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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.
Movies

When Anime Met Bashō: ‘Winter Days’ Brings a Warm Beauty to a Cold Season

January 31, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on When Anime Met Bashō: ‘Winter Days’ Brings a Warm Beauty to a Cold Season

Some of the greatest animators on our planet paying a tribute to a haiku master? That’s a match made in meditative melancholy.

oprah the boondocks
TV

The Boondocks Predicted the Oprah 2020 Thing and People Are Losing Their Minds

January 9, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on The Boondocks Predicted the Oprah 2020 Thing and People Are Losing Their Minds

What does It take for mainstream media to pretend to care about cartoons? Oprah. The answer is Oprah. And politics. And clickbait.

TV

WTF Is Felix Colgrave Smoking?

January 8, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on WTF Is Felix Colgrave Smoking?

And can we have some before we watch any more cartoons?

gurren lagann
TV

The Only Good Thing About ‘Gurren Lagann’

January 1, 2018December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on The Only Good Thing About ‘Gurren Lagann’

A choice New Year’s Resolution provided by a super dumb anime.

TV

Why Katara’s Feelings Are Her Greatest Strength and Greatest Pain

December 22, 2017April 4, 2020 John MaherComments Off on Why Katara’s Feelings Are Her Greatest Strength and Greatest Pain

Maternal, idealistic, insecure, stubborn, short-tempered. Katara is emotion—her trauma, her power. Just like me.

TV

Could a Northern Water Tribe Capital City Exist In Real Life?

December 18, 2017December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Could a Northern Water Tribe Capital City Exist In Real Life?

Today’s important question is brought to you by a very dumb study. Also: Welcome to Waterbending Week!

Movies

‘A Country Doctor’ Is an Anime Handshake Between Franz Kafka and Kobo Abe

December 8, 2017December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on ‘A Country Doctor’ Is an Anime Handshake Between Franz Kafka and Kobo Abe

Even Kafka can always get weirder.

tower gun violence mass shootings film
Movies

How an Animated Film Powerfully Documented Gun Violence in America

November 29, 2017December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on How an Animated Film Powerfully Documented Gun Violence in America

Director Keith Maitland and journalist Pamela Colloff discuss the historic University of Texas shooting and how the animated film ‘Tower’ captured it.

TV

Here’s ‘Xavier: Renegade Angel’ in a Nutshell

October 30, 2017December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on Here’s ‘Xavier: Renegade Angel’ in a Nutshell

It’s been 10 years. Somehow.

TV

This Is How Morty Smith Is Smarter Than Rick Sanchez

September 27, 2017December 29, 2019 John MaherComments Off on This Is How Morty Smith Is Smarter Than Rick Sanchez

Actually, when you consider the theory of multiple intelligences, you’re the f*cking idiot, Rick! You f*cking moron! —Morty (attrib.)

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EDITORS PICKS

‘Steven Universe: Future,’ Here We Are

By Amelia Kidd

What we’re most excited to see in the next season of Cartoon Network's most compassionate show.

What You’ll Learn in One Afternoon With Pixar

By The Dot and Line

A jaunt in the Cooper Hewitt Museum.

The Powerful ‘Adventure Time’ Finale: A Really Specific Feeling That’s Hard to Describe

By Evan Fleischer

The characters of ‘Adventure Time’ never needed a Dickensian ending. That’s not where the game was.

macie as told by ginger

Macie and Me, and the Little Seal Girl Makes Three

By Corinne Segal

On the subtle queer feminism of 'As Told By Ginger.'

hey arnold christmas tv special

11 Cartoon Holiday Episodes to Stream for Christmas

By Eric Vilas-Boas

Anytime, anywhere, these are the streaming shows that will help you ring in the holidays.

How Charlie Adler Became a Cow, a Chicken, a Baboon, and a Devil (Featuring Michael Dorn as a Weasel)

By John Maher

The voice behind nearly every character in 'Cow and Chicken' and 'I Am Weasel' discusses his history with two of Cartoon Network's best and strangest shows.

batman hush trailer

The ‘Batman: Hush’ Trailer Is Here

By Eric Vilas-Boas

'Hush' drops later this year.

What the Iron Giant Can Still Teach Us About Friendship and Vulnerability

By Elly Belle

Two decades later, the film is still rich with poignant lessons—and with Vin Diesel's career-best performance.

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

By John Maher

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.

The Top 10 Authors in Animation

By Deirdre Coyle

Pixelated scribes have blessed us with their wisdom across form and genre, from academia to political activism to erotica. Here are ten favorites, ranked.

2017 editorial | Editorial by MysteryThemes.