A joining of comedy, science, and cinema gives life to this show about science scenes missing the mark. Biologists Misty Paig Tran and Kristy Forsgren are joined by comedian Steph Tolev to take on the accuracy of fish genitals in 2018’s Best Picture winner, The Shape Of Water. Perhaps unexpectedly, it’s the scientists…
DC’s Uncle Sam is one of the stranger superheroes, taking the public-domain personification of the United States and turning him into an active crusader for the most idealistic American values. After being introduced by Quality Comics the 1940s, Uncle Sam and other Quality characters were integrated into the DC…
“When we moved to America thirty-five years ago, many things took me by surprise… above all, I was surprised by the talk shows, the way Americans loved to confess on television.” This impression comes from Maryam, a Moroccan immigrant and one of many characters that populate Laila Lalami’s fourth novel, The Other…
This week’s entry: The Langley Schools Music Project
Matt Murdock tends to have awful luck, but things have been especially rough for him in the past couple years. His archenemy, Wilson Fisk, became the mayor of New York City, and he nearly died after being hit by a truck, an accident that has damaged the radar sense that replaced his vision. He’s back in his crimson…
What is beyond? Beyond the blindfold, or the doorway, or the forest. It’s the beyond that Josh Malerman is so good at keeping just out of sight. He proved as much with Bird Box, a viral debut novel that spawned a popular (and much-memed) movie starring Sandra Bullock. Its tale of creatures who shatter the mind when…
The Celtic legend of Ys tells the tale of a majestic, Atlantis-esque city swallowed by the sea, a tale that’s been reimagined over centuries to gain new allegorical depth. The latest retelling comes courtesy of graphic novel publisher First Second in 2020, partnering National Book Award-winning writer M.T. Anderson…
A Fire Story (Abrams ComicArts) is a perfect storm of a book, an individual graphic memoir that tells the larger story of a community, a comic that is the result of both long years of work and a viral internet sensation, a literal perfect storm of weather and human behavior that resulted in one of the most devastating…
I’m a straight white woman in my early 30s. In theory, I’ve always been into men of all races—but in practice, most of my exes are Latino and white. In September, I met this really handsome Chinese American guy, and I feel like he rewired me. I’ve been exclusively attracted to Asian guys since. I’m not writing to ask…
When teenage boy Denji pulls a cord embedded in his chest, chainsaws burst out of his face and his arms, turning him into a revved-up killing machine more devil than human. Denji’s transformation is emblematic of the over-the-top nature of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man (Viz), a manga about an impoverished adolescent…
Image Comics and Skybound’s new series, Assassin Nation, debuted with guns blazing, introducing 20 of the world’s top killers and pitting them against each other in a bloody firefight. Written by Kyle Starks with art by Erica Henderson and letters by Deron Bennett, this comedy-infused action series is brimming with…
Chances are very good that if you are reading this you are a person, and most likely a person who eats. This universal human experience is explored in a recent episode of All My Relations, a podcast about indigeneity in all its complexities with hosts Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee…
Brian Michael Bendis’ Wonder Comics imprint is off to a fantastic start, with Young Justice, Wonder Twins, and Naomi all offering distinct perspectives on adolescent superheroes trying to find their way in the world. There’s still one more launch title to debut—next week’s Dial H For Hero—but thus far, Naomi is the…
When Anthony Bourdain visited Houston in the summer of 2016 to tape an episode of Parts Unknown, he gave his producers a single directive: “No white people.” This small bite of culinary affirmative action could have taken place in most any American metropolis—Los Angeles, Chicago, even Minneapolis-St. Paul—but…
This week’s entry: 5 Pointz
Reinvention is a fundamental part of Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s DNA. The TV show that made the property a pop culture phenomenon was a reinvention of a cinematic bomb, and after the conclusion of the series, the characters lived on for years in comic books. Twenty years after the height of the TV series’ popularity,…
Since assembling as a new team of West Coast Avengers, Kate Bishop and her superhero friends have endured a steady stream of challenges like giant monsters, supervillain cabals, and now a vampire cult abducting residents of Los Angeles. Writer Kelly Thompson and a rotating team of artists have crafted an exhilarating…
Note: This article contains descriptions of childhood sexual abuse.
Hellboy is having a big 25th anniversary year. His cinematic revival lands next month, and Dark Horse Comics is celebrating the quarter-century milestone by reuniting two of Hellboy’s most vital creators. Artist Duncan Fegredo took over Hellboy’s visuals when the comic’s creator, Mike Mignola, switched into a…
Video games often incite heated debate, but sometimes humor and civilized shouting can simmer the boil down into fun conversation. This is the epitome of Michael Swaim and Adam Ganser’s 1Upsmanship, a podcast that provides a glimpse into a significant video game, debates its strengths and flaws, and ultimately decides…
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