Books & Comics

The weirdest story ideas come from your own obsessions

Kelly Link has carved out a unique place at the intersection of magic realism and literary fantasy. Her short stories leave many questions unanswered, but stick in your mind for weeks afterwards. Now she explains where her ideas come from. Kate Wilhelm is a writer of mystery novels, classic science fiction novels like Where Late…

Books & Comics Kelly Link

The superhuman concept art from Darick Robertson’s The Boys

The one and only Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, JLA: A Midsummer’s Nightmare) sent us a ton of concept art and sketches from his superhuman shit-kicker series, The Boys. Check out early designs for the team and Darick’s commentary about the art! Darick co-created The Boys with Garth Ennis and characterizes these pieces as the “concept and…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

A handy chart shows Robert Heinlein’s complete future history

When will the Venusian colonists declare independence, according to Robert Heinlein’s early stories? Now you can consult this handy future history chart, first published in the 1941 Astounding Science Fiction, and find out. Click to make huge. [Potrzebie]

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Ken MacLeod explains the science of galactic princesses

Ken MacLeod, author of The Execution Channel, has a new book coming out in the UK next month: The Restoration Game. I interviewed him for Bloggingheads, and he told me about his future projects – including one with galactic princesses. He’s currently working on a book about synthetic biology called Sin Bio, but he’s also…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

When comic book heroes go nuts, the readers win

In this week’s comics haul, the sanity of two big-league comic protagonists — Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead and Billy Butcher of The Boys — hits a breaking point. When our lead characters go bonkers, we’re all the richer for it. Let’s start with Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s superhero hit squad saga, The…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

“House of Discarded Dreams” is a biologist’s hallucination

With The House of Discarded Dreams, Ekaterina Sedia has written a satisfyingly complicated coming-of-age novel where “adulthood” isn’t about leaving fantasy behind. In this beautiful, surreal story, a young biologist discovers that dreams are as meaningful as empirical research. Vimbai is an undergraduate biology major in New Jersey, struggling to separate from her immigrant parents…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

International Planet of the Apes comic covers prove that we all hate talking chimps

Charlton Heston’s ape overlords may have spoken English, but telling those damn dirty apes to get their stinking paws off of you can be said in any tongue. Here are Planet of the Apes comic covers from around the globe. I’m particularly a fan of the Eastern bloc style Hungarian cover and the Argentinian covers,…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

Skiff, the Giantest, Skinniest Ereader, Is Dead

Skiff looked like an ideal, if gigantic, dedicated ereader—especially as a newspaper facsimile. Dan liked it in January. News Corp. has purchased the software platform from Hearst—but not the hardware. So consider it dead, for now. [MediaMemo]

Books & Comics Matt Buchanan

The cutest widdle antiheroes ever

The coolest things you can’t have are these Celsius Marvelous Masterpiece Punisher and Daredevil figures — because they’ve been sold out for weeks. You can still covet, though. We are. [ComicsAlliance]

Books & Comics Marc Bernardin

io9 Book Club: One week reminder!

Next week, we’ll be meeting here to discuss our book club selection this month, Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. Don’t forget to read it! Priest is going to stop by to chat with us, too. For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We post here when the meeting…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz

Six or so degrees of great geniuses…and Kevin Bacon.

How is Mary Shelley linked to Buckminister Fuller? What tied Mark Twain to Pablo Picasso? What’s Kevin “Hollow Man” Bacon’s connection to Samuel Beckett? Consult this chart. (Say what you will, but Tremors was transcendent). [Lapham’s Quarterly via GOOD]

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

Alan Moore is not writing an opera with Gorillaz. Boo!

