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A San Antonio Meetup Group for You

Mission Control — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:58:36 +0000

Are you looking to team up with like-minded fans in the San Antonio area? Check out this great list of area Meetup Groups that may cover you specific field of interest:

Worlds Collide: Fellow SF/Fantasy fans meetup to have fun talking about science fiction in television, movies, books, graphic novels, fan fiction, vidding, media, gaming and art. The group watches Sci-Fi shows together, play games and travels to local/national/international conventions, signings, readings, movies and more! All SF fandoms are welcomed–there are no sci-fi snobs in Worlds Collide. Upcoming meetups include Wizard World in Austin, the Scott Pilgrim DVD Release Party on November 12 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 3D at the IMAX on November 2o.

Doctor Who Fans Unite: DWFU is a non-profit group of people who love the Doctor in all of his various forms, from the classic Doctor Who to the modern incarnation to spinoff series like Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures or K9. The group hosts the monthly Doctor Who Appreciation Night at Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes and participates in various events to raise money for charity in the spirit of the Doctor’s good works. This group is very active and upcoming meetups include a social mixer and a Scott Pilgrim DVD Release Party on November 12th and Doctor Who Appreciation Night on November 17th.

The San Antonio Science Fiction Writers Meetup Group: Meet and talk to other science fiction writers or potential science fiction writers. Share ideas, discuss characters, help each other get great ideas on paper. Bring pieces of your work, ideas, stuff to talk about. There are always big things happening in sci-fi and this is just the group to talk about it. The next meetup is November 2o at La Taza.

A.C.E.S (Anime Culture Enthusiasts Society): The biggest anime group in San Antonio, meeting every Saturday at Bobalicious Internet Cafe and frequently getting together for special meetings such as Cons and Anime movie openings. Meet fellow anime fans for fun, friends and to talk about your favorite Anime/Manga artists, shows and games. Share your own art and fiction! Whatever interests you about Anime and Manga is welcome here. Upcomiing meetups are ACES Studio and Jeeves’ Mech Night 2 both on Novemeber 13.

Whedonists Unite! San Antonio Chapter: This group is for San Antonio fans of the work of Joss Whedon including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse and any future shows he may create. Fans also can discuss any comics or books written by Whedon or about any characters created by him. So if you can name all the demons fought by Buffy, sometimes speak in Chinese learned from Firefly or are just a fan, this is the group for you! Their next meetup will be at Wizard World in Austin on November 12th to see Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

San Antonio Browncoats: Spun off from the Austin Browncoats, this group focuses on all things related to Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity. The group’s next meetup will be at Wizard World in Austin on November 13th.

San Antonio Comic Book Guys and Gals: A group for discussion and recommendation of Comic Books and other things that fall under the category of Sequential Art. Superhero, Indie, anything that doesn’t fit in the categories of those other comic groups. From Brian Wood to Stan Lee. Upcoming meetings include Coffee & Comics on November 17.

We have more…after the jump…

San Antonio White Wolf Club: A dedicated group of socially-aware gamers playing White Wolf’s World of Darkness roleplaying system on a weekly basis. Currently we have games running for Vampire: The Requiem, Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening and Changeling: The Lost. For those who prefer the Internet, they also run a bi-weekly online game for Vampire: The Requiem. Upcoming meetups include Geist the Sin-Eaters Novemeber 12, Werewolf: the Forsaken November 13 and Vampire: the Requiem November 13.

The Cult Movie/TV Danger Zone: This is a group where you can meet other local fans of your favorite cult films and television shows. Watch, review, and discuss all manner of cult, B movies, and TV shows. It is open to anyone that has an interest in the strange, not so well known and usually pretty low budget films. While not all movies are SF/Fantasy/Horror films, many are. Upcoming meetups include the Scott Pilgrim DVD Release Party November 12, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows matinee November 20 and Better Off Dead November 21.

The San Antonio Dungeons & Dragons Meetup Group: Come to a Southern Dragons Meetup to explore fantastic worlds, clash with dark monsters, spin lore and commit heroic feats while having greatest adventure of all time! Southern Dragons is a South Texas-based Gaming Club dedicated to the promotion of all types of gaming. Upcoming meetups include Lonestar Historical Miniatures November 9 and Tim Hernandez Presents: The 4E D&D Eberron Campaign November 12.

Other groups you may be interested in include:

If you know about more…be sure to let us know.

Doctor Who Appreciation Night: The Weeping Angels Return

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:05:49 +0000

For this month’s Doctor Who Appreciation Night, Doctor Who Fans Unite will be screening the very well-recieved two-parter from season 5, The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone. Doctor Who Appreciation Night is a free event held monthly at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes (1255 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227, 210.677.8500). You can be a part of the fun Wednesday June 16th at 7:30 PM.

