In the past decade, comic books have perhaps been best known as the inspiration for sprawling film and TV franchises—but they are still, well, books. After years of work and advocacy from the likes of the Marvel mastermind Stan Lee, comics are no longer perceived as unsophisticated kids’ entertainment; instead, they’re a respected storytelling format—not … Read more
In the beginning, there was Hennessy. “The Genesis,” the first track on Nas’s 1994 debut studio album, Illmatic, packs in four mentions of the cognac brand. “Take this Hennessy,” Nas says. “Pass that henrock, pass that henrock,” says Nas’s younger brother, Jungle. “We drinkin’ this straight up with no chaser,” replies the rapper AZ. In … Read more
The night before my episode of Jeopardy aired on national television, I had a nightmare. In the dream, everyone who knew me in high school gathered in a cafeteria to watch and laugh—at how I’d aged, at my flubbed attempts to hit the buzzer, at every wrong answer. Their laughter chased me down the weird … Read more