Excuse me while I indulge you with a piece of local interest. Recently, the Colorado Steampunks were in attendance at the Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. On top of a great photo session, this was also a perfect opportunity to share steampunk with the masses, as the local news channel was there as well:
The Colorado Steampunks Facebook Group was started a year ago as a place to gather and unite various steampunk groups and individuals in Colorado. Also of interest is the Colorado Chrononauts’ League, where one can find current news of anachronistic happenings in Colorado.
This subject is a bit more dieselpunk than the normal content of this blog, but if that bothers you, just pretend it’s being powered by a steam engine.
The Armstead Snow-Motor was developed in the 1920s as a solution to the problem of hauling objects during the winter months. Sitting atop two screw-shaped cylinders which turned in unison, a Fordson tractor would be able to navigate over deep snow drifts without losing its grip. The silent film below demonstrates just how maneuverable it was and goes on to show the Snow-Motor design being used on a Chevrolet car.
This design became known as screw-powered vehicle technology and was even used by the Germans during World War II.
Early in the year there was discussion throughout the community over whether or not steampunk was dead. This was apparently spawned by a lull in the popularity of the word “steampunk” as a search term on Google. However, a look at Google Trends right now shows that steampunk is certainly NOT dead, and is, in fact, more popular than ever. Just as we have done in 2008, here we will take a look back at the last year and see just exactly how we have kept the steampunk community alive.
As with many things in this list, there were far too many steampunk events to mention, but arguably this year’s biggest and best was Steamcon in Seattle. Although not the first con specifically dedicated to steampunk, Steamcon seemed to set a new precedent for all future steampunk conventions. Too much happened to write about here, but there are manyreportsavailableontheaethernet.
The steampunk community was delighted when the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University adknowledged our form of alternate history by running an exhibition of steampunk art and inventions by creators from around the world.
The CGSociety concluded their Steampunk Myths & Legends contest in Februrary. We were treated to beautiful videos and images, and the winning entries can be seen here.
October was declared Steampunk Month on Tor.com. Authors and bloggers from the steampunk community joined up with Tor’s staff to discuss everything steampunk and share short stories.
Two of the most anticipated steampunk novels this year were Leviathan, and Boneshaker. Set in World War I Europe, Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld tells of Alek, an Austro-Hungarian prince on the run as his path crosses with Deryn, a common girl disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service. Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest takes place in the ruins of Civil War-Era Seattle. Briar Wilkes must rescue her son from zombies and airship pirates after he enters the city to clear his father’s name.
This year brought us the addition of two new periodicals. Steampunk Tales is a short-story fiction magazine released specifically for iPhone. Alternatively, exploring the non-fiction side of steampunk, Exhibition Hall made its debut this year as well. On a sad note, due to the depressed economy, The Willows, a magazine devoted to speculative and dark Victorian fiction, went out of business early in the year.
Abney Park was quite busy this year. Dancer and backing vocalist Finn Von Claret left the band, and was replaced by Jody Ellen. After months of delay, the anticipated new album Aether Shanties was finally released on December 1st.
Previously a solo act, Vernian Process spent the last year reinventing itself. With the addition of Martin Irigoyen in late 2008, VP is now a full-sized band, and have released a reworked version of their album, “Behold The Machine“.
In the world of gaming Atlus online released it’s first title, a free steampunk MMORPG called Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent. The biggest flop of the year may have been Damnation, a steampunk shooter released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Our hopes for a great steampunk game were restored however with the announcement of the forthcoming game, Epic Mickey, along with some apocalyptic-looking concept art. Epic Mickey is expected to be released in September 2010.
A couple of web series made their debut. Riese, a production featuring top actors from the Sci-Fi genre, tells the story of a wandering traveler and her canine companion who are on the run from an evil religious order known as The Sect. Also, the League of S.T.E.A.M., steampunk ghostbusters, already famous for their con appearances, began documenting their comedic travails in “Adventures of the League of S.T.E.A.M.”
For new webcomics this year, check out The Continentals, about a group of special agents battling violent crimes, Sidewise, about a boy lost in time in an alternate Victorian London, and The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, about Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage teamed together as a crime-fighting duo.
