Michael John Petty-Senior Author

Michael John Petty

Senior Author

May, 2020
Movies/Television
Westerns, DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings
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About Michael John Petty

Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, and conducts interviews. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His novella, The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain, was released in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

Industry Experience

Michael has a B.A. in Film & Photography from Montana State University and over a decade of experience writing and podcasting about movies and television. He's even written a few acclaimed screenplays of his own. In addition to Collider, Michael's other bylines include Across the Airwaves, TVLine, Looper, Superman Homepage, Next Luxury, Superhero Movie News, and his personal Substack, Further Up & Further In. He also works as an editor and graphic designer. On the side, Michael was the host of No Fate: A Terminator Podcast for several years and has appeared on episodes of The X-Cast and The Time Is Now: A Millennium Podcast.

Favorite Media

Around these parts, Michael is best known for his love of Westerns, but his expertise extend to various genres and franchises. He regularly covers shows like TrackerHouse of DavidDark WindsDaredevil: Born AgainThe Terminal List, and the Yellowstone franchise. He's also a major fan of The Lord of the RingsThe Chronicles of Narnia, and Dracula, and regularly revisits episodes of SmallvilleLongmireGunsmoke, Have Gun — Will TravelSupernaturalMillennium, and The X-Files. Michael's favorite movie is The Iron Giant, and he also has soft spots for The Dark Knight TrilogyThe Conjuring Universe, George Lucas' Star Wars, Stargate, and the Terminator franchise.

Latest

lanterns-6
HBO's ‘Lanterns’ Just Made a Major Departure From DC Comics With This Character's Backstory

When it comes to John Stewart's origins, 'Lanterns' goes back to the drawing board.

Aaron Pierre in Lanterns
'Lanterns' Officially Reveals the Guardians' Greater Plan for John Stewart | Review

'Lanterns' makes us wait another week for Sinestro to explore John's complicated past.

Image of the Green Lantern Corps
10 Essential Green Lantern Comics for Beginners

These are some of the Emerald Guardian's most important tales.

REAL STEEL, from left: Dakota Goyo, Hugh Jackman, 2011. ©Touchstone Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
48 Years Before Hugh Jackman’s Best Sci-Fi Movie, ‘The Twilight Zone’ Did It First

Nearly five decades before Jackman entered the ring, ‘The Twilight Zone’ introduced the story that would become a sci-fi classic.

Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone.
'Tombstone' Changed Doc Holliday’s Actual Quote and Made Val Kilmer’s Scene Even Better

Who knew Val Kilmer could make the Old West even cooler?

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Kyle Chandler as Green Lantern
14 Years Later, 'Green Lantern' Still Does One Thing Better Than 'Lanterns'

If only Kyle Chandler had donned the ring sooner...

Dolly-Parton-STRAIGHT-TALK-2
29 Years Ago, Dolly Parton Helped Create One of the Best Vampire Shows Ever Made

Bloodsuckers could do nothing against the power of this country music star.

Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie in Loki Season 2 Episode 5 wearing a pair of 90s headphones
One of the Decade's Best Time-Travel Sci-Fi Shows Is Still Making Waves on Disney+

You've never seen time travel quite like this.

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David Tennant in 'Doctor Who'
‘Doctor Who’ Meets ‘Warehouse 13’ in Prime Video's Thrilling Fantasy Adventure Series

Don't sleep on this fun sci-fantasy TV replacement.

Kyle Chandler in 'Lanterns'
HBO's Sci-Fi Detective Series Just Revived a Major Part of DC Comics Lore

Who are these mysterious alien threats? Here's what we know.

Murder on the Orient Express
5 Essential Detective Books for Beginners

Elementary, my dear reader.

Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler in Lanterns Episode 2
HBO's Sci-Fi Detective Series 'Lanterns' Officially Drops a Major Villain Revelation in Episode 2 | Review

Hal and John begin to learn what's really going on in Rushville.

The cast of 'Heartland' with their horses in an open field.
Forget Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone,' This 279-Episode Western Is the Perfect Replacement

This horse drama is the perfect long-term binge.

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Macaulay Culkin in Kings
NBC Made a Huge Mistake Cancelling This Modern Royalty Series 17 Years Ago

Ian McShane delivers a kingly performance on this lesser-known NBC drama.

Logan Marshall-Green as Cal standing outside and looking concerned in Marshals
Taylor Sheridan's 'Yellowstone' Spin-Off Is Officially Fixing One of Its Biggest Character Problems

There's one simple way to make 'Marshals' better ahead of Season 2.

Tom Jeffords, played by James Stewart, works with the Apache.
Before ‘Yellowstone,’ James Stewart’s Oscar-Nominated Western Became a 2-Part Sleeper Hit

This underrated Jimmy Stewart Western made the jump to television.

An author photo of Taylor Sheridan
Taylor Sheridan's 6666 'Yellowstone' Spin-Off Can Still Happen With a Formula Change

We finally have an update after all this time.

Spider-man in his black suit
The 7 Most Powerful Spider-Man Characters, Ranked

Sometimes Spidey goes up against threats much larger than himself.

Colin Morgan as Merlin, sticking his hand out to cast magic in Merlin
BBC's 'Merlin' Just Found the Perfect Replacement in This Fantasy Adventure Series

This series offers a new update to the Arthurian legend.

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural 
20 Years Later, ‘Supernatural’ Still Hasn’t Solved Its Biggest Franchise Problem

The show tried several ways to expand beyond Sam and Dean, but every spin-off exposed a bigger issue.

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