True Story Swear To God

Life is about chances. What are the chances of going to a theme park, on the other side of the coast... and meeting a person who will change your life as you know it? What are the chances of this person living on the island of San Juan, Puerto Rico, some 9,000 miles from your home in Napa Valley, California? What are the chances of a long-distance relationship such as this lasting very long? If you're California cartoonist Tom Beland and Puerto Rico journalist Lily García, well, those chances are pretty good. "Chances are.." combines the first four issues of Tom Beland's Eisner-nominated autobiographical series "True Story, Swear to God." A book that deals with the joys of meeting someone by chance and the heartache that comes with distance. It covers the humor, anxiety, annoyances and paranoia found in every relationship.

Cartoonist Tom Beland tells true stories of his life with his wife, Lily, in this heartfelt valentine. It's intelligent and well written and unabashedly romantic. It's the kind of book that men and women who believe in the power of love and the existence of fate will want to take home and read again and again. In other words, this is a small story with big promise. Life is funnier than fiction. At least that's true for cartoonist Tom Beland. True Stories, Swear To God: 100 Stories is Tom Beland's unique look at everyday events. A California-based cartoonist with a tumultuous childhood and a strong sense of family leaves it all behind and moves to Puerto Rico to be with the love of his life. Weaving tales of innocence and wit, Tom welcomes you into his life and you'll soon be wanting another 100 stories.

From a new fanboy, to the big wedding of Tom and Lily, courtesy of the Happiest Place on Earth! Collecting issues #7-13 of the hit romance/comedy series.

With a category 5 hurricane raging over Puerto Rico and the woman he loves, Tom Beland is worried about her and begins to toy with the idea of moving to Puerto Rico to be with Lily. But, can he give up everything he knows based only on what his heart is telling him?

For as far back as I can remember, I have told stories. I can take nearly any situation or event and make a funny story of it. Life is too short to miss out on the fun part. Also for many years I have been writing articles and short stories for various newsletters, newspapers, and even national magazines; some paid but most for free. I enjoy writing to entertain, to inform, and to educate. I have a different view of the world than the average person and not afraid of sharing it. I have, for many years, wanted to write a book but thought that anything I would have to say would be out of date before I finished the book. And then one day, not too long ago, I had an epiphany life stories, humor, fun philosophy, and basic life lessons don't go out of date. So I wrote this book. The book is a collection of family stories, tall tales, a few reprints of previously published newspaper articles, a little fun philosophy, and a technical issue or two. Except for a very few of the stories, as noted in the stories, all are original works of mine. The contents are, as you will notice, printed and listed simply, alphabetically. I thought this random arrangement would minimize the potential for one to lose interest and fall asleep reading various versions of the same thing. My intent in writing this book was not just to make some extra cash, but to put down in writing, in a more permanent form, some of my life's experiences, crazy ideas, and a little technical correctness, for family, friends, and a few others to enjoy. Please enjoy.

Covering genres from adventure and fantasy to horror, science fiction, and superheroes, this guide maps the vast terrain of graphic novels, describing and organizing titles to help librarians balance their graphic novel collections and direct patrons to read-alikes. New subgenres, new authors, new artists, and new titles appear daily in the comic book and manga world, joining thousands of existing titles—some of which are very popular and well-known to the enthusiastic readers of books in this genre. How do you determine which graphic novels to purchase, and which to recommend to teen and adult readers? This updated guide is intended to help you start, update, or maintain a graphic novel collection and advise readers about the genre. Containing mostly new information as compared to the previous edition, the book covers iconic super-hero comics and other classic and contemporary crime fighter-based comics; action and adventure comics, including prehistoric, heroic, explorer, and Far East adventure as well as Western adventure; science fiction titles that encompass space opera/fantasy, aliens, post-apocalyptic themes, and comics with storylines revolving around computers, robots, and artificial intelligence. There are also chapters dedicated to fantasy titles; horror titles, such as comics about vampires, werewolves, monsters, ghosts, and the occult; crime and mystery titles regarding detectives, police officers, junior sleuths, and true crime; comics on contemporary life, covering romance, coming-of-age stories, sports, and social and political issues; humorous titles; and various nonfiction graphic novels.

Collects Captain America (1968) #133, Incredible Hulk (1968) #287-290, Super-Villain Team-Up: M.O.D.O.K.'s 11 #1-5, Fantastic Four: Ataque del M.O.D.O.K.!, Marvel Adventures the Avengers #9, M.O.D.O.K.: Assassin #1-5, material from Tales of Suspense (1959) #93-94, Iron Man Annual #4. M.O.D.O.K. takes on the Marvel Universe in this heady collection of his greatest hits! A.I.M.’s most bizarre creation, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, has a brain as powerful as it is oversized — and a burning desire for world domination! Watch as M.O.D.O.K. butts heads with Captain America, Iron Man, the Champions, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four — and even takes a bride?! Plus: M.O.D.O.K. gathers a team of villains for the ultimate heist! And on Battleworld, M.O.D.O.K. is the fearsome Merc with the Maw! But what happens when the Avengers are transformed into M.O.D.O.K.s too?!

Provocatively blurring the lines between autobiography, short fiction, and essay, Greg Bottoms presents a series of fifteen honest and beautifully spare tales of class, poverty, violence, and racism set in the margins of the urban and suburban New South. An ode to Pulitzer–nominee Breece D'J Pancake's life and untimely death, the title story deftly interweaves Bottoms's personal history to insightful result. In the transformative "The Metaphor," the narrator proclaims, "when the world looks like every little promise has been lanced and bled out, you need a story to tell yourself." So we move seamlessly between the lives of people both real and imagined and the life of the author, and what emerges is not only a composite of sharply drawn and revealing moments, but also a book–length meditation on the nature of, and necessity for, storytelling itself. Including three new stories — "Sam at the Gun Show," "Strangers and Dreams," and "Heroism #2" — this revised edition announces an understated, arresting new voice in literature.