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Showing 1 - 20 of 40 items
By Glen Weldon. 2016
A witty, intelligent cultural history from NPR book critic Glen Weldon explains Batman's rises and falls throughout the ages--and what…
his story tells us about ourselves.Since his creation, Batman has been many things: a two-fisted detective; a planet-hopping gadabout; a campy Pop-art sensation; a pointy-eared master spy; and a grim and gritty ninja of the urban night. For more than three quarters of a century, he has cycled from a figure of darkness to one of lightness and back again; he's a bat-shaped Rorschach inkblot who takes on the various meanings our changing culture projects onto him. How we perceive Batman's character, whether he's delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It's this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring. And it's Batman's fundamental nerdiness--his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers--that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Today, fueled by the internet, that breed of passion for elements of popular culture is everywhere. Which is what makes Batman the perfect lens through which to understand geek culture, its current popularity, and social significance. In The Caped Crusade, with humor and insight, Glen Weldon, book critic for NPR and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, lays out Batman's seventy-eight-year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong.By Andrew Hoberek. 2014
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen has been widely hailed as a landmark in the development of the graphic novel.…
It was not only aesthetically groundbreaking but also anticipated future developments in politics, literature, and intellectual property. Demonstrating a keen eye for historical detail, Considering Watchmen gives readers a new appreciation of just how radical Moore and Gibbons's blend of gritty realism and formal experimentation was back in 1986. The book also considers Watchmen's place in the history of the comics industry, reading the graphic novel's playful critique of superhero marketing alongside Alan Moore's public statements about the rights to the franchise. Andrew Hoberek examines how Moore and Gibbons engaged with the emerging discourses of neoconservatism and neoliberal capitalism, ideologies that have only become more prominent in subsequent years. Watchmen's influences on the superhero comic and graphic novel are undeniable, but Hoberek reveals how it has also had profound effects on literature as a whole. He suggests that Watchmen not only proved that superhero comics could rise to the status of literature--it also helped to inspire a generation of writers who are redefining the boundaries of the literary, from Jonathan Lethem to Junot Díaz. Hoberek delivers insight and analysis worthy of satisfying serious readers of the genre while shedding new light on Watchmen as both an artistic accomplishment and a book of ideas.By Grant Morrison. 2011
From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration…
of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero. The first superhero comic ever published, Action Comics no. 1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men--the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they've gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us? For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the "superworld," these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero--why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are . . . and what we may yet become.By Tom De Haven. 2010
Since his first appearance in Action Comics Number One, published in late spring of 1938, Superman has represented the essence…
of American heroism. "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," the Man of Steel has thrilled audiences across the globe, yet as life-long "Superman Guy" Tom De Haven argues in this highly entertaining book, his story is uniquely American. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the midst of the Great Depression, Superman is both a transcendent figure and, when posing as his alter-ego, reporter Clark Kent, a humble working-class citizen. An orphan and an immigrant, he shares a personal history with the many Americans who came to this country in search of a better life, and his amazing feats represent the wildest realization of the American dream. As De Haven reveals through behind-the-scenes vignettes, personal anecdotes, and lively interpretations of more than 70 years of comic books, radio programs, TV shows, and Hollywood films, Superman's legacy seems, like the Man of Steel himself, to be utterly invincible.By Zane Grey. 2016
They are just about as bad and evil as outlaw gangs come. But in the end, they finally go straight.Skyhorse…
Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Max Brand. 2017
“Thunder and Lightning” is the story of two men, Soapy Almayer and Jimmy Clarges. When they go to work in…
a lumber camp, their extraordinary strength and the speed that they work leads to their being called Thunder and Lightning. Then one man, afraid to fight either, is crafty enough to use Rosita Alvarado to cause them to fight each other … to the death.“Legend of the Golden Coyote” is the story of a wild coyote, known far and wide for his unusual golden coat. Crafty and ferocious, he will confront even a timber wolf. But he also has a special relationship with a man and his daughter: the girl loves him and the man has spared his life when he might have killed him. When a terrible forest fire threatens them all, the golden coyote faces the painful choice between saving one of his own offspring and leading the human to safety.By Johnny D. Boggs. 2012
