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The Best STAR WARS Comics Explained!
Yearning for more Star Wars after seeing Rogue One? Susana Polo has you covered with a brief history of the best Star Wars comics out there!
Is Everything in Marvel REALLY Canon?
We've explained the multiple retcons of the DC universe, but how do Marvel canon and continuity work? Polygon's Susana Polo is here to break it down!
10 Comics You SHOULD Be Reading!
Are you interested in comics, but want to eschew the classic superhero tales for something a bit...different? We've got you covered with 10 eccentric comic book recommendations from Polygon's resident comic expert, Susana Polo!
What's Up with the Logan Trailer? The History of X-23
In this episode of Issue At Hand, Susana answers your biggest questions about the final Wolverine movie. She also delves into the backstory of X-23, otherwise known as that creepy girl from the Logan trailer.
The Weird History of Supergirl & Power Girl
In the 2nd episode of our new comic explainer show, Issue At Hand, Susana explores the post-Crisis patch history of the DC Universe through two of DC Comic's most complicated characters: Super Girl and Powergirl.
Making Sense of the DC Multiverse
Why are there so many dimensions in DC comics universe? How did they all get started? And how are they connected? Susana Polo, Polygon's Entertainment Editor and resident comic book expert, breaks in down for you in the premiere episode of her new show, Issue At Hand. Stay tuned for new episodes every other Thursday!
The History of WATCHMEN, Explained
Watchmen was released 30 years ago but is still considered required reading by comic book fans. In this episode of Issue at Hand, Susana Polo breaks down how and why the graphic novel became so iconic.
Why Comics Were SO WEIRD in the '50s and '60s
If you've ever gone back and looked at some of the old comic book covers from the '50s and '60s, you might've noticed that most of them were pretty... odd. But why is that? Polygon's resident comics expert, Susana Polo, explains!
How Are Comics Made? And WHO Makes Them?
How many people does it take to make a comic come together? On this week's episode of Issue at Hand, host Susana Polo takes a look at the people behind the pages of your favorite comic book stories.
Animal Crossing’s fake language is different in Japan, and here’s why
The Villagers in Animal Crossing sound different in Japanese and English, which is wild because they're supposed to speak nonsense. So why does Nintendo dub Animalese? The answer lies in the history of voice synthesization in video games. #AnimalCrossing #ACNH
Nobody understands gambling, especially in video games
What is gambling? Strategic deck-builders like Luck Be A Landlord and Balatro have both been hit with high age-ratings by app stores and ratings boards, because the games are associated with gambling. Both are one-time purchases with no microtransactions, and no ties to gambling other than visuals borrwed from the casino world: slot machines and poker hands, respectively. Meanwhile, loot boxes and gacha games, which actually do have exploitative mechanics, seem to slide by ratings boards without much trouble. So what, actually, is gambling? And how do we talk about it in 2025, when gambling is everywhere?
A brief history of Nintendo NOT letting you play as Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a big deal for the franchise because it’s finally the first MAINLINE game where you get to play as Princess Zelda. But it’s actually not the first game where you can play as Zelda. Not by a slingshot. Polygon's Clayton Ashley walks through a history of Hyrule's princess and the games in which she's playable — from the Philips CD-I, to Smash Bros., and beyond!
Why are creepy games always set in Washington?
The Pacific Northwest in video games is pretty uniformly creepy, dark, and wet. But how did it get like that? Polygon's Simone de Rochefort traces the history of the Pacific Northwest in media, from Alan Wake 2 and Pacific Drive, all the way back to Twin Peaks — and the new high-tech world that we live in now, dominated by Amazon and Microsoft.
Nobody can stop you from stealing The Great Gatsby
In January of 2021, F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby left copyright. In response, two developers organized a game jam on itch.io to celebrate their new ability to "steal" The Great Gatsby. But how does copyright — and also patents — affect video games, and who do copyright laws protect? Simone de Rochefort looks at the games produced by Gatsby Jam and what the creators of the game jam have to say about copyright and the proliferation of ideas. #thegreatgatsby #videogames
I love note-taking games and I DON'T CARE if that sounds boring
Video games like Her Story, Fez, and Tunic beg the player to take detailed notes to keep track of the story. But journaling or note-taking games are part of a long tradition that goes back to the game manuals of the 80s and 90s. Back in the day, games like The Legend of Zelda had incredibly beautiful, detailed manuals that helped the player navigate difficult puzzles and learn about lore, when memory on consoles was short. Polygon's Clayton Ashley details the history of taking notes in games, and some of his recent favorites that continue the tradition.
The true story behind BioShock Infinite's Bread Boy
BioShock Infinite's Bread Boy went viral on Twitter in February, so we asked developer Gwen Frey to weigh in on how exactly she made this king of crumb. The reasons the Bread Boy exists in the Burial at Sea DLC point to the strange, specific problems that developers have to overcome every day. Gwen is now hard at work on a satirical puzzle game called Lab Rat, with her own studio.
Dad game review round-up
Games are for dads. Thanks to video games, dads can play golf, build birdhouses, mow the lawn, and go fishing... all without leaving the home office. But what do games like Powerwash Simulator, Train Sim World 2, and The Golf Club have to offer the childless urban-dwelling millennial? Pat Gill reviews a selection of powerful dad games to glean life lessons and fatherly insight into the world of dads ... and his own psyche.
Time loops are a weird genre for an anxious time
Time loop games have become a trend over the past few years: from Twelve Minutes, to Outer Wilds, to Deathloop. But the genre is by no means new! It predates Groundhog Day and goes all the way back to World War II. Still, there's a reason time loop stories keep coming back... looping, if you will. Jenna Stoeber walks us through the intricacies of time loops and alternate realities, and what it all has to do with our current ANXIETY. #hamlet #timeloop
Why does Destiny have so many orbs?
In the world of Destiny, everyone is pondering the orb. From glowing balls of unknowable energy to hovering balls of death, and everything in between. What's the deal with all of Destiny's orbs? Clayton speaks to Destiny visual designer Ryan Klaverweide and digs deep into Destiny's obsession with the orb. #destiny2 #destiny
How scary is Metroid Dread actually?
Metroid Dread is supposed to be the scariest Metroid game yet. But IS IT?? Horror expert Jenna Stoeber explores the similarities and differences between Metroid Dread and producer Yoshio Sakamoto's previous work Metroid Fusion. Metroid Dread might fail at being a horror game, but at least it's still a good... soup? #metroiddread