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You're looking at just one print from a collection that comprises dozens of spellbinding maps and charts based on the results of the 1870 US census — the ninth census ever conducted, and the first to be performed in the years following the Civil War. More »
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Nic Cage's Civil War photograph from the 1870s, which proves the manic actor is an immortal vampire, has VANISHED from ebay. But the good news is, there's already a replacement. More »
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Are you an unhinged billionaire? Are you a sucker for impulse buys? Do you sit around wondering if the fellow née Nicolas Kim Coppola is an immortal Confederate soldier who feasts on human blood? Then have I got an eBay purchase for you, pilgrim! More »
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With weird western Cowboys & Aliens coming out next week, we couldn't help but wonder: were there any real 19th century weapons that could compare to Daniel Craig's alien energy weapon? As always, never underestimate the awesome craziness of the 19th century. More »
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In Marvel Comics' 2006 miniseries Civil War, unruly superheroes brawl in Stamford, Connecticut, and Captain America and Spider-Man consequently fight each other. This Halloween, an unruly Captain America and Spider-Man were arrested for brawling in Stamford. It's all coming true! More »
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Last week's uproar over Captain America's anti-tea party agenda has, for one right wing commentator, turned into a condemnation of the entire comic medium. Meanwhile, now the left wing commentators are complaining about Cap's behavior, but for different storylines... More »
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DC's hyper-successful Blackest Night series will, we know now, be followed by a year-long series/event called Brightest Day. But is this really DC's answer to Marvel's "Heroic Age" era of optimism, or should we expect something more ambitious? More »
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The first issue of Marvel Comics' big event, Siege, hits stores this week, bringing to a close storylines that've been going on for the last few years. But if you've missed those stories, don't worry: We're here to help. More »
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Following Marvel's Civil War, the superheroes of Marvel's United States found themselves offered a choice: Either register their secret identities with the government and become federal employees, or else consider themselves criminals and be hunted down like rabid dogs if necessary. Of course, with Iron Man in charge of that latter operation, things never really got that bad - In part because many of the newly-criminalized superheroes were Iron Man's former friends, and in part because Marvel didn't really want to completely demonize the character while he had a movie about to come out. But, following 2008's Secret Invasion storyline, everything changed in the Marvel Universe... and not for the better. More »
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Unlike Captain America and Iron Man, Thor managed to miss out on the overgrown hissy fit that was Marvel's Civil War by, essentially sleeping through it. Not that that mattered, because he had already previously fallen out with both heroes over the subject of religious freedom of a small European nation (Admittedly, said argument included Thor invading the nation to assure religious freedom and Iron Man and Captain America having to remind him that invading nations isn't a good idea through the use of their fists, but still). Quickly following that confrontation, however, Thor managed to avert the ancient Norse prophecy of Ragnarok but, in the process, put himself and all fellow Norse Gods to what was called "The Sleep of The Gods." More »
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Even though he won, Iron Man was left massively damaged by the events of Marvel's Civil War. Seen by many heroes - and even more fans - to have trended towards the fascistic in his pursuit of those who opposed the Superhero Registration Act, his placement as Director of SHIELD coincided not only with the return from outer space of the Hulk resulting in widespread destruction across New York City but also an invasion by a race of shape-changing aliens that, again, left large parts of New York City destroyed but more importantly made it clear to everyone in the world how ill-prepared Tony Stark was to be in charge of national security issues. More »
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For years, Captain America fought a terrorist organization called Hydra, whose motto was "Hail HYDRA! Immortal HYDRA! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one limb and two more shall take its place!" Apparently, Cap learned from their example, because even though one Cap was assassinated on the steps to a courthouse following the events of Marvel's Civil War, there are now two Captain Americas running around*, trying to save the country. How did that happen? More »
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Almost all of the status quo that Siege seeks to overturn got its start in 2006's Civil War event: Iron Man and Captain America falling out (and, in fact, coming to blows on more than one occasion)? That was here. An over-present government seeking to control the activities of superheroes? From here. Norman Osborn's rise to power? Yeah, that begins here as well. More »
