Killing Monsters

Children choose their heroes more carefully than we think. From Pokemon to the rapper Eminem, pop-culture icons are not simply commercial pied pipers who practice mass hypnosis on our youth. Indeed, argues the author of this lively and persuasive paean to the power of popular culture, even violent and trashy entertainment gives children something they need, something that can help both boys and girls develop in a healthy way. Drawing on a wealth of true stories, many gleaned from the fascinating workshops he conducts, and basing his claims on extensive research, including interviews with psychologists and educators, Gerard Jones explains why validating our children's fantasies teaches them to trust their own emotions, helps them build stronger selves, leaves them less at the mercy of the pop-culture industry, and strengthens parent-child bonds. Jones has written for the Spider-Man, Superman, and X-Men comic books and created the Haunted Man series for the Web. He has also explored the cultural meanings of comic books and sitcoms in two well-received books. In Killing Monsters he presents a fresh look at children's fantasies, the entertainment industry, and violence in the modern imagination. This reassuring book, as entertaining as it is provocative, offers all of us-parents, teachers, policymakers, media critics-new ways to understand the challenges and rewards of explosive material. News From Killing Monsters: Packing a toy gun can be good for your son-or daughter. Contrary to public opinion, research shows that make-believe violence actually helps kids cope with fears. Explosive entertainment should be a family affair. Scary TV shows can have a bad effect when children have no chance to discuss them openly with adults. It's crucial to trust kids' desires. What excites them is usually a sign of what they need emotionally. Violent fantasy is one of the best ways for kids to deal with the violence they see in real life.

The human race is an endangered species. Vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, and killer robots – they’re all trying to kill us. Killer robots even have the word “killer” in their name. Can it get more obvious? We need to rid the world of these monsters before they rid the world of us. All of them. But these monsters aren’t real, right? Wrong, and you’re dead. These creatures wander the periphery of our reality, waiting for a moment of weakness, and then attack while we’re home alone in our underwear. “How to Kill Monsters Using Common Household Items” is a guidebook on how to rid your life of these monsters before they kill you, so sharpen that machete and gas up the weed whacker, folks. Each chapter contains: · How to identify the monster · Who’s going to help you kill it · Your arsenal and where to keep it (kitchen, bathroom, living room, garage, etc.). · Behavior of the monster while you’re trying to kill it · Disposing of the body · Monster powers · Monster weaknesses · How to avoid the monster “How to Kill Monsters Using Common Household Items” is a must have home defense guide for the do-it-yourself slayer. After using this book, you too can understand that setting gnomes on fire with a Bic lighter and a can of Aqua Net is funny.

Revised 2016 Edition. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and ’90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

Monsters rule the world. Humanity's last hope is a squad of giant robots and their skilled pilots, all from different backgrounds, each with a unique reason to fight. Can we survive the conflict? Are we worth saving? A familiar but wholly original story about war, survival, and the human spirit, told through gigantic-scale battles fought by memorable characters! Contains over 100 pages of new story, in addition to collecting the entire hit webcomic! "Although May gives us plenty of giant monster-killing, he's smart enough to make sure that there's a reason we care that the robots are fighting the monsters rather than just saying "Hey, robots fighting monsters is cool, right?" -comicbookresources.com "May and Copland have engaged in some pretty cool world-building, taking the basic idea and running with it until they have something special that goes way beyond what you might expect from "another giant monster title." -Robot6

'Essential reading, not just for anyone struggling with mental illness, but for anyone who knows someone who needs support. That's all of us' Daisy Buchanan, author of *How to Be a Grown-Up 'An essential, wondrous WOW of a book' Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k It doesn't matter that you've lived in the shadows, that you've slept through years of your life, that you've done things you're shamed to admit even to yourself. It doesn't matter that you're an anxious mess with a shouty monster brain that keeps you from conforming to society's definition of normal. How to Come Alive Again is a relatable, honest, joyous and above all practical guide for anyone who has a mental illness – or anyone who knows and loves someone who does. Beth McColl shares what's worked for her and what hasn't, and what she wishes she'd known from the start: from advice on how get through a bad day to the truth about medication and what to expect from a partner. Here are the basics for mending your life, accepting yourself, and learning to live again.

Gretchen, and her stepbrother, Clark hate staying at their grandparents' house. Grandpa Eddie is totally deaf. And all Grandma Rose wants to do is bake. Plus, they live right in the middle of a dark, muddy swamp.Things couldn't get any worse, right? WRONG.Because there's something really weird about Grandma and Grandpa's house. Something odd about that room upstairs. The one that's locked. The one with the strange noises coming from it.Strange growling noises...

A study of the gruesome game characters we love to beat—and what they tell us about ourselves. Since the early days of video games, monsters have played pivotal roles as dangers to be avoided, level bosses to be defeated, or targets to be destroyed for extra points. But why is the figure of the monster so important in gaming, and how have video games come to shape our culture’s conceptions of monstrosity? To answer these questions, Player vs. Monster explores the past half-century of monsters in games, from the dragons of early tabletop role-playing games and the pixelated aliens of Space Invaders to the malformed mutants of The Last of Us and the bizarre beasts of Bloodborne, and reveals the common threads among them. Covering examples from aliens to zombies, Jaroslav Švelch explores the art of monster design and traces its influences from mythology, visual arts, popular culture, and tabletop role-playing games. At the same time, he shows that video games follow the Cold War–era notion of clearly defined, calculable enemies, portraying monsters as figures that are irredeemably evil yet invariably vulnerable to defeat. He explains the appeal of such simplistic video game monsters, but also explores how the medium could evolve to present more nuanced depictions of monstrosity.