Fantastic Universes

Article by Aidan Parr A few years ago I started selling some of my old comics at events and markets. That eventually evolved into Chaotic Comics & Crafts, where I sell some old back-issues, a lot of graphic novels, art from friends, and some books that I've written and self-published. I’m usually to be found doing this somewhere around Nottingham, Loughborough, or Derby, but sometimes further afield too. I’ve enjoyed comics in all their variety since I was a kid, but I haven’t actually been to a comic convention since 1983. There are probably good reasons for that! In those days it was very much targeted at white males in their teens to mid-twenties: very earnest comics fans who got together to talk comics, meet writers and artists, and follow them around all day. Back then Marvel, DC, and 2000AD dominated. What I probably didn’t enjoy so much was all the seriousness and a feeling that it was some sort of fraternity that only the few could join. There were a few good-quality fa...

Review by Fay Clark Well, I think I've kept you all in suspense for long enough. I cannot believe I wrote the review for the first book in this series FOUR YEARS AGO. That's my bad, I got distracted by other books! I've now read Gemina a couple of times, so am finally ready to review it. So, strap into your spaceships, the crazy is about to return, in this thrilling sequel. Gemina is the second book in the Illuminae Files series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Although this is a follow-up, it doesn't feature the same main characters, but we do still follow the same timeline and witness the fallout of the events from Illuminae . Please refer to the below synopsis, which I'm sure will help make sense of this awesome Space Opera! Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed. We follow  Hanna, who is the station captain’s pampered daughter, and Nik the reluct...

Article by Steve J. Ray One of the things that fans have missed the most over the last couple of years is conventions and festivals. Covid 19 really took its toll on all forms of live entertainment, and many may still be anxious about returning to large venues, and places where crowds gather. Thankfully, the rapid rollout of the Covid vaccine has meant that events like the New York Comic Convention have been able to go ahead in the U.S., and now the U.K.’s mightiest, and truest comics art event, Thought Bubble, is returning… with a bang! The list of comics talents attending this year is simply stellar, and it looks like the fans who wanted to go last year but couldn’t are going to be very well rewarded for their patience. THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL SHARES FULL PROGRAMME UK’S LARGEST COMIC ART FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR FIRST EVENT SINCE 2019 THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION HARROGATE CONVENTION CENTRE 13th – 14th NOVEMBER 2021 Thought Bubble , the UK’s largest comic art festival, has shared the ...

By Fay Clark Well, it's that time of the month where I tell you what I completed for the October DO IT, BUY THE BOOK CHALLENGES. If you ever want to keep up live feed style, you can catch it all on our Instagram  @FanUniverses . Now on to the books. Challenge 1 - READ A BOOK THAT CAME OUT DURING YOUR BIRTHDAY MONTH. Call Down The Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater. This book is the start of a new series, it has characters from The Raven Boys series. I loved the Raven Boys books and know that Maggie can write magical realism so well! I've been really looking forward to starting the dreamer trilogy. It did not disappoint.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Challenge 2 - READ A HALLOWEEN/SPOOKY BOOK. The Long Walk by Richard Bachman. So, this is my first Bachman book. I've read a few other Kings... I actually prefer Bachman. This was really well done, with a few things that annoyed me, like the ending! Other than that, the subject was interesting and I liked the characters.  ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐/5. Challenge 3 - READ A BOOK...

By Fay Clark Well I had a spooktacular time reading all the creepy books for October's DO IT, BUY THE BOOK challenges. I am however, super looking forward to the November challenges. I made everything a little bit themed this time around. November is my birthday month and I really wanted to fit in some books I have a feeling I will be getting for my birthday! That's why the challenges are a lot more open than normal! I do hope these work out well for you all. Challenge 1 - Read a book by one of your favourite authors. Challenge 2 - Read a book that has your favourite colour on the cover. Challenge 3 - Re-read an old favourite book.  Challenge 4 - Read a comic or Graphic Novel with your favourite Villian in. Challenge 5 - Our pick of the month comes from the wonderful Paul. You can catch him on various podcasts such as our very own "Geek". Read "Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud." I'm truly very excited for my reading plans this November. There is not...