Our Interview with Joseph C. Wolf, Head writer at Reaper Miniatures. Reaper Miniatures is an American manufacturer of pewter and plastic figurines in the 25–35 mm scale, which include fantasy and science fiction figures. Reaper, based in Denton, Texas, has developed tabletop miniature game systems that may be played with their figures. The Reaper Miniatures mascot is a succubus named Sophie. https://www.facebook.com/ReaperMini https://www.reapermini.com/

On this episode we discuss the Eternals, Tomorrow War, Reminiscence, and Black Widow

Steam Patriots is the story of Felix Ward, a young colonial Mechanician's Apprentice with an unmatched memory for details set in the American Revolution. As British troops storm ashore, Felix discovers information that could change the balance of power in America's war for independence. The entire world changed when Ben Franklin refined the steam engine and ushered in a technological revolution. Now Felix's world is thrown upside down as he's swept into war and must evade the British juggernaut to help the cause for freedom. Steam Patriots #1 is a steampunk alternate history of the American Revolution; full color 24 pages. Steam Patriots #1 is the first of a four issue mini-series.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is set in the Star Trek universe in the year 2380, in which Earth is part of the multi-species United Federation of Planets. The Federation's military and exploration division, Starfleet, operates a fleet of starships that travel the galaxy establishing contact with alien races. Lower Decks focuses on the support crew of one of Starfleet's least important starships. Unlike previous Star Trek series, whose principal characters are typically starship captains or other senior officers, Lower Decks focuses on "lower deckers", low-ranking officers with menial jobs; the captain and other senior staff appear as supporting characters.

