The story of the late Jenny Sparks, superhero, and her first encounters with the men and women who would eventually form The Authority.

The Spirit of the 20th century returns for the 21st! Thinking her time on this world has finally ended, Jenny lays down to rest only to be woken by the horrific events of September 11th, 2001. Humanity still needs her, especially four seemingly random strangers in a bar. Will Captain Atom spare them from his murderous wrath? Or is Jenny in over her head?

"Mike Madrid is doing God's work. . . . mak[ing] accessible a lost, heady land of female adventure." —ComicsAlliance "Sharp and lively . . . [Madrid] clearly loves this stuff. And he's enough of a historian to be able to trace the ways in which the portrayal of sirens and supergirls has echoed society's ever-changing feelings about women and sex."—Entertainment Weekly "A long overdue tribute to [those] fabulous fighting females." —Stan Lee Mike Madrid has become known as a champion of women in comics and as the expert in Golden Age female characters. And now here is where it all began, as informative and entertaining as ever, in a revised and updated edition, including new illustrations and a new introduction, as well as an afterword bringing us up-to-date on what's happening with women in comics now. Mike Madrid is the author of Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics; Vixens, Vamps & Vipers: Lost Villainesses of Golden Age Comics; and the original The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines, an NPR "Best Book To Share With Your Friends" and American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Notable Book. A San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comic books and popular culture, Madrid also appears in the documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines and is the illustrator of two of The History of Arcadia books: Lily the Silent and The Lizard Princess.

‘Breezy, funny and winning’ Daily Mail ‘Packed with humour and warmth’ Heat 5* ‘A lovely story about family, faith and self-acceptance’ Red magazine * * * * *

Ernest Hemingway casts a long shadow in literature--reaching beyond his status as a giant of 20th-century fiction and a Nobel Prize winner--extending even into comic books. Appearing variously with Superman, Mickey Mouse, Captain Marvel, and Cerebus, he has even battled fascists alongside Wolverine in Spain and teamed up with Shade to battle adversaries in the Area of Madness. Robert K. Elder's research into Hemingway's comic presence demonstrates the truly international reach of Hemingway as a pop culture icon. In more than 120 appearances across multiple languages, Hemingway is often portrayed as the hypermasculine legend: bearded, boozed up, and ready to throw a punch. But just as often, comic book writers see past the bravado to the sensitive artist looking for validation. Hemingway's role in these comics ranges from the divine to the ridiculous, as his image is recorded, distorted, lampooned, and whittled down to its essential parts. As Elder notes, comic book creators and Hemingway share a natural kinship. The comic book page demands an economy of words, much like Hemingway's less-is-more "iceberg theory," only in graphic form. In addition, he turned out to be the perfect avatar for comic book artists wanting to tell history-rich stories, as he experienced beautiful places during the most chaotic times: Paris in the 1920s, Spain during the Spanish Civil War, Cuba on the brink of revolution, France during World War I and during World War II just after the Allies landed in Normandy. Hemingway in Comics provides a unique lens for considering one of our most influential authors. Not only for the dedicated Hemingway fan, this book will appeal to all those with an appreciation for comics, pop culture, and the absurd.

Christopher Knoll, author of Tricks of the Trade, continues with Before Daylight, his newest collection of supernatural thrillers! The first, “The Bed Thrasher,” has a young girl suffering from a very real sleep disorder with a startling twist. The town of Sandy Hill’s elderly residents find new life from a visiting doctor’s potion in “Elixir,” but are they willing to pay the price? A prelude to “Savior II,” first written in Tricks of the Trade, reveals the entire story behind Earth’s potential destruction in “The Hand of God.” Taxi drivers in a large metropolitan area are succumbing to a serial killer as an aging detective and his team race to find the killer in “Curbside Caller.” “Bell Ringers” has five childhood friends pulling pranks throughout their neighborhood until three of them ring the wrong doorbell, and the group reunite forty years later to fight an evil presence. These are stories to be read by one light over your shoulder and before the sun comes up. Unless, of course, you, too, thrash about your bed from the nightmares you keep buried!