"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color.” -BooklistYoung Comanches Daniel…
Killstraight and Charles Flint have been called to Texas. Captain Pratt will be giving a talk on the transformations brought about by the Carlisle Industrial School, of which Killstraight and Flint are shining examples. They’ll be joining a Comanche delegation led by Quanah Parker, who will be negotiating grasslands leases-until blown-out gas lamps in Quanah Parker’s room kill a Comanche chief and put Parker in a coma.But the question of who tried to murder Quanah Parker is not an easy one. He had many enemies among both native and white men. Daniel attempts to unravel the mystery while fulfilling his original purpose in Texas-to support Captain Pratt’s talk. But he doesn’t know who to trust, especially as the list of suspects begins to dwindle.Will Killstraight figure out who is after Quanah Parker? Can the land disputes of the People be resolved? And will justice be served by the anti-Indian townspeople? Find out in Johnny D. Boggs’s novel Kill the Indian.By Johnny D. Boggs. 2015
"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color.” -Booklist"Boggs' narrative voice…
captures the old-fashioned style of the past.”-Publishers WeeklyAfter visiting his late mother's people on the Mescalero reservation, Comanche tribal policeman Daniel Killstraight waits to catch a train home when local cowboys bring disturbing news: an Chiricahua Apache has brutally murdered a teenage girl in the railroad town of Deming-and a bunch of locals plan on lynching him.Killstraight has no jurisdiction in this territory. He knows nothing about Deming, the murdered girl, or the accused killer; and he doesn't really care much for Apaches anyway. Yet, still heartbroken over the death of his beloved Rain Shower, he is in no hurry to return home. So he hops on a train to Deming to help a fellow Indian.However, once he arrives Killstraight learns that the man in jail isn’t really an Apache. Francis Groves, is a brooding, embittered, binge-drinking white man who had lived with the Chiricahuas and was known as "Walking Man." He had once been an excellent tracker who scouted and interpreted for the Army during the last of the Apache wars, but has had nothing to live for sinceh is wife and daughter were murdered by Mexican scalp hunters. Killstraight sets out to prove Groves innocent-in a town that hates Indians and where he has few allies and many enemies-all the while with this thought in the back of his mind: What if Groves is really guilty?Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Johnny D. Boggs. 2016
"Boggs is among the best Western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color.” -Booklist"Boggs' narrative voice…
captures the old-fashioned style of the past.” -Publishers WeeklyAgainst the backdrop of the War for Independence, two intriguing storylines emerge. Stuart Brodie is a black freedman from Charles Town who owns a tavern in the backcountry of South Carolina. On his return from the war, he finds his younger brother, Ezekiel, hanging from the limb of a tree, his tavern burned to the ground, and a note warning any passerby that this is what lies in store for all Tories. Knowing that the guilty party was allied with the Colonial Patriots, Brodie decides to join the British Army under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson to exact his revenge.Marty McKidrict, born Martha Anne Sinclair, is often abused by her drunk husband, Sebastian McKidrict. One day, she is raped by him and his friend, and left to recover alone. While dressed in men's clothing, Marty is mistaken for Sebastian by a recruiter for the Patriots’ army, and promptly uses this to her advantage to join the colonial forces and escape.Meanwhile, the Patriots are gathering backcountry fighters for an open confrontation with the British troops under Major Patrick Ferguson. This Ghost Legion is growing steadily, and because the British do not believe the legion exists or refuse to acknowledge their strength, a bloody conflict looms on the horizon.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Zane Grey. 2017
In The Deer Stalker, readers will find all they have come to expect from the great Western author Zane Grey—swift…
action, magnificent descriptions of the desert and canyon country, plus the added valiant effort of a ranger's struggle to save the doomed herd of deer on the Buckskin range. Grey makes the reader see this colorful Arizona country, feel something of the awe that is the inevitable reaction of man to the majesty of one of nature's miracles, smell the tang of mingled pine and sagebrush, and thrill to the heroic struggle of a few dedicated men as they battle to undo the harm of the willful and greedy.By Zane Grey. 2017
Upon the death of his uncle, Ernest Selby, a young man from Iowa, inherits the Red Rock Ranch in Arizona.…
When he learns that the ranch's 20,000 cattle have dwindled to 6000 he suspects foul play. Ernest decides to go under cover in order to investigate these strange circumstances and lands a job on his own ranch, posing as a tenderfoot cowboy under a different name. As he makes friends and enemies and courts Annie, the daughter of the crooked foreman, Ernest learns to enjoy cowboy life. He knows that his charade must end eventually, but not until he can find the truth behind the disappearance of so many cattle-and win Annie’s heart.The Dude Ranger is a classic western story written by Zane Grey, one of the best-selling authors of all time. Follow Ernest Selby as the young dude quickly learns to be a rancher, a law-enforcer, and a cowboy.By Zane Grey. 1988
The beautiful, young, and headstrong Ruth Virey gets herself in trouble with her fiery temper and impulsive ways. Willing to…
