age of 90. He had post-polio syndrome since the early 1960s and died after suffering breathing problems. To many he was one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. His novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 cinematic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay with Kubrick and created one of the most memorable fictional sci-fi characters of all time: HAL 9000. Click here to read The Associated Press story.

HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey