Colombia, Perú, Burma, North Korea... You mention it, the War Nerd AKA Gary Breecher AKA John Dolan has a war story to chill your bones. His literary globetrotting uncovers tales of massacre and countermassacre, of guerrilla warfare that crippled armies too enamores with their hardware, of fronts that actually *want* the bloodshed to continue for decades, even centuries, and why - stories that show how war ensues not through battles but through us

I grew up with myriad of Batman versions and will always swear by Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT, so I knew I had to read this from jump street. It illuminates how thoroughly Bill Finger shaped the iconography as well as the sources clearly strip-mined for inspiration (The Shadow, The Phantom). Even if you think you know everything about the character, Weldon weaves a compelling tale out of the many ups and downs in its story. Don't miss it.

Bet you never heard of THE BONFIRE OF VANITIES before - I sure hadn't. Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis, it died slowly and painfully at the B.O and you won't find many today exhorting its qualities. Samalon's account, enriched by De Palma's professionalism and Hanks' and Willis' diametrically opposite approaches to stardom, enthralls as the reader understands why the film did not deserve to pass the test of time

A series attains either immortality or banal existence on the back of its cast, and this volume steers the series toward the earlier. What started last volume as a run-on-the-mill tournament arc evolves to display MHA's strengths. A certain character's backstory with rather grotesque family dynamics effectively shows how even today, an author in control of their craft can use a obvious gimmick to eke earnest humanity from unexpected places. Pick!

I can't wholly recommend a book made from columns available online for free. Also, Taibbi's instincts for digging through the layers of offal American politics uses for shelter have either gone dull or underutilized as the book features no major criticism of the failures of the offgoing administration - one chapter shamelessly washes Obama's feet while Taibbi doesn't use the word 'foreclosure' at all. Maybe he did become a mainstream caricature...

In this follow-up MHA further strengthens its reputation. Kohei Horikoshi ends the league of villains arc satisfactorily and tantalizes the readers with the machinations behind their actions, as well as demonstrates that strategy in-universe goes beyond using powers intelligently - sometimes it includes not even counting on them at all! Shonen adventure fans will dig the ingenuity already on display, and what awaits as well.

Here the series successfully finds a tone and rhythm to call its own. After the series introduces its ersatz league of villains, main and supporting characters realize that the sheer power behind their quirks will not supplant strategy and teamwork - you'll believe that sticky rubber balls can save the day! It also helps that the heroes' trials greatly occur during school activities, allowing the mostly-teen cast to grow as people while they learn

If you need a take on the Shonen adventure genre that eschews some of its most odious tropes, let me point you to MY HERO ACADEMIA. Its lead has no innate abilities, to the point that someone else *gives* him theirs, and he literally suffers for it along the way. Controlling one's Quirk (MHA's preferred nomenclature for Super Power) entails training, and even then it can painfully backfire In short, it shakes up the genre in ways fans will enjoy.