Last week we picked your brain about your favorite fantasy world. This week, science fiction gets its day. What’s your favorite scifi universe, and why?

This isn’t a poll about your favorite science fiction movie, video game, or novel. It’s about the setting, the living, breathing world where the story takes place. Which one do you find the most intriguing, the most exciting? Which one would you most like to visit?

Vote in the poll above, and then if you like, head down to the Comments below and tell us why you voted the way you did. Or, if you don’t see your favorite universe listed in the poll, select “Other” and then write-in your vote in the Comments.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the poll:

• Alienverse: It’s yet to be confirmed that Ridley Scott’s upcoming Prometheus is a prequel to Alien, but it sure looks that way.
• The Forerunners’ Universe: The galaxy as built and influenced by the ancient Forerunner society in Halo.
• A Galaxy Far, Far Away: The setting of Star Wars.
• The Matrix: Both the scorched “real world” and the “interactive neural simulation” of The Matrix films.
• Pandora: The alien moon where Avatar takes place.
• Star Trek‘s Universe: Where starships and their crews boldly go and see what’s out there.
• The 13 Colonies of Cobol: The universe of the human and the Cylons as seen in Battlestar Galactica (either series).
• The Whoniverse: all of time and space as visitable in the TARDIS at the whims of Doctor Who.

[Image credit.]

James Cameron's announcement with Walt Disney Parks

It looks like the success of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter hasn’t gone unnoticed by others in Hollywood, because now James Cameron is teaming up with Disney to bring Pandora, the alien world from Avatar, to life at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Disney’s press release indicates that the partnership will first result in a themed “land” at Animal Kingdom in Florida, but that other parks will eventually get Avatar-themed lands of their own. In addition, with Cameron working on two more Avatar movies, Disney will eventually expand their corresponding attractions to incorporate elements from those new films.

Might this be like what Disney World visitors will experience?

Cameron says that he intends to “bring Pandora to life like never before,” with the goal of going “beyond current boundaries of technical innovation and experiential storytelling, and give park goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality.”

Animal Kingdom was chosen because Disney and Cameron saw similarities between the two and how they both emphasize “living in harmony with nature.” Construction will begin on the Animal Kingdom attraction in 2013, with no projected opening date yet announced.

Do you suppose Disney’s Imagineers will find a way to replicate the floating mountains? Will there be Disney “cast members” on stilts, dressed as Na’vi? “Home Tree” seems like a no-brainer as some kind of ride or attraction, but what about the human settlement? Will it be represented as well? Will there be a “Scorpion Chopper” ride?

But here’s the bigger question. Disney remade Pirates of the Caribbean in the image of the Johnny Depp movies. Universal Orlando transformed a significant part of its theme park into Hogwarts. And now Avatar is coming to Disney World. Is this kind of marriage with Hollywood the future of mega-theme parks? And if so, what major Hollywood property will be next? Lord of the Rings? Marvel? Star Wars? (Frankly, I’m amazed that George hasn’t invested in a full-on Star Wars theme park already.)

He also contributed to a title that I confess has become a secret favourite of mine, that being Sonic The Hedgehog! I know I am way too old for this title, but it’s fun, a little like Captain Carrot but without all the terrible jokes. I have confessed before that I am not a game system fan, but the only game I ever used to play was indeed Sonic.

The title is fun and relaxing and takes me back in a way that I maybe shouldn’t admit in public. Still, this only makes me more aware of the great tragedy of D’Agostino’s passing.

Speaking of great tragedies, Avatar’s Supergod series finishes today. That in itself is a shame (although it rather feels like this series has been going on forever), but it has been a brilliant tale of tragedy, the traditional sci-fi construct of what happens when man allows technology develop beyond control.

That said, as enjoyable as the series has been, I really hope the final issue concludes with some form of point.  There seems to be no heroic overcoming of adversity in this series, so I really hope it has some surprises in store for the final issue, else despite the masterful narration, it may well be a spectacular let-down. Time will tell, I have high hopes, and if you have missed this series and fancy an entertaining (if not entirely uplifting) read, this is my recommendation for the week.

Needless to say, Star Trek fans are absolutely delighted about this development. I suppose that even those who don’t know Klingon will want to see the opera should it be shown again. Before you decide to learn Klingon now, though, you might want to know that there is another “exotic” language that you can pick up: Na’vi.

Die hard fans of James Cameron’s Avatar have probably beaten me to it and have their noses buried in a Na’vi dictionary by now. Just in case you don’t know yet, though, the Na’vi language was invented by Paul Frommer, a linguistics professor at the University of Southern California. (That should add some credibility to the language, right?)