There are scores of new steampunk websites out there, and three of them deserve mention here. Steampunk Empire is a social networking site just for steampunks where one can go to chat, post photos and video, and interact with other steampunks across the globe. Likewise, Dieselpunks.org has been created for the dieselpunks among us and on top of social networking, also features new and interviews in the worlds of both steampunk and dieselpunk. Finally, “Steampunk Events is a forum for advertising steampunk events anywhere in the world. Though currently a bit inactive, the site has much potential, as long as people start using it.
Now that you’re caught up on what’s been happening in steampunk, here’s a glimpse of what’s to come:
Process posts from steampunk writers, artists, designers, costumers, and tinkerers.
Articles on and reviews of new, upcoming, and classic books/movies/etc., including Boilerplate, Candle Man, Dream of Perpetual Motion, Leviathan, and Tetsuo.
Steampunk wallpapers!
An absurd amount of giveaways, including books, posters, buttons, costume elements, and gadgets.
Be sure to check out Liz’s full post for all the details.
And speaking of Steampunk Wallpapers, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention mousewrites and Steampunk Wallpaper again. With so many fun and beautiful images available, I couldn’t choose just one, so I’ve set my desktop to switch through them, a new one every twenty minutes.
There are a large variety of steampunk webcomics out there, from the popular ones such as Girl Genius, Freak Angels, or The Phoenix Requiem, to the lesser-known ones like Monster Commute, Red Moon Rising, or The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo. But what if you want to just pick up a webcomic and start reading, without spending hours on old pages trying to catch up? You’re in luck! Right now there are several good steampunk webcomics out there that have just started or will be starting soon.
Mathema
The story, by Amy Pearson, tells of Mathema, a mathematician who has unlocked the power of magic. His dreams of sharing this gift with everyone, however, are challenged by a group of sorcerers who wish to protect their ancient art through any means necessary.
Mathema made its debut on June 1st and is updated on Thursdays.
The Continentals
The Continentals, by Darryl Hughes and Monique MacNaughton, takes place a year after the Jack the Ripper murders. Queen Victoria has commissioned a group of special agents, known as “Continental Operatives” to fight any further such crimes. This is the story of one of those agents.
The Continentals made its debut on August 31st and is updated every Monday.
Sidewise
Sidewise, by Dwight L. Macpherson and Igor Noronha, follows the story of Adam Graham, a teenager who borrows a time-travel device from his parents and slips sidewise through time into an alternate 1902 Lodon. Teaming up with the SteampunkX, a band of freedom fighters led by Nikola Tesla, Adam finds himself battling steam-powered robots and mad scientists under the control of Queen Victoria’s preserved brain, and must attempt to return to his world in time for a final exam.
The first eight pages of Sidewise can be found at Zuda Comics and provide a teaser for the series, which will officially debut on October 8th.
Brute Force Leather had an expensive art piece monocle stolen from them two weeks ago at DragonCon. He will be offering a reward for its return. If you have any information (saw someone wearing it, find it in a picture from the con) please contact him right away through his website. The following is quoted from his blog:
Some of you may have heard, I had a piece stolen from me at Dragon Con. Not just some ordinary piece but a one of a kind Monacle that was to be in featured in a Steampunk Exhibit at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford this October.
I will pay $200.00 for it’s safe return on a “no questions asked” basis.
I will pay $500.00 if it leads to the arrest of the one who stole it.
Remember, it is a one of a kind piece. There will never be another. If you see someone wearing it they are definitely connected to the theft and a felony.
I will also produce a custom piece for anyone who gets the thief arrested. Have you been looking at one of those arms thinking $1499.00 is beyond your reach? You get me this person and I’ll make one just for you.
Following the tradition set by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, A. E. Moorat has created his own historical/horror mash-up novel. On October 15th, London publisher Hodder & Stoughton will release Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter, an “alternative history of Britains feistiest queen, packed full of blood, guts, and flesh-eating zombies.”
