From legendary entertainment journalist and author of Caddyshack comes a rollicking new history of 1980s cinema—how eight legendary sci-fi films upended the industry and Hollywood forever. In the summer of 1982, eight science fiction films were released within six weeks of each other, changing the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest names and altering the business and art of movies to this day. In The Future Was Now, Chris Nashawaty recounts the riotous genesis of these films, featuring an all-star cast of Hollywood luminaries and gadflies alike: Steven Spielberg, at the height of his powers, conceives E.T. as an unlikely family tale, and quietly takes over the troubled production of Poltergeist, a horror film he had been nurturing for years. Ridley Scott, fresh off the success of Alien, tries his hand at an odd Philip K. Dick story that becomes Blade Runner—a box office failure turned cult classic. Similar stories arise for films like Tron, Conan the Barbarian, and The Thing. Taken as a whole, these films show a precarious turning-point in Hollywood history, when baffled film executives finally began to understand the potential of these high-concept films: a rabid fanbase, merchandising potential, and endless possible sequels. Expertly researched, energetically told, and written with an unabashed love for the art of cinema, The Future was Now is a monumental accomplishment—a chronicle of how the revolution sparked in a galaxy far, far away finally took root and changed Hollywood forever.

Alex Segura, award – winning author of Secret Identity, returns with a clever and escapist standalone sequel set in the world of comic books. In the present day, a comics legend is given the chance to revive a beloved but forgotten character. But at what price? Annie Bustamante is a cultural force like none other: an acclaimed filmmaker, an author, a comic book artist known for one of the all time best superhero comics in recent memory. But she’s never been able to tackle her longtime favorite superhero, the Lethal Lynx. Only known to the most die-hard comics fans and long out of print, the rights were never available—until now. But Annie is skeptical of who is making the offer: Bert Carlyle''s father started Triumph Comics, and has long claimed ownership of the Lynx. When she starts getting anonymous messages urging her not to trust anyone, Annie’s inner alarms go off. Even worse? Carlyle wants to pair her with a disgraced filmmaker for a desperate media play. Annie, who has been called a genius, a sell-out, a visionary, a hack, and everything else under the sun, is sick of the money grab. For the first time since she started reading a tattered copy of The Legendary Lynx #1 as a kid, she feels a pure, creative spark. The chance to tell a story her way. She''s not about to let that go. Even if it means uncovering the dark truth about the character she loves. Sharply written, deftly plotted, and with a palpable affection for all kinds of storytelling, Alter Ego is a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Named A BEST BOOK of the Year by NPR, The Sun Sentinel, Deadly Pleasures, and more Anthony Award-winning writer Alex Segura delivers a "masterful 1970s literary mystery" (NPR) set in the world of comics that is "as engaging as Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.” (Sun Sentinel) It’s 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn’t care. She’s an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn’t have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn’t matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book. That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call “The Lethal Lynx,” Triumph's first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he’s found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name. Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that’s complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living. Alex Segura uses his expertise as a comics creator as well as his unabashed love of noir fiction to create a truly one-of-a-kind novel--hard-edged and bright-eyed, gritty and dangerous, and utterly absorbing.

The last picked might be earth's last hope in this second volume of a YA graphic trilogy. Aliens have kidnapped most of mankind, leaving behind those they deem unworthy - the 'last picked.' The future for Sam is bleak and unthinkable. A galaxy away from her twin brother, she is a pawn in the aliens' bloody civil war. But with her new friend Mia, Sam has found a way to resist her captors and hold onto her humanity. Back on earth, Sam's twin, Wyatt, is leading a resistance of his own. With a ragtag army of the old, the young, and the disabled, he has a plan that brings the fight to his alien captors. But to defeat the aliens, Wyatt may need to befriend one. In the second volume of the Last Picked trilogy, Jason Walz pairs vivid world-building and fast-paced adventure in a beautiful story of bravery, sacrifice, and sibling devotion.

Ys, an Atlantis-like city from Celtic legend, is the setting of this mythical graphic novel fantasy from National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson. Ys, city of wealth and wonder, has a history of dark secrets. Queen Malgven used magic to raise the great walls that keep Ys safe from the tumultuous sea. But after the queen's inexplicable death, her daughters drift apart. Rozenn, the heir to the throne, spends her time on the moors communing with wild animals, while Dahut, the youngest, enjoys the splendors of royal life and is eager to take part in palace intrigue. When Rozenn and Dahut's bond is irrevocably changed, the fate of Ys is sealed, exposing the monsters that lurk in plain view. M. Anderson and Jo Rioux reimagine this classic Breton folktale of love, loss, and rebirth, revealing the secrets that lie beneath the surface.

From Ronald Wimberly, creator of the viral comic Lighten Up, comes a soaring graphic biography that casts new light on the first African American fighter pilot. On the eve of World War I, Eugene Bullard was one of a small but growing number of African American refugees living in France. At just eleven years old, Bullard had fled the dangers of the Jim Crow South, determined to find a place where a Black man would be treated as a human being. His search took him across the Atlantic and through a myriad of lives as a horse racer, vaudeville performer, and boxer. In 1913, he settled in Paris. In 1914, the Great War began, and Bullard made history as the first African American fighter pilot. In this candid but sensitive graphic memoir, Ronald Wimberly and Brahm Revel capture moments from Eugene Bullard’s life with remarkable empathy, from the muddy trenches to the open sky.

Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. She was destined for heartbreak. Then fate handed her love. Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?