These two episodes star Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond with Alex Kingston as the mysterious Dr. River Song.

The Time Of Angels: This episode marks the return of the Weeping Angels, first seen in the Hugo Award-winning episode Blink. The Doctor is recruited to track the last of the Angels through the terrifying Maze of the Dead. And the mysterious River Song is back in the Doctor’s life – but can he trust her? The story concludes in style in Flesh and Stone.

Come for food, drinks and an all around good time. FREE ADMISSION!!!

Dragon’s Lair will have a table set up selling a huge assortment of Doctor Who items and the group still has a few End of Time t-shirts for sale. They will not be making them again, so get yours before they are gone for good!

Doctor Who Fans Unite is also starting a t-shirt design contest. They are looking for new designs for t-shirts. If you are interested, submit your design directly to the president of the group. If your design is chosen you will get your shirt for free and a Doctor Who goody bag!!

You can find out more and RSVP to this event at the Doctor Who Fans Unite Meetup page.

San Antonio Science Fiction Writers Need Organizer

Mission Control — Wed, 12 May 2010 05:01:18 +0000

The San Antonio Science Fiction Writers Meetup Group has lost its organizer. The way the Meetup site works is that a group without an organizer will be disbanded. In two weeks. That’s just nine days from now! This group, started in April 2009, currently has 23 members. If you are interested in trying to keep it together and contributing to the SF scene in SA, head over to the site and sign up. There is a modest financial commitment involved, but we’re sure that the proceeds of your first novel will more than cover it. Consider this a business expense.

According to the site, the goal of the group is:

Meet and talk to other science fiction writers or potential science fiction writers. I’m new to San Antonio but would love to find a spot to share ideas, discuss characters, help us all get our great ideas on paper. Bring pieces of your work, ideas, stuff to talk about. There are always big things happening in sci-fi and we’re just the group to talk about it!

Looking to meet up about once every other week and go from there. If you have suggested places we can meet and discuss, it would be great.

If you are a writer and want to hook up with others interested in the craft of writing SF, consider stepping in and saving this group. It could be in your best interest.

Thanks to Chimaeracon PR Evangelist Gilder McCarroll for the tip.

Classic Doctor Who Meetup Tomorrow

Paul Vaughn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:01:36 +0000

Doctor Who Fans Unite presents its monthly Classic Doctor Who meetup this Friday, January 8th, at 7:00 pm at the Lion & Rose (700 E Sonterra Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78258). The Lion & Rose is a British Pub serving traditional British dishes and they have a large variety of beer on tap.

DWFU will have several different Classic Who’s to chose from including the 1996 movie featuring the 8th Doctor. Head on out to the Stone Oak area of San antonio to spend an evening with some of the best Doctor Who fans in town!

Doctor Who Appreciation Night at the Drafthouse

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:00:24 +0000

Doctor Who Fans Unite presents Doctor Who Appreciation Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes Wednesday December 16th at 7:30pm. This month’s feature is the two-part story The Sound of Drums and The Last Time Lord. These episodes mark the return of the Master, one of the Doctor’s most ardent opponents, and what occurs in these episodes is extremely relevant to David Tennant’s last Doctor Who episode The End of Time.

The Sound of Drums: The Master arrives in the 21st Century—as Harold Saxon, Prime Minister—and the world enters a period of terror when contact with an unknown alien race whom the Master calls the Toclafane is announced.

Last of the Time Lords: One year after the events of The Sound of Drums, the Master has conquered the Earth and enslaved its population. He holds the aged Doctor prisoner, and prepares warships for a new Time Lord Empire. Now it is up to Martha Jones to carry out the Doctor’s plan and save the universe.

As always, Doctor Who Appreciation Night admission is free. Come for great food, a vast assortment of beer on tap and the Doctor Larger than life on the big screen! Plus be greeted by various Doctor Who Characters!

Farscape – Celebrating 10 Years Of Frelling Awesomeness!

Paul Vaughn — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:42:25 +0000

It has been 10 years since the SciFi Channel (or whatever misspelling they use now) cancelled the series Farscape, one of the greatest SF shows on television. So to celebrate commemorate, Worlds Collide will be show a couple of episodes in honor of the show!

Astronaut John Crichton hurtles through a wormhole in the first episode dropping him into a weird mix of humanoids and aliens thrown together in a living space ship, on the run from militaristic authorities. The Austrialian-American was conceived by Rockne S. O’Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. The Henson Creature Shop did the alien makeup and effects and two of the main characters, Rygel and Pilot, were completely animatronic.

Ross Ruediger from The Rued Morgue has an excellent overview of Farscape, Farscape: A Frellin’ Retrospective, that is worth checking out, for both current fans of the show and the uninitiated.