At a panel at the University of Northampton, Alan Moore confirmed that he was no longer writing an opera about the alchemist John Dee with Gorillaz — apparently all of the writing and planning had been foisted upon Moore. Damn! Says Moore: I should dash cold water on anybody’s dreams of this Doctor Dee opera…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

Next Generation comics highlight the erotic escapades of Jean-Luc Picard

Cartoonist Jess Fink is notorious for creating the Victorian robot porn Chester 5000 XYV (NSFW). In her spare time, she watches loads of Star Trek and draws comics in which Picard and Riker get their respective smoochies on. This year, Fink started watching Star Trek: The Next Generation — apparently for the first time —…

Books & Comics Lauren Davis

Two fascinating discussions about the nature of dystopia from young-adult authors

Now that young-adult fiction is where most of great dystopian stories are being told, there are two awesome discussions going on. Kaitlin Ward asks what’s the difference between dystopian and apocalyptic fiction. And Angie Smibert wonders where the utopias are.

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Did aliens take a preacher into space, just to convert him to their weird alien religion?

Science fiction books are having a resurgence in Korea, according to a new article in the Korea Times. And some of the titles described sound pretty amazing, including a preacher who converts to an alien religion, and a wizard who turns a man’s friend into a pig. Let’s hope some of these titles turn up…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Jazz Age New York Is Full of Vampires in Alaya Johnson’s Moonshine

There are two things you need to know about this book: It’s set in the 1920s, and the heroine is known around town as the “Singing Vampire Suffragette.” Also, it’s awesome. Zephyr Hollis is a social activist in Progressive-Era Manhattan. She teaches basic literacy to immigrants and volunteers at the local soup kitchen and engages…

Books & Comics Kelly Faircloth

Nnedi Okorafor’s “Who Fears Death” is a postapocalyptic vision of genocide and sorcery

N.K. Jemisin, author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, reviews the first adult novel from award-winning writer Nnedi Okorafor. Who Fears Death is a tale of post-apocalyptic Africa, where water is scarce and genocide shapes a young woman’s magical abilities. I’ve been a fan of Nnedi Okorafor’s for awhile now; I love her seminal children’s fantasy…

Books & Comics N.K. Jemisin

The Gadgets That Preserve Our Memories

The woman in this photo is an employee at the Library of Congress. She is using a high-tech scanner to map the individual chemical components of a century-old book in order to learn how to better preserve it. Boing Boing’s Rob Beschizza visited the two Library of Congress departments dedicated to keeping our memories safe:…

Books & Comics Rosa Golijan

Smilin’ Stan Lee weighs in on Donald Glover for Spider-Man

It seems like everyone and their mother has an opinion on Donald Glover’s campaign to become The Webbed One, so why shouldn’t one of Spidey’s creators bandy about his opinion? In this video, Stan “The Man” Lee gives his verdict. Click to view He’s a great actor. I’ve seen him, and he’s terrific […] A…

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

The haunted real estate of the webcomic Red Light Properties

Over at Tor.com, Dan Goldman’s quirky webcomic Red Light Properties is updated every Tuesday. The comic tells the story of Cecilia and Jude, an estranged husband-and-wife paranormal investigative team that sells haunted Miami homes at rock-bottom prices. Weird and recommended.

Books & Comics Cyriaque Lamar

The weirdest story ideas come from your own obsessions

The superhuman concept art from Darick Robertson’s The Boys

A handy chart shows Robert Heinlein’s complete future history

Ken MacLeod explains the science of galactic princesses

When comic book heroes go nuts, the readers win

“House of Discarded Dreams” is a biologist’s hallucination

International Planet of the Apes comic covers prove that we all hate talking chimps

Skiff, the Giantest, Skinniest Ereader, Is Dead

The cutest widdle antiheroes ever

io9 Book Club: One week reminder!

Six or so degrees of great geniuses…and Kevin Bacon.

Alan Moore is not writing an opera with Gorillaz. Boo!

Next Generation comics highlight the erotic escapades of Jean-Luc Picard

Two fascinating discussions about the nature of dystopia from young-adult authors

Did aliens take a preacher into space, just to convert him to their weird alien religion?

Jazz Age New York Is Full of Vampires in Alaya Johnson’s Moonshine

Nnedi Okorafor’s “Who Fears Death” is a postapocalyptic vision of genocide and sorcery

The Gadgets That Preserve Our Memories

Smilin’ Stan Lee weighs in on Donald Glover for Spider-Man

The haunted real estate of the webcomic Red Light Properties

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

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

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