The Future Died in 1999
Reclaiming the radical possibilities of Cyberpunk. by Colin Broadmoor The future died in 1999. Ever since, we’ve been trapped in the eternal present—waiting for the other shoe to drop. For two decades, we’ve fought the same wars, watched the police murder the same
The Last Communist in Cybertopia
Dystopian sci-fi often worries about technology. It should really be focused on capital. by Stephen Friedrich In the opening credits of Quantic Dream's 2018 game Detroit: Become Human, a homeless man slouches, half-asleep, against a shopfront, at his feet a sign that
The Future Echoes of Disco Elysium
ZA/UM's detective RPG recalls the ruins of our own contested futures. by Bart Howe Martinese is a city in steady decline. A colonial outpost of a coalition of foreign states that take no responsibility for its development, beyond the protection of the
Apokolips DC: Darkseid in an Era of Political Crassness
Jack Kirby's iconic villain struggles for relevance in a time bereft of scheming and subtlety. by Will Riley Darkseid, despotic ruler of the planet Apokalips and one-time “big bad” of the DC Universe, has a problem. And not just any problem, but
Stormtroopers and the Work of Empire
The tools of empire aren't always so obvious. by Matt Houle One of the first introductions we get to the Imperial Stormtrooper in Star Wars is the observation that “only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.” The moment comes early in the film, as
How Horror Makes Itself Ungovernable
Horror—with all its gory, upsetting complexity—makes for an uneasy product. by RS Benedict // Illustration by Sam Hindman The geeks have won, we are told. Geek culture—comic books, video games, sci-fi, fantasy—is mainstream now, squeezing out mysteries, dramas, and period pieces at
A Dream of Revolution
In 2016, the Dallas Police Department killed Micah Xavier Johnson using a bomb disposal robot and a block of C-4. He was the first—but almost certainly not the last—person to be killed by a police r
Subgenres of the Apocalypse
In 2016, the Dallas Police Department killed Micah Xavier Johnson using a bomb disposal robot and a block of C-4. He was the first—but almost certainly not the last—person to be killed by a police r
This Was A Triumph: Remote Work Dystopias from Portal to Pandemic
Lessons on remote revolution from the Aperture Science Enrichment Center by Louis Evans “This was a triumph. I’m making a note here, HUGE SUCCESS.” – GLaDOS on the events of Portal “I think we did a great job.” – Donald Trump on the response
A Spectre Is Haunting The Opera
Art, Exploitation, and De Palma's The Phantom of the Paradise by Chris Woodward The struggle of artists against exploitation of their art by those with means is eternal. This fight is more prominent today, as corporations increasingly merge into behemoths that