Kill Your Heroes

Charlie Henry, co-owner of a pawnshop and Iraq war veteran, has, for the most part, settled into his somewhat quieter life in Albuquerque. He is invited to attend the dedication of a memorial in a park, where he, other local heroes, and first responders are to be honored for their military accomplishments and dedication to the community. But trouble always seems to follow Charlie. When gunshots ring out, barely missing Charlie and hitting the man next to him, it’s clear that a dangerous madman is on the loose. More shots are fired, and two more veterans are injured. Charlie thinks he might have been the target and looks around for the shooter. The crowd is in a panic, and he’s unable to spot the gunman. Charlie tries to help the man who took the first hits, Nathan Whitaker, a decorated former Army helicopter pilot who has been badly wounded. No one is dead, at least not yet. But Charlie vows to find the evil person who would attack American heroes—he refuses to go down without a fight and knows that the perpetrator will soon learn that he has messed with the wrong man.

Eddie Marr never planned to be a supervillain, but it seemed like a surefire way to become rich and famous. All he had to do was come up with a flashy costume, a signature gimmick, and commit a couple of high profile (yet nonviolent) crimes. Eddie figured he'd eventually get caught and spend a year or two in a minimum security prison. Then he'd write a tell-all book, do the talk show circuit, and parlay that into a regular TV hosting gig. But the best laid plans... As the Puzzler, Eddie was strictly a C List supervillain. He matched wits with Dark Revenger, a grim and gritty, street-level superhero. Eddie always managed to get away unscathed, but one night, things go horribly wrong and the Dark Revenger is dead. It's one thing to steal the Mona Lisa. But killing a world famous superhero? That's hard time with the worst of the worst. Most people would cash out, change their identity, and go on the run. But Eddie knows there's no running if you're responsible for the death of an A List superhero. The only chance Eddie has in staying out of prison, and staying alive, is to take the Dark Revenger's place and not let the rest of the world know the original is dead. Eddie can do it. He's got the physical ability and the tech savvy. He even looks good in the costume. It's the ultra-serious, crime-fighting part he has trouble with. (Seriously, does the Dark Revenger need to be so "dark" all the time?) Then the world's premiere superhero team, the Majestic 12, needs help with a seemingly impossible crime: One of their own has been murdered and they need "the world's greatest detective" (a.k.a. the Dark Revenger) to solve it. He's not the hero we need. He's not the hero we deserve. He's not really a hero at all. Kill Your Heroes

The behind-the-scenes story of the action heroes who ruled 1980s and ’90s Hollywood and the beloved films that made them stars, including Die Hard, First Blood, The Terminator, and more. “This book takes you so close to the action that you can smell the sweat, cigar smoke, and bad cologne that brought these movies to life.”—Paul Scheer A NEWSWEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The Last Action Heroes opens in May 1990 in Cannes, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone waltzing together, cheered on by a crowd of famous faces. After years of bitter combat—Stallone once threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger’s head, and the body count in Schwarzenegger’s Commando was increased so the film would “have a bigger dick than Rambo”—the world’s biggest action stars have at last made peace. In this wildly entertaining account of the golden age of the action movie, Nick de Semlyen charts Stallone and Schwarzenegger’s carnage-packed journey from enmity to friendship against the backdrop of Reagan’s America and the Cold War. He also reveals fascinating untold stories of the colorful characters who ascended in their wake: high-kickers Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, glowering tough guys Dolph Lundgren and Steven Seagal, and quipping troublemakers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bruce Willis. But as time rolled on, the era of the invincible action hero who used muscle, martial arts, or the perfect weapon to save the day began to fade. When Jurassic Park trounced Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero in 1993, the glory days of these macho men—and the vision of masculinity they celebrated—were officially over. Drawing on candid interviews with the action stars themselves, plus their collaborators, friends, and foes, The Last Action Heroes is a no-holds-barred account of a period in Hollywood history when there were no limits to the heights of fame these men achieved, or to the mayhem they wrought, on-screen and off.

For years now, it has been the author’s habit to write a monthly letter to his children during their teenage years. The letters cover an amazing array of life lessons that also show an intimate glimpse of one family’s life journey. All families, the same challenges and it is this connection that makes the book endearing and relevant to all who read it. Christian faith and values are highlighted throughout, and stories from the bible are brought to life. “I’ve read hundreds of books on fathering and Letters From a Father is at the very top of the list. This book shares timeless words of wisdom, grounded in scripture from the heart of a devoted father.” David Hirsch, founder 21st Century Dads Foundation & Host of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast. “Please read this book and perhaps start writing to the kids in your life. Letters from a Father is priceless.” Bob Muzikowski, Founder and President, Chicago Hope Academy

A human-centric guide to solving complex problems in engineering management, from sizing teams to handling technical debt. There’s a saying that people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Management is a key part of any organization, yet the discipline is often self-taught and unstructured. Getting to the good solutions for complex management challenges can make the difference between fulfillment and frustration for teams—and, ultimately, between the success and failure of companies. Will Larson’s An Elegant Puzzle focuses on the particular challenges of engineering management—from sizing teams to handling technical debt to performing succession planning—and provides a path to the good solutions. Drawing from his experience at Digg, Uber, and Stripe, Larson has developed a thoughtful approach to engineering management for leaders of all levels at companies of all sizes. An Elegant Puzzle balances structured principles and human-centric thinking to help any leader create more effective and rewarding organizations for engineers to thrive in.

This is the colour, distribution version. Better Mousetrap is an extensive supplement for the Mutants & Masterminds 3e rules. Written by Steven Trustrum, contributor to the DC Adventures product line, and illustrated by industry veteran, Eric Lofgren, this massive sourcebook covers everything from how to create interesting, challenging super-villains to new game mechanics (advantages, extras, flaws, Expertise variations, and more), to entirely new rules that will help you take your game to a new level of excitement.

Who Are the Heroes by Caesar Rondina When you think of heroes, who comes to mind? What are the qualities that make someone a hero? Author Caesar Rondina tackles these questions by drawing on his more than thirty-five years of working experience in the public health-care system. Rondina takes a look at those who serve in the military, emergency medical services, fire service, and law enforcement — people who deal with life-or-death situations — to demonstrate the qualities that make some people heroes. During this exploration, Rondina provides insight into the world we live in and how we choose to live in it. By the end, readers will learn more about themselves, their weaknesses and triumphs, and how to make better choices in life.

It is August 2016, one year after the events of Framed.He is promoted to a captain of the NYPD and gets a disturbance call in the Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn, N.Y. of what seems to be a hostage situation taking place. When the four arrive at the mall they find that there is indeed a hostage situation, but the hostage takers aren't human. They are glooba aliens that have somehow found a way to enter Earth via the virtual world using black holes. Eventually, the four find out the gloobas are out for revenge. The gloobas vow to get revenge by using the gravitational pull of Earth and attempt to align the planets perfectly to charge their death ray which will wipe Earth off the map! Angel and his friends have to get to the glooba's home planet of Goo before the 10 days are up in order to stop the planets from aligning themselves. Can the four stop the latest revenge plot by the glooba's or will the aliens have their revenge?