GALAXY QUEST THE INSIDE STORY

By Grabthar’s hammer! For more than two decades the crew of the Protector has delighted sci-fi fans with their high jinks in the movie Galaxy Quest. Intended as a parody of sci-fi television shows and movies, Galaxy Quest not only provides audiences with laughs but a quality science fiction story in its own right. Learn the inside story about the creation of Galaxy Quest from the cast and crew who worked on producing this film that expanded beyond a comedy to develop its own a cult following of diehard sci-fi fans who love the flick in a new book from Hero Collector.

Thanks to Hero Collector for providing a Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story for this blog to review and a copy of the book for a Geek Daddy to giveaway. This 200 page hardcover book is sure to delight science fiction fan who enjoys delving into the movie magic behind Hollywood motion pictures. This authorized book takes readers through the whole process of making the movie from concept art used in crafting the imagery of the film to the marketing materials utilized in promoting Galaxy Quest to the public. Start off your journey delving into the making of Galaxy Quest with a foreword by the movie's director Dean Parisot as the beginning of the book.

Inspired by Star Trek actors who seemed forever type cast into their role, David Howard an office temp by day and aspiring writer by night who moved to California with the dream of making it big in Hollywood penned a screenplay called "Captain Starshine." It was the story of "a guy hopelessly mired in the role of being a sci-fi hero." The chance of his script being picked up by a Hollywood studio was 1 in 10,000 but five years later his story now named "Galaxy Quest" was showing on movie theater screens around the world and featured a stellar cast that included Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Tony Shalhoub.

Your chance to learn more about this fantastic story is much better than 1 in 10,000 if you enter to win a copy of Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story from a Geek Daddy. Simply complete the rafflecopter entries below before 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Must be a United States resident over 18 years old to participate in this promotion. Good luck!

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Fortunately for Galaxy Quest fans, Howard's script caught the attention of fledgling Hollywood studio Dream Works which was looking for family-friendly stories that would capture the attention and dollars of movie goers. Steven Spielberg who was moving beyond directing to executive producing films for Dream Works was captivated by the concept of "Captain Starshine" and greenlighted the project. Two years later Galaxy Quest was on the silver screen.

Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story includes over 60 interviews with the movie's cast and crew, including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell and Dean Parisot as well as previously unpublished photos and concept art from the film's production. It also provides an in-depth look into the film's audio and visual effects. Artists at ILM and Stan Winston Studio share with readers how a mixture of miniatures, puppets, prosthetics and CGI brought to life the incredible monsters and starships of Galaxy Quest.

This book earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval because of the amazing content it is chock full of. Inside stories about last minute changes to the script, behind-the-scenes pictures of modelers creating the Protector, artwork that inspired the costumes and sets used in filming are just a few of the topics covered in this wonderful book. Whether you are a movie buff or a science fiction junkie, Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story provides an insightful look into the making of a fantastic movie. 

Buy Galaxy Quest: The Inside Story utilizing a Geek Daddy affiliate link and this blogger will receive a small commission at no additional expense to your purchase. Commissions are reinvested into the blog to provide non-sponsored content to share with you. Your support of ageekdaddy.com is appreciated!

COMET TV NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW FOR FREE THROUGH ROKU & APPLE TV

If you are a science fiction fan and haven't tuned into COMET TV yet you're missing out!  This television channel, which is a partnership between Sinclair Broadcast Group and MGM, is the first first 24/7 digital broadcast network with a focus on science fiction and horror programming.  Viewers in more than 100 U.S. markets can watch COMET TV for FREE just by plugging a digital antenna into their television and receiving the signal being broadcast through the air.  No paid cable or subscription services needed to watch COMET TV!

Unfortunately, Detroit isn't one of the markets that has a local affiliated Sinclair station broadcasting COMET TV so I haven't tuned in as much as I probably would have otherwise (you can also watch the broadcast feed via their website which I've done myself on several occasions).  For those of us who haven't been able to watch the over-air broadcasts using digital antennas there is some good news.  You can now watch COMET TV on your television utilizing an Internet connection through Apple TV or Roku.

Just download the COMET TV app for these devices and begin streaming the television channel's programming for FREE onto your TV set.  Apple TV Generation 4 and Roku 3 & 4 series are compatible with the COMET TV app which provides live playback of the channel's broadcast feed along with an integrated schedule feature that provides information on current programming.  Availability through addition platforms is also in the works and will be announced later in the year.

COMET TV has the broadcast rights to more than 1,500 hours of MGM movies and television show properties.  Feature films being broadcast this month range from 1979's The Amityville Horror to 2005's The Woods.  Other cult classic Sci-Fi movies that have recently aired on COMET TV have included The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Flash Gordon, and Mad Max.  Television series being shown include Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Poltergeist: The Legacy.  COMET TV is also the exclusive broadcast home of the Stargate franchise.

