Welcome to MISSIONS UNKNOWN! This is for you, San Antonio. I’m not sure if this blog is a love letter, a confessional, or a mad experiment. I think it’s probably all of the above. I’m John Picacio — 1/3 of the San Antonio trio that forms “Mission Control” here. My compatriots Sanford Allen and Paul Vaughn will be along shortly to offer salutations. I already have my own blog called ON THE FRONT, where I detail the weekly results of my sf/f/h cover illustration career. Sanford and Paul have their own blogs and successful careers as well. So why form this blog? Well, we live in San Antonio and believe this town is full of folks who create and/or consume science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and we want to celebrate not only the medium, but the people and the city. So we’ve created MISSIONS UNKNOWN — a forum where like-minded folks can celebrate with us. Come one, come all!
Personally, I love science fiction, fantasy and horror from all aspects, but I’m most keen to share and discuss these genres from their pure roots of literature and illustration. So if you live in SA, and have been wondering where the sf/f/h book and art people are — welcome. Join us here and spread the word. Together, we’ll hopefully discover not only fabulous new territories in sf/f/h, but new territories within the great city of San Antonio and (maybe, just maybe) within ourselves. I’m stoked. Time to push out, aim high, and boldly go….
[Artwork: Cover illustration by John Picacio, for Frederik Pohl's classic sf novel GATEWAY (Ballantine/Del Rey)]
I’m there with you. I love live in SA too! Are we ever going to put together a convention here? I am there to help in any way possible!
Kathy
Very cool! I love San Antonio, so if you don’t mind a lurker from Los Angeles, I’ll check back regularly.
Beautiful art for this post.
FYI, I found you via Pyr’s twitter feed.
Hi! I found you a Facebook post by Lou Anders. I was excited to find out there was so much SF talent in San Antonio. Looking forward to finding out more!
About time, and congrats. My home town, and the birth place of Summer Glau of Firefly/Serenity and Sarah Conner Chronicles fame deserves all the recognition you can give it. Here’s tossing a tequila in your direction..
Hi, folks — Great to have you onboard with us.
Kathy — No plans for a major sf/f/h SA con just yet, but if one comes down the pike, you’ll be the first to know.
In the meantime, the more community we build here at MISSIONS UNKNOWN!, the better off SA will be as an sf/f/h convention site.
Steven — I just discovered your sf review blog, MentatJack. Very nice over there! And yes, please visit anytime.
Judy — Lou’s powers are vast, aren’t they?
Glad you found us. Look forward to hearing your thoughts as we go forward.
Larry — Cheers! Make ours double shots all around.
Hey, Larry — On 2nd glance, I just realized you’re Larry Ketchersid, of Dusk Before the Dawn. Good to hear from you, man!
http://www.duskbeforethedawn.net/
Congratulations on getting this started! You are now on my daily reading list.
Thanks, Christine! On days when the post includes my own professional art, I’ll probably be cross-posting between my own blog and this one. So there will be some crossover, but all of my San Antonio-flavored material will originate from here.
Just out of curiosity, do you guys have a physical mailing address for Missions Unknown? I ask because while E-mail is all fine and good, I miss the old zine days of sending off letters and packages of interesting stuff to unsuspecting fellow members of the community.
Hi, Paul — Good idea. We don’t have an official snailmail address as of yet, but when we do, we’ll post it on the site.
Hi John, Sanford, Paul–
Great to see some sf action in my adoptive town! You’ve never heard of me (well, except John, whom I met at some convention a few years ago); I’m an Aussie sf/popular science writer married to a Texan lawyer, Barbara Lamar, living a few blocks from the north end of the new Riverwalk extension–which is very cool.
I don’t have a website (Barbara made one about my work, but I see it’s expired–must get it fired back up again when we have a moment to spare), so I’ve slung in the wiki entry.
I have seven sf books coming out this year (mostly reprints), and one collaborative darkly comic crime novel, I’m Dying Here from PointBlank. And a bunch of stories in Asimov’s, Tor.com, Subterranean, you know the sort of thing.
Hope to catch up with some of you eventually.
Cheers, Damien
Damien! Wasn’t sure you were still around town. We’d love to shine our spotlight on you when you get a chance (like we did with Scott Cupp — see today’s Made In SA feature above). I’ll be in touch.