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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.

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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

helga hey arnold

How to Date People Who Don’t Love Cartoons When You Love Cartoons

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Nine tips for those animation-loving Romeos and Juliets who might otherwise be doomed to fail.

link breath of the wild

Why ‘Breath of the Wild’ Is a Ghibli Movie: A Legal Resolution

By The Dot and Line

Like, really, it’s ‘Castle in the Sky’ fan fiction. In the best way.

rugratshanukkah

Give Me Chanukah Episodes or Give Me Death

By Elly Belle

We've had enough Christmas specials to last us until the Second Coming. We demand more Macca-babies!

“Class 1-A” Shows the Hero License Exam What They’re Made Of

By Sarra Sedghi

This one was mostly filler, but it worked.

Farewell, Log Lady. Plank Will Never Replace Your Log.

By John Maher

Was Jonny from ‘Ed Edd n Eddy’ an homage to Margaret from ‘Twin Peaks’? If so, he’s a sweet but unsatisfactory successor.

ein cowboy bebop stray dog strut

How a Cartoon Corgi Hooked Me on ‘Cowboy Bebop’

By Charlotte Dow

“Stray Dog Strut” is for all you dog-lovers out there.

Rebecca Sugar Has a Message for ‘Steven Universe’ Fans Before the Show Ends

By Eric Vilas-Boas

'Steven Universe' creator Rebecca Sugar has released her final statement to the series fans as 'Steven Universe Future' prepares to drop its last set of episodes.

timmy turner fairly oddparents

Fairly Oddparents and the Terror of “Tiimmy Turner”

By John Maher

Or, how a Nickelodeon reference can depress the crap out of you while still being couched in an experimental-ish club banger.

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GREATEST HITS

Good Grieving: ‘The Leftovers’ Will Shatter You Without Ever Once Cheating You

By Eric Vilas-Boas

One of the (few) earnest entries in #JohnWithTheWind.

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

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Applause for this moment.

2017 editorial | Editorial by MysteryThemes.