For more information about the channel, visit COMETtv.com

ACCLAIMED HORROR/WESTERN GRAPHIC NOVEL "HIGH MOON" BEING REPUBLISHED BY PAPERCUTZ

Two of my favorite comic book artists, writer David Gallaher and artist Steve Ellis, are teaming up with one of my favorite publishers, PAPERCUTZ, to bring the acclaimed graphic novel series HIGH MOON back to print.  Originally published in 2007 by DC's Zuda Comics imprint, this story which combines cowboys and werewolves in an Old West adventure won a Harvey Award from its comic book industry peers.  Readers follow the investigations of a mysterious bounty hunter who has his own dark secret that emerges every full moon.  This gritty series does an excellent job of taking the elements of a horror flick and action movie so they play out on the pages of a comic book for an incredibly engaging read.

PAPERCUTZ which specializes in graphic novels that are interesting and enjoyable for children and teens to read will be publishing HIGH MOON through its Super Genius subsidiary which distributes titles that are a bit more artistic and edgier than those sold under the name of its parent company.   Super Genius will publish the first of the series three volumes, HIGH MOON: BULLET HOLES AND BITE MARKS, this October just in time for Halloween.  Volume 2 will be released in May of 2018 with a yet to be determined date for when the final edition will go on sale.  The artwork for volumes one and two will be remastered from the original graphic novels with the story concluding in volume three with all new material.  All three publications will feature new covers by co-creator Steve Ellis. The Super Genius editions will also be larger than the previous ones from Zuda Comics, but will maintain the landscape format of the original series.  The books will include a removable slipcase to allow them to be attractively displayed vertically on store shelves or on consumers' book shelves.

In HIGH MOON, former Pinkerton agent and current bounty-hunter Matthew Macgregor investigates a series of strange happenings in the small Texas town of Blest. Drought has brought famine and hardship to Blest. The summer heat pushes the temperature to unbearable heights during the day. The nights are even worse– for the streets are haunted by strange, unnatural creatures. And even as Macgregor works to uncover the truth about the creatures, he struggles to keep his own supernatural nature a secret.

“Between WESTWORLD, LOGAN, and RED DEAD REDEMPTION, the western is resonating in our culture in weird and unusual ways,” co-creator and writer David Gallaher noted in the announcement of Super Genius reprinting HIGH MOON. “HIGH MOON recalls the best tropes of both the classic western adventure and werewolf mythology. I can’t wait for readers to discover our bloody tale of werewoles six shootboys, bullets and the supernatural."

All three volumes of HIGH MOON will be published in hardcover at $24.99 and simultaneously in paperback at $14.99. HIGH MOON: BULLET HOLES AND BITE MARKS  will be available in bookstores and comic book stores across the United States and Canada on October 17th, 2017. For more information, please look to supergeniuscomics.com for upcoming details.

Enjoy Watching Sci-Fi Television Shows & Movies for Free on COMET TV Network

If you are a Sci-Fi fan like me, you'll want to check out the new COMET TV Network that is being broadcast over the air in select markets and is available to stream online for everyone else.  Digital television signals being broadcast through the airwaves now have multiple levels per channel.  For example, here in Metro Detroit our affiliate for the ABC network's television programming is WXYZ Channel 7.  Since the digital broadcast transition, WXYZ in addition to airing ABC programming on Channel 7 also broadcasts two sub-channels as well -- 7.1 Bounce (focusing on programming for an African-American audience with similar shows as on BET) and 7.2 LAFF (a comedy channel that shows movies that will make you laugh and reruns of sitcoms from the 80s and 90s such as Night Court and Spin City). When watching television using a digital antenna, viewers can tune into channels 7, 7.1 and 7.2 and all the programming on these channels is FREE to view.  Most traditional over-air broadcast networks are offering multiple channels that can be viewed by using a digital antenna and COMET TV is appearing as a sub-channel broadcast option for a variety of them.  Visit CometTV.com to use its ZIP Code Finder to see if this new Sci-Fi sub-channel is currently being broadcast over the air in your area and if it is not watch the live stream of its programming over the Web instead.

COMET TV has an incredible array of movies that you simply can’t get with a subscription to streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu. From wild adventures on Mars to critically acclaimed classics, COMET is the ultimate home of sci-fi and horror… and it’s all totally free, no subscriptions needed.  The network rotates its programming monthly so there is always something new to tune into.

Here are some of the television shows that will be appearing in November during evening prime time hours on COMET TV:

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Sundays in November at 8/7C

Poltergeist: The Legacy

Mondays in November at 8/7C

Dead Like Me

Tuesdays in November at 8/7C

Original Outer Limits (1963)

 Wednesdays in November at 8/7C

Jeremiah

Thursdays in November at 8/7C

What I'm most excited about though is that some of my all time favorite Sci Fi shows will be returning to television as COMET TV will soon be airing the Stargate series.  Stargate Atlantis will begin airing in December with Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Universe following in early 2017.  I'm so geeked these Stargate shows will be back on TV and any true fan will absolutely want to be tuning into COMET TV during the next few months.