It has been seven hundred years since mankind colonized other planets. The powerful ruling class of humans has installed a rigid, color-based social hierarchy where the physically superior Golds at the top rule with an iron fist. Sixteen-year-old Darrow is a Red, a class of workers who toil beneath the surface of Mars mining helium-3 to terraform the planet and make it habitable. He and his wife Eo are captured after entering a forbidden area and are arrested. While she is publicly whipped for her crime, Eo sings a forbidden folk tune as a protest against their virtual enslavement. She is subsequently hanged on the orders of Mars' ArchGovernor Nero au Augustus. Darrow cuts down and buries his wife's body, a crime for which he is also hanged. However, Darrow awakes to find that he has been drugged and delivered into the hands of the Sons of Ares, a terrorist group of Reds who fight against the oppression of the "low Colors". They have adopted the video of Eo's song and execution as a rallying vehicle for their cause. Darrow joins the Sons when he learns that Mars was already terraformed centuries before and that the Reds have been tricked into perpetual servitude and subjugation. Darrow is conscripted to impersonate a Gold and infiltrate the Society to bring it down from within. He is physically transformed by Mickey, a Violet "carver", who gives him the abilities and appearance of a Gold through painful surgeries, treatments and implants. Using a fabricated identity and succeeding at a sort of placement test, Darrow is accepted into the Golds' elite Institute, where he befriends the charismatic Cassius au Bellona and alienates the arrogant Antonia au Severus. Darrow is selected for House Mars by its gruff Proctor, Fitchner. To continue to the next stage, Darrow must complete the Passage, a test in which the 100 newly chosen students in each of the twelve Houses are paired with another house member and tasked to kill each other as a means to eliminate the weaker half. Darrow is forced to murder Cassius' brother Julian to survive, but Cassius can only guess who may have killed him. Each House is assigned a fortress and a scepter, called a standard, to defend within the Institute's confines, with the goal of warring with each other until one House enslaves all others with the standard. Mars fractures into factions: one led jointly by Darrow and Cassius, one by Antonia, one by Titus au Ladros, and the antisocial Sevro going off on his own. To neutralize the violent Titus, who has been raping the female slaves left in Mars' fortress, Darrow manipulates House Minerva, led by the young woman he met briefly upon his arrival at the Institute and whom he has dubbed "Mustang". Mustang and her troops take the Mars fortress and imprison Titus. Sevro helps Darrow escape and capture Minerva's standard, which he trades to reclaim Mars' castle. Darrow takes over as the Primus (leader) of Mars, and Sevro and his group of "Howlers" declare their loyalty to him. Darrow realizes from the captive Titus' manner of speech that he is a fellow Red impersonating a Gold. To maintain his cover, Darrow allows Titus to be executed. Darrow captures Minerva's fortress and defeats their strongman Pax au Telemanus. Before she escapes, Mustang reveals the existence of "the Jackal", the leader of House Pluto who is terrorizing other Houses. Antonia and some of Titus' former followers attempt to overthrow Darrow, but he manages to thwart their plan. Lilath, a messenger from the Jackal, secretly reveals to Cassius that Darrow killed Julian. Cassius challenges Darrow to a duel outside Mars' fortress, severely wounding him and leaving him to die in the snow. Darrow is rescued and nursed back to health by Mustang, who still has Minerva's standard despite losing their fortress. They begin to develop romantic feelings for each other as they flee to avoid discovery by Cassius, now Primus of House Mars. Conquered students are systematically "enslaved" by other Houses, forced by their honor to serve their conquerors. Darrow and Mustang begin to amass an army by recruiting many Oathbreakers, the wandering slaves who have chosen to disobey orders, with Minerva's standard. Darrow prefers that his captured foes swear their allegiance and join him, rather than serve him. Learning from his previous mistakes, he frees these slaves and takes responsibility for their actions to gain their allegiance. He gains the loyalty of the duplicitous Tactus au Rath when he accepts physical punishment on himself after administering the same to Tactus for unruly behavior. Sevro, who has led his team of Howlers to escape from Cassius and has now lost an eye, meets up with Darrow again to join forces. Darrow takes the fortresses of Houses Ceres, Apollo, and Jupiter, enslaving their members until the prisoners prove their loyalty to him. Fitchner reveals to Darrow that the other Proctors have been conspiring to assist the Jackal, who is actually Adrius, the son of ArchGovernor Augustus. Darrow exposes Lucian, a prisoner taken during the surrender of house Jupiter, as the Jackal after impaling his hand and offering him the opportunity to free himself by cutting it off. The Jackal slices off his own hand to escape and when it becomes clear that Darrow has decided not to let him leave, the Jackal murders Pax and escapes with the assistance of Proctor Apollo, the main proctor assisting the Jackal. Enraged by the Proctors' deliberate efforts to hinder his victory, Darrow slays Proctor Apollo, and his army storms Mount Olympus, the floating palace of the Proctors using the flying boots gained from proctor Apollo. With the remaining Proctors subdued with the help of Sevro and the Howlers, Darrow sends Mustang to capture the Jackal, only to find out from Fitchner that she is Virginia au Augustus, the Jackal's twin sister. Darrow expects a betrayal, but she returns to deliver her captive brother, and Darrow wins the exercise. Before he departs, Cassius promises Darrow revenge. With his victory, Darrow is given his choice of a patron to sponsor his future. He accepts the hated ArchGovernor Augustus' offer to serve as one of his lancers, knowing that the powerful man will offer him the greatest opportunities to acquire the power he needs to destroy the Golds.

On this episode of the SciFi Diner Podcast, we discuss the wrap up of WandaVision, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Justice League World War 2, The Eternals, the Zack Snyder Cut of Justice League, and we remember Cliff Simon.

