A team fractured! Fearing potential repercussions from the international community, the new President ordered Vanguard disbanded following the defeat of the Red Fist. In their place is a new organization: Cerberus, a global peace-keeping agency designed to monitor the specials. With no purpose left, the remnants of Vanguard have returned to their normal lives. But old habits—and enemies—die hard. The world still faces grave dangers from human and special alike. And lurking in the shadows is a threat greater than any they have encountered—one that spans time and space! If you're a fan of the X-Men or the Avengers, you don't want to miss this stunning second volume of an all-new team of superheroes!
What would you do if you woke up with superpowers? One day, the world was normal. The next, people all over the world suddenly developed unexplained superhuman abilities. Now, the world is a more dangerous place because of these new beings, called specials. And the world's governments struggle to balance civil rights with safety. Despite an international ban on the use of specials for military purposes, the US government has secretly formed a team: Paragon, telekinetic powerhouse. Wraith, dark matter teleporter. Sharkskin, the human/shark hybrid. Shift, shape-changing teenager. Zenith, super-powered automaton. And led by Gunsmith, a military commander fitted with a hi-tech exoskeleton. But their mission intensifies when the ruthless Red Fist terrorist organization prepares an army of specials to launch a global revolution. Can Vanguard learn to work as a team in time to prevent a super-powered coup? Or will the world be razed in favor of a new order? Fans of the X-Men and Avengers do not want to miss the explosive adventures in this astounding superhero novel series!
Influential writings by the legendary art critic and theorist Jack Burnham—a pioneer in new media systems aesthetics and an early advocate of conceptualism. Jack Burnham is one of the few critics and theorists alive today who can claim to have radically altered the way we think about works of art. Burnham's use of the term “system” (borrowed from theoretical biology) in his 1968 essay “System Aesthetics” announced the relational character of conceptual art and newer research-based projects. Trained as an art historian, Burnham was also a sculptor. His first book, Beyond Modern Sculpture (1968), established him as a leading commentator on art and technology. A postformalist pioneer, an influential figure in new media art history, an early champion of conceptual and ecological art, and the curator of the first exhibition of digital art, Burnham is long overdue for reevaluation. This book offers that opportunity by collecting a substantial and varied selection of his hard-to-find texts, some published here for the first time. Although Burnham left the art world abruptly in the 1990s, his visionary theoretical ideas have only become more relevant in recent years. This collection seeks to restore Burnham to his rightful place in art criticism and theory, reestablishing his voice as crucial to critical conversations of the period. It gathers his early writing on sculpture, his essays on systems art and conceptualism, his views of the New York art world, and his later occult work—including an unorthodox interpretation of Marcel Duchamp's work that draws on the Kabbalah.
They may have separate missions, but Lord Werner--a Japanese office worker reincarnated into the world of a classic RPG--and his friend, the legendary hero Mazel, are both working to save the realm in their own ways. While Mazel walks the path of radiance, slaying the Demon Lord's minions one by one, Werner uses his real-world knowledge to help manage the kingdom's internal affairs. Managing refugees, fixing the water supply--it's a lot of work for a supposed background character!
The Land of the Divided: American Civil War Collection stands as a monumental compendium of American literature, offering a panoramic view of the American Civil War through a carefully curated selection of narratives, each reflecting diverse literary styles and perspectives. Encompassing a range of genres from historical fiction to memoirs, and even journalistic accounts, this anthology presents an unmatched exploration of the era's complexities and contradictions. The collection is remarkable not only for its breadth but also for including seminal works that have shaped the American literary canon, allowing readers to witness the wars impact on both the national psyche and individual lives within different societal spheres. The chosen pieces serve as a testament to the period's rich literary fabric, woven from the threads of tragedy, valor, despair, and hope. The collaborative effort of esteemed authors like Jules Verne, Mark Twain, and Ambrose Bierce, among others, brings a diverse array of voices into a harmonious dialogue about a pivotal moment in American history. These authors, coming from varied backgrounds and holding different stakes in the civil conflict, provide a multifaceted view that enriches the collection. Their contributions reflect the zeitgeist of their times and the enduring human conditions influenced by war, capturing the nuanced essence of a divided nation. The anthology aligns with significant literary and historical movements, embedding personal narratives within the broader context of national identity and conflict. It is a critical resource for understanding the diverse literary landscapes and cultural narratives that emerged from the Civil War era. The Land of the Divided: American Civil War Collection is an indispensable anthology for scholars, students, and enthusiasts alike, offering a comprehensive and immersive journey into the heart of American civil conflict through the lens of literature. It promises not only a profound educational experience but also a deep, empathetic insight into the tumultuous period it covers. Readers are invited to traverse this literary mosaic, engaging with the voices that collectively portray the strife, resilience, and evolution of the American spirit during one of the nation's most defining trials. This collection epitomizes the power of literature to connect the past with the present, urging a reflective exploration of the themes that continue to shape the fabric of American society.
