Alyssa Johnson, Author at Gizmodo

Detective Poe: Quoth the Raven, “The Game is Afoot”

The first issue of Poe from BOOM! Studios promises a Hellboy-esque supernatural mystery with everyone’s favorite dyspeptic poet (and his brother) at the helm. Edgar’s wife, Virginia, has died, and he’s having trouble coping. (Fun fact: Virginia was his cousin and she was thirteen when they married. He was twenty-seven.) He’s been sneaking out of…

io9 Alyssa Johnson

Akiva “I Am Legend” Goldsman Takes On U.S. Version Of Primeval

More details about the planned movie version of Britain’s Primeval have come out, and it’s being described as Jurassic Park meets Lost. As imagined by Akiva Goldsman (I, Robot, Fringe, Batman And Robin). Yay? https://gizmodo.com/british-tv-series-primeval-gets-a-hollywood-movie-debut-5225215 According to Variety, Warner Bros. has officially purchased the Primeval screen rights in a “high-six-figure deal,” and Akiva Goldsman and…

Movies Alyssa Johnson

Unthinkable Adds Even More Conspiracy to a Post-9/11 World

The first issue of new counter intelligence comic Unthinkable opens a huge box of post-9/11 conspiracy, but, perhaps as a good conspiracy dictates, it’s still a bit unclear where this is going. The comic ostensibly centers around Alan Ripley, a writer of novels that another character refers to as “airplane reading,” all pop political thrillers…

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A Dozen Science-Fiction Drinking Games

Everyone probably occasionally (or often) thinks, You know what would make this Battlestar episode better? A lot of alcohol. So here, for your drinking — and viewing — pleasure, are a dozen science-fiction drinking games. For each drinking game, we’re just listing the absolute best rule of the bunch. For the whole set, click through…

io9 Alyssa Johnson

Time Travel: Six Reasons Not to Meet Your Mother

Now, if I could travel through time, I’d head for the future, but for some reason, people just keep heading for the not-so-distant past where they run into their own mothers. 1. Your mother falls for you. When Marty McFly heads back to the Fifties in Back to the Future, I’m fairly certain winning his…

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Buck Rogers #0 Makes Fighting Giant Amoebas Look Pretty Fun

Dynamite’s Buck Rogers comic series starts with a whole lot of Buck kicking ass (if giant amoebas had them, which I kind of doubt) and taking names (which, actually, the amoebas also don’t have). The issue starts right in with an unconscious Buck Rogers being held captive by the aforementioned giant alien amoebas, the Ganymedians…

Books & Comics Alyssa Johnson

Farscape’s New Bickering Comic Entertains, Teases

Issue 1 of Farscape: Strange Detractors from BOOM! Studios is, simply put, a lot of fun. Not a whole lot of substance, maybe, but it’s a pretty good time, anyway. It starts with John’s Leave It to Beaver nightmare, complete in black-and-white with Aeryn decked out in June Cleaver attire, which, while definitely being a…

Books & Comics Alyssa Johnson

15 Evil Corporations in Science Fiction

If you’re looking for a job, here’s a list of successful, influential corporations you might want to work for. That is, as long as you don’t ask too many questions. LexCorp (DC Comics) Hailed as one of the largest, most diversified multinational corporations in the world, it also happens to be founded by Lex Luthor,…

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Nine Human-Alien Love Children

Maybe it’s true that love knows no bounds. And when we’re exploring space and discovering new alien life-forms, it just makes sense that we’re going to have their babies. Here’s our nine favorite half-human hybrids. Spock (Star Trek) Let’s start with the really obvious here. Spock’s father is a Vulcan ambassador named Sarek and his…

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Back from the Dead: Eleven Scifi Resurrections

The number of times you can say “I thought you were dead!” in science fiction is probably only rivaled by characters in soap operas. In honor of Easter, here are eleven of the best resurrections. 1. Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1) While pretty much the entire team has died and come back, Daniel wins the prize…

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Why The Only Thing Better than Being a Kid is Having Your Own Steampunk Rhinoceros

