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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?

cowboy bebop yoko kanno
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.

jupiter jazz cowboy bebop
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.

gravity falls pig waddles mabel
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

Best Animated Movie Dragons of All Time, Ranked

By Christina Sterbenz

A rigorously scientific ranking.

These ACLU Cartoons Offer Practical Advice for Those Targeted by ICE

By Eric Vilas-Boas

The “We Have Rights” series is as vital as anything these days.

asteroid blues cowboy bebop

How ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Came to the States: An Exclusive Interview for Its 20th Anniversary

By The Dot and Line

With “Asteroid Blues,” the first session of ‘Cowboy Bebop,’ Cartoon Network brought something wholly new to the West.

shinichiro watanabe cowboy bebop

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

By John Maher

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

The Dot and Line Presents a Week Dedicated to ‘BoJack Horseman’

By The Dot and Line

A Horse With a Name is here.

If the Lorax Puffs Trees in the Forest: An Investigation

By John Maher

A philosophical investigation. Dr. Seuss would be proud.

ice king adventure time

Ask Scratchy: All I Want is to Love and Be Loved, But Ladies Ignore Me

By Dr. Scratchansniff

The Ice King of ‘Adventure Time’ needs some advice, and our house head shrinker, Dr. Scratchansniff, is here to help.

Bump “Unga Bunga Bunga” This Halloween

By John Maher

There’s nothing more worthy of a listen today than this 10-year-old Flavor Flav ode to animation and absurdity.

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GREATEST HITS

EVB Cartoon Haircuts, Ranked

By John Maher

Because how could #JHMhijacksDnL be complete without this?

cowboy bebop live action

Don’t Make ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Live Action

By John Maher

If anyone ever casts Keanu Reeves as Spike Spiegel, I swear I’ll eat Eric! (And don’t even say the words “Joseph Gordon-Levitt” to me.)

2017 editorial | Editorial by MysteryThemes.