So yeah, while Avatar was not the greatest film, it still offers a unique experience, and it has gathered its own special following – including people who would want to learn Na’vi. Here’s a video tutorial if you’re interested. Not to be mean or anything, but I really wasn’t enticed to learn the language at all after watching the video. Why don’t you watch it and let me know after?

If you’re still really interested in learning Na’vi – just in case you actually get to interact with people who speak the language – you can go to the official web site: Learn the Na’vi Language.

Note: I really wanted this post to be all about using the video to encourage Avatar fans to learn Na’vi, but I have a feeling the video’s not gonna cut it.

It would be an understatement to say that mankind has had a fascination with gods for quite for quite some time, but it really seems to have come to the fore recently.

Now I’m not just talking about the most obvious example here, being Siege, but come on. Two special issues mourning the death of Hercules, <**SPOILER ALERT**> only to find out he is not dead after all?

Still, there’s the upcoming Hercules Prince Of Power series advertised, so I doubt there is a secret there. If you don’t remember the original two Prince Of Power mini-series, they are worth digging out.  Set in an alternate future, Herc has a Skrull sidekick called Skyppi and is the last of the Olympian gods remaining in this realm, tasked with siring the next generation of gods.

There are other views of the gods however.  In Avatar’s Supergod by Warren Ellis, we are treated to how man-made gods can become something far beyond our control.  Not an unusual theme in comics or science-fiction, and a metaphor that is entirely transparent, but of course, this is Mr Ellis, and therefore top notch entertainment.  You can feel the rage of the unleashed beasts as the world falls to pieces around them. Or rather is smashed to pieces by them, as simply an afterthought.

Not comparable to our own monsters of media, free market or finance giants at all. Any similarity is purely coincidental.

On a far more fun note, God Complex from Image is far more reminiscent of the glory days of Kirby in the Eternals or the New Gods, with a more down-to-earth twist. Michael Avon Oeming’s first issue did not receive the greatest of reviews, as he continued the transition from artist (of Powers) to writer of his own material, but now he has reached the fourth issue of the series it has a certain charm, and I think will translate very well into trade paperback format.  Focusing on Apollo (a god that I have always been surprised that writers haven’t played with more), this god has left his pantheon, and his family is less than happy about it.

So the over-story is not that original, Thor did it decades ago. The strong point of the series are those little moments of humanity, which play very well, contrasting human desire with moments of perfect stillness.  A ideal read for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

This series promises more than simply a derivation of zombie-plague sweeping across the world.  (If anything, the disease is more like Rage from 28 Days Later.) We are greeted with what on the surface is a good god-fearing middle-American family, but very quickly the surface is scratched to reveal a history of both violent and sexual abuse performed by the father, making him a character to hate.  Unfortunately he is also the strongest and most driven character and ensures that under his protection, the rampaging plague-bearing mob only managed to consume or infect four members out of a family of thirteen.  He becomes the hero of the hour, his surviving daughters (and sons) now reliant on him for their survival.  Euwww!

The story focuses on one of his daughters, one who up until their ranch was invaded by the Crossed, was starting to take a stand against her father’s excesses.  With a minimum of so-called ‘extended’ story-telling, Lapham engages the reader with the many emotions going through her head and heart. Thus later as the Crossed infect the less lucky members of her family, you feel her pain as one of them, twisted by this plague, utters a comment that you can feel cut right through her heart.

The previous series showed how the Crossed are twisted in their minds, but nothing I had seen so far so clearly showed the devastating impact on a victims loved ones. I really felt for her, yet somehow felt it was a form of mercy. To say I felt uncomfortable would be quite the understatement.

This is not bed-time reading, you won’t feel good after reading it, but believe me, if you want an issue that would put much of the Vertigo line to shame, then you cannot miss this.

Fox is releasing James Cameron’s Avatar on DVD and Blu-ray April 22nd. Fans of the movie will be tempted to buy it then — it’s a nice little environmental tie-in, as the 22nd is also Earth Day. But take note: all you’re getting for your MSRP of $29.98 (DVD) or $39.99 (Blu-ray) is the movie.

That’s it. No extras, no behind-the-scenes features, making-of docs, not even a trailer or a commentary track. It’s just the movie.

I suppose it’s somehow appropriate that the first blockbuster movie to get mainstream audiences to pay $17 a ticket is equally pricy when it arrives on home video. But for that much moolah, I expect to get more bang for my buck.