risk anything to escape her life at a "barren desert water-hole," she finds herself having jumped from the frying pan into the fire until Adam Wansfell, her husband’s brother and murderer, shows up and professes his love for her. Excitement rises to a smashing climax when, in their fight to retain possession of a priceless waterhole, Ruth and Adam come face to face with the law and the man they both believed to be dead.In Stairs of Sand, the desert country of Southern California and the amazingly beautiful canyon country of Arizona come vividly to life as the background of this thrilling Zane Grey story of life in the bold, action-packed days when the west was still a frontier.By Zane Grey, Joe Wheeler. 2016
Not all outlaws are bad men.Rich Ames didn’t set out to be a gunslinger-it was forced on him. When two…
men roughed up his sweet sister, Rich reached for his trusty Colt and let loose on them. When the smoke cleared, Rich was the only one standing, now a fugitive of the law and forced to abandon his quaint home and family in Tonto Basin.Rich soon acquired the name "Arizona Ames” and for years after that fateful day his name struck fear into the hearts of bad men all over the West. To some people, Arizona was a bad man. Certainly he was quick with a six-gun; to be sure there were many notches in the Colt he threw with such lightning rapidity; but at his core he was a good man, forced into a life of wandering for protecting his kin.Arizona Ames is a classic western full of thrill and adventure, written by the granddaddy of them all-Zane Grey. Join Rich "Arizona” Ames as he travels his home state meting out justice and evading the law.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Louis L Amour. 2015
Louis L’Amour’s Western stories are beloved worldwide. Now, collected together for the first time in a single volume, are three…
of his finest tales of the West. The texts have been restored to their original appearances in magazines. In "The Lion Hunter and the Lady,” Cat Morgan is plying his trade--trying to bag a mountain lion alive in order to sell it to a circus or zoo. As he and Long John William try to lure the cat from a tree, they’re interrupted by a lynch posse, the leader of which accuses Cat and Long John of running off his horse herd--and they intend to hang them right where they stand! "The Trail to Peach Meadow Cañon” tells of Mike Bastian, who has been raised by an outlaw chief, Ben Curry, and trained in frontier skills by Curry’s most trusted associates. Jed Ashbury was stripped and forced to run the gauntlet by the Indians in "Riding for the Brand. ” Able to outfit himself from the contents of a covered wagon that had been attacked and left behind, Jed also learns what the mission of those killed in the attack was and determines to push forward with it--regardless of the consequences.By Zane Grey. 2015
A classic story of imperiled love on the western frontiers of nineteenth-century America. "He was a young man in years,…
but he had the hard face and eagle eye of one matured in experience of that wild country. He bestrode a superb bay horse, dusty and travel-worn and a little lame. The rider was no light burden, judging from his height and wide shoulders; moreover, the saddle carried a canteen, a rifle, and a pack. From time to time he looked back over his shoulder at the magnificent long cliff wall, which resembled a row of colossal books with leaves partly open. It was the steady, watchful gaze of a man who had left events behind him. ” So begins Jim Wales’s story in Robbers’ Roost. While a battle rages between two outlaw gangs in a remote Utah canyon, Jim struggles to rescue Helen Herrick, who has been captured and held for ransom. Robbers’ Roost tells the story of their personal struggle to escape the clutches of the murderous outlaws while simultaneously safeguarding their passion, one that is not likely to survive the beautiful, yet deadly, terrain and people of the old American West.By Max Brand. 2015
A thief has a change of heart after a robbery goes wrong and decides to return the money . .…
. at all costs!In "Bad News for Bad Men,” Jimmy Jones is a ne’er-do-well with a trigger finger who has spent half his life raising hell. In hopes of turning his life around, Jimmy arrives to the town of Jasper, where his uncle has gotten him a job at the town newspaper. No longer a gunfighter, Jimmy is now an editor. But his uncle welcomes Jimmy with a warning: "The only news in Jasper is bad news.”When Bill Genniver and his partner, Jerry Garlan, decide to hold up a stagecoach for some quick cash, the two outlaws quickly find themselves at odds. Garlan shoots down a horse to stop the stage, but Genniver takes it one step further when he shoots a passenger to get to the cash. With the cold-blooded money in their hands, Garlan’s conscience gets the better of him. He regrets not only killing the horse, but the whole robbery too, and decides that somehow he has to do the right thing and return the money in "The Lion’s Share.”The title story introduces Jerry Finnegan, a rancher and a family man. But when Slade the outlaw and his band of misfits threaten to kill Finnegan and his family to steal the ranch, Finnegan calls out to Charlie Kimball for help. Kimball knows his friend is in trouble, and believes the real reason Slade wants the ranch is a special well on the property that just happens to turn the water blood red.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Stephen H. Foreman. 2017
Set in the early eighteen hundreds in the wild desert wilderness of New Mexico Territory, Journey follows the lives of…