Here’s some photography to convince you that the best Ghostbusters are seven years old and pencil drawings that convince you that pencil drawings are awesome. And so are rhinoceroses. Jan von Holleben‘s “Dreams of Flying” series is just about the most fun I’ve seen happening with almost nothing but buckets and trash bins, while at…

io9 Alyssa Johnson

Who’s Wearing the Mask?: On the Nature of Secret Identities

Secret identities. Do we really need them? More importantly, do superheroes? And how do they really work? (Do they?) Secret identities are sort of a messy idea. The definition is apparently a “persona developed in order to keep the true identity secret,” which, okay, is a workable definition until you start asking questions like, “If…

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Rick Brant: Making Mysteries (Sort of) Scientific Since 1947

You ever find yourself thinking how much better the Hardy Boys would be if they were a little more like Tom Swift? Yeah, me neither. Yet Rick Brant did just that. And he completely rocks. The Rick Brant series ran twenty-four novels from 1947 to 1968, all penned by John Blaine, which was, of course,…

Books & Comics Alyssa Johnson

What’s Up, Doc? (Twenty of the Best Physicians in Science Fiction)

Some of these upstanding members of the medical profession are the epitome of the Hippocratic oath, while others have found less … traditional… methods of drawing blood. Dr. Leonard McCoy (“Bones”) (Star Trek) Kind of the obvious place to start, right? It’s kind of hard to think of something to say about McCoy that hasn’t…

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The Future Now: Science Fiction Set in 2009

It may be March, but that still counts as the start of the year, right? Let’s take a look at what movies, television, and books have predicted for us in the days to come… Films: Freejack (1992) According to Wikipedia: In the polluted, dystopian year 2009, the super-wealthy achieve immortality by hiring “bonejackers,” mercenaries equipped…

io9 Alyssa Johnson

Four Guys and a Lady Who Could Probably Control Your World (Whether You Like It or Not)

Whether actual gods or just godlike, here are five comic book characters that it’s probably better not to get on the bad side of. And if you’d like to worship them, that might help, too. Comic books are full of men and women with amazing superpowers and uncanny abilities, but what about those even more…

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A Horse by Any Other Name is Probably Not a Horse

Saddling up your faithful steed to ride off into the sunset is one of those things best left to John Wayne. Sometimes. Here are some of science fiction’s best substitutes for our friend, the horse. Star Wars It seems that galaxies far, far away are the best places to go for horse alternatives. Whether they…

io9 Alyssa Johnson

Alyssa Johnson

Detective Poe: Quoth the Raven, “The Game is Afoot”

Akiva “I Am Legend” Goldsman Takes On U.S. Version Of Primeval

Unthinkable Adds Even More Conspiracy to a Post-9/11 World

A Dozen Science-Fiction Drinking Games

Time Travel: Six Reasons Not to Meet Your Mother

Buck Rogers #0 Makes Fighting Giant Amoebas Look Pretty Fun

Farscape’s New Bickering Comic Entertains, Teases

15 Evil Corporations in Science Fiction

Nine Human-Alien Love Children

Back from the Dead: Eleven Scifi Resurrections

Why The Only Thing Better than Being a Kid is Having Your Own Steampunk Rhinoceros

Who’s Wearing the Mask?: On the Nature of Secret Identities

Rick Brant: Making Mysteries (Sort of) Scientific Since 1947

What’s Up, Doc? (Twenty of the Best Physicians in Science Fiction)

The Future Now: Science Fiction Set in 2009

Four Guys and a Lady Who Could Probably Control Your World (Whether You Like It or Not)

A Horse by Any Other Name is Probably Not a Horse

I Wouldn’t Plan on Wearing Smart Glasses to Court Anytime Soon

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Comes Down $130 Amid a 2025 Smartwatch Lineup Clearout on Amazon

Disney Will Not Bow to Audience Belief That the Rock’s ‘Moana’ Wig Looks Awful

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Hits a Record Low as It Moves Beyond Espresso Machine Deals on Amazon

Doctors Struggle to Spot AI-Generated X-Rays, Raising Scam Risks

Sonos Roam 2 Speaker Turns the Amazon Spring Sale into a Black Friday Moment, Now at Its Lowest Price

What Do You Mean Glen Powell Is Fox McCloud in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

This Winter Fly Is Doing Something Scientists Didn’t Think Was Possible

Acer’s Mac Mini M4 Docking Station Drops to an All-Time Low, Supporting Up to 8TB Storage

Sony Is Hiking PS5 Prices for the Second Time in Less Than a Year

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees