Books & Comics

Slip Your Special Mail Into These Letter-Holder Bookends

This is just a clever use of space right here. These bookends keep your softcovers in line and your mail in order. All your favorite paper goods, all in one place, tidy and organized. Nice! I just moved apartments this weekend and am therefore very acutely aware of just how much stuff—bound, enveloped, and otherwise—I…

​The 12 Weirdest Comic Crossovers Ever

Crossovers are an everyday occurrence in the comics industry, where Spider-Man hangs with Wolverine, Batman stops by Teen Titans HQ, and Aliens battle Predators. But not all crossovers make as much sense as these do. Here are a dozen of them that aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re all definitely weird. 1) Archie and the Punisher…

A Compact Toolbox That Camouflages Itself As a Book On Your Shelf

Hunting down your toolbox and finding the right tool for a quick fix is never really ‘quick’ enough. And it usually leads to an ever-growing to-do list of things to fix around the house. Here’s a better solution: Strelka’s ToolBook lets you hide a basic set of screwdrivers and hex wrenches on a bookshelf, so…

A Collection Of Nine Flipbooks Celebrating Disney’s Greatest Animators

Before Walt Disney came along, animation was seen as just for kids. But through the release of a series of now iconic animated films, he was able to turn ‘cartoons’ into a serious art form, paving the way for blockbusters like The Lion King and Frozen. However, he couldn’t have done it without the help…

What Are You Reading?

What are you reading right now? Do you have a book to recommend for our reading lists? Tell us in the comments about the books you put down, your reading recommendations (or the ones you’re looking for), and what you’re planning to read next!

Which Real-Life Victorian Sub Inspired Jules Verne’s Nautilus?

When Jules Verne wrote about the fantastic submersible ship Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there had already been several very successful submarines built and tested. And Verne, who always did his homework, was certainly aware of these. Which was his inspiration? There was the fabulous Icteneo (“new fish”), invented by Narcis Monturiol and…

The Newest Winds Of Winter Chapter Is Here And It’s Messed Up

Guys. GUYS. George R, R, Martin has just released a full new chapter from the upcoming sixth volume in A Song of Fire and Ice, and man… I can’t even begin to summarize it without spoiling something, but I will say it’s titled “Mercy,” it’s set in Braavos, and it begins like this: She woke…

A Somber Webcomic Story About A New Mother Who Happens To Be A Vampire

Michelle doesn’t fit in with the other new mothers in her Brooklyn neighborhood. She works all day. She doesn’t drink. She doesn’t breastfeed—and there’s the fact that she recently became a vampire. Mike Dawson’s Prospect Park Dusk uses vampirism to poke at the uncertainties that come with new parenthood—feeling like you’re leaving the raising of…

Are “Haters” Valuable Critics? The Debate Over Trolls and Art

What happens when cartoonists take on their critics in comic form? Recently, the webcomic Zen Pencils raged against online critics—and received a comic about the value of negative feedback in reply. Top image from Zen Pencils’ “The Artist-Troll War.” Zen Pencils is a webcomic known primarily for adapting inspirational quotes from famous people into, well,…

The Rock Hints That He’s Still Playing DC’s Badass Bounty Hunter, Lobo

Earlier today, Dwayne Johnson tweeted that he and DC Comics have agreed on a character for him to play. But is this Lobo, the space bounty hunter that Johnson has been linked to for years? Or John Stewart, the Green Lantern? We had a chance to talk to the Rock about his superhero role, and…

Marvel Plans A Crisis Of Infinite Spider-Men In Spider-Verse

Marvel has announced Spider-Man’s next mega-event, titled Spider-Verse, which features every single incarnation of Spider-Man teaming up to fight the vampire Morlun. If you need to know why you care, check out the epic promo art by Olivier Coipel above. Spider-Man 2099. Spider-Wolf. Spider-Knight. Spider-Man with Doc Ock’s arms. Spider-Ham. The Amazing Bag Man. And…

Chuck Wendig And Sam Sykes Explain “The True Test Of A Writer”

Chuck Wendig and Sam Sykes are two fantasy authors who’ve been leaving their mark on the genre. We sat down with them at the Tucson Festival of Books recently, and they explained why they’re drawn to taboo subjects. Wendig is well-known for Blackbirds, the first of his three novels about Miriam Black, a woman who…

The Rare Book That Started the Scientific Racism Craze

In 1839, Samuel George Morton published a richly-illustrated book called Crania Americana. It influenced everyone from Darwin to the Abolitionists. And it was about how the skulls of different races made some superior and some inferior. This short film details its sordid and bizarre history. From Cambridge University, which created this video: Crania Americana, published…

Male Superheroes And Villains Copy Female Characters’ Sexy Poses

When Captain America tries to pose like Catwoman, it becomes painfully clear how unnatural that position is. The latest installment of Comics Should Be Good’s endlessly entertaining illustration challenge The Line It Is Drawn asks its artists to draw male comic book characters in the same poses that their female counterparts have had to endure—much…

Mike Mignola’s Favorite Artwork From Hellboy‘s Last 20 Years

On Saturday, March 22nd, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of his first comic with celebratory events in comic stores around the world and a massive collection of Mignola’s artwork, titled Hellboy: The First 20 Years. We asked the artist to pick his favorite 10 pieces, and tell us the…

A Guide to Programming for Non-Programmers

Coding: how hard can it be? Take a few ideas, type a few lines of letters and numbers, sprinkle with some rarely used punctuation marks and—boom—you have software! Right? https://gizmodo.com/this-is-what-happens-when-your-non-coding-boss-asks-you-1541110357 Wrong. This PHD Comics guide to programming for non-programmers is wonderful, though—and anyone who’s ever had to write a real line of code will know…

Happy Ninth Birthday Pyr! Hard to believe it’s only been nine years, especially considering how many awards they’ve won.

Brooches Made From Classic Books Let You Wear Your Favorite Words

If you’re the sort of person who likes to wear your literary tastes on your sleeve—or your lapel—these brooches might be for you. Each one is made from the pages of a classic book—Moby Dick, Watership Down, the tales of Sherlock Holmes—highlighting not just the stories, but also the words themselves. Old and damaged books…

JRR Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf is finally going to be published

One of the major influences on The Hobbit was the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, which was the subject of many of J.R.R. Tolkien’s lectures. Now, 90 years after Tolkien translated the poem, his version of Beowulf is finally coming to print. Tolkien’s estate has announced that HarperCollins will release Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, edited…

All The Avengers 2 Awesomeness From Tonight’s Marvel Special (Updated)

Care to see what Marvel has in store for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron? You know, besides this awesome concept art of Hulk fighting Iron Man in his Hulkbuster armor? Plus Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the first 11 minutes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier! There really wasn’t much new in Marvel’s Assembling…