‘Me against the world’: why superheroes are so often orphans
Batman, Spider-Man and many others lost parents when young. A new exhibition explores their complex stories
Profusely Illustrated review: Edward Sorel and all the golden ages of New York magazines
A memoir by a man who has drawn caricatures for the greatest editors is a treasure trove of the American mid-century modern
‘He was a handful’ – Hunter S Thompson’s PA and photographer relives her wild job
She cooked his weird dinners, dealt with his volcanic rants, and read his prose back to him from dark till dawn. As Chloe Sells’ photographs of the gonzo writer’s chaotic Colorado cabin are published, she remembers an invigorating, inspirational figure
From stand-in stars to tech titans: The Observer’s faces to watch in 2022
We look at who will be making headlines this year, in both a positive and negative light
From the Beano to Katherine Ryan: 31 ways to beat the January blues
Each week, our critics choose the best music, film, theatre, art and games – so who better to ask to help us through a whole month?
Sexism, slurs and Australian art: women’s struggle to be seen in a male-dominated world
In her new tome Doing Feminism, Anne Marsh charts the trials and triumphs of women who shaped contemporary art
Pandemic park life and a secret knitting cult: the best photography books of 2021
From meditative portraits that nod at the Dutch old masters to an incendiary, epic exploration of the Troubles, these are the volumes that resonated this year
The bumper arts and books quiz of 2021 – do you know your Franzens from your NFTs?
It was another year of enforced stints on the sofa – perfect preparation for our fiendish cultural quiz
Australia Christmas gift guide 2021: 160 good gift ideas, including last-minute options
From presents that give back to edible treats, Guardian Australia and a team of guest editors select the best gifts and shopping options to please everyone from kids to chronic grumps this Christmas
Quentin Blake: ‘I’m not so committed to cheering everybody up, you know’
He may be best known for bringing children’s books by Roald Dahl and Michael Rosen to vivid life, but a new documentary reveals the more serious side to illustrator’s career
‘Extremely rare’ photograph of the Rossettis taken by Lewis Carroll up for auction
The Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland author captured the famous siblings Christina and Dante Gabriel in 1863
On my radar: Tanya Moodie’s cultural highlights
The Motherland actor on shouting at the television, the memoir she couldn’t put down, and the street food she can’t get enough of
The secret history of Sesame Street: ‘It was utopian – it’s part of who we all are’
In 1970, David Attie was sent to photograph the birth of the kids’ landmark TV show as part of a cold war propaganda drive by the US government. But these newly found images are just one part of the programme’s radical history
The best photography books of 2021
Spend six years in the Amazon with Sebastião Salgado, five decades with Helmut Newton, long months on the road in America, and a year in Covid world
On my radar: Adjoa Andoh’s cultural highlights
The actor on her hopes for Brixton’s new theatre, an offbeat western and the sophistication of African art