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THE ART OF OVER THE GARDEN WALL Takes Us Inside the Classic Miniseries (Exclusive Preview)

Back in 2014, Cartoon Network took fans on a breathtaking journey in the animated miniseries, Over the Garden Wall. As envisioned by series creator Patrick McHale, the story followed two half-brothers, Wirt and Greg, as they attempted to get through a mysterious forest and make their way home. And yet we’ve never quite left the Unknown. That world lived on in the comic book realm, and now the miniseries is back in the spotlight with a new lavish art book from Dark Horse Comics.

Author Sean Edgar has put together The Art of Over the Garden Wall, which will feature a comprehensive look at the making and development of the original miniseries. McHale and series director Nick Cross offer their commentary throughout the book, as they share concept art and sketches while diving into the creative process behind the show. The book will include interviews with members of the voice cast as well as other creative contributors to the show. Additionally, the making of McHale’s short film, Tome of the Unknown, will also be a featured part of this book, since it led into the miniseries.

You can find additional preview pages in our gallery below. But you won’t have to wait long to get your hands on this book! It’s scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 13.

What did you think about our look inside The Art of Over the Garden Wall? Embrace your inner fantasy hero, and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Dark Horse Comics/Cartoon Network

A BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Marathon is Coming to SYFY

“All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.” These foreboding words were intoned by many characters over the course of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, but who knew that phrase would soon come to apply to the show itself? While many science-fiction fans are still mourning the end of the show in 2009, the good news is that there’s going to be an opportunity to tune in to watch a ton of their favorite BSG episodes on the small screen. Break out the cigars along with Starbuck, it’s time to celebrate.

That’s right: Battlestar Galactica is returning to television. Not as a revival, unfortunately (although we can still dream a little dream), but as a re-airing of the mid-2000s series. In recognition of its 25th anniversary as a network, SYFY is celebrating the milestone through a variety of ways this month: a new podcast with MythBusters host Adam Savage, a screening series in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse, new on-air content from fans – and last, but certainly not least, an anniversary marathon of Battlestar Galactica.

The BSG viewing extravaganza kicks off on Friday, September 22 at 8/7c with an airing of the two-part TV miniseries. Season one will air on Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24, starting at 6/5c each day. For fans who are unable to tune in via their televisions, SYFY will also be offering all 76 episodes and the miniseries on-demand for 30 days starting that same Friday, September 22.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch BSG before now and don’t have a friend’s DVD collection to mooch off of, this is a perfect option to binge-watch over the course of a weekend. (However, if you start hearing “All Along the Watchtower” inside your head after your marathoning, that might be indicative of a different kind of problem…)

Images: SYFY/NBC Universal

Does Lucasfilm Have Bigger Problems Than Losing STAR WARS Directors?

Colin Trevorrow is out as director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Uh…yay? Nay? May-bay? That’s what we tried to answer on today’s Nerdist News Talks Back, along with whether Lucasfilm is in trouble, and what to make Rian Johnson’s recent comments about The Last Jedi.

Joining host Jessica Chobot on set for a Star Wars-centric show today were three people she’d never have creative differences with, Mothership writer Amy Vorpahl, Nerdist News writer Aliza Pearl, and Jessica’s Bizarre States co-host Andrew Bowser. They started with the big news of the week, Lucasfilm losing/firing/mutually agreeing to part ways with yet another director. But is losing Colin Trevorrow actually good news? And even if it is, should we be worried that almost every new Star Wars movie has seemingly had major problems during production? Is that a sign the studio should ease up on its insane schedule?

Of course, Episode IX needs a director now, so who among the rumored names under consideration would be the best choice? Is a potential second go with The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson–whose shoot has been problem-free–the way to go, or even a double dip with (replacement) Young Han Solo director Ron Howard? Or is there a first-time candidate they should bring on instead?

No matter how the latest director problem gets solved, and even if something good comes out of it, are these continuing problems an indictment of the job Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy is doing? Or is she rightfully holding the line on Disney’s vision for Star Wars?

