How do you make the launch of a new superhero comic imprint a pop culture event? For DC’s Black Label, the answer is Batman’s exposed penis, swinging out of the shadows to highlight the freedom allowed to the creative team of Batman: Damned. Writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo give readers full-frontal Dark…
I am newly divorced and have started a relationship with a man I’ve known and deeply cared about for decades. The sex is amazing—from start to finish, I feel better than I ever did even in the best moments with my ex. And in the most intense moments? He makes me see stars. He is a very generous lover—he turns me on…
Philip Pullman can tell a good story. Author of the immensely popular His Dark Materials trilogy—as well as some 40-odd more novels, plays, and non-fiction works—Pullman has entranced readers for decades with tales of thrilling adventure set against some of the most fecund and imaginative world-building this side of…
PG-rated internet thirst trap Matt Adlard has been baking up sugary designer confections on his YouTube channel as the Topless Baker for about two years now. In a Sisyphean twist of fate, the British social media star’s success as an amateur pâtissier disqualifies him from consideration as a contestant on The Great…
Karl Ove Knausgaard is the most well-documented writer alive today. Across the first five volumes of My Struggle, the Norwegian novelist rendered in exacting detail seemingly every memory he could access. These recollections are often painful (Book One dealt largely with Karl Ove and his brother, Yngve, cleaning up…
The benefit of large comics publishers offering smaller imprints is that it provides a built-in space for titles that differ in some way from the main lineup. They’re often experimental or off-brand, highly creative, and deeply personal. For years, fans have been bemoaning Vertigo’s slow starvation under DC’s…
I am a gay man in my late 50s and have never been in a relationship. I am so lonely, and the painful emptiness I feel is becoming absolutely unbearable. In my early 20s, I hooked up off and on, but it never developed into anything. I have always told myself that’s okay; I’m not a people person or a relationship kind…
Mark Millar and Robert Kirkman have had similar career paths, both rising to fame in Hollywood thanks to successful adaptations of their creator-owned comic book titles. While Millar focuses on film adaptations of his work (Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kingsman), Kirkman has made an indelible mark on television thanks to the…
The podcasters: Journalist Bim Adewunmi and writer Nichole Perkins decided in mid-2017 to launch a podcast series dedicated to female thirst—one where so-called “thirst buckets” could enthusiastically and unabashedly gush about the gorgeous celebrities they desire, from A-listers to up-and-comers. Beyond being heaps…
If you’ve read David R. Bunch, there’s a good chance it’s because of Harlan Ellison. The famed author (and renowned grouch of popular culture) selected not one, but two short stories by the little-known writer for his landmark 1967 New Wave sci-fi collection, Dangerous Visions—the only contributor to have more than…
Bitch Media editors Dahlia Balcazar and Amy Lam have an easy and playful chemistry. They kick off each episode of Backtalk arguing about things like the worst Mark Wahlberg film, yet they’re still able to tackle serious and complicated issues like the #MeToo movement when necessary. This episode finds them discussing…
In our monthly book club, we discuss whatever we happen to be reading and ask everyone in the comments to do the same. What Are You Reading This Month?
Bruce Banner’s curse is his legacy. His father’s exposure to radioactive material fundamentally changed Bruce from birth, imbuing him with a second self gifted with acute intuition, driven by rage, and prone to destruction. This other half eventually gained a physical form when Bruce ended up in the blast radius of a…
I’m a cis woman in my mid-40s, and my significant other has a cuckolding fetish. My first response was “Oh, hell no!” But if I’m willing to have a threesome, how much further of a stretch is it, really? He does have some experience with this varsity-level kink, so he knows what to expect. I’ve asked him some…
Every month, a deluge of new books comes flooding out from big publishers, indie houses, and self-publishing platforms. So every month, The A.V. Club narrows down the endless options to five of the books we’re most excited about.
History and its manipulation is the all-consuming center of Walter Mosley’s new genre-bending novel. The lessons of the past are not static to skillful interpreters, even if they are at best only partially understood. Yet presenting limited historical knowledge as irrefutable truth condemns many people to suffer…
It’s lucky for society that Fred Rogers is having a moment in 2018, some 15 years after his death and 50 years after the premiere of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. June saw the release of Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, an acclaimed documentary about the television host and all-around paragon of human decency, while Tom…
In any political regime, there are people who benefit and people who suffer. The proportions may vary, but even the worst administrations are advantageous to a select population. Hydra’s takeover of the United States in Marvel’s Secret Empire event threw the country into chaos, but Steve Rogers is discovering that…
Comixology, one of the easiest platforms on which to buy and store comics, has expanded into creating original content. Much like parent company Amazon’s tactics when it comes to original video content, Comixology originals span a variety of different genres and formats and promise more to come.
This woman has gone down on me (I’m a man) more than half a dozen times in the last three months. Each time seems to be better than the previous! She does not want reciprocation. She has also turned down all my offers for intercourse. As far as I know, she is heterosexual just like me. What’s with that? I am getting a…