In addition to television shows, COMET TV will also be airing cult classic horror and science fiction movies.  Some of the movies airing in November include Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2007), Imposter (2003), Mac and Me (1988), Mad Max (1979), Red Planet Mars (1952), Red Planet (2000), Return of Dracula (1958) and Species (1995).  Visit CometTV.com for a full listing of television shows and movies they'll be airing throughout the month of November.  It also provides a handy hour-by-hour guide of what is airing throughout each day.

 A Geek Daddy has been invited to be a COMET TV Insider so they'll be providing me with regular updates of what shows and movies they'll be featuring each month to share with you.  Plus they sent me a great welcome package for teaming up with them to help spread the word about this new sci-fi & horror television network.  Stay tuned because I'll also be giving away one of these COMET TV swag boxes soon on the A Geek Daddy Facebook Page.

THE WALKING DEAD: THE ALIEN Digital Pay-What-You-Want One Shot Comic Book

 

PANEL SYNDICATE, an online publisher of DRM-free pay-what-you-want webcomics, has released a digital one shot THE WALKING DEAD comic book.  IMAGE COMICS the publisher of the popular THE WALKING DEAD comic book series cut a deal with PANEL SYNDICATE to make this unique comic book a reality.  If IMAGE COMICS could sell a print version of PANEL SYNDICATE'S Eisner Award-winning sci-fi mystery story THE PRIVATE EYE than the digital publisher could create their own original THE WALKING DEAD story that could be distributed through its website panelsyndicate.com.

This 31 page story maintains the black and white coloring style of the print version of THE WALKING DEAD comic book series and is set in Barcelona, Spain just a few weeks after the beginning of the global zombie infestation.  THE WALKING DEAD: THE ALIEN tells the story of an American who had planned on wandering through Europe on a backpack trip but instead finds himself trapped in a foreign land trying to survive this new plague hitting Spain as society collapses around him.  THE ALIEN includes a surprising twist at the end which connects it with one of the main characters in THE WALKING DEAD franchise.  Fans of THE WALKING DEAD will absolutely want to read THE ALIEN!

Credit: Panel Syndicate

THE ALIEN is available in the same format as the other titles available through PANEL SYNDICATE so it is priced as pay-what-you-want, which includes the option to obtain the digital comic for free, and can be downloaded as a DRM-free PDF, CBR, or CBZ to read.  Robert Kirkman, the creator of THE WALKING DEAD, has agreed to allow all proceeds from for THE ALIEN to go the creators of PANEL SYNDICATE, Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin, who are also the artists who put together this digital one-shot story.  So while you can select to pay nothing for this comic, paying something helps support this creative duo continue to promote interesting, original content by themselves and other artists like, THE PRIVATE EYE, BARRIER, and UNIVERSE! that is available on panelsyndicate.com.

Credit: Panel Syndicate

CLICK HERE to download THE WALKING DEAD: THE ALIEN.

RATCHET & CLANK

If you have a kid who is a gamer at home you'll want to check out the upcoming movie RATCHET & CLANK  that is arriving in theaters across the United States on April 29, 2016.  This CG-animated movie based upon the iconic PlayStation video game of the same name is the story of two unlikely heroes, Ratchet and Clank, struggling to stop the vile Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy.  Ratchet is the last of his kind, a foolhardy "lombax" who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own.  Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn.  When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy.  Along the way, they will learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one's own identity.



#RatchetandClank features the voice cast of Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Jim Ward, James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Armin Shimerman and Sylvester Stallone.  Directed by Kevin Munroe the movie is being distributed nationwide by Gramercy Pictures.  The movie is rated PG.  For more information on the film, visit www.ratchetandclankmovie.com

The video game Ratchet and Clank originally released in 2002 has become known as one of the classic hits in the history of the Sony PlayStation gaming system for its popularity with both players and critics who praise its variety of gameplay along with the comic and humorous style of its sci-fi story.  The script of the upcoming movie seems to be very similar to the video game's story which involves the evil Chairman Drek of the Blarg race planning to create a new home planet for his species through a plot that also involves destroying all the other planets in the Solana galaxy.  Ratchet and Clank must enlist the help of the famous superhero Captain Qwark in the game plus complete various puzzles and quests to stop Chairman Drek's dastardly plan.  For those who may have missed out on playing the original Playstation 2 game Insomniac Games will be releasing a re-imagined version of the original Ratchet & Clank game for the Playstation 4 in conjunction with the release of the movie. CLICK HERE for more information about the newest Ratchet & Clank video game for PS4.