Nik Dirga

The Bride and why I love all the Frankenstein’s monsters Frankenstein’s Monster is dead, but he’ll also really never die.  I love it when a character hits the cultural level of a Sherlock Holmes or a Batman, and can be endlessly reinvented for new e…

Forgot to link my “take” and digging yours as well 😉 nikdirga.com/2026/03/06/t...

I stand by my take that this is a future cult classic that was camouflaged as a big stars blockbuster. Nobody will care about box office in six months and its rep will only grow with time.

Somehow, Prometheus the Protoplasm turns 40 years old today From the very first Prometheus strip, March 11, 1986 “People have been so busy relating to how I look, it’s a miracle I didn’t become a self-conscious blob of protoplasm.” – Rober…

Happy birthday, Prometheus! Somehow, it’s been 40 years today since I started drawing the adventures of an amoeba. Prometheus the Protoplasm comics all started around March 11, 1986! nikdirga.com/2026/03/11/s...

The Bride and why I love all the Frankenstein’s monsters Frankenstein’s Monster is dead, but he’ll also really never die.  I love it when a character hits the cultural level of a Sherlock Holmes or a Batman, and can be endlessly reinvented for new e…

New on the website: A look at Maggie Gyllenhaal's wonderfully freaky The Bride and why I just like all the Frankensteins - nikdirga.com/2026/03/06/t...

Iran conflict: What to do if you're caught up in an international crisis Explainer - The world is an increasingly dangerous place. What do you do if you're caught up in a conflict like the one raging in Iran and the Middle East?

If you're travelling and get caught up in an international crisis, what should you do - and can the NZ government help? My latest for RNZ: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

That time the Ramones became unlikely teen movie sex symbols You know, I love the Ramones a little more every day, and their molten-punk purity of just bashing out pop tunes as fast they could. They weren’t fancy – they were anything but – but th…

New on the website today: That time the Ramones became unlikely teen movie sex symbols with the campy delights of Rock 'N' Roll High School! nikdirga.com/2026/03/01/t...

Why betting on top online prediction markets is now illegal in New Zealand Explainer - What to know about New Zealand's crackdown on betting on the future.

My latest for RNZ here - why top prediction markets are now illegal in New Zealand — www.rnz.co.nz/news/what-yo...

Oscar being chill; good vibes your way pal!

King Hell Heroica: Rick Veitch’s insane psychedelic superhero epic One of the wildest superhero narratives in comics is nearing its final act, after 36 years. Comics legend Rick Veitch has been slowly unfolding his grand statement “The King Hell Heroica” in stagge…

New on the website today - a look at Rick Veitch's great, underappreciated King Hell Heroica, a 36-year-long and counting saga deconstructing the superhero myth with madness and satire: nikdirga.com/2026/02/23/k...

Pulp at Spark Arena: Britpop band still have talent and charisma in spadefuls | Review by Gill Bonnett in Music Pulp delivered a captivating caper through their back catalogue in Auckland last night.

And a great review by my colleague Gill at RNZ: www.rnz.co.nz/life/music/p...

Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker

Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker

Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker

Pulp, Spark Arena

Pulp in full glory at Spark Arena last night! 👍👍🍊

Foreign Facebook page using AI-generated women to stir immigration outrage A popular Facebook page sharing AI-generated videos of Australian women protesting against immigration is actually being operated from Sri Lanka.

And over at AAP, my latest Factcheck delves into very suspicious videos of hot women blasting Australian immigration policies - and who's actually creating them - www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fo...

What dog control laws say about fatal attacks - and what people want to change Explainer - A woman was killed by a dog this week, the latest in a series of fatalities. What exactly are the laws?

One more explainer for me for RNZ this week after the tragic dog attack death of a woman in Northland - What exactly are New Zealand's current dog control laws and will they change?
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Absolutely can’t wait!

I hear this story's getting good buzz. (Sorry)

Why are New Zealand's cicadas so loud this time of year - and is it dangerous? Explainer - It's the season, and you can't miss the buzzy chorus. So how do these insects make so much noise, and is it dangerous?