three distinctly different characters whose destinies are one: Journey, a fiercely independent, sixteen-year-old of mysterious origins; Reuben Moon, the stoic half Mexican, half Apache hunter who raises her; and Esau Burdock, a brutal, pragmatic, and wealthy slave trader.The story opens on a November night in 1833, the sky on fire with meteors, each character alone, experiencing the storm. The narrative then delves into their individual histories. But Journey, Reuben, and Esau’s stories soon collide in the summer of 1834 when Esau holds a rendezvous of horse racing and trading. Despite being only sixteen, and a girl at that, Journey joins the race. She doesn’t win, but she’s caught the attention of Esau. A year later, a mountain lion is terrorizing the area and Esau comes across Journey and Reuben in the desert as he hunts for it. Journey has tamed a wild colt. The lion had killed its mother then attacked the colt, but Journey rescues it and nurses it back to health. Esau claims the colt is his by the law of the land. Journey refuses to give him up and so Esau threatens to hang her on the spot. Instead, they make a deal: Journey can work at Esau’s stables for six months to earn the horse.And so she does. All the while the mountain lion continues to kill and Esau broods. He is a successful man, but he is a lonely one too, haunted by the death of his first slave and lover, Livy, and by their daughter Lilly Rose, both of whom betrayed him and are now dead. The story comes to a fever pitch when Esau spots a necklace Journey has worn her whole life, given to her by her mother, a necklace once worn by Esau’s dead daughter, Lily Rose. From there, the story races to an end, as Esau, Journey, and Reuben are tested in ways they never dreamed imaginable. Brimming with action and panoramic in scope, in Journey Foreman provides a breathtaking narrative with a heroine you’ll never forget.By Eric H. Heisner, Al P. Bringas. 2016
1800’s American West-a place where men find themselves in harsh and cruel circumstances and where lives are short lived. Where…
women are hard as the steel of a gun, and the sweet burn of whiskey eases the rough, ratted edges. Where death is a pill that must be swallowed, and senses are developed beyond true human comprehension . . .Honest work on the frontier was sometimes hard to acquire. Traveling independently on the expansive road through the west, cowboy and westerner Tomas H. Elkman is a man of the times. To ease the loneliness of the trail while searching for gainful employment, Elkman warily teams up with a fight-prone, good-timing gambler by the name of Jefferson McGredy. This strange pairing of men is hired to deliver an assemblage of horses to a ranch in the untamed northern territory. The rancher sends his young son, Kent Martin, to accompany the horsemen on their travels through mountains and rivers, across primitive landscapes, and into remnants of mining boomtowns. The journey becomes a constant challenge to their moral fiber as they face the overwhelming hardships of hostile weather, rustlers, and natives . . .T. H. Elkman is a story of frontier grit, moral simplicity, individuality and consequential violence in the American West.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Zane Grey. 2017
From one of the bestselling western novelists of all time, comes another classic story.Templeton Lambeth had so desperately wanted a…
son- an heir to ride by his side through the vast, wild ranges just west of the Pecos River. But to his disappointment, his wife bore a girl. His hopes crushed and in denial, he decides to raise his daughter as if she were a boy. In honor of Lambeth’s more successful brother, they named her: Terrill.Upon the arrival of the Civil War, Lambeth enlists in Lee’s army, leaving behind his wife and tomboy daughter, with hopes to reconcile living in the shadow of his brother. By the time the war ends, Lambeth returns a colonel and his wife has passed. Tired of his old life as a cotton planter, he packs up with his tomboy daughter, Rill, and heads for the alluring western frontier to start anew.After they arrive in the West, the Colonel is brutally murdered. Rill, disguised as a youth of eighteen who rode with the toughest, is left to fend for herself in the Wild West swarming with outlaws. Enter the one they called Pecos Smith-a rugged desperado with a mysterious past and one bad reputation. Though, he may not be what he seems. Filled with adventure, bandits, and the beautiful landscape of America in its formative years, West of the Pecos is a classic tale by one of the greatest novelists of the American west.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns-books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians-are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.By Charles J. Rzepka. 2017
An in-depth look into the life and work of the man who defined "cool" for crime fiction, Elmore Leonard.Widely known…
as the crime fiction writer whose work led to the movies Get Shorty and Out of Sight, Elmore Leonard had a special knack for creating "cool" characters. In Being Cool, Charles J. Rzepka looks at what makes the dope-dealers, bookies, grifters, financial advisors, talent agents, shady attorneys, hookers, models, and crooked cops of Leonard's world cool. They may be nefarious, but they are also confident, skilled, and composed. And they are good at what they do. Taking being cool as the highway through Leonard's life and works, Rzepka finds plenty of byways to explore along the way.Rzepka delineates the stages and patterns that characterize Leonard’s creative evolution. Like jazz greats, he forged an individual writing style immediately recognizable for its voice and rhythm, including his characters' rat-a-tat recitations, curt backhands, and ragged trains of thought. Rzepka draws on more than twelve hours of personal interviews with Leonard and applies what he learned to his close analysis of the writer’s long life and prodigious output: 45 published novels, 39 published and unpublished short stories, and numerous essays written over the course of six decades.