This meetup is Saturday, December 12 at 5:00 PM in the HEB Central Market Community Room (2nd floor, 4821 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209, 210.368.8600). You can’t bring any outside food into Central Market, but feel free to purchase food downstairs at the various food counters they have. They offer deli foods, sushi, salads, etc.

Space is filling up so reserve your place now. If you have already reserved, but you aren’t going to make it, be sure to let the organizers know so they can fill your seat.

Click through to see the Farscape into…

My name is John Crichton… an astronaut. Three years ago I got shot through a wormhole. I’m in a distant part of the universe aboard this living ship of escaped prisoners, my friends. I’ve made enemies. Powerful. Dangerous. Now all I want is to find a way home, to warn Earth. Look upward, and share… the wonders I have seen.

As a side note, I was excited originally to find that I would get a channel devoted to Science Fiction programming. That SciFi would cancel a brilliant program like Farscape was probably just a poor business decision. Why they would would siffy out and show complete and utter crap like ECW wrestling, Scare Tactics and a host of other realty TV dren is beyond my ken.

Free Anime Tonight at the Drafthouse

Mission Control — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:05:34 +0000

Head out to the Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes tonight, November 30th at 7:30PM, to get your fix of FREE ANIME. Tonight’s meetup will be featuring VIEWER’S CHOICE, where the audience gets to pick which title to watch. Bring an old classic or a new title and you may be setting the program! Anime movies must be in DVD or blu-ray formats only.

The Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes is at 1255 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227 and you can ring them up at 210.677.8500. You can also check out the details and RSVP to this meetup online.

If you didn’t know it before, the Alamo Drafthouse features free anime every Monday with trivia and giveaways. Seating begins 45 minutes prior to show time. Arrive early to enjoy the preshow entertainment and for the best seats! Upcoming shows include:

December 7th ~ The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis Of Uruk
December 14th ~ El Cazador de la Bruja
December 21st ~ VIEWER’S CHOICE
December 28th ~ The Law of Ueki

Doctor Who Fans Unite for Horror of Fang Rock

Paul Vaughn — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:28:39 +0000

Doctor Who Fans Unite presents their monthly Classic Doctor Who Meetup Friday November 13th at 6:00 pm. The location once again is La Madeleine on Broadway (4820 Broadway, 210-829-7291) in the Party Room. The feature this month is The Horror Of Fang Rock, a four-episode story starring Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor and his companion Leela (Louise Jameson).

Synopsis from Wikipedia: The cursed island of Fang Rock is a place of rumor and tales of beasts from the sea. Three lighthouse men face their fears when something comes in from the sea which brings death to all it touches.

The Doctor and Leela show up through a navigation mishap:

The Doctor : “… the localised condition of planetary atmospheric condensation caused a malfunction in the visual orientation circuits. Or to put it another way, we got lost in the fog.”

Check out this fan-made trailer for the tale:

Come out and enjoy tasty food, good company and some great episodes of Classic Doctor Who!

Meetups of Note this Week

Mission Control — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:49:24 +0000

Every week in San Antonio there are people getting together to check out cool Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror media. Many use the service Meetup.com to organize the gatherings. Here are a few select meetups from Worlds Collide, A.C.E.S. (Anime Culture Enthusiasts Society) and the Alamo Drafthouse coming up that may be of interest to you.

The Alamo Drafthouse: FREE ANIME NIGHT featuring Nabari No Ou
Monday September 21 at 7:30 PM
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE (1255 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227, 210.677.8500)

Set in the modern age, the story is about Miharu Rokujou, who just wanted to live a normal life and inherit a Okonomiyaki restaurant. At the moment, his biggest problem was the constant pestering from Kouichi Aizawa and Durandal Thobari Kumohira, who started a Nindō (忍道?, lit. “Way of the Ninja”) Club. Miharu wanted nothing to do with “ninjas” and turns them down every time. But soon, he is attacked by an actual group of ninjas and is protected by Kouichi and Kumohira. There, Miharu learns of the hidden ninja world Nabari, the roles of his classmate and teacher in that world, and of the secret art Shinra Banshou (森羅万象 Shinrabanshō?, lit. “all things in nature”) within him. The secret art, containing all the world’s knowledge, is sorely coveted after in Nabari. And because of that, Miharu cannot return to his normal life. He must become the “Ruler of Nabari” to survive.

Worlds Collide: The Mighty Boosh at The Lion & Rose British Restaurant & Pub
Saturday September 26 at 1:30 PM
The Lion and Rose British Restaurant & Pub (5148 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209, 210-822-7673)

Have you been hearing about The Mighty Boosh? Are you intrigued and want to know more, or are you an expert fan who just loves the show? No matter what you are, come join us at The Lion & Rose British Restaurant & Pub to watch The Mighty Boosh episodes, “The Legend of Old Gregg” and then we will vote on the second episode.

