On March 11-12, 2016, DJ Kid Koala’s graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall will come to life on stage at the Power Center in Ann Arbor. This live adaptation unfolds via real-time filming of more than a dozen miniature stages and a cast of puppets, while Kid Koala and the Cecilia Quartet provide original live scoring on piano, strings, and turntables.

Win tickets by showing us your robot dance moves!

What: A contest of robot dances. Three winners will receive a pair of tickets to see Nufonia Must Fall. The first place winner also receives goodies from our friends at Green Brain Comics!

How to enter: Create a robot dance video to the music in the above contest video. Upload your video and share the link with us via the comments below, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

• On Facebook, enter by posting your video on our wall. Be sure to include “robot dance contest” in your video description.
• On Twitter, enter by tweeting your video @UMSNews. Be sure to include “robot dance contest” in your tweet.
• On Instagram, tag @UMSNews in your video. Be sure to include “robot dance contest” in your post description.
• Post a link to your video in the comments below.  Be sure to include “robot dance contest” in your post description.

Contest timeline: Tuesday, March 1 at 9 am to Wednesday, March 9 at 5 pm.

Winners announced: Morning of Thursday, March 10.

Questions? Ask them in the comments below.

Nufonia Must Fall, on stage. Photo by Jorn Mulder.

On March 11-12, 2016, DJ Kid Koala’s graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall will come to life on stage at the Power Center in Ann Arbor. This live adaptation unfolds via real-time filming of more than a dozen miniature stages and a cast of puppets, while Kid Koala and the Cecilia Quartet provide original live scoring on piano, strings, and turntables.

I’m a newbie to the graphic novel genre, but I had heard about the active comic scene around town. So, I reached out to the experts, our local comic book stores, for recommendations of the best graphic novels or comics for beginners.

Thank you to our local retailers: Vault of Midnight, Detroit Comics, Fun4All Comics & Games, Comic City in Canton, Green Brain Comics, and Motor City Comics, for participating.

What you should read first, according to our local comic book experts:

This comic strip was created using Chogger.

Nufonia Must Fall is at Power Center March 11-12, 2016.

Photo: Nufonia Must Fall, on stage. By Jorn Mulder.

DJ Kid Koala’s graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall is about a headphones-sporting robot on the verge of obsolescence who falls in love with a lonely office girl. On March 11-12, 2016, the live adaptation of this novel comes to Power Center. The show will feature real-time filming of more than a dozen miniature stages and a cast of puppets, while Kid Koala and the Cecilia Quartet provide original live scoring on piano, strings, and turntables.


This won’t be the first time a robot appears on the film screen. We present to you, a brief history of robots in film.

1930-1940
The Wizard of Oz (1939) introduced the Tin Man, one of film’s most recognizable robots. While the Tin Man is lovable and human-like, the 30’s and 40’s still frequently included narratives of mad scientists and uncontrollable killer robots.

1950-1960
Film robots of the 1950’s reflected fear of the new forms of violence made possible by technology during the Cold War. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) depicts Gort, an enormous, metal, alien robot who delivers an anti-nuclear message to Earth. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) features HAL, one of film’s most recognizable robots. HAL is a computer, not a traditional corporeal robot, and the film predicts robots with advanced speech comprehension and processing abilities.

1970-1980
Star Wars set the standard for robots on film in the 1970’s and 80’s. C-3PO and R2-D2, two of the series’ most lovable and iconic characters, are motivated by human emotions and experiences. But the period also produced many evil robots, notably the Terminator franchise, which portrays wars between humans and robots.

1990-2000 and beyond
Robots in the movies at the turn of the 21st century affirm the increasing affection for technology of the time. WALL-E (2004) reverses the trope of robot domination when a pair of robots saves the earth for humanity.

For additional information about the history of robots in cinema visit this website.

Excerpted from UMS Learning Guide about Nufonia Must Fall.

Nufonia Must Fall is at Power Center in Ann Arbor March 11-12, 2016.