Culture

  • A Distant Soil Blog Posts,  Blog,  Comics,  Image Comics

    Ovanon on Earth

    DarkGlobe, a regular poster at the long gone A Distant Soil Message Board posted this incredible link. In the year 2000, an enormous crystal cave was discovered in Mexico, with huge pillars 20 feet high, extraordinary walls of shimmering rock, and the largest formations found on Earth. It looks exactly how I envisioned the crystal caves on Ovanon. I didn’t realize crystals could get that big on this planet. Apparently, the subterranean formations grew in a high temperature, water laden environment, so steamy one poor explorer was baked alive. Ew. It does sort of tie in with my idea that Ovanon was originally a hot planet, but I don’t know…

  • Blog,  Culture,  Film and Television,  Guest Blog,  Star Trek

    WHY KIRK IS MYTHIC AND PICARD IS NOT Guest Blog by Sarah Beach

    With the arrival of the new STAR TREK movie, the natures of the various characters of the STAR TREK universe have become ripe for new discussions. Fans of NEXT GENERATION have often bickered with fans of the Original Series as to whether Kirk or Picard is the better Captain. There are fans who prefer DEEP SPACE 9 over VOYAGER. There are even (though I’m not sure why) fans of ENTERPRISE. I’m not trying to set up an argument about which series is better, particularly not between the Original Series and NEXT GENERATION. And I am certainly not out to say that of the two series a person should prefer one…

  • Art How-To,  Blog,  Comics,  Creator Resources,  Education,  Guest Blog

    Guest Blog: Julie Ditrich on Unlocking and Accessing the Darkness Within: 7 Keys for Comics Creators

    [WARNING: Some comics, film and book plot spoilers ahead!] “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” Stephen King A few weeks ago at Australia’s Supanova (Brisbane) pop culture convention, I had the privilege of meeting US comics creator Jhonen Vasquez whose satirical work Johnny the Homicidal Maniac I greatly admire. Despite the fact that I’m not usually drawn to creative properties with the words “homicidal” or “maniac” in the title or indeed ones that hint at or overtly promise great acts of depravity, my business partner and artist Jozef Szekeres persuaded me to read it and I’m very grateful to him…

  • A Distant Soil FAQ,  Comics,  Fandom,  Legal

    FAQ: The Word on Fanfic

    Dear Colleen, I know you have a lot to worry about with your work and how you want it to be used, and I always want to respect the creators and their opinions about their work. So, I was just wondering what you would think if I wrote A Distant Soil fanfic. I would not sell it or anything, I just want to write stories for myself. Is it all right if I show it to people or post it on my blog? I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. I respect your hard work and your opinion, and would not do anything you do not want…