And did I mention it’s a 2D release only? No fancy 3D glasses included, and if you happen to have one of those cutting-edge 3D televisions that are just hitting the market, they’ll play this disc in plain old 2D just like any other TV.

Fox claims that they didn’t load down the disc with extras because Avatar is so high-tech that it contains a ton of digital info to cram onto those DVD and Blu-ray discs. So much that there isn’t room for anything else if they want to present the film in the highest-quality possible. (And obviously, they do.)

Fox also says that a fully-loaded, multi-disc edition is coming in November, so… A lot of the film’s fans will end up buying both.

Does it irk anybody else when Hollywood studios do this? I mean, if you just want the movie and no extras, then by all means, buy the April 22nd edition. But if you know you’re going to want the tricked-out version in November, why not save some money and wait the 7 months? (If you have to see it at home before then, there’s always Netflix!) Are we really so impatient that we’re willing to throw money down the drain — in the middle of a recession?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Hollywood is fleecing consumers. What really surprises me is that so many buyers willingly fall for it.

Which edition will you buy? The bare-bones version? The multi-disc version in November? Both? Neither?

I was able to watch the movie Avatar around 2 weeks ago when it was fresh from the movie oven and I have to say, it’s probably one of the best movies I’ve watched so far. Admit it, I bet you either said, “I want to be a Na’vi!” out aloud, or thought of it secretly if you’re still hiding your geekiness, hehe.

And since I play World of Warcraft, there were just so many things from the movie that could be related to the game! From the land mounts to the flying mounts, and some of the places like the floating mountain (Hello, Nagrand!). The movie was definitely an eye-candy and a enjoyable experience for me.

But for some people, they’ve taken up their interest in the movie to whole new level!

Take this website for example, “Learn Na’vi“. Omg, you can actually learn the Na’vi language!

Na’vi is a a constructed language spoken by the fictional indigenous race (the Na’vi) on Pandora in James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar. The language was created by Paul Frommer, a professor at USC with a doctorate in linguistics. This website exists to share this beautiful language with all who want to learn.

I’ve downloaded the Na’vi Pocket Guide and it’s fascinating to see that the Na’vi language actually has some grammatical form and structure! Best to see if for yourself, haha! My eyes almost popped out of my socket as I tried to pronounce some of the words, like, “fngap” which apparently means “metal” or “tskxe” which means “rock”. Seriously, my tongue is doing a lot of acrobatics just trying to pronounce those words, hehe.

Now when you’ve mastered the Na’vi language, the next step ofcourse is to look like one. Here’s a really funny make-up tutorial video on how to like a Na’vi.

Na’vi Make Up Tutorial

Funny!

Links: Learn Navi
Download: Na’vi Pocket Guide

No Hero #7 Cover

Just how much has Warren Ellis been writing over this last year?

I’m suspending Zombie Watch (sort-of) for this column, just to draw attention to Mr Ellis’ prodigious output, mainly from Avatar.

Last week saw the release of No Hero #7, a story of super-powered men controlling the planet clandestinely, until they invite what is revealed to be a complete sociopath into their midst. Dripping with Ellis’ traditional warped sense of humour, he has engineered our sympathy for the lead character, only to rip it to shreds in the last two issues. You don’t want to see what the lead does with a teammates spine. If it weren’t so horrifying it would be funny. But as a finale to the series, I was blown away, with a remaining sensation of satisfied melancholy that stayed with me hours after reading. (God, that makes me sound emo!)

Now I do feel it is a shame there is no ‘Mature readers only’ label on the cover, for this is not a story that I would want a child of mine reading, but then maybe I am becoming more conservative in my old age. Still, Warren Ellis has been around long enough for anyone to realise this is not for a fourteen year old, and to strike fear into the Concerned Mothers Of America. (Are they still going by the way?)

If you have missed this, I highly recommend seeking out the back issues or grabbing the trade when it finally comes out.

Another helping of Ellis can be found in Avatar’s Gravel. There’s a little less gross-out in this storyline, and a lot more intrigue, and again the central character offers up surprises for the reader. When all the characters seem jaded in attitude, it is a nice surprise that as a reader, I do not feel the same way. Ellis seems to have a handle on mercenary attitudes, twisted with displays of compassion that only become apparent later. Then again, the contribution from Mike Wolfer may make all of the difference here.

Gravel has twelve issues on the stands so far, well worth a look.

Oh, and just a quick note on Zombie Watch. The conclusion of Marvel Zombies Return, and the next issue of Blackest Night: Titans hit the stands later today. As much as I am looking forward to them, I have just about had my fill of zombies already. Still, not long until the X-Babies return.