Which Character Is Awesome In Both Their DC And Marvel Versions?

The two big comic companies have a ton of characters who basically occupy the same space. Two Kings of Atlantis. Two fast-running guys. A few stretchy guys. But which characters are equally awesome in either version? And which pair would you want to team up? Please include a picture or comic-book cover for your chosen…

It’s Amazing That This Action-Packed Short Film Was Made For Just $9000

Just because you’re working on a tiny film budget, that doesn’t mean that you can’t show the destruction and hi-tech weaponry of a human-alien war. That’s the case in this fun action flick, in which soldiers battle for control of a powerful alien child. Directed by Geoff O’Rourke, NOVR is the first of three planned…

On Penny Dreadful, It’s Not a Party Without a Seance

The first episode of Penny Dreadful gave us Victorian pulp, some great acting, immersive atmosphere, and things that go bump in the night. Turns out this Gothic was just getting started, as “Séance” rockets the show into an impressive second act. Spoilers ahead… I want to break down a lot of things here, especially since…

Watch An Enormous Supercell Thunderstorm As It Forms

If ever you felt uncertain about the sheer power of thunderstorms, this gorgeous video of a gigantic forming supercell over Wyoming should convince you otherwise. Top image: Still of the forming supercell / Basehunters Chasing on Twitter Supercells are severe thunderstorm, notable for both their rotating winds and for the long duration they can play…

New International Transformers 4 Trailer Features Way More Transformers

If you thought the latest Transformers: Age of Extinction trailer was surprisingly light on Autobots and Decepticons, this new international trailer contains a lot of new footage or robots in… well, not disguise, actually, because they’re too busy blowing stuff up to stay hidden. Robots in action, I guess. We also get a lot Mark…

Can Your City Be Brought Back from the Dead?

The signs of a dying city are usually all too obvious. Houses and landmarks stand vacant, their walls crumbling into ruin; businesses are failing while residents’ incomes drop; and young people are fleeing in droves to seek jobs elsewhere. But there are also ways to revitalize a city, and reverse its decline. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-tell-if-your-city-is-dying-5915922 Photo by…

We’re Losing 159 Billion Tons Of Antarctic Ice Per Year

According to a new survey, the amount of Antarctic ice being lost has doubled in the last three years, to hit a total of 159 billion tons each year. Image: Map of ice loss on the Pine Island Glacier, the glacier currently contributing the most to global sea level rises / Leeds University and UK…

Pandemic, Dark Knight Trilogy Collector’s Edition, Boy Meets World

Pandemic, if you’re unfamiliar, is an incredibly fun board game that avoids most of the typical pitfalls by making the experience cooperative rather than competitive, plus it has an intelligent premise. [Pandemic, $29] The Dark Knight Trilogy Ultimate Collector’s Edition is packed with special features, rare footage, and beautiful prints, not to mention reproductions of…

Anti-Evolution Bills Are Defeated In Missouri

Two proposed pieces of legislation—including one that would have required school districts to allow parents to have their children excused from learning about evolution—were left to die in committee when the Missouri state legislature adjourned. The news comes as a relief to educators who said the legislation would have “eviscerated the teaching of biology” in…

Are Reality Shows the Milgram Tests of the Future?

In the famous Milgram Experiment, volunteers were ordered by a person in a lab coat to shock a person to death — and many did it, discovering only afterwards that they’d “shocked” an actor. The same test was repeated for a French documentary in 2010. It got much the same results. But how well will…

How Do You Get Inside Godzilla’s Head?

That’s the question that author (and io9 commenter!) Greg Cox faced, as he wrote the novelization of the new Godzilla movie, out tomorrow. In this essay, Cox explains how he coped with getting inside Godzilla’s head — and why he avoided doing so as much as possible. Plus read the first chapter! I, GODZILLA? By…

New Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer Is Sensational!

Wow. Wow. Wow. This brand new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer gives us a whole heap of character time. Hear Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) actually talk. Plus, we’ve got a first look at Glenn Close’s character and big bad Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser. Watch it now!…

Read One of The Year’s Best Tales: “In Metal, In Bone” By An Owomoyela

Last week, we brought you Jonathan Strahan’s essay about finding the year’s best short stories for his annual collections — now here’s an excerpt from The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 8: “In Metal, In Bone” by An Owomoyela. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-find-the-best-new-science-fiction-and-fantasy-st-1575352462 Top image: Tanaudel/Eclipse Online. In Metal, In Bone An Owomoyela An Owomoyela (pronounced…

This Bizarre Bird Film Creeps Us Out

There are no actual birds in this oddball animation about birds. Instead, it’s filled with strange creatures made of eggs, worms, leaves, and other things we associate with our feathered friends. Birds was made by Zeitguised with Matt Frodsham, Chris Hoffmann, and Katha Niedermeijer as a way to explore animated characters. The birds themselves are…

Thousands of oil and gas wells on federal land are not being inspected, putting the environment in peril. Drilling has expanded in recent years because of fracking—and more than 3,700 wells are rated as high risks for water contamination and other hazards. But the Bureau of Land Management inspected only 1,600 of them.

8 Vastly Overqualified Actors Who Played Ridiculous Villains

Good actors know the value of a good villain; from Richard III to Dracula, some times the best bad guys are much more interesting than the heroes. Some times… but not always. Here are eight incredibly talented actors who completely wasted their talents as silly cinematic scoundrels. 1) Frank Langella as Skeletor in Masters of…

How A Bad Experiment And Dead Horses Led To Your Morning Shower

The 16th through 18th centuries, in addition to their regrettable stances on witch burning and geocentrism, were a stinky time to be alive. People did not bathe due to a popular misconception. What turned it around? Another popular misconception, a poorly-thought-out experiment, and dead horses. The problem was that the resurgence of the plague, and…

Cosmos Asks If Humanity Has What It Takes To Survive

Tonight’s episode of Cosmos is about the fragility and durability of life. Our story starts in the cradle of civilization, Iraq, with the development of written language and the recorded legends of the Mesopotamian goddess Innana, the hero Gilgamesh and the flood myth that found its final form in the Old Testament and the Aronofsky…

This Week’s TV: Say Goodbye To Revolution And Warehouse 13!

Two scifi shows take their final bows this week—and Warehouse 13 is going out with a musical number. Plus, we see the season finales of From Dusk Till Dawn and Supernatural while the summer TV season is just ramping up. See all the latest clips and details below! Top image from Warehouse 13. Everyone is…

Steampunk And Catfish (The Other Kind) Are Now In The Dictionary

Merriam Webster has updated its newest edition with 150 new words. A lot of the terms — social networking, tweeps, hashtag, and catfish (in the identity sense, not in the goes-well-with-okra sense) — come from social media. But there are also plenty of other words including Yooper, freegan, fracking and more. Other new additions include…