How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry
The Marvel editor became a Hollywood icon by claiming credit for other people’s creations.
Jul 28, 2023 / Jeet Heer
The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise” The Anxious Influences of Netflix’s “White Noise”
What has Noah Baumbach wrought in his adaptation of the 1985 postmodern novel?
Jan 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
The Rise and Fall of the Mall The Rise and Fall of the Mall
Alexandra Lange's Meet Me by the Fountain recovers the forgotten past and the still hopeful future of the American shopping mall.
Dec 12, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Melvin Backman
Black Friday: A Good Day to “Make Amazon Pay” Black Friday: A Good Day to “Make Amazon Pay”
And “peak season” is the right time for coordinated actions.
Nov 4, 2022 / Rand Wilson and Peter Olney
Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt” Searching for Local Identity in “The Bear” and “Chicago Party Aunt”
The FX drama and Netflix animation both attempt to embody the city of Chicago. That’s an increasingly difficult task when the city itself is a jumbled simulacrum of its own past.
Aug 25, 2022 / Ryan Zickgraf
This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of a Habitable Planet This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of a Habitable Planet
The US economy depends on consumers consuming and the earth depends on us not consuming. Which are we going to choose?
Dec 23, 2021 / Frida Berrigan
Here’s the Progressive Biden Should Pick to Run America’s Consumer Watchdog Here’s the Progressive Biden Should Pick to Run America’s Consumer Watchdog
President-elect Joe Biden should start rebuilding the CFPB—and thereby gain a powerful weapon in the fight against this economic downturn.
Dec 22, 2020 / no-paywall / Katrina vanden Heuvel
You Can’t Mask Stupid You Can’t Mask Stupid
The very people howling the loudest about reopening—and running around maskless—are the ones making it too dangerous to reopen.
May 21, 2020 / no-paywall / Elie Mystal
The Ingenuity Keeping Indie Bookstores Going The Ingenuity Keeping Indie Bookstores Going
Amazon and the pandemic have left indie bookstores in a bind. They’re reinventing from the inside out.
May 12, 2020 / no-paywall / Katrina vanden Heuvel
Branding Fake Justice for Generation Z Branding Fake Justice for Generation Z
Meet Brud, the secretive tech start-up here to outfit corporations with fashionable social causes—through elaborate CGI fiction.
Jun 28, 2019 / Emmeline Clein