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These last ten years may have seemed busy to you, but just be glad you're not a comic book character: Their decade has seen multiple alien invasions and reboots of reality. Relive the biggest headlines of their decade with us. More »
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Wondering how long it'd take for the events of September 11th to go from real life tragedy to thoughtless plot McGuffin? Marvel's new mega-event Siege demonstrates that the answer is "eight years, and we can kill even more people." More »
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Have superhero comics outgrown a pre-adolescent fear of women? Not in the slightest, argues critic Abhay Khosla. In fact, he argues, Marvel Comics' last few linewide storylines have been all about why women are terrifying and need to be destroyed. More »
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Confederate airships! Mad scientists! Zombies! Goggles! Cherie Priest's Boneshaker is a veritable grab bag of subgenre tropes. But, fortunately, it's far less about clockwork and brass than it is about human adaptability and the shifting nature of the American Dream. More »
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The final trailer for Marvel's Ultimate Alliance 2 game has hit the internet, and we have to admit: If ever there was a good argument for a CGI animated adaptation of the publisher's Civil War series, this would be it. More »
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Fans feeling as if you have to buy every book that Marvel publishes in order to follow their favorite characters can take one piece of good news from the Mondo Marvel panel this afternoon: No more crossovers. Well, for awhile. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5321455&view=rss&microfeed=true Watchmen takes place in an alternate America of 1985, complete with Cold War references like the Doomsday plot and nuclear paranoia, along with more subtle changes. The history of Watchmen's world mirrors our own until the 1940s, when "costumed adventurers" - the book's name for superheroes - started to appear (This timeline follows our world's timeline for the emergence of superheroes in comics). In 1959, an accident transformed scientist Jon Osterman into Dr. Manhattan, a being with godlike power, permanently shifting the global power structure in the US' favor, leading to (amongst other things) Vietnam becoming the 51st state of the USA following a significantly different war in the 1960s. In Watchmen's 1985, Richard Nixon is still president, having used the Comedian to cover up Watergate successfully and repealed the 22nd Amendment to remain in power for five terms; the result, perhaps, of Alan Moore's own political pessimism about then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's successful third election. More »
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Alternate historians from Harry Turtledove to Winston Churchill love to play with the Civil War, positing changes that could forever alter the timeline. Check out our list of the war's alternate endings. More »
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Most speculative fiction surrounding the American Civil War imagines how the world would be different had the Confederacy won its independence. But roadside attraction creator Mark Cline has imagined an entirely different kind of Civil War science fiction. His fiberglass creations tell the tale of a group of Union soldiers who discover a lost valley of dinosaurs in Virginia and plot to use them as weapons against the South. More »
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Sad news from the comic industry today with the announcement that artist Michael Turner died late Friday night from complications arising from his ongoing fight against cancer. Turner, who had worked for DC and Marvel Comics providing covers for books like Superman/Batman, Civil War and Uncanny X-Men as well as creating his own line of comics under his Aspen MLT label, had been diagnosed with chondrosarcoma in the year 2000 but had remained optimistic about his health throughout his extensive treatment. Aspen Comics have asked those wishing to make a charitable donation on Turner's name to donate to the American Cancer Society or to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Turner was 37 years old. More »
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With Marvel's Secret Invasion in full swing and DC's Final Crisis mere weeks away, it's worth looking at just what it is about superhero comics' crossover summer events that make them the four-color equivalent of your first sexual experience. They're something you get all excited about ahead of time before the actual incident goes by quickly and leaves you ultimately unfulfilled. Or maybe that's just me. Experience has taught us that there are some easy steps to follow when creating a superhero crossover involving many fan-favorite characters that will, inevitably, lead to sales success. Utilizing them can take you from near obscurity to something approaching success or, at least, your own soon-to-be-cancelled spin-off from the Avengers. More »
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Must-see TV shows are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. Must-see by Jason Shankel. More »
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