Comics Studies Here and Now marks the arrival of comics studies scholarship that no longer feels the need to justify itself within or against other fields of study. The essays herein move us forward, some in their re-diggings into comics history and others by analyzing comics—and all its transmedial and fan-fictional offshoots—on its own terms. Comics Studies stakes the flag of our arrival—the arrival of comics studies as a full-fledged discipline that today and tomorrow excavates, examines, discusses, and analyzes all aspects that make up the resplendent planetary republic of comics. This collection of scholarly essays is a testament to the fact that comic book studies have come into their own as an academic discipline; simply and powerfully moving comic studies forward with their critical excavations and theoretical formulas based on the common sense understanding that comics add to the world as unique, transformative cultural phenomena.

Two novels by a New York Times–bestselling author who can “keep even the most experienced thriller addicts strapped into their seats for the whole flight” (People). Featuring FBI hostage negotiator Kat Bronsky, these are two stories of pilots, passengers, and planes in peril that move at supersonic speed. The Last Hostage: When airline pilot Ken Wolfe learns that the presumptive nominee for US attorney general is on his flight, his blood runs cold. Rudolph Bostich bungled the case after Wolfe’s daughter was kidnapped and killed—and let the perpetrator walk. Now Wolfe is prepared to do anything for revenge, including hijacking his own plane. It’s up to FBI agent, psychologist, and rookie hostage negotiator Kat Bronsky to solve the mystery of an eleven-year-old girl’s murder and save the lives of 130 terrified passengers. Blackout: A Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 jetliner crashes into the Gulf of Mexico a mile inside Cuban waters, killing all onboard. The last three minutes on the plane’s cockpit voice and data recorders have been erased. Was it a massive mechanical failure or an act of terrorism? When another airliner goes down after its pilots are flash-blinded midflight, Kat Bronsky races from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the forests of the American Northwest to unmask the conspirators before the entire American airline industry comes crashing out of the sky.

A collection of fictional and non-fictional stories, inclduing excerpts from the novel Every Thing Counts (The Akashic Reader), where author brings together his wry observations of life among Czechs, the Dutch, the Germans, the Italians, the Polish and the Spanish.

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister is about to see the ugly side of beauty expos . . . Easter weekend on the Jersey Shore is hopping. Poppy’s Bed and Breakfast is busier than ever, but she needs to leave things in the hopefully capable hands of Aunt Ginny—and paws of Figaro the black smoke Persian. She’s selling her paleo muffins and keto cookies at the Health and Beauty Expo in Cape May’s Convention Hall. Normally sharing a booth with the love of her life would be a treat, but she’s recently discovered secrets that throw her new romance into chaos. But more secrets are about to be exposed at the expo. In his keynote address, prominent cosmetic surgeon Dr. Lance Rubin reveals his breakthrough anti-aging technology. Unfortunately, someone has one-upped him with a truly foolproof anti-aging formula: murder. With the plastic surgeon dead under his own UV mask, and bedlam reigning in the hall and back at the B&B, Poppy needs to follow a twisted trail marked by glowing footprints to unmask a killer . . . Includes Seven Recipes from Poppy’s Kitchen! “Fans of Chopped will have fun juggling the complicated set of suspects and following a romantic triangle that has yet to be resolved.” —Kirkus Reviews on Restaurant Weeks Are Murder

Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored technical writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. When she inherits her great aunt Abigail's house in the small town of Alpine Grove, Kat's life gets a lot more complicated because the inheritance comes with some hairy conditions: four dogs and five cats. After coping with out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders and serious roof problems, things get even more interesting when Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with an enigmatic past.

Quinn Sinclair was a pretty-boy, successful singer that was also a single father. His wife died and he was left to raise their two young children. After being alone and without for a couple of years, he felt something was missing. When he saw beautiful, sexy, and full-of-attitude Madison Silvers, he knew she was the one. The problem was Maddi felt she didnt deserve him due to the secrets of her past. Throw in her violent ex-husband, murder attempts, and Quinns disapproving mother, the couple would soon find out if they were Waiting To Risk It All for each other. Doctor Alexx Cavanaugh, one of Maddis sister friends, was a Neonatal surgeon and happy with her life. She thought she was content until she met self-made billionaire Matthew McGuire. He asked her to marry him the day he met her! First, he had to convince her he wasnt a nut! He knew what he wanted and went after it. Add kidnapping and lying family members to their story and see if they were Waiting To Risk It All for each other also. The two couples meet danger head on and survive to tell their stories. Will their love survive as well?