Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 17

Week 17: Fluffy

"The Trouble With Tribbles". Sketched in black Sharpie, with metallic gold highlights, on watercolour paper. Based on the famous publicity still from "Star Trek". Coloured in watercolours.

Update:

Week 17: Fluffy II

"Gossamer". Character from the Warner Bros' "Looney Tunes" cartoons. Finepoint black Sharpie and watercolour, mounted on flint paper background.

Week 17: Fluffy III

Based on two photos, taken by me, of a poodle being readied for Best in Show. White UniPaint marker on black card, with black, blue and red finepoint Sharpies and white Signo pigment ink.

William Shatner's last words on JJ Abrams' Star Trek?

So clever!




The full version of the new trailer is here!

Visiting for the weekend!

"V" creator, Kenneth Johnson, has revisited his epic TV mini-series of the 80s with a hardcover sequel novel called "V: The Second Generation". First scheduled for release in October 2007, it's been delayed a few times but is finally here!

I have had the book on pre-order at Galaxy, and thankfully they saved me a hardcover edition (it has a simultaneous trade paperback release), and I'm glad I pre-ordered since there was only one copy sitting on the shelves just a few days after the first airfreighted stock arrived.

Now I must rush through the rest of a DS9 novel, "Warpath" (not difficult because David Mack writes a fast-paced book), and delve into "V". I understand Johnson will ignore elements of the latter "V" projects, made without his involvement, but there is no foreword explaining the set-up, so it'll be an interesting ride.

It's been way too long between mousies!




Also on the shelves at Galaxy last night was "Captain Kirk's Guide to Women" by John "Bones" Rodriguez, a slim "factual" book published by Pocket Books, which caused much hilarity when I tried to purchase it. Poor Sofia was trying to serve me in her usual friendly and jovial manner - and trying not to raise her eyebrows over the title of the book, and all the cheesy Kirk/female embraces depicted on its cover - and I was reassuring her that, although I now had all the secrets I ever needed to wield romantic power over Earth and alien females alike, I hadn't actually read it yet.

Valentine's Day. How appropriate for such a purchase! I warned Sofia that there might be a regular cluster of lonely Star Trek fans, desperate for the ultimate solution to the Great Mystery of the Universe, down by the Star Trek "New Releases" stand... at least until the last three copies were sold.

Still attempting to convey nonchalance, Sofia then asked, quite innocently, if I wanted my paper bag sealed.

"Why?" I smirked. "Are you trying to prevent me from reading it on the train home?"

Then I noticed that my purchase was now in a plain brown wrapper. Maybe that's the only safe way to carry home the secrets of Kirk's mojo?

Kirk's Bastards

I accidentally came across this very funny Star Trek fan film today, "Bastards of Kirk", a very funny send up of TV's "Sixty Minutes" and "Star Trek". There are so many clever things about this parody. The costuming is often quite inspired, and the acting performances very appealing. There's some typically fannish fastidious attention to detail, and the script even acknowledges the concept of four-gendered Andorians, hinted at by Data in "The Next Generation", and extrapolated by the Pocket Books' Star Trek novels set after "Deep Space Nine".



I particularly loved: the introduction of Kirk's Andorian half-breed son, Rhan (Erick Fournier, above centre); the hilarious interview with Apollo (previously of "Who Mourns for Adonais"), for which even the interviewer dresses the part; Nurse Chapel trying out a Rand-inspired hairstyle and explaining why Spock couldn't commit to her; Spock avoiding his interview in the most logical way; and the handsome but troubled young twins from Cheron (Clint Maguire as Elbe and Erick Fournier, again, as Zokai), only one of whom has inherited his Dad's unique speech patterns.

Enjoy all six parts!


PART 1


PART 2


PART 3


PART 4


PART 5


PART 6

Well done Red Fort Films and Bright Anvil Studios! (And there's a blog of the production, written as it happened.)