Darren Davis: Edward Snowden Comic Book

Bluewater Productions has announced plans to release a new comic book biography of fugitive Edward Snowden. Conspiracies. Espionage. UFOs. Hidden History. Secret Societies. The Paranormal. Beyond brings you stories about the secret and suppressed, the stories "They" don't want you to know! Take the Red Pill and join your fearless host Virgil Hall as he takes you far, far down the rabbit hole to Beyond. Edward Snowden has been called a whistleblower, a hero, a traitor, a criminal...but who is he really? In Beyond: Edward Snowden, Bluewater takes a look at the man behind the headlines, searching for what might have motivated him to commit one of the biggest leaks of classified information in U.S. history. Written by Marvel Comics’ Punisher writer Valerie D'Orazio and with art by Dan Lauer, Beyond: Edward Snowden will be released on May 21st and available in both print and digital formats. "It was a great experience working on this project, giving me the chance to stretch my skills both as a storyteller and as an artist," states artist Dan Lauer about the book. "Working with Bluewater on this comic was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring such a fascinating public figure's story to life," said Valerie D'Orazio. "Dan's art really added another dimension to this project and provided a look at a side of Edward Snowden the public has never really seen before. As a writer, I feel really lucky to have found a publisher who was willing to work with me so closely to turn my vision into a reality." The series will continue this fall with Beyond: The Joker, Man Who Laughs which delves into the symbolism and power behind one of pop-culture's most fearsome villains. Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns. Clowns were meant to spread laughter, now they often spread fear. Where did ‘The Clown Curse’ come from and how has its legacy haunted everyone from serial killers to shooter James Holmes to Oscar winner Heath Ledger? Will the last laugh be on us or on them? Print copies of Beyond: Edward Snowden can be ordered exclusively for $3.99 at Comic Flea Market here: http://bit.ly/1qwCASD Beyond: The Joker, Man Who Laughs is available for pre-order now at Comic Flea Market and iTunes. You can download this title on Kindle, iTunes, ComiXology, DriveThru Comics, Google Play, My Digital Comics, Overdrive, Iverse, Biblioboard, ComicBin, Nook, Kobo and wherever eBooks are sold. Bluewater has focused on other political subjects in the past such as Colin Powell, The Tea Party Movement, Hillary Clinton, Bill O'Reilly, Chris Christie, Anderson Cooper, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and more. Bluewater biographical comic books have been featured on CNN, FOX News and in Time Magazine, and People Magazine, as well as many other publication and media outlets.

Robert Greenfield Ain't It Time We Said Goodbye

Although they did not know it then, when the Rolling Stones embarked on their farewell tour of Great Britain in March 1971 after having announced they were about to go into tax exile in the south of France, it was the end of an era. For the Stones, nothing would ever be the same again. For ten days on that tour, the Rolling Stones traveled by train and bus to play two shows a night in many of the same small town halls and theaters where they had begun their career. Performing brand new songs like "Bitch," "Brown Sugar," "Wild Horses," and "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" from their as-yet-unreleased album Sticky Fingers live on stage for the very first time, they also played classics like "Midnight Rambler," "Honky Tonk Women," "Satisfaction," "Street Fighting Man," and Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie" and "Let It Rock." Because only one journalist—Robert Greenfield—was allowed to accompany the Stones on this tour, there has never before been a full-length account of the landmark event that marked the end of the first chapter of the Rolling Stones' extraordinary career. In a larger sense, Ain't It Time We Said Goodbye is the story of two artists on the precipice. For Mick Jagger and Ketih Richards, as well as those who traveled with them, the Rolling Stones' farewell tour of England was the end of the innocence. No laminates. No backstage passes. No security. No sound checks and no rehearsals. Just the Rolling Stones on the road playing rock 'n' roll the way it was truly meant to be seen and heard. Based on Greenfield's first-hand account as well as new interviews with many of the key players, Ain't It Time We Said Goodbye is a vibrant and thrilling look at the way it once was and would never be again in the world according to the Rolling Stones. ABOUT ROBERT GREENFIELD Robert Greenfield, a former Associate Editor of the London bureau of Rolling Stone magazine, is the author of many classic rock books, including STP: A Journey Through America with the Rolling Stones and Exile on Main St.: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones, as well as the definitive biographies of Timothy Leary and Ahmet Ertegun. He is the coauthor, with Bill Graham, of Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out, which won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. An award-winning playwright and novelist, his short fiction has appeared in Esquire, GQ, and Playboy magazines. He lives in California.

Jason Kendall Throwback

Ever Wonder What’s Being Said at Home Plate? How a Team Silently Communicates? What Goes on in the Clubhouse Behind Closed Doors? America’s pastime has always left fans and amateur players alike yearning for the answers to questions about how pros play the game. Jason Kendall is an All-Star catcher who has seen just about everything during his years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. He’s a player’s player, a guy with true grit--a throwback to another time with a unique view on the game that so many love. Reminiscent of such classics as BALL FOUR and MEN AT WORK, Jason Kendall and sportswriter Lee Judge team up to bring you the fan, player, coach, or curious statistician an insider’s view of the game from a player’s perspective. This is a book about pre-game rituals, what to look for when a pitcher warms up between innings, the signs a catcher uses to communicate with the pitcher, and so much more. Some of baseball wisdom you will find inside: * What to look for during batting practice. * The right way to hit a batter. * Who’s a tough guy