The Rat Bastard ProtectiveÊAssociation was an inflammatory, close-knit community of artists who livedÊand worked in aÊbuilding they dubbed Painterland in the Fillmore neighborhood of midcentury San Francisco. The artists who counted themselves among the RatÊBastardsÑwhich included Joan Brown, Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo,ÊWallyÊHedrick, Michael McClure, and Manuel NeriÑexhibited a unique fusion of radicalism,Êprovocation, and community. Geographically isolated from a viable art market and refusingÊto conform to institutional expectations, theyÊanimated broader social andÊartistic discussions through their work and became aÊtransformative part of American culture over time. Anastasia Aukeman presents new and little-known archival material in this authorized account of these artists and their circle, a colorful cultural milieu that intersected with the broader Beat scene.

The Rat Bastards face the deadliest battle of all as the war draws to an explosive end. The Japanese launch a final, desperate attack—a blood-hungry suicide mission. And the Rat Bastards finally meet their match. Kicking, clawing, shooting, stabbing—whatever it takes to kill the battle-crazed enemy—the Rat Bastards will do it. The tougher the opposition, the harder the Rat Bastards fight back. And the deadliest group of killers in the world—with one exception ... the Rat Bastards. Originally published under the pen name John Mackie

Friend or foe, stay out of their way! Malaria can’t slow them down. A stockade can’t keep them penned up. Tanks can’t stop them. They’re the most blood-hungry platoon of killers in the jungle. The enemy fears them. Their own army hates them. But friend or foe, when they’re on their red-meat rampage of terror, you’d better steer clear of… The Rat Bastards

Kamikaze Kill Sweep! The Rat Bastards face the deadliest battle of all as the war draws to an explosive end. The Japanese launch a final, desperate attack – a blood-hungry suicide mission. And the Rat Bastards finally meet their match. Kicking, clawing, shooting, stabbing - whatever it takes to kill the battle-crazed enemy – The Rat Bastards will do it. The tougher the opposition, the harder the Rat Bastards fight back. And the deadliest group of killers in the world – with one exception… The Rat Bastards

Desperate to help his unemployed mother, seventeen-year-old Aiden O'Connor reluctantly begins working for the Irish mob in tough South Boston, despite his coach's efforts to convince him he could be a professional boxer.

If war is hell, these guys would hate heaven! When you want to win a battle, you get real men. When you want to win a war, you get The Rat Bastards. When they’re not fighting among themselves, they’re tearing raw, living chunks out of the enemy. Nothing – not death lurking in the jungle, not the wrath of a raging river – can stop the killer squad they call… The Rat Bastards.

The Japs are staging a surprise attack. But a bigger, bloodier surprise is waiting for them! Whoever controls New Guinea can turn the tide of the war. That’s why the Japs are mounting a bold sneak attack designed to wipe out the Americans. But the Rat Bastards know when and where the enemy plans to strike. Can they quit thrill-hunting and fighting each other long enough to become the killer combat until the Yanks need to survive? The Rat Bastards.