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Art by Will Eisner. Photo: Abrams Books Graphic novels — that is, long-form narratives done in the style of comic books — have rocked the literary world in recent decades. Works like Maus , Persepolis , and Fun Home have garnered Pulitzers, given birth to film and theater adaptations, topped best-seller lists, and elevated comics art from a disdained medium into an acclaimed one. But who, exactly, invented the graphic novel? Debates over its origins have raged ever since the term graphic novel first came into vogue in the late 1970s. But new research is bringing us closer to an answer. The origin of the graphic novel is a bit of a detective story, and a principal suspect is the man profiled in the upcoming book Will Eisner: Champion of the Graphic Novel , written by longtime comics writer, editor, historian, and former president of DC Comics Paul Levitz. Eisner, who died in 2005 at the age of 87, was nothing short of a titan in the world of comics. He was a … [Read more...] about Will Eisner and the Secret History of the Graphic Novel

Illustration: by Shira Inbar The No. 1 song in the U.S. right now — Disney Channel star Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” an archetypal 21st–century sad piano ballad — has achieved an unusual feat: It’s a debut single that reached the top of Billboard ’s Hot 100 chart after its first week out, where it has remained uncontested for four weeks. The last time this occurred with any regularity was in the early aughts, when the first post-show singles by American Idol winners Fantasia Barrino, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks arrived to nationwide attention after weeks of exposure to the prime-time audiences of one of the most-watched shows on television. It takes a big media apparatus to propel a new artist to the forefront of the American streaming charts. What gave Rodrigo the juice? Are people simply that enthralled with her work as Nini from Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series ? Powering “Drivers License,” a morose but also … [Read more...] about Nothing Is Flattening Music Like TikTok

“Music is a document. Music is timeless.” Illustration: Iris Gottlieb Adrian Younge , co-owner of the Jazz is Dead and Linear Labs record labels, as well as the Linear Labs analog studio, has been a producer for music greats ranging from Jay-Z to Kendrick Lamar to Wu-Tang Clan and a composer for television shows such as Marvel’s Luke Cage (with A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Mohammad). This month, the Los Angeles music polymath returns with a new mixed-media project — including the album The American Negro , the short film T.A.N ., and the podcast Invisible Blackness — that collectively breaks down the evolution of racism in America. It’s his “most important creative accomplishment.” In this week’s episode of Switched on Pop, co-host Nate Sloan sits down with Younge to discuss how both the artist’s experience as a law professor and his all-analog approach to recording resulted in a sound described by Younge as “James Baldwin hooked up with Marvin Gaye.” Listen … [Read more...] about In Adrian Younge’s Ambitious New Project, James Baldwin Meets Marvin Gaye

Photo-Illustration: by Vulture; Photos by The Weinstein Company, HBO, Miramax Films When we say that the Golden Globe Awards are one of the most fun nights during awards season, it’s because they somehow cram just so many famous actors and actresses into one ballroom. The Hollywood Foreign Press hands out a lot of awards to actors every year — 14 of the 25 categories at this Sunday’s Globes belong to them — which is why so many actors have one. Almost all of the performers who are famous for their futility with Oscar? They’ve got Globes, at least. Glenn Close? She’s got three. Amy Adams? She won back-to-back Globes in 2014 and 2015. Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton? They have zero Oscars but seven Golden Globes between them. That’s why it’s always so surprising to come across a highly regarded actor who’s never won a trophy from the HFPA. How exactly did that happen? What kind of dark stars had to align against them? These ten actors have never won a competitive Golden Globe … [Read more...] about A Who’s Who of Who Hasn’ts: 10 Surprising Golden Globes Losers