Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston is the real star of Batman: Year One

The genius of Frank Miller’s graphic novel Batman: Year One wasn’t just how it reimagined Batman’s origin — it was the new and grittier version of James Gordon, Batman’s main ally on the police force. And the animated DVD adaptation, which comes out a week from tomorrow, makes a brilliant move by casting Breaking Bad’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Most Ridiculous Human Jobs that Robots Have Stolen in Science Fiction

Robots! They’re not just our future overlords, they’re also our replacements in almost any job you can imagine. America rushed to watch robots duke it out in Real Steel this past weekend — but “robot boxer” is not the most outlandish job a fictional robot has held. Here are all the weirdest human jobs that…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders and MaryKate Jasper

This Week’s TV: The Walking Dead brings a whole new level of pain

The Walking Dead returns to your screens with twice as many episodes as last year — and it sounds as though the road is going to be a very dangerous place this time around. Meanwhile, Malcolm McDowell and Faran Tahir both have some pretty bizarre cameos. The Matrix may provide the key to a major…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Demented 1970s fan film shows DIY special effects like you’ve never seen them before

We’ve been admiring some pretty slick Star Wars fan films lately — but what about the old-school, DIY stuff? https://gizmodo.com/attention-george-lucas-this-star-wars-fan-film-has-eve-5847818 https://gizmodo.com/the-gorgeous-italian-star-wars-movie-you-never-knew-you-5848025 When film-maker Jay Scheurle and his buds wanted to have lasers and light-sabers back in the 1970s, they scratched lines directly into their Super-8 film stock. When they wanted to show a robot walker…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The Most Disturbing Scene from Last Night’s Fringe

Walter Bishop takes matters into his own hands, in this totally horrifying moment from last night’s episode of Fringe. We’ve been told a few times that Walter is losing his marbles, but this absolutely terrifying scene proves that actions speak louder than words. In a world of alternate universes and murderous symbiotic fungi, how do…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Best of the Week: October 1-October 7, 2011

TWO SPACESHIPS, BATHED IN LIGHT | Two Soyuz craft docked with the International Space Station, photographed by astronaut Mike Fossum, with the Southern Lights in the background. Via MSNBC. https://gizmodo.com/the-10-types-of-writers-block-and-how-to-overcome-them-5844988 The 10 Types of Writers’ Block (and How to Overcome Them) Writer’s Block. It sounds like a fearsome condition, a creative blockage. The end of…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

A New $5000 Prize for Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy in Canada

Canadian SF/fantasy authors, you have a new chance to get recognized for your children’s and young-adult novels. The Monica Hughes Award, named after the late author of 40 young-adult novels, will give $5,000 each year to the author of the best science fiction or fantasy novel for children. The prize is funded by HarperCollins Canada,…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

The River Song Scene That Was “Too Naughty” for Doctor Who

Remember this shot of a naked River Song from the Doctor Who season six trailers? We never actually saw it in the show, and it turns out the scene was too naughty to air, according to producer Steven Moffat. Moffat tweeted the other day, in response to fans’ questions, that the scene was “Deleted, yes.…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Whatever happened to the bright future of “the Creative Class”?

Remember how the internet was going to create a whole new class of creators, who were going to be supercharging our economy by noodling on their laptops? Those people are hurting, thanks to a one-two punch of economic meltdown and the phasing out of old jobs like “video-store clerk” and “newspaper writer.” Turns out the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The Vampire Diaries: Playing mind games with a Salvatore brother is like shooting an unarmed man

How on Earth does The Vampire Diaries do it? I’m serious. Last night’s episode had some story elements that most other shows would have spun out for a half dozen episodes, or a half season. And they were just brought up, dealt with, and then discarded. In particular, both Salvatore brothers decided they were sick…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Designing a World of Robot Fighters: the Concept Art of Real Steel

Real Steel rocked us with its story of a boy bonding with a robot. And a big part of why the movie is such a fun breath of fresh air is its awesome robot designs. We talked to the movie’s lead concept artist and robot designer, Victor Martinez, about how he created a whole slew…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

When Fan Art goes Manga: Western Science Fiction Icons Reimagined, Japanese-Style!

Manga and anime have had a huge impact on western art in general — but they’ve especially helped to shape fan art. These cool Japanese art styles have helped us to see our favorite Western science fiction and fantasy icons in a whole new way. Here are some of our favorite manga and anime-influenced pieces…

io9 Natalie Baaklini and Charlie Jane Anders

Horror’s Greatest Heroes: the 10 Best Monster-Fighters!