Meanwhile, we’re just a few months away from The Last Jedi‘s release, and Rian Johnson had some interesting comments about the movie, like how Kylo Ren isn’t on a Vader level yet. Does that mean we should expect a redemption arc for him? And what to make of Johnson’s comments that we won’t learn much about Snoke in the film? Does anyone care about “definitely-not-as-awesome-as Palpatine” Snoke, or for that matter any other secrets we didn’t get answers to in The Force Awakens?

While we wait for new Last Jedi trailers to hold us over until December, remember you can get in on the discussion with us every weekday, when Nerdist News Talks Back airs live at 1:00p.m. PST on our YouTube and Alpha channels.

It’s a far more stable place to hang out than a director’s chair on a Star Wars set.

What do you make of this week’s news from the galaxy far, far away? Hit the hyperdrive on your keyboard and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Want more Star Wars talk?

New comic reveals how Captain Phasma survived The Force Awakens.
Nine directors who Lucasfilm should hire for Episode IX.
The detail you missed in Snoke’s Force Friday toy.
What does Luke’s new dark look mean?

Images: Lucasfilm

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This STAR WARS Corgi X-Wing Pilot Tattoo is Our Only Hope

It’s no small thing to improve upon Star Wars, but Scott has done so with this tattoo. The design combines the galactic setting with Scott’s best pup pal. The corgi X-wing pilot that is the star of this ink is Carlton, who is, by the way, named after Carlton Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Scott told Nerdist he saw a tattoo of a dog floating in space and wanted to tweak the idea to make it unique to his tastes.

“My corgi, Carlton, is my pal, my best bud, my confidante. He’s my homie, and I wanted to get a tattoo to give him his flowers while he’s still here, so to speak,” Scott said. He’s always been a Star Wars fan too, and he said the fictional universe gives him a place to escape to and cope with anxiety.

Scott’s corgi-centric permanent art was inked by tattooist Julie Bolene of Thunderbird Tattoo. It’s more than a creative work of art, it’s therapeutic. “Whenever I look at this tattoo, I’ll be reminded of what helps keep me going. Carlton’s been one of the few reasons I enjoy getting out of bed in the morning. In a weird way, Carlton is ‘my only hope,'” Scott said.

Aww. Move over, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-inspired ink (tl;dr: I want to see all of the tattoos) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. I’m especially interested if you have a sleeve or other large tattoo. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.

Images: Scott F.

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SUICIDE SQUAD 2’s New Director is THE ACCOUNTANT’s Gavin O’Connor

Big tentpole franchise movies are having a hard time obtaining and keeping directors recently, and while Star Wars has been making the big news lately—with its parting ways with Colin Trevorrow this week and scrambling to fix the Han Solo movie earlier this summer—the granddaddy of this problem seems to be Warner Bros’ DC Extended Universe, which has lost a number of directors already for its announced features. We can scratch off one of those question marks now, though, as Deadline is reporting that Suicide Squad 2 will be directed by Gavin O’Connor.

O’Connor is the acclaimed director of sports dramas like Miracle and Warrior, and he scored a sleeper hit last year with The Accountant (a movie which we more or less enjoyed), also for Warner Bros, and starring the DCEU’s own personal Batman, Ben Affleck. The pair are currently working on a sequel to that movie. (O’Connor also directed the pilot of The Americans.)

His style is not what we might immediately consider zany enough for a Suicide Squad, or even a comic book movie of any kind, but David Ayer who directed the first Suicide Squad wasn’t a shoo-in either, so…

While not a favorite of critics—or with fans for that matter—Suicide Squad nevertheless made a lot of money in 2016, and the team consisting of colorful bad guys forced to do good under threat of death is a fun dynamic and one surely still ripe for the picking. Warner Bros seems to be looking for directors they know they can work with to fill some of these hard-to-fill slots, and O’Connor’s work for them and elsewhere has been exemplary.

As long as he uses a color palate more robust than seasick green and dirt mixed with slightly-rotten plum, I think we’ll be in very good shape. What do you think about Gavin O’Connor directing Suicide Squad 2? Tell us in the comments below!

Images: Warner Bros

Kyle Anderson is the Associate Editor for Nerdist and an avowed DC Comics fanboy. Follow him on Twitter!

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STAR FOX 2 Digital Manual Offers an Inside Look At Nintendo’s Lost Classic

Back in 1995, Star Fox 2 was finished and heading to the Super Nintendo before it was unceremoniously shelved for two decades. Later this month, the SNES Classic Edition will mark the first ever official release of Star Fox 2, and Nintendo has pulled back the curtain a few weeks early. The digital manual for Star Fox 2 has been released online, and it features several never-before-seen glimpses of the game’s development.

Via Kotaku, the Star Fox 2 manual can be read in its entirety here. Most of it is a standard tutorial about how to play the game, who the characters are, and what’s happening in the story. However, the real gems lie buried within the manual in the form of PDFs that include several striking images of Star Fox 2‘s Arwings.

That includes a look at the Arwing’s ground mode, and details of how its transformation works.

It’s kind of like getting an Art of Star Fox 2 digital book for free, but it’s not a completely comprehensive look at the game’s creation. That said, there is a second PDF within the manual that does offer additional insight into the game’s early days…if you can read Japanese.

 

According to Kotaku, the second PDF is actually three different documents that have been combined. The first few pages are an early draft of the game’s Japanese manual, which is then followed by a lengthy rundown on the where the game’s hidden medals can be found. The final section of the PDF dives into enemy formations that you will encounter throughout the game.

The SNES Classic Edition will be released on September 29, and we can’t wait to take Star Fox 2 out for a test flight!

What did you think about Star Fox 2‘s development artwork? Do a barrel roll and share your thoughts below!

Images: Nintendo

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GAME OF THRONES Grandma Steals the Show as Lady Olenna Tyrell

You’re never too old to have fun, and we here at Nerdist would like to elaborate on that phrase by adding you’re never too old to cosplay either. Case in point–this awesome fan, who at 80+ years of age, decided to make maybe the best cosplay outfit ever at the most recent Dragon Con in Atlanta.

Thanks to Mashable, we’ve learned of this amazing lady who decided to dress up as Diana Rigg’s character Lady Olenna Tyrell of Highgarden, also known as the Queen of Thorns from Game of Thrones.

This Lady Olenna cosplayer grabbed all the attention as she showed up at the Georgia convention in her wheelchair, which was turned into a replica Iron Throne. The most fantastic part was that she carried around a sign that said, “It was me.” This was of course a reference to Lady Olenna’s dropping the mic moment this season when, right before dying, she told Jaime Lannister that it was she, not poor Tyrion, who poisoned his son King Joffrey, right before drinking the poison that took her life. What a way to go out though, right?

She also held up other signs that said things like, “Not dead yet.” To make herself even more rad, our Lady Olenna wore a pair of Thug Life sunglasses, making this one everyone’s favorite costume at the entire Dragon Con convention. Several fans took photos with her, which you can check out in the tweets below.

We can all go home now; I’ve found the best #Cosplay at #dragoncon2017

A post shared by Dravyn (@xdigupherbones) on Sep 2, 2017 at 10:28am PDT

Olenna Tyrell is alive and well at Dragon Con 2017! Deal with it! #dragoncon #dragoncon2017 #gameofthrones #olennatyrell #sonyphotography #sonya7rii #sony2470gm #housetyrell

A post shared by PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN PRODUCTION (@foundry412) on Sep 3, 2017 at 9:17pm PDT

Goals: This 85 year old at #DragonCon17. Cosplay for life! pic.twitter.com/jsgfdhEBnU

— Noelle K. Adams (@pfangirl) September 2, 2017

There’s even fan art:

pic.twitter.com/Gk77YP0xg3

— MBMOE (@AshGotJuice) September 3, 2017

And what does this Game of Thrones granny think about the reaction?

What do you think about this amazing display of cosplay coolness? Let us know in the comments!

See more Game of Thrones cosplay!

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Images: HBO/Giphy

A DARK CRYSTAL Contest Lets You Add a Creature to the Universe

Earlier this year it was announced that Jim Henson‘s beloved cult classic The Dark Crystal would be returning to our screens via a brand new Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. This new incarnation was a gift to fans of Henson, puppets, and practical effects as the brief behind the scenes footage teased incredible creature work reminiscent of the heyday of the world famous studio.

Well now you can be a part of the world of Jim Henson with an incredible contest from darkcrystal.com. The creators of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance are looking for fans to design their own creature which might even end up in the brand new show!

All you need to enter is a pencil and paper–or your drawing tools of choice, digital or by hand–and an imagination! The team are looking for a completely new creation, a woodland creature who dwells in the world of The Dark Crystal. You can even submit your finished designs here. The winning creation will receive a $500 prize, will be built by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and may even have a cameo in the new Netflix show. Your design might even be judged by the Froud family, creators of the Dark Crystal universe themselves!

This is a once in a lifetime chance for fans of Henson, and a great opportunity for any budding illustrators and character designers out there. We’ll definitely be picking up our pencils. Will you be crafting a creature? Just can’t wait to see the world of The Dark Crystal? Let us know in the comments!

Images: Jim Henson Company

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Who Will Take Over STAR WARS: EPISODE IX?

Earlier this week, the Star Wars universe was rocked by another unexpected departure of a director. This time, it was Episode IX‘s Colin Trevorrow, out over the same dreaded “creative differences” that saw Chris Miller and Phil Lord forced off of the Han Solo movie. At least this time, the change in directors didn’t come when most of the filming had already been completed. Despite the inherent risks and challenges of closing out the Skywalker saga, the Episode IX director’s chair is bound to draw interest from some of the top filmmakers. Today’s Nerdist News is running down a few possibilities before sharing our theory about who will step up to fill the void.

Join host and wampa wrangler, Jessica Chobot, as she goes over some strong choices for the job. For example, Ava DuVernay is coming off of A Wrinkle in Time, which means that she has some experience with larger blockbusters and she can handle spectacle and character. DuVernay even offered an assist to director J.J. Abrams during The Force Awakens‘ climatic lightsaber duel (Abrams even suggested as much to us last year). Even Abrams would be a smart choice, given the way that audiences responded to his work on the first film of the trilogy.

But in reality, we expect Lucasfilm and Disney to play it pretty safe with their choice for the director. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as they may already have the right person for the job. By all accounts, Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has seamlessly adapted to the demands of his job and he seems to understand what makes Star Wars work so well on the big screen. Keeping Johnson around for Episode IX would also give the final films in the saga a unified identity. It would be an easy call to make.

Episode IX will likely begin filming early next year, which means that we probably won’t have to wait long before someone signs on to finish the job that Trevorrow left behind.

Who do you want to see direct Star Wars: Episode IX? Let us know in the comment section below!

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE LAST JEDI?

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NASA Celebrates 40 Years of Voyager With Gorgeous Downloadable Posters

It’s been 40 years since NASA sent Voyager I and II out into the cosmos, twin interstellar spacecraft bearing mankind’s message to the universe, announcing our existence to anything that could listen. And while that’s an insignificant period of time in Voyager’s almost endless journey, it’s a meaningful milestone for those of us here on Earth, and one worth commemorating. That’s why NASA JPL just released three gorgeous new — and free — posters to celebrate our “ambassadors to the rest of the Milky Way.”

The first poster, “Reaching for the Stars,” pays tribute to our hopeful cosmic message by highlighting the vastness and beauty of the universe that Voyager is just a small part of.

The second, funky poster, “Rock On,” is a fitting celebration of both the year Voyager left, 1977, and the Golden Record each carries, featuring messages and songs from Earth. The “greatest hits” on the right of the poster lists some of Voyager’s biggest discoveries, like “the volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io” and the “hazy nitrogen atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan.”

Finally, no other spacecraft has ever gone on a journey quite like the ones Voyager I and II are on right now, which is why the last poster touts “The Grand Tour” each are taking. Their trip has been helped out by “a once-every-175-year-alignment” of our outer planets, which has given Voyager a big gravitational boost.

You can download all of these posters free from NASA’s site. Because even if forty years is nothing in Voyager’s long journey, a beautiful, free poster is timeless.

Which of these would you most like to hang on your walls? Travel into our comments section below to let us know.

Images: NASA JPL

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