GREG COX is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels and short stories. He wrote the official movie novelizations of WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, GODZILLA, MAN OF STEEL,THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, DAREDEVIL, GHOST RIDER, DEATH DEFYING ACTS, and the first three UNDERWORLD films, as well the novelizations of four popular DC Comics miniseries, INFINITE CRISIS, 52, COUNTDOWN and FINAL CRISIS. In addition, he has written books and short stories based on such popular series as ALIAS, THE AVENGERS, BATMAN, BUFFY, C.S.I., FARSCAPE, FANTASTIC FOUR, THE 4400, THE GREEN HORNET, IRON MAN, LEVERAGE, THE LIBRARIANS, THE PHANTOM, PLANET OF THE APES, ROSWELL, STAR TREK, TERMINATOR, UNDERWORLD, WAREHOUSE 13, XENA, THE X-FILES, X-MEN and ZORRO. He has received three Scribe Awards from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. Greg also works as a Consulting Editor for Tor Books, where he has edited such authors as Richard Matheson, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Harry Harrison, Tony Daniel, Rosemary Edghill, Graham Joyce, Keith R. A. DeCandido, S.P. Somtow, Christopher Bennett, R.S. Belcher, and many others. In addition, he has written more jacket and cover copy than he can possibly remember. ("They stood alone against galactic peril . . . !") He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Star Trek: Discovery is the seventh series set in the Star Trek universe. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, Discovery was originally set roughly a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series, set primarily aboard the starship USS Discovery, before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century. The series was announced by StarTrek.com on 2 November 2015. According to the press release, "The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966." [1] It is produced by CBS Studios and Secret Hideout; the executive producers are Fuller, Kurtzman, and Heather Kadin. The first series to be developed for the CBS All Access subscription platform, it began airing on 24 September 2017, with a preview broadcast of the premiere episode, "The Vulcan Hello", on the CBS network; the second episode being released on All Access on the same day. In the US, subsequent episodes were released exclusive to CBS All Access. The first season ran for a complete fifteen episodes, being released on successive Sundays, finishing on 11 February 2018, with a mid-season break between November and January. [2] [3] The second season ran for fourteen episodes, between 17 January 2019 and 18 April 2019, again released via CBS All Access, this time on successive Thursdays. Outside the US, the series is available on Netflix, except in Canada, where Space and Z carry the series in English and French, respectively. CBS plans to air the first season of Discovery, beginning on 24 September 2020, exactly three years after "The Vulcan Hello" first aired. [4] Discovery has become the first official Star Trek live-action production the former franchise owner, Paramount Pictures, neither owned nor was involved with on any level. Dayton Ward (born June 7, 1967) is a science fiction author primarily known for his Star Trek novels and short stories, which began with publication in the Strange New Worlds anthology series. He published stories in each of the first three Strange New Worlds volumes[1], making him the first author to render himself ineligible under the rules of that series. As such, future authors who achieved the same feat were said to have earned a "Wardy". In addition, he has written numerous articles in Star Trek Communicator and Star Trek Magazine. He has also published a number of short stories in various magazines and collections. His frequent collaborator on these and other works is fellow author Kevin Dilmore. Ward has been nominated six times for, and has won twice, the Scribe Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. The winning entries were Star Trek: The Next Generation: Armageddon's Arrow, in 2016,[2] and Star Trek: Discovery: Drastic Measures, in 2019.[3] Ward was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. After graduating high school, Ward enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he worked in information systems. He was eventually stationed in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] He served for more than eleven years, before being honorably discharged. He remained in and lives with his family in Kansas City. Ward worked as a software developer and part time writer before becoming a full time writer. He also consults for CBS on Star Trek licensee projects, including publications from Simon & Schuster and IDW Publishing.[1] His stated hobbies include reading, going to movies, and watching football, basketball, or beach volleyball. He is a fan of Canadian rock band Rush, and several of his stories have been named after Rush songs.

Leto Atreides, Duke of Caladan and father of the Muad’Dib. While all know of his fall and the rise of his son, little is known about the quiet ruler of Caladan and his partner Jessica. Or how a Duke of an inconsequential planet earned an emperor’s favor, the ire of House Harkonnen, and set himself on a collision course with his own death. This is the story. Through patience and loyalty, Leto serves the Golden Lion Throne. Where others scheme, the Duke of Caladan acts. But Leto’s powerful enemies are starting to feel that he is rising beyond his station, and House Atreides rises too high. With unseen enemies circling, Leto must decide if the twin burdens of duty and honor are worth the price of his life, family, and love.

Leto Atreides, Duke of Caladan and father of the Muad’Dib. While all know of his fall and the rise of his son, little is known about the quiet ruler of Caladan and his partner Jessica. Or how a Duke of an inconsequential planet earned an emperor’s favor, the ire of House Harkonnen, and set himself on a collision course with his own death. This is the story. Through patience and loyalty, Leto serves the Golden Lion Throne. Where others scheme, the Duke of Caladan acts. But Leto’s powerful enemies are starting to feel that he is rising beyond his station, and House Atreides rises too high. With unseen enemies circling, Leto must decide if the twin burdens of duty and honor are worth the price of his life, family, and love.