Critics Kristen Baldwin and Darren Franich pick their favorite television from their least favorite year. Plus: Bad television, and two essential Blursts. This wretched year is almost in the rear-view mirror. Jon Pack/HBO Max This year also brought us a special viewing phenomenon: The Blurst shows of the year, a.k.a. Newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a marvel as Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old girl beset by hormones and grief. Nothing about that juxtaposition makes sense, but just about everything inNever Have I Everworks....

8 on our list). NotCandy,Jennifer Egan’slong-game followup to her Pulitzer Prize-winning 2011 triumphA Visit from the Goon Squad. (Recently, HBO announced thatKate Winslet will produce and star in a limited-series adaptation.) Knopf Knopf ‘The Candy House,’ by Jennifer Egan.Scribner Knopf Penguin ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died,’ by Jennette McCurdy.Simon and Schuster Penguin Simon + Schuster ‘Heat 2,’ by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner.William Morrow ‘Book Lovers,’ by Emily Henry. William Morrow

Jennifer Egan’s triumphant Goon Squad return, two(!) time-traveling novels, and more unmissable reads of the mid-year. (In fact,one authoron this list co-owns a storefront in Brooklyn thatclearly agrees.) Vladimir by Julia May Jones.Simon and Schuster But there are also far more of them than any lover of literature can possibly have time for. (HBO just announced thatKate Winslet is producing and starring in a limited series adaptation. (And inevitably, peak fashion trends of the late ’90s....

From the epic superhero crossover Judgment Day to wordless fantasy Step by Bloody Step here are EW’s picks. Read on for our favorites of the year. This year, we finally got to see the results andCosmic Detectivewas a particular highlight. ‘Cosmic Detective’ by Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, and David Rubin. Kate Beaton, who first made her name as a cartoonist with the webcomicHark! Beaton’s narrative is relatable (who among us hasn’t felt burdened by debt?...

It’s now been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic officially began. In the meantime, there are still plenty of interesting comics to read. Below, check out EW’s picks for comics to read this April. Image Comics IsGeigera new kind of superhero story, or something else entirely? We’ll have to read to find out.Geiger#1 his stores April 7. For one thing, the Oscar-winningJokermovie from 2019 already did that. DC...

It’s a great time for fantasy epics. Well, television isn’t the only medium that can deliver on that front! Check out the list below! The first issue of ‘Dark Knights of Steel’.DC Comics I mean, why not? The first collected edition ofDark Knights of Steelis available in stores this month. Monstresstypically strikes a perfect balance between detailed world-building and sweeping action. The cover for volume 7 of ‘Monstress’ by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda....

Can’t get enough of Thor: Love and Thunder? Here are the comics EW recommend right now featuring female heroes and old myths made new again. Check out our list of recommendations below. The cover for the ‘Thor by Jason Aaron Omnibus’ by Esad Ribić and the cover for ‘The Mighty Thor’ #1 by Russell Dauterman.Marvel Comics Aaron continues, “I think Esad left some really massive shoes to fill. Russell Dauterman was pretty new and hadn’t really done that much stuff at Marvel....

The time warp also briefly puts her in the midst of a Bollywood musical. As a five-issue miniseries,Ms. This month sees the launch of her latest series, focused on DC’s plant-based femme fatale Poison Ivy. The iconic cover of the very first issue of ‘Ms. Marvel’ starring Kamala Khan.Marvel Comics Even so, the book’s narration is written as a series of letters from Ivy to her lover. We can’t wait to see what horrors await in the rest of this series....

Thankfully, there are plenty of comics capable of filling that void! Below, check out our list of comic recommendations for thisSandman-centric month. But if you want to get ahead of the curve, you could read the source material now! The fourth volume of ‘The Sandman,’ titled ‘Season of Mists,’ is a standout story in Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic.DC Vertigo Because Lucifer’s plan for revenge doesn’t look anything like Morpheus or the reader expects....

We rank the best installments from the DC superhero spectacle. Up, up, and away! Chancellor Agard 9. DC Entertainment The relationship between Batman and Wonder Woman is a prime example of that. But still, it’s Batman and Wonder Woman. Just listen to Batman sing. DC Entertainment Christian Holub 8. “Ultimatum” (Season 1, Episode 9) A unique representation of generational warfare here. The DCAU shows were the most popular animated adaptations of the Justice League since the ’60s Hanna-BarberaSuper Friendscartoon....

Enjoy… and oh hey, was that a creaky footstep coming down from the attic? But with a beat this infectious, how are you supposed to stay away from temptation? Well, the witch isdefinitelymad now. The ska band brilliantly scores the song as a horror story, complete with demonic chorus and scary-movie organ. The hypnotic march-like dirge of Elfman’s composition makes it nearly impossiblenotto get amped up for the season. Rockwell’s one-hit wonder still manages to capture the uneasiness of the season....

But Clover and her creation have influenced writers and directors ever since the term was first introduced. Here are 18 fictional women who created and broke the mold for horror heroines on screen. That’s an intense tour of duty in humanity’s war against the Xenomorphs. Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty The final girl from whom all subsequent final girls have sprung. She’s killed Michael more than once. But he underestimates his opponent if he thinks he can wear Laurie down....

period for scary movies. (Ironically, it was also a great decade for horror-comedy.) Whether mainstream audiences and critics werereadyfor the most innovative horror work of the ’00s is another story. Everett Collection Shaun of the Dead (2004) Game changers likeShaun of the Deadonly come around so often. But for a PG-13 rated horror movie, it’s surprisingly intense and freaky as well also classic Raimi. You’ll feel for her and be afraid of her at the same time....