Tackling the big issues in my latest piece for RNZ - why are cicadas so darned loud this time of year? Pleased to announce that the phrase "they're desperately seeking some sweet, sweet cicada loving" got past the post: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

California avalanche: Police to give update on nine missing skiers Six others from the group have already been rescued after they became stranded on Tuesday, the Nevada County Sheriff's Office says.

I grew up in the Sierra Nevada and was editor of the Truckee paper for a while. Driven by Castle Peak a hundred times. It’s a damn dangerous place in winter and this awful tragedy didn’t have to happen. www.bbc.com/news/live/c8...

Shrinking: Harrison Ford is no longer bored Like every ‘80s and ‘90s kid, I grew up with Harrison Ford as the chief avatar of cool manhood. Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, Witness, Air Force One, et cetera.  But admittedly, it’s been …

New on the website today: How Harrison Ford got his mojo back to give one of the best performances of his career — nikdirga.com/2026/02/18/s...

Today's piece for me at RNZ looks at how you can keep your mental health intact in a world of constant weather events:

I’ve been catching up with the series which I’d missed and it’s a crazy delight!

Mediawatch: Solids, liquids and gas - infrastructure ills back in the frame Mediawatch: Sewage is pouring into Wellington's harbour while the government plans gas imports. Are media focusing on politics over the bigger picture?

There’s more in today’s episode of RNZ’s Mediawatch on my look this week at the AI slop machine produced by fake NZ news pages on Facebook - listen at about 23.30 in! www.rnz.co.nz/news/mediawa...

This Is What It Looks Like When Nothing Matters Welcome to the internet’s nihilism crisis.

I wrote about something I've been thinking about for a long time. A kind of post-ironic collapse in our politics and culture where nihilism has become the lingua franca of the internet and beyond. It links Kirk, Clavicular, Epstein, memestock/coin stuff, mass shooters. I hope you'll read it.

How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop Analysis - "Fake NZ news" pages are bombarding social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate photos of a teenage landslide victim.

Indeed! And a zillion slop pages like these: www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

RIP to the great Bud Cort, whose delightfully twisted turn in 1971's "Harold And Maude" remains one of my all time favourite strange romances. It was already scheduled to play at Auckland's groovy Hollywood Avondale on Saturday for Valentine's Day - go if you can, it's a valentine with bite.

How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop Analysis - "Fake NZ news" pages are bombarding social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate photos of a teenage landslide victim.

More by me on the fake NZ news-pocalypse on Facebook for RNZ. Also, um, I may have said the word “enshittification” on national radio 😳 www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop Analysis - "Fake NZ news" pages are bombarding social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate photos of a teenage landslide victim.

How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop

Laneway Festival Auckland 2026 Review: Chappell Roan, Wet Leg and the kids are all right I finally got around to quitting Spotify at the end of last year, but not before their silly-ass “Wrapped” feature told me that my musical age was about 77 years old. A bit rude, I thought.  I admi…

My quick review of an amazingly good time in the summer sun with Chappell Roan, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, Geese and more at Laneway Festival! nikdirga.com/2026/02/06/l...

Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan

Wet Leg

wet Leg

What a heck of a good time with Chappell Roan, Wet Leg, Geese, Alex G, Wolf Alice and many more at Laneway Festival 2026. The kids are all right!

NZ 'media outlet' misrepresents news with AI images and video An expert says a Facebook page's use of AI-generated

New by me today - a page calling itself NZ News Hub is flooding Facebook with AI NZ slop - including grotesquely using AI to animate a still photo of a dead teenage Mt Maunganui landslide victim: www.aap.com.au/factcheck/nz...

Facebook pages peddle AI images of NZ landslide disaster Fake news and AI-generated images about a landslide that killed six people in New Zealand are being shared on social media.

These clickbait pages leaping on actual news events are literally everywhere on social media and it’s sad to see how many people seem to believe them: www.aap.com.au/factcheck/fa...