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Author: John Maher

John Maher is news and digital editor at Publishers Weekly and editor in chief at The Dot and Line, which he co-founded. His work has been published by New York magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and Esquire, among others.
coco
Movies

Here’s Why You Should Watch ‘Coco,’ Which Is Finally on Netflix

June 5, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Here’s Why You Should Watch ‘Coco,’ Which Is Finally on Netflix

The Pixar tearjerker—now on Netflix—should do more than make you cry with its reminders of what tethers us to family. Now go call your grandma.

TV

A Pre–Memorial Day Appreciation of Alex Louis Armstrong’s Beach Bod

May 25, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on A Pre–Memorial Day Appreciation of Alex Louis Armstrong’s Beach Bod

“These abs have been passed down the Armstrong family line for generations!”

shinichiro watanabe cowboy bebop
TV

A Final ‘Bebop’ Question on Shinichirō Watanabe’s Legacy

May 4, 2018March 1, 2020 John MaherComments Off on A Final ‘Bebop’ Question on Shinichirō Watanabe’s Legacy

‘Cowboy Bebop’ busted the anime curve. But what is its director’s legacy? And is his greatest work really his, anyway?

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TV

Yoko Kanno Took Two Melodies and Made Four Perfect Songs

May 1, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Yoko Kanno Took Two Melodies and Made Four Perfect Songs

“Memory” and “Adieu,” “Goodnight Julia” and “Space Lion,” each flip sides of the same coin, make you wish Chet Baker and Bill Evans had been alive to play them—or that Pharaoh Sanders would.

sokka avatar the last airbender
TV

‘Cowboy Bebop’ Isn’t the Only Show with a “Mushroom Samba”

April 23, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Isn’t the Only Show with a “Mushroom Samba”

Rounding up some of the silliest, spookiest, and all-around best trip episodes and sequences from your favorite cartoons.

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TV

The Hidden Parallels in ‘Cowboy Bebop’—and Its Links to Cormac McCarthy

April 18, 2018April 18, 2020 John MaherComments Off on The Hidden Parallels in ‘Cowboy Bebop’—and Its Links to Cormac McCarthy

Spike is Gren? Spike is Vicious? Spike is Odin, the wanderer god whose ravens represent thought and memory? Spike is Cormac McCarthy’s nameless Kid from ‘Blood Meridian’? Good questions.

sympathy for the devil cowboy bebop
TV

At Least This ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Baddie Could Wail on the Harmonica

April 9, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on At Least This ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Baddie Could Wail on the Harmonica

Is this the show’s second most annoying villain? Yes. But the philosophy, the world-building, and the blues are worth it.

Movies

Isao Takahata Has Died. Animation Will Never Be the Same.

April 5, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Isao Takahata Has Died. Animation Will Never Be the Same.

The Ghibli co-founder was, beyond any shadow of a doubt, Hayao Miyazaki’s equal in brilliance, if not in output or recognition.

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Interviews TV

We Asked Neil deGrasse Tyson Why He Voiced a Pig on ‘Gravity Falls’

March 5, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on We Asked Neil deGrasse Tyson Why He Voiced a Pig on ‘Gravity Falls’

And other things you don’t know about the popular scientist and his cartoon career.

TV

Watch ‘Varmints’ and Let Jóhann Jóhannson Make You Sob

February 12, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Watch ‘Varmints’ and Let Jóhann Jóhannson Make You Sob

People and climate change and industry are evil, but the late Icelandic composer is a melancholy blessing forever. May he rest in peace.

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EDITORS PICKS

Words That We Didn’t Write

By The Dot and Line

We wrote a lot of words on the Dot and Line. But it could have been so much worse. We could have written these.

the loud house

The Quiet Potential of ‘The Loud House’

By Ruth Morrison

Here’s everything we like—and where we think the show could do better.

Why Hasn’t My Friend Seen ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Yet?

By Sammy Nickalls

More like "'The Handmaid’s Tale' of How You’ve Somehow Avoided This Show, JOHN." Part 2 of a 3-part series.

The End of the Universe

By The Dot and Line

'Steven Universe,' its feature-length musical film, and 'Steven Universe Future' are now in the rearview. Let's talk about it.

btas

Here’s What No One Ever Told You About ‘Batman: The Animated Series’

By John Maher

On the occasion of the series' 25th anniversary.

dragon ball z explosion of anger

This Is the Best Scene in Every Version of ‘DBZ’—No Matter What

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Applause for this moment.

‘Birthday Wonderland’ Is Pure, Gorgeous Chaos

By Marley Crusch

But the film, which was screened at Fantasia 2019, suffers from not having a clear direction.

tank cowboy bebop intro

Let’s Jam: The Glorious Explosion That Is Cowboy Bebop’s Opening Theme

By Alex Costello

A truly inspired show intro needs to check at least a few very different boxes. This one nails them all.

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GREATEST HITS

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Steve Blum Revisits Spike Spiegel 20 Years After ‘Cowboy Bebop’: Exclusive

By The Dot and Line

An exclusive interview with the English voice actor for the protagonist of ‘Cowboy Bebop.’

How ‘BoJack’ Skewers the #MeToo “Comeback”

By Nicole Ortiz

Through Vance Waggoner, Season 5 of ‘BoJack Horseman’ is perfectly aligned with the reemergence of Louis C.K.

2017 editorial | Editorial by MysteryThemes.