Photo by Gage Skidmore; licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo by Gage Skidmore; licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
As part of our brand-new site relaunch, we’re excited to announce Otis Magazine, home of thoughtful content for hypebeasts, investors, and everyone in between. Check in weekly for longform stories that explore the intersections of art, culture, sneakers, comics, and collectibles with the way we live today.
First up, while you might only know them as mutants, the X-Men have a long history of anticipating and reflecting the tumults of their era. Author James Charisma dives deep into how the characters, born into the tumultuous world of early 60s America, have mirrored the nation’s struggles — with racism, homophobia, HIV, xenophobia, and more — over time.
Head over to Otis Magazine to check it out.
After the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman at the age of 43 after a 4-year bout with colon cancer, tributes to the actor’s magnetism and brilliance have been legion.
Marvel released a heartbreaking video in honor of Boseman, who beyond his role as King T’Challa had a long streak of playing groundbreaking leaders, among them Jackie Robinson in 42, squad leader “Stormin’ Norman” in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, and the titular character in Marshall. Black PantherHis colleagues took to Instagram to post heartfelt memories of the late actor, while people and organizations ranging from Oprah to Chance the Rapper to the NFL also expressed condolences.
While the future of the Black Panther series without Boseman remains unclear (though fans have made clear they don’t want anyone but him as their king), you can relive some of his greatest roles here.
• You can now stream Kara Walker’s iconic 2011 video Fall Frum Grace, Miss Pipi’s Blue Tale on the Art Basel site.
• In defense of the Riddler.
• The “joyous normalcy” of the Met’s reopening.
• Why digital-element-heavy net art is exactly what we need right now.
• A look back at Christopher Tenet’s moody Gotham City.
• Where to get Nike’s extremely spooky Dracula-inspired Air Trainer 3.
• How to buy Black art ethically.
• How Chris Gibbs uses anime aesthetics to tell Black stories.
• Kehinde Wiley talks to The New York Times about the public monuments we need right now.
• The best things Supreme has ever released every year for the last 20, plus details on the new Supreme x Nike drop.
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