Beat Literature in Europe offers twelve in-depth analyses of how European authors and intellectuals on both sides of the Iron Curtain read, translated and appropriated American Beat literature. The chapters combine textual analysis with discussions on the role Beat had in popular music, art, and different subcultures. The book participates in the transnational turn that has gained in importance during the past years in literary studies, looking at transatlantic connections through the eyes of European authors, artists and intellectuals, and showing how Beat became a cluster of texts, images, and discussions with global scope. At the same time, it provides vivid examples of how national literary fields in Europe evolved during the cold war era. Contributors are: Thomas Antonic, Franca Bellarsi, Frida Forsgren, Santiago Rodriguez Guerrero-Strachan, József Havasréti, Tiit Hennoste, Benedikt Hjartarson, Petra James, Nuno Neves, Maria Nikopoulou, Harri Veivo, Dorota Walczak-Delanois, Gregory Watson.
First published in 2006. Claiming origins in the mysteries of the Shaolin monastery and its martial traditions, the Triads are Chinese secret societies that overthrew the Qing Dynasty, evolved into organised crime syndicates, spread through the Chinese diaspora and are more powerful now than ever before. The symbol of the Triads is a triangle enclosing the characters for heaven, earth and man, emblematic of the societies’ far-reaching influence, and membership involves challenging rites of initiation and the practice of complex rituals little changed over the centuries. On one level, these practices can be seen simply as the customs of a purely mystical order; on another, they may be seen as the organising principles by which secret societies continue to operate as powerful political organisations invisible in our midst. This classic work, the definitive study of the history, symbols and secret rituals of the Triads, reveals the Triad initiation ritual of the mystical journey; sacred Triad signs, words and slang; the rite of the magic mirror and the oath of blood brotherhood; the symbolic decoration of Triad temples, Triad magic, and the meaning of the sacred objects and ceremonies at the heart of Triad practice in minute detail. The authors show that the Triad ritual is a potent mystical allegory with an immense power that can be used for good or ill.
George A. Forsyth took a determined stand against Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of Beech Island in 1868 and in the process transformed this minor frontier skirmish into a legendary symbol of the American West. This engagement helped mold popular conception of Indian warfare and provided Forsyth with the reputation of being an intrepid Indian fighter like George Custer and Buffalo Bill. Although this image of Forsyth is not necessarily incorrect, it is certainly incomplete. Forsyth began his military career with the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861. Like many other officers who would subsequently gain distinction in the Indian campaign of the West, he learned the art of warfare in the great battles of the Civil War. His ascendancy through the ranks paralleled the rise of the Union cavalry as an effective combat arm during the war, and his education as a cavalryman came under the watchful eye of Phil Sheridan, one of America's most compelling soldiers. The Forsyth-Sheridan relationship began on the Virginia battlefields and continued until 1881. During this long period George Forsyth was one of Sheridan's most trusted aides, serving as the general's eyes and ears in countless military missions that took him from the banks of the Yellowstone to the sacred Black Hills and from the bayous of Reconstruction Louisiana to the palaces of Europe and Asia. Forsyth's varied military career was truly reflective of the army's role in the second half of the nineteenth century. In addition to serving as an instrument of government Indian policy, the army carried out other important missions designed to foster internal development in the United States. These activities included exploring and mapping the remnants of the uncharted West: escorting railroad survey and construction crews and building forts along the major lines of commerce. As a staff officer, George Forsyth played an important part in all of these activities and more. Therefore, while this biography chronicles the life and military career of a remarkable soldier, it also provides fresh insight into the role that the United States Army played during the post-Civil War period.
Michael Stone was born in East Belfast in 1955. In 1988 he was sentenced to 800 years in prison. He served twelve years in the Maze prison before being released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. He is now an artist, and proponent of the peace process.