`There were many staff at Kensington Palace, fulfilling many roles; a man who was employed to catch rats, another whose job it was to sweep the chimneys. That there was someone expected to hunt Demons did not shock the new Queen; that it was to be her was something of a surprise.`
As a promotion for the release of the novel, the publisher has created a web page (wearenotamused.net) where you can read the first chapter of the book and enter a YouTube film competition. A winning entry for the best Victorian zombie short film could win you £100 of Hodder books. The contest closes on September 20th and the best entries will be used to promote the novel.
We’ve dusted off the wheel, inflated our balloon, fired up the boiler, and now we’re back off the ground with a fresh and steady supply of steampunk news!
Only one small hitch… While we were on our summer hiatus the annual renewal of our beloved aethernet site has come up as well. Owing his entire life’s fortune to his educational institution, the present and primary author of this blog does not have enough assets to pay this fee. This is where you come in, kind gentlefolk!
That’s right, by offering up a bit of old fashioned philanthropy, you can help ensure this blog will continue to provide you with steampunk news for years to come!
Any dollar amount donated is appreciated. If you wish to donate, please do so by following the link below.
We will now return you to your regular steampunk news.
I certainly hope you have all been keeping yourselves in good health. I sadly confess that my planned articles have not exactly panned out- my excuses are numerous and satisfactory, but the truth of the matter is that newer and shinier things have caught my attention, and I have decided to share my findings. Consider this a hodge-podge post of several things steampunk, packed full of delicious and distracting topics.
Steam Con
First and foremost, there is the matter of the Steam-Con, to be hosted in Seattle on the weekend of October 23 thru 25th of this year. A plethora of activities awaits the attendees, from the traditional con staples of a dealer room and art gallery to an exciting Uhallowed Metropolis LARP. (If you are unfamiliar with Unhallowed Metropolis, I highly recommend you go seek information as soon as you are able.) The important guests and speakers are numerous and quite prestigious- Tim Powers, one of the earliest writers in the steampunk genre, Paul Guinan, an artist with a thousand mediums whose History of Robots in the Victorian Era is both entertaining and educational. Then, of course, there is the esteemed Abney Park, who need no description.
Infernal Machines? More like Hellishly Good Music.
Now, I know we at Wings of Steam pay a rather large amount of lip service to Abney Park, so I thought that I would share with you another delightful musical group that I have been enjoying lately. My significant other-half introduced me to Secret Society by asking the question, “Do you like Jazz music?” They are described as “an 18-piece steampunk bigband that envisions an alternative musical history, one in which the dance orchestras that ruled the Swing Era never went extinct, but continued to evolve with the times, remaining a vital part of the musical landscape straight through the present day.” That elaborate description illuminates Secret Society’s style more than any words I might have used. It’s a mix of swing band, ambient music, and just general awesomeness. The best part being, these fine individuals (and I do mean fine- their website’s bio section is worth a look) stream their most recently released album on their website for free. Of course, I encourage you to buy their music so you can enjoy their wonderful tunes offline. Honestly, readers. Do yourself a favor and seek them out, give them a listen, and revel in their greatness.
Lex.
Remember my Steam-Powered Gaming article? I have an addition to add to it. No, I’m not talking about Damnation (though that is worth a glance, should you find yourself wanting more games in your life), I am talking about Edge of Twilight. Look at the picture above again. Now, tell me you don’t want to play that character. His name is Lex, a half-breed who has the ability to go between the realms of Night and Day, with two different forms for each realm. Any of you who have a passing interest in all things fae should be equally entertained- this game looks as though it mixes steampunk with just enough fantasy to create a rather unique experience. If you have not seenthetrailer, I do not know why you are still reading this. The environments shown are beautiful and the camera angles dynamic. Those of you who like a little blood with their morning tea will find that there is a pleasing amount of hack and slash to the game to slake their bloodlust.
I daresay I’ve rambled enough. May the summer continue to treat you well, and not maim or disfigure you in any way. I hear the sun tries to do that, now and again.
Abney Park’s upcoming album, Æther Shanties, was announced four days ago by Captain Robert. The album does not have a set release date but is expected to be out sometime this summer. Included with the announcement of the album was the following list of 12 tracks:
