The original Watchmen miniseries is arguably the most critically revered comic book of all-time, the only graphic novel to make it on Time's list of the past century's best novels. An attempt to mainstream that adoration a few years ago with a Zak Snyder movie adaptation only went so-so, as the movie did mediocre at the box office and didn't score any great critical endorsements. The well hasn't run completely dry, though: today, DC announced that it will publish seven Watchmen prequel miniseries this summer in a lineup called Before Watchmen.

When it comes to the age-old dispute over the relative greatness of Paris and New York, graphic designer and artistic director Vahram Muratyan refuses to play favorites.

Next Tuesday, Work of Art contestant and up-and-coming designer-artist Nicole Nadeau opens her first solo show at Y Gallery in New York. In addition to showing her own work more and more, Nadeau also spends quality time with KNS, a design collective she co-founded. This show -- "Portraits of Origin" -- works on complicated themes of femininity and our reactions to and perceptions of same.

Author Irvine Welsh is having a busy year with three new movies and a prequel to 'Trainspotting' to be released in the upcoming months.

Break out the war drums! In apparent protest of the recent closure of file-sharing client MegaUpload, hacking collective Anonymous has announced its next target: Facebook. In a newly uploaded video titled "Anonymous Message On How YOU Can Be A Part Of #OpGlobalBlackout FAQ" (watch it after the click), plans for attacking the social media giant are discussed by a digitized narrator. "While it's true that Facebook has at least 60,000 servers, it is still possible to bring it down," the narrator says over a techno beat. "Anonymous needs the help of the people, the people who want to take a stand against the government, the people who want to make a difference. This is what we must do, but first you much ask yourself: Are you part of the Anonymous consciousness?"

The success of Carsten Holler’s interactive exhibition at NYC’s New Museum, which includes a slide and carousel, has proven that urbanites like to play when visiting their cultural institutions. Though Holler is closing this weekend, the Museum of Natural History is offering up some fun with a new interactive video game voiced by Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields.

On January 24th, Congress will vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act, which gives the U.S. government the right to censor foreign websites, makes it a felony to post copyrighted material, and give holders of copyrighted intellectual property the right to sue websites posting their content. Which not only means, if this passes, we'd have to wait for the third season of Downton Abbey to actually begin its PBS run instead of watching it through questionably legal mirror sites, and many of those in charge at the top web resources fear the bill could mean an end to American web innovation.

Living below ground in a train station conjures up images of dirt and grime and lunatic mole people. But IKEA, the Swedish design house responsible for making the mass produced furniture seen in every New York City apartment, has gone into the Paris Metro’s Auber station and niced-up the joint with their wooden wares.  They've created 54 square meters of livable space and have five people crashing there for six days. Things don't stop being polite, but they definitely get surreal. 

The most recent installment of The Franklin Park Reading Series, a fantastic monthly event bringing important writers out for intimate readings at the Prospect Park-area Franklin Park Bar and Beer Garden was packed, and for good reason. The headliners this week were Gary Lutz and Sam Lipsyte reading from Divorcer and the short story "The Climber Room," respectively. The full and sizable room was packed with an enthusiastic audience excited to be in the presence of such great minds. We sat down with both Lutz and Lipsyte after their readings.

Following in the footsteps of fellow heavyweight Hugh Jackman, Captain Kirk will be coming to Broadway in a one-man show. Shatner's World: We Just Live in It will see a brief run at the Music Box theater, and it's billed as a biographical show that will take audiences on a tour of William Shatner's life and work "from Shakespearean stage actor to internationally known icon and raconteur, known as much for his unique persona as for his expansive body of work on television and film."