Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

Why Torchwood Still Rules Television

With just five episodes in the summer of 2009, Torchwood went from a mildly diverting Doctor Who spinoff to a show that could stand alongside Twin Peaks, Fringe and The Prisoner as one of television’s great insane rides. Now, after a two-year break, Torchwood is finally coming back, with Torchwood: Miracle Day. And just like…

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10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Star Wars

Star Wars. It’s part of our culture. A crucial feature of our lives, like an energy field that binds all living things together. You may think you know everything about this rich universe — but there’s always more to learn. The history of Star Wars, both in the universe and behind the scenes, is such…

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The best horror fiction and alternate-history stories of 2010: Revealed!

Over the past few days, the winners of the Bram Stoker Awards (for horror fiction) and the finalists for the Sidewise Awards (for alternate history) were announced. Want to know what the best terrifying stories and allohistories are? The Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel went to A Dark Matter by Peter Straub.…

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io9 Roundup: June 20, 2011

READY FOR A SKY-RACE | It’s a beautiful afternoon for cloud-chasing. Concept art by J.P. Rasanen, via CoolVibe.com. https://gizmodo.com/the-coolest-scene-of-alien-fighting-from-last-nights-fa-5813849 The Coolest Scene of Alien-Fighting from Last Night’s Falling Skies Steven Spielberg’s new show Falling Skies launched last night on TNT, and the good news is, it got gangbuster ratings for a basic cable show: 5.9…

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The Coolest Scene of Alien-Fighting from Last Night’s Falling Skies

Steven Spielberg’s new show Falling Skies launched last night on TNT, and the good news is, it got gangbuster ratings for a basic cable show: 5.9 million viewers, more than The Walking Dead’s first episode on AMC. The bad news is, the opening two parter has a lot of storytelling weaknesses, and it’s hard to…

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Shallow Hal Jordan? Read the screenplay for Green Lantern starring Jack Black, and be glad it never happened

You may or may not remember that Jack Black was in line to star in a comedic version of Green Lantern at one point. It turns out the unproduced screenplay is available online, and… it’s not very funny. There are a couple funny bits, like where Jud, the loser who becomes Green Lantern by accident,…

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Help NPR find the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books of all time

Here’s another chance to get people talking about great science fiction books — NPR is focusing its summer readers’ poll on science fiction and fantasy books. (Except for horror, paranormal and YA books.) Now’s the time to go over there and suggest some terrific SF books that deserve to be included in the NPR poll.…

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High-res Transformers 3 pics sure do look pretty

Say what you want about Michael Bay: The man can take a couple hundred million dollars and turn it into some top quality giant robot porn. Two dozen high-res photos from Transformers: Dark of the Moon showcase awesome robotic destruction. It’s not looking too hot for the city of Chicago there. On the plus side,…

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The Amazing Power that Comes from Grief, on Game of Thrones

Last night’s Game of Thrones was one of the most powerful portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen, on television or in any medium. And yet, the episode lasted just long enough to show that powerful things can come from grief. And yes, “Fire and Blood” clinches it — this show is a fantastic achievement, better…

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This Week’s TV: Have True Blood and Futurama finally gone too far? (Answer: No.)

Two of television’s great champions return this week: True Blood is shaking things up with some major changes in Sookie’s life. And Futurama is shaking up its characters in… a very different way. But Leverage and Burn Notice also return. And that’s not all! This week’s television also promises a Star Wars sand sculpture at…

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Is this the beginning of the end of the superhero movie boom?

Green Lantern is the second superhero movie in a row to perform disappointingly in its opening weekend, after X-Men: First Class. If Captain America also stumbles, we could look back on this as the summer that superheroes lost their invulnerability. https://gizmodo.com/why-did-x-men-first-class-underperform-at-the-box-offi-5808790 According to the New York Times, Warner Bros. spent $200 million to make Lantern,…

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Party like a Green Lantern!

WE ARE THE CORPS | Green Lantern poster by Darren Rawlings on CG Hub. https://gizmodo.com/green-lantern-wants-to-be-star-wars-but-its-more-like-5812464 Green Lantern wants to be Star Wars, but it’s more like the Star Wars prequels Ryan Reynolds keeps comparing Green Lantern, out today, to the original Star Wars. As if it’s the same kind of fun thrill-ride, with the same…

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Why Falling Skies breaks the mold of alien invasion shows

We’ve had a lot of unscrupulous aliens coming to our planet on television lately, but Falling Skies isn’t just another mystery-alien show along the lines of V or The Event. Instead, Steven Spielberg’s new show is a whole different phenomenon. We interviewed showrunner Mark Verheiden and actors Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy and Maxim Knight about…