Horror doesn’t just have to be about scary monsters and their victims — some of our favorite horror stories include awesome monster-slayers, who are on a mission to wipe out everything slimy or toothy. Here are horror’s 10 greatest heroes. We scoured the internet to find the greatest monster-hunters in horror, and we also asked…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders and Katharine Trendacosta

Real Steel: Better than the Last Two Transformers Movies Put Together

Real Steel comes from the same studio as the Transformers films, and it’s clearly intended to hit the same sweet spot of computer-generated effects, fucked-up action and goofy fun. But it’s a much, much smaller movie, that doesn’t have seventeen protagonists and the entire U.S. Armed Forces as extras — and unlike the last two…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

New Christian inspirational novel pitched as “Gone With The Wind Meets Lost“

What if Confederates, fleeing after the Civil War, ran to the shores of Brazil, and encountered… something? We were intrigued when a new novel trilogy sold to Christian publisher Barbour Books in a “nice deal,” and it was pitched as “Gone With The Wind meets Lost.” Does somebody say “Frankly, my dear Smoke Monster, I…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

You’ve never seen Optimus Prime so gloriously outnumbered as in this exclusive Transformers Prime clip

Optimus Prime faces off against a whole army of stone Unicron figures, without any Autobot backup, in this exclusive clip from Saturday’s new episode of Transformers Prime. If you thought Optimus was outnumbered in that forest fight scene in Transformers 2, this is a whole nother level. I like a lot of the “camera” angles…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

The Most Beautiful Vampire Art We’ve Seen in Untold Ages

You’ve seen vampire imagery a million times — but a new book of vampire art might just make you see the bloodthirsty creatures of the night all over again. Vampire Art Now, edited by Jasmine Becket-Griffith and Matthew David Becket, contains some of the loveliest vampire art we’ve seen in a vampire’s lifetime. Check out…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Exclusive First Look at the Raw Terror (and Shirtlessness) in Bedlam Episode 2!

Want to see an excellent example of spooky terror done right on television? Check out this exclusive clip from Saturday’s new episode of Bedlam on BBC America. Leah (Kara Tointon) is trapped in an underground garage, where the lights keep going out, and someone — or something — is following her. Here’s a second clip,…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

R.I.P. Derrick Bell, Creator of One of Science Fiction’s Scariest Thought Experiments

Derrick Bell is primarily known as a pioneering law professor who helped improve civil rights in America. But he also wrote one of the most disturbing thought experiments in science fiction, which later became an HBO TV special. In “The Space Traders,” aliens arrive and offer the United States “enough gold to retire the national…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

How to Make Horror and Dark Fantasy Work on Television

Last night saw the launch of American Horror Story, and it’s just the beginning. October also sees the start of Once Upon a Time and Grimm, and the return of The Walking Dead. Horror and dark fantasy are preparing to dominate the small screen more than ever. But how do you make dark, supernatural stories…

Television Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders

Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston is the real star of Batman: Year One

Most Ridiculous Human Jobs that Robots Have Stolen in Science Fiction

This Week’s TV: The Walking Dead brings a whole new level of pain

Demented 1970s fan film shows DIY special effects like you’ve never seen them before

The Most Disturbing Scene from Last Night’s Fringe

Best of the Week: October 1-October 7, 2011

A New $5000 Prize for Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy in Canada

The River Song Scene That Was “Too Naughty” for Doctor Who

Whatever happened to the bright future of “the Creative Class”?

The Vampire Diaries: Playing mind games with a Salvatore brother is like shooting an unarmed man

Designing a World of Robot Fighters: the Concept Art of Real Steel

When Fan Art goes Manga: Western Science Fiction Icons Reimagined, Japanese-Style!

Horror’s Greatest Heroes: the 10 Best Monster-Fighters!

Real Steel: Better than the Last Two Transformers Movies Put Together

New Christian inspirational novel pitched as “Gone With The Wind Meets Lost“

You’ve never seen Optimus Prime so gloriously outnumbered as in this exclusive Transformers Prime clip

The Most Beautiful Vampire Art We’ve Seen in Untold Ages

Exclusive First Look at the Raw Terror (and Shirtlessness) in Bedlam Episode 2!

R.I.P. Derrick Bell, Creator of One of Science Fiction’s Scariest Thought Experiments

How to Make Horror and Dark Fantasy Work on Television

Why ‘For All Mankind’ Season 5 Is the Key to the Rest of the Series

ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-Inch Portable Monitor Is Now Cheaper Than Black Friday in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Early Wildfires Are Surging Across the US—and Trump’s New Fire Agency Isn’t Ready

INIU Brings Another Power Bank to the Spring Sale as SnapGo Keychain Portable Charger Drops to Its Lowest Price

Attorney Hit With Historic Fine for Citing AI-Generated Cases

Travelers Experiencing the Longest Security Lines in TSA History

Could There Be a ‘Project Hail Mary’ Sequel?

Meta Has More Smart Glasses Coming Whether You Want Them or Not

Apple Requires Device-Level Age Verification in the UK Now. Could the US Be Next?

Astronomers Say Recent Rash of Meteor Sightings ‘Warrants Serious Investigation’

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