What’s better then watching the British show The Mighty Boosh with friends while eating British food and drinks? Nothing!! So don’t make us send The Hitcher after you–come join us

**Even though this is a pub, it is also a restaurant–all ages are allowed in**

A.C.E.S. (Anime Culture Enthusiasts Society): Evangelion 1.0 You Are not Alone
Sunday September 27 at 7:00 PM
Rialto Cinema (2803 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX 78218)

We will be meeting outside the theater and look for a group of people standing together and ask if they are part of ACES. We should also have a sign that says ACES with us. We are going to be meeting in front of the theater at 7pm but the movie is going to start at 7:30pm so don’t be late!

Here is the description:

Shinji Ikari is sent for by his estranged father, Gendo. As he wanders around the town, which has been shut down over an emergency announcement, he is caught in the crossfire between the U.N. army and 4th Angel. Rescued by Lt. Colonel Misato Katsuragi, Shinji is brought to Tokyo-3 and NERV headquarters, where he is guilted by Gendo, NERV’s Supreme Commander, into piloting the Evangelion Unit-01 against 4th Angel because the other Evangelion pilot, the mysterious Rei Ayanami, is too injured to do so. After the initial fight, Shinji is taken in by Misato as her new housemate and enrolled in middle school. The film portrays Shinji’s attempts to “settle in” with his newfound life alongside Misato, Rei, and the other characters while continuing to defend Tokyo-3 and the world from the coming Angels. Find out more.

The Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes: EXPONENTIAL MOVIE NIGHT featuring ROBOCOP
Sunday September 27 at 7:30 PM
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE (1255 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227, 210.677.8500)

Detroit – in the future – is crime ridden, and run by a massive company. The company have developed a huge crime fighting robot, which unfortunately develops a rather dangerous glitch. The company sees a way to get back in favour with the public when a cop called Alex Murphy is killed by a street gang. Murphys body is reconstructed within a steel shell and named Robocop. The Robocop is very successful against criminals, and becomes a target of supervillian Boddicker.

Guest Commentary – Torchwood: Children of Earth

Mission Control — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:32:33 +0000

Torchwood - Children of Earth

Today we feature our first Guest Commentary. Crystal Shedrock-Rangel is the president of Doctor Who Fans Unite, a Meetup Group created to bring together fans of the long time running television show Doctor Who. They have united through their common interest in the show and its spinoffs and now, in following with the beliefs of the main character, they have adopted the mission is to serve the community as a group. Doctor Who Fans Unite hosts a Doctor Who Appreciation Night every month at the Alamo Drafthouse. We profiled Crystal back in June. So, without further ado, take it away Crystal:

“Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The twenty-first century is when everything changes. And you’ve got to be ready.”

I will admit my interest in Torchwood had waned in the second season. But with last week’s US premiere of Torchwood: Children of Earth, I am once again in love with the show, and waiting in anticipation to see how it will continue. Children of Earth is a five-part miniseries that began airing last Monday night and concluded on Friday. This Tuesday the DVD of the miniseries was released in both DVD & Blue Ray formats. Best Buy is offering an exclusive Audio CD Torchwood: Lost Souls with the DVD.

Many Torchwood fans may still be shaking their fists in anger at show writer Russell T. Davies, for some of the choices he made involving the Torchwood characters. But the entire miniseries as a whole is an extremely compelling and heart-wrenching story. The central plotline revolves around all of the world governments agreeing to give up 10% of the world’s children in order to save the planet, with a horrible twist on how the children would be used. This brought to light a social commentary regarding our world population and our governments and the atrocities that they can and do commit on our behalf. Warning: if you are a parent some of the scenes will break your heart. I know on several occasions I found myself sobbing.

Rhys (KAI OWEN) & Gwen (EVE MYLES) run for it

One of the most interesting characters in Children of Earth was the civil servant John Frobisher, as was Lois Habiba. Even PC Andy Davidson, who has appeared sporadically throughout the two seasons, had a glorious moment in this series. One of the best lines out of Children of Earth was Gwen Cooper saying, “Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame.”

If you have never seen an episode of Torchwood I would highly suggest giving Children of Earth a chance. My group Doctor Who Fans Unite as well as Marcella Muncy’s group Worlds Collide will be having a joint meetup on Saturday August 29 ^th to discuss Children of Earth in more detail. We will also be screening Torchwood Declassified, a look behind the scenes featuring the cast and crew of the show. You can visit either one of our meetup.com pages for more details.