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Green Lantern wants to be Star Wars, but it’s more like the Star Wars prequels

Ryan Reynolds keeps comparing Green Lantern, out today, to the original Star Wars. As if it’s the same kind of fun thrill-ride, with the same relatable heroic arc, swashbuckling and Han Solo-esque swagger. But actually, Green Lantern is more like the Star Wars prequels: dull, soulless and smothered with computerized blandness. Not to mention a…

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Ultimate Proof that Hal Jordan is a Cosmic-Level Badass

Green Lantern’s magic ring runs on willpower, so Hal Jordan needs an iron will to wear it. But the real test of his will is what happens when he loses the ring and has to rely on himself. My absolute favorite badass-Hal-Jordan story is in Green Lantern #133-135, when the schizophrenic supervillain Dr. Polaris steals…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

More epic X-Men: First Class concept art showcases the final battle and a sexy goth Angel

More proof that X-Men: First Class could have come out looking very different: A ton of new concept art has come out, and it showcases some very off-kilter character designs for Beast, Angel and Darwin. Who looks like Taye Diggs. We already showed you some creature art that showcased very different versions of Emma Frost…

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io9 Roundup: June 15, 2011

URBAN RENEWAL | Alien Robot Smashing a City, concept art by Ross Dearsley on CGHub. https://gizmodo.com/catgirl-vs-ninja-the-cutest-confrontation-youll-see-t-5812412 Catgirl Vs. Ninja: the Cutest Confrontation You’ll See Today What if the internet meme nyan cat fought crime? It’d be called The Nine Lives Of Chloe King. The show about the teen girl with cat powers debuted last night,…

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io9 Roundup: June 14, 2011

What your favorite Alien movie says about you https://kotaku.com/what-your-favorite-alien-movie-says-about-you-5811814 With Ridley Scott’s suspected Alien prequel, Prometheus, in production it’s time to look back and ask: What does your favorite Alien movie say about you? The answers may surprise you! More » http://io9.com/5810487/first-set-pics-from-ridley-scotts-prometheus-is-this-your-new-gritty-alien-underworld https://gizmodo.com/angelic-squid-descends-over-argentina-bringing-tentacl-5811967 Angelic squid descends over Argentina, bringing tentacled confusion in its wake Here’s another…

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Totally Demented Green Lantern Storylines That Won’t Be in the Movie

Green Lantern comes out on Friday, and we can’t wait to see how Hal Jordan’s saga translates to the big screen. We can’t tell you just what’ll happen in the movie, but we do know one thing. There’s no way the movie can include these 16 utterly loopy storylines from the Green Lantern comics. #1…

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We Love Superheroes!

THE PHOENIX LIVES! | Beautiful Phoenix art from Worth 1000’s superhero art contest, via BoingBoing. https://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-most-scientifically-plausible-superpower-5811568 What is the most scientifically plausible superpower? We all know that superheroes like Superman or Thor are completely impossible. But just for the sake of argument, are there any superpowers that could actually exist in the real world? More »…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Charlie Jane Anders

Why Torchwood Still Rules Television

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Star Wars

The best horror fiction and alternate-history stories of 2010: Revealed!

io9 Roundup: June 20, 2011

The Coolest Scene of Alien-Fighting from Last Night’s Falling Skies

Shallow Hal Jordan? Read the screenplay for Green Lantern starring Jack Black, and be glad it never happened

Help NPR find the top 100 science fiction and fantasy books of all time

High-res Transformers 3 pics sure do look pretty

The Amazing Power that Comes from Grief, on Game of Thrones

This Week’s TV: Have True Blood and Futurama finally gone too far? (Answer: No.)

Is this the beginning of the end of the superhero movie boom?

Party like a Green Lantern!

Why Falling Skies breaks the mold of alien invasion shows

Green Lantern wants to be Star Wars, but it’s more like the Star Wars prequels

Ultimate Proof that Hal Jordan is a Cosmic-Level Badass

More epic X-Men: First Class concept art showcases the final battle and a sexy goth Angel

io9 Roundup: June 15, 2011

io9 Roundup: June 14, 2011

Totally Demented Green Lantern Storylines That Won’t Be in the Movie

We Love Superheroes!

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

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

Apple iPad With A16 Chip Is Now as Cheap as It Gets, With Stock Moving Quickly in Amazon’s Tablet Deals

Amazon Echo Spot Is Running at Its All-Time Low, Likely the Last Chance Before Prime Day Arrives in a Few Months

Diablo Cody Has Big Plans for the ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Sequel

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

M5 MacBook Air Review: A Laptop With Real Middle Child Energy

MacBook Neo Review: No Other Budget Laptop Can Compete