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Magazine Archives for:
June 2015
Star Trek III and PTSD
“The Enterprise feels like a house with all the children gone,” Admiral James T. Kirk intones in his first scene in Star Trek III, the darkest and in some ways most heartfelt of all the… [more]
Will Brooker on My So-Called Secret Identity Volume 2
With My So-Called Secret Identity Volume 2 now on Kickstarter, I thought it was time to talk to Dr. Will Brooker again about the series, including its innovative new Kickstarter campaign. DARIUS: My So-Called Secret… [more]
“If it Ain’t Broke …”: Revisionist Missteps in Batman: Earth One
Three weeks ago, while discussing the Superman: Earth One series of graphic novels, I mentioned in passing that I “didn’t care” for the Earth One Batman series. Now as far as Internet critiques go, saying… [more]
Love and Mercy: The Powerful Story of Brian Wilson
There are many scenes in Bill Pohland’s new film Love and Mercy of Brian Wilson simply listening. That wouldn’t be an especially unusual choice for a film about a great composer, but the twist here… [more]
Metal Monsters: Tsuburaya Returns to Kong
1967 was a big year for Toho. Not because of the introduction of Godzilla’s son, but because it was their thirty-fifth anniversary. Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishir? Honda reunited to work on their penultimate collaboration for… [more]
Portraits in Alienated British Youth Circa 1989-90, Part Eight: Flushed Down The Toilet
There’s a question I just know you’re dying to ask right now—“dude, if you’re talking about True Faith, why do you have a cover scan of Preacher #1 at the top of your article?” It’s… [more]
Play to Win: Nonplayer #2
Some ten years ago I was heavily addicted to the much-missed MMO City of Heroes. My friend Mike and I would ‘meet’ most evenings in Paragon City, chat as we blitzed through missions and even… [more]
Community Season Six: “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television”
Lets talk about Community’s propensity for series finales. While it’s true that the continually reincarnated Futurama might actually have more finales if you factor in episodes designed to serve as finales in the event of… [more]
Five Reasons Why Comics Scholarship is Important
Before getting into comics, I had no idea where to start, or how to approach comics as a body of work. Over the course of several decades comics have diversified into a multi-headed beast. There… [more]
Mad Max: Fury Road is the Best Movie of the Year
“I never thought I’d do anything so shiny.” It might seem hyperbolic to claim Mad Max: Fury Road as the best movie of the year already, but I promise you it’s not. The chances of… [more]
Dangerous Visions: The False Nostalgia of Tomorrowland
SPOILERS FOR TOMORROWLAND Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland presents its audience with a choice. On the one hand there is pessimism – our world is wracked by wars, climate change and rapid overpopulation that could combined bring… [more]
Smorgasbord #19: DC Presents Legends of Fabulous Popstar Rihanna
This week on The Smorgasbord: Tom and Shawn kick Archie while he’s down, pick through the blighted wastelands of August Previews, take Jill Lepore to task for breaking Rule #1 of Academia, and wonder whether… [more]