Legend Of Korra Is The Smartest Show On TV
“Its core message is not about trying to exploit power differences between the haves and have-nots. It says that real power is what you have between your ears.”
Interviews
Patagonia Rising’s Water Shock Doctrine
Set in South America’s breathtaking Andes landscape, the visually sweeping new documentary Patagonia Rising bills itself as a frontier story of water and power. But both its frontier and its story nevertheless belong to anyone on the planet that needs water to live.
Maus Creator Art Spiegelman Joins Occupy Comics’ Growing Chorus
“The image I drew over a decade ago seems to still be relevant,” Spiegelman said. “Occupy is one of the most significant things happening that could actually bring hope and change to our ravaged nation.”
Legend Of Korra Upgrades Avatar’s Mythic Epic
A psychokinetic steampunk upgrade with a fearless female hero leading the charge.
Swervedriver Achieves Escape Velocity
“Every new band starts out with a blank page and no history.”
Fracking’s Addiction to Frackquakes
To what should be the surprise of no one, earthquakes caused by the junkie gas sector’s hydraulic fracturing process, known as fracking, have been returning like Freud’s repressed.
Director Brad Bird On The Iron Giant, Animation And His Fist Live-Action Film
I love that The Iron Giant has had a resilient afterlife. It was kind of rough when the film came out, because we all worked really hard on it. No one really seemed to know what it was when it was released, and not that many saw it in theaters.
Occupy Hip Hop
“I hope hip hop can open itself to the possibilities that Occupy Wall Street presents. If we can use its power, we may see some lasting change from this after all.”
Welcome to Population Overload
“We’ve already crossed the threshold.”
DJ Shadow: The Internet Is Not Your Savior
It’s a democracy failure Davis saw crushed up close, given his proximity to Silicon Valley, where titans like Apple and Google sprouted from technological culture jammers into the undisputed masters of Wall Street’s universe.
Sophistructuralist Rob Crow Thinks He’s People
“‘Sophistructure’ is the idea of creating a structured lifestyle plan around sophistry,” Crow told me. “Which is, of course, impossible.”
Kate Beaton’s Hark! Heckles Superheroes, Scientists, Sellouts
The smart, sharp Beaton casts a much wider cultural dragnet in her otherwise unassuming art, one which snatches up literary, historical and scientific icons without mercy.
Dhani Harrison Honors Father George, Faces Fear of Missing Out
“I’m all about trying to reduce my level of ADD.”
Nuclear Cinema: Ten Prescient Meltdowns
Fukushima and worse could have been avoided if the public and proper authorities would have just watched the following 10 destabilizing cinema and documentary meltdowns.
We’ve Entered the Age of Mass Extinction
Every species has but one goal: To take over the planet. And every species that could, would, if it got the chance.
Our Biggest Security Threat Is Global Warming’s Extreme Weather
If we don’t start seriously sweating the existential crisis of climate change and ignoring the small-time drama of terrorism and partisan sellouts, then we’re finished.
Alan Moore On The Sixties, Superheroes, America, The Bible And Why Lost Sucked
“When the state started to take us seriously and initiated countermeasures, the majority of us folded like bitches.”
Space-Walking Through Swervedriver’s Sci-Fi Sonics
Franklin broke down his band’s speculative soundtracking below for fans old and new. Come for the dystopian geekery and cultural esoterica, stay for the spacey rock signatures.
Geek The Beatles: Paul McCartney Brings Tomorrow Never Knows Back to the Future
Paul McCartney is working on a new project utilizing vintage gear he once used to make tape loops for The Beatles’ landmark track “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
Grant Morrison’s Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne Is a Masterful Time-Wipe
No one mashes science, philosophy and superheroes as well as Grant Morrison. And his years-long run on Batman, the most iconic human superhero of all time, is an object lesson […]
Best of 2010? Inception, Batman, Sym-Bionic Titan, Iron Man…
“Animation has always had the problem of being perceived as purely for kids,” Tartakovsky told me before Sym-Bionic Titan’s stellar launch. “I think things are better than a few years ago, but the stigma still exists.”
Cli-Fi: Happy Methane Apocalypse!
“At first we thought it was a hoax; sadly it’s not. The melting ice caps are the fuse. The trapped methane released into the atmosphere is the bomb.”
Daniel Clowes + Wilson + Death Ray = Hollywood Comics Smarts
At last Hollywood is turning back to Daniel Clowes, one of indie comics’ crossover titans.
The World Bank Water Grab
Billions have been spent allowing corporations to profit from public water sources even though water privatization has been an epic failure. But don’t tell that to loansharks at the World Bank.
Nastiest Villain On TV? Sym-Bionic Titan’s Xeexi
The monstrosity rams its entire body down your throat, where its tentacles overtake your body while its crustacean-inspired head lodges inside your mouth.