J. Michael Straczynski – författare

“[The] successful writer for TV, movies, and comics makes his debut as a memoirist with a stunning chronicle of survival”—introduction by Neil Gaiman (Kirkus).Joseph Michael Straczynski is the legendary writer behind Babylon 5, Sense8, Clint Eastwood’s Changeling and Marvel’s Thor, among many other beloved movies, TV shows and comics. In Becoming Superman, he reveals how the power of creativity and imagination enabled him to overcome the horrors of his youth and a dysfunctional family haunted by madness, murder, and a terrible secret.Joe’s early life nearly defies belief. Raised by damaged adults—a con-man grandfather and a manipulative grandmother, a violent, drunken father and a mother who was repeatedly institutionalized—Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father’s desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past. Joe found refuge in comic books and his own dreams—imaginary worlds where superheroes used their amazing powers to overcome any adversity. The deeper he read, the more he came to realize that he, too, had a superpower: the ability to tell stories. But even as he found success, Joe could not escape a shocking family secret involving mass murder that he uncovered over the course of decades. Becoming Superman is the startling true story of a little boy who became the hero of his own life.

A Hugo Award Nominee!Featuring an introduction by Neil Gaiman!“J. Michael Straczynski is, without question, one of the greatest science fiction minds of our time.”   -- Max Brooks (World War Z)For four decades, J. Michael Straczynski has been one of the most successful writers in Hollywood, one of the few to forge multiple careers in movies, television and comics.  Yet there’s one story he’s never told before: his own.In this dazzling memoir, the acclaimed writer behind Babylon 5, Sense8, Clint Eastwood’s Changeling and Marvel’s Thor reveals how the power of creativity and imagination enabled him to overcome the horrors of his youth and a dysfunctional family haunted by madness, murder and a terrible secret.Joe's early life nearly defies belief. Raised by damaged adults—a con-man grandfather and a manipulative grandmother, a violent, drunken father and a mother who was repeatedly institutionalized—Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father’s desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past.  To survive his abusive environment Joe found refuge in his beloved comics and his dreams, immersing himself in imaginary worlds populated by superheroes whose amazing powers allowed them to overcome any adversity. The deeper he read, the more he came to realize that he, too, had a superpower: the ability to tell stories and make everything come out the way he wanted it. But even as he found success, he could not escape a dark and shocking secret that hung over his family’s past, a violent truth that he uncovered over the course of decades involving mass murder.Straczynski’s personal history has always been shrouded in mystery. Becoming Superman lays bare the facts of his life: a story of creation and darkness, hope and success, a larger-than-life villain and a little boy who became the hero of his own life.  It is also a compelling behind-the-scenes look at some of the most successful TV series and movies recognized around the world.

As one of the great writers of speculative fiction of the twentieth century, Harlan Ellison shaped the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. This inventive and provocative collection of his best-known and most-acclaimed stories is a perfect treasury for old Ellison fans as well as readers discovering this zany, polyphonic writer for the first time. Featuring these stories and many more: - "'Repent, Harlequin,' Said the Ticktockman" - Hugo Award winner- "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" - Bram Stoker Award winner- "Mefisto in Onyx" - Bram Stoker Award winner- "Jeffty Is Five" - British Fantasy Award winner- "Shatterday" -Twilight Zoneepisode- "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" - Edgar Allan Poe Award winner- "Paladin of the Lost Hour" - Hugo Award winner,Twilight ZoneepisodeA must-read for sci-fi book lovers and fans of Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov, this career-spanning compilation of classic short stories is also perfect for readers who enjoyed Dangerous Visions, A Boy and His Dog, or other Harlan Ellison books.

Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey-upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world.The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip.By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the decisions awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

Nick Hornby meets Chuck Palahniuk in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt epistolary novel from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski.Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey—upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world.The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip.By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the decisions awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

The Breakfast Club meets The Silver Linings Playbook in this powerful, provocative, and heartfelt novel about twelve strangers who come together to make the most of their final days, from New York Times bestselling and award-winning author J. Michael Straczynski. Mark Antonelli, a failed young writer looking down the barrel at thirty, is planning a cross-country road trip. He buys a beat-up old tour bus. He hires a young army vet to drive it. He puts out an ad for others to join him along the way. But this will be a road trip like no other: His passengers are all fellow disheartened souls who have decided that this will be their final journey—upon arrival in San Francisco, they will find a cliff with an amazing view of the ocean at sunset, hit the gas, and drive out of this world. The unlikely companions include a young woman with a chronic pain sensory disorder and another who was relentlessly bullied at school for her size; a bipolar, party-loving neo-hippie; a gentle coder with a literal hole in his heart and blue skin; and a poet dreaming of a better world beyond this one. We get to know them through access to their texts, emails, voicemails, and the daily journal entries they write as the price of admission for this trip. By turns tragic, funny, quirky, charming, and deeply moving, Together We Will Go explores the decisions that brings these characters together, and the relationships that grow between them, with some discovering love and affection for the first time. But as they cross state lines and complications to the initial plan arise, it becomes clear that this is a novel as much about the will to live as it is the choice to end it. The final, unforgettable moments as they hurtle toward the outcomes awaiting them will be remembered for a lifetime.

A tense, thought-provoking pressure cooker about a young woman imprisoned in a psychiatric facility for her political views, perfect for fans of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Girl, Interrupted.Riley Diaz is a troublemaker, born and raised. Half Irish, half Cuban, she's an orphan with the spirit and resilience of her ancestors and the protest protocols of her late parents. She’s ready and able to resist the new tyrannies.After attending a protest, Riley is incarcerated in a shadowy American Renewal Center, detained under dangerous new legislation. This newly authoritarian government is trialling the mandatory re-education of dissidents, and Riley is receiving psychiatric treatment because of her politics. Riley is imprisoned in a nightmarish world of persecution and incursions on her freedom - forced therapy, involuntary medication, extended incarceration, solitary confinement, grotesquely restricted rations, false accusations and more.Trapped in an emerging dystopia, against people who would label her mad for speaking her mind, Riley can only do what she does best – rebel.

Thor - Norse God of Thunder, protector of Asgard and Earth! Immensely powerful and a warrior without peer, Thor is cast down to Midgard (Earth) by his father, the almighty Odin, to learn humility. Trapped in the frail mortal form of Dr. Donald Blake, when he strikes his cane upon the ground he is transformed into one of Marvel's most powerful Super Heroes! Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Thor brings together the very best tales from the character's 60 year history, including covering some of his greatest and most pivotal moments. Collecting JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (1952) 83; THE MIGHTY THOR (1966) 159, 200 AND 337-339; THE MIGHTY THOR (1998) 1-2 AND 84-85; AND THOR (2007) 3

Throughout the Nine Realms, never has there been a villain so duplicitous, so mischievous and so cunning as the Asgardian God of Lies, Loki! Adopted brother of Thor, he has caused untold mayhem for both his hammer-wielding sibling and his super-hero allies on Earth. From his classic origin issue to modern masterpieces, now you can discover the greatest comic-book tales of one of the Marvel Universe's best-loved villains.

The mysterious Ezekiel Sims re-enters Peter Parker's life with a shocking new explanation as to how the web-slinging hero was granted his amazing spider-powers. But there's little time to ponder this mystery, as the ancient being Shathra has decided that Spider-Man is her prey! Can Peter unleash the spider inside to destroy this voracious predator? Next, the origin of Ezekiel's own spider-powers are revealed, along with the blood debt that must be paid for them. But which spider-totem will pay the price? Reprinting The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #46-50 and #506-508