Ross Johnson
5 Films to Start with in Barnes & Noble’s Criterion Sale
The Criterion Collection is known and loved for presenting high-quality editions of films that are “important,” but also weird, moving,…
Valérian and Laureline Is the Essential Space Opera You’ve Never Read
For over four decades, the intergalactic adventures of jet-setting spacetime agents Valérian and Laureline were one of the biggest things…
Tropic of Kansas is a Dark Road Trip Through an Oddly Familiar America
The words “science fiction” conjure images of mind-bending outer space vistas and strange alien travelers, of futures in which mankind…
At the Table of Wolves Is a Superpowered WWII Thriller
World War II has fueled more speculative fiction than any other conflict inhuman history. Writers of alternate histories and “what…
Telepathic Dogs Are the Key to a Murder Mystery in An Oath of Dogs
Kate Standish (call her Standish, please) arrives with her dog Hattie in the company town of Canaan Lake on the…
5 Reasons We Love Sarah Kuhn’s Offbeat Superhero Saga Heroine Complex
The much-anticipated second volume in Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine series, Heroine Worship, is finally here. The first book gave us the…
Laughs and Lessons from a Supervillain in Supreme Villainy
Megalomania is in the zeitgeist right now, and our pop culture villains can’t really keep up. Modern audiences expect our antagonists…
Jeff Lemire Talks His Diverse, Genre-Defying New Books: Descender, Royal City, and A.D.: After Death
Over the course of a relatively short (so far) career, Canadian-born artist Jeff Lemire has developed one of the most broad-ranging…
9 Books to Keep Your Wonder Woman Buzz Going
You saw Wonder Woman, right? And ever since, you’ve been running around the house crossing your wrists and trying to…
Comics’ Wives, Girlfriends, and Female Heroes Speak Out in The Refrigerator Monologues
In a lesser-frequented corner of the afterlife, there’s a bar called the Hell Hath Club. Every night’s an open mic,…
The Essential Satire of Bitch Planet in 12 Shocking Images
We have a place for noncompliants: the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost is a facility designed to house and rehabilitate women who…
Your Pre-Order Guide to 2017 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Sequels
In the twin worlds of science fiction and fantasy, sequels aren’t just a fact of life; they’re entirely welcomed. Us…
June’s Best New Biographies and Memoirs
June’s memoirs herald the onset of summer with an impressive variety of personal stories. Some are funny, some are inspiring,…
Spies, Space Battles, and Sparkling Clean Toilets in Dan Moren’s The Caledonian Gambit
There are relatively few skilled toilet scrubbers in genre fiction, and Dan Moren’s debut novel, The Caledonian Gambit, makes the…
10 Comics & Graphic Novels for Space Opera Fans
Space opera is a bit like pornography (bear with me here)…As the old legal formulation goes, you can’t exactly define…
Why Grand Admiral Thrawn Is the Greatest Villain in the Star Wars Universe
Grand Admiral Thrawn is possibly the most fearsome, effective, and beloved (after a fashion) villain in the Star Wars universe.…