Celebrated and award-winning fantasy author Graham Joyce will be visiting the The Birmingham Science Fiction Group in June.

Graham has won the British Fantasy Society Best Novel award for Dark Sister (1993), Requiem (1996), The Tooth Fairy (1997) and Indigo (2000).

He has also authored 15 other novels and three collections of short stories.

Born in a mining village near Coventry and educated in Bedworth, Graham went on to graduate with a Masters in modern English and American literature from Leicester.

He has lived and worked on the Greek Islands of Lesbos and Crete, and has travelled the Middle East.

He now teaches writing at Nottingham Trent University, as well as continuing to write.

Graham will be giving an insight into his work on June 8 at the Briar Rose Hotel on Bennett's Hill, Birmingham;.

It's only five minutes' walk from New Street Station and handy for all bus routes. The meeting opens its doors at 7:30pm.

The group itself has many members of all ages, and between them the membership has an enormous wealth of knowledge of literary SF, as well as films, television, etc.

If you're a newbie, just let them know when you turn up and they'll be happy to introduce you to the group and make you feel welcome.

If you'd like a copy of the monthly newsletter e-mail bhamsfgroup@yahoo.co.uk

And have a look at their website here.

Vic Mignogna (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

Vic Mignogna and Aaron Dismuke, best known for voicing Ed. and Al. Elric in hit anime Fullmetal Alchemist, have both been confirmed for the 31 March-1 April show.

As well as playing Ed. Elric, the multi-talented Vic Mignogna has appeared in host of major anime series, from Broly in the Dragon Ball Z films to Ikkaku Madarame in Bleach to Tamaki in Ouran High School Host Club. Other shows featuring Vic include Vampire Knight; Soul Eater; Naruto Shippuden; Hetalia: Axis Powers; Full Metal Panic! and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

Aaron Dismuke has been a voice actor since he was nine, taking on roles such as Hiro Sohma in Fruits Basket; Ouri Kagami in Corpse Princess and Leon Elliot in Black Cat. Other anime that Aaron has appeared in include Trinity Blood; Ouran High School Host Club; Big Windup! and YuYu Hakusho.

Aaron and Vic will be meeting fans at the MCM Birmingham Comic Con on the weekend of 31 March - 1 April.

The brand new Birmingham Comic Con will run alongside the long-established Memorabilia show at the NEC - there's no need to choose between them, though, as ticket holders for either event will have access to the other show free of charge!

To buy tickets to the MCM Birmingham Comic Con and Memorabilia Birmingham, visit: https://www.mcmexpostore.com/store/

"Of all the cartoons of my childhood, there was one which held a strange fascination and still does. For a kid who loved sci-fi, ancient myth and electro-synth, Ulysses 31 was all you could wish for at 4.30 of an afternoon."

The memory of one of the greatest animated series ever was so strong, Dermot grew up & made this amazing live action intro!

Read more on Dermot's fascination with Ulysses 31 here.

The Winter Memorabilia Show at the NEC this month is offering a star-studded line from film, TV and sport.

Doctor Who/Torchwwod's Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor), Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams) and Sir Derek Jacobi (the Master) will be among the sci-fi special guests meeting fans and signing autographs.

Kai Owen (Rhys Williams) shows how it's done

I posted this last year but damn it, I'm going to post it again.

It harks back to a more innocent age before our hopes and dreams were crushed by Jar Jar, jumping Yodas and midichlorians...

Construction of a multi-million pound Doctor Who attraction has begun in Cardiff, where the series is filmed.

Cardiff council is spending £2 million to construct a permanent home for the Doctor Who Experience, which is due to relocate from London's Olympia.

The attraction, which will be run by BBC Worldwide, will rise up alongside the new BBC drama village in Cardiff Bay.The head of a Cyberman - one of the Doctor's deadliest enemies - was excavated at a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday at Porth Teigr.

The Experience will invite visitors on a journey through time and space, combining a walk- through adventure with the largest exhibition ever assembled of sets, props and memorabilia from the series.

This includes special effects, new footage of Matt Smith, a recreation of today's Tardis and a 3D finale, as well as original costumes, a full-scale recreation of two Tardis sets from previous eras, and numerous monsters, including several generations of the Daleks.

Council leader Rodney Berman said: "I'm delighted that the council has managed to bring the Doctor Who Experience to Cardiff and in digging the first piece of earth we will be marking the start of the work on this fantastic new attraction.

"It is set to bring millions of pounds into the city's economy, and the benefits to Cardiff will be immense in tourism terms."

High-concept story? Check. Nice lady telling you what's going on? Check. Jaunty tune? Check.

Quantum Leap manages to tell you more in its first two minutes than Manimal did in its half-hour preamble.

It's a great series but while this blog is all about the intros, I have to mention the ending.

The finale of Quantum Leap was one of the most daring, and downbeat, final chapters on mainstream telly. Good show!

We're staying with short-lived 80s sci-fi this week with the ludicrous Automan.

The intro credits couldn't be more of their time if they were dressed up in a Frankie t-shirt playing the Rubik's cube.

Allarmingly, and I must have missed this as a young lad watching it, Automan himself appears to be a bit of a perv.

Perhaps he was the forerunner of the internet!

The theme tune from this BBC series from the late 70s is certainly one of the best to come from this side of the Atlantic.

Blake's Seven is still highly regarded by many for its view of a dystopian future, strong focus on characters and an ending that was as downbeat as a limbo drummer.

But for me, it was always about the ship. The Liberator makes the Millennium Falcon look like my nan's Morris Minor.

But Nic Cage is revving up the motorbike again for the 2012 sequel.

This time, Blaze is hiding out in Eastern Europe when he's called upon by shaven-headed monk Christopher Lambert (yes, the Highlander himself!) to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

According to the studio "Johnny, still struggling with his curse as the devil's bounty hunter, is hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe when he is recruited by a secret sect of the church to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the devil (Ciaran Hinds).

"At first, Johnny is reluctant to embrace the power of the Ghost Rider, but it is the only way to protect the boy -- and possibly rid himself of his curse forever."

Here's the trailer ...

Sure, the Twilight Zone had all the cred. But for proper scares I would always plump for The Outer Limits.

The original series ran for a couple of years in the 60s and then came back for a seven-year stint from 1995.

It's reincarnation featured, especially early on, some great stories and features the likes of Josh Brolin, Heather Graham, Kirsten Dunst, Leonard Nimoy, Ryan Reynolds and, err, Molly Ringwald.

Here's the intro from the 60s' show...

The Outer Limits - TV Intro 1963 by Tushratta

Back in the Seventies, the makers of sci-fi TV shows sure loved their narrated intros.

Last we week we featured William Conrad in Buick Rogers and this time round it's the legend that is Patrick Macnee (that's John Steed from the Avengers to you and me) and Battlestar Galactica.

That the intros are a little similar is no surprise - both shows were created by the same folks and even shared the same special effects shots.

And, of course, they both boasted truly great theme tunes. But while Buck was very much of its time, Battlestar was timeless.

The recent remake is the easily superior series, yet its opening segment pales in comparison.

Although it could have been worse (or better, depending on your view)...

With narration from the late, great William Conrad, you can't beat the opening credits of Buck Rogers for pure, unadulterated sci-fi excess.

The theme is overblown, grandiose and majestic! It's like the producers threw the kitchen sink at it followed by the whole apartment block and then added a bit of funky bass for good measure.

Then there's this... the opening of the Buck Rogers film which is glorious - and unbelievable - in a totally different way.

Finally, here's the end credits to the TV series which is actually quite melancholic. Get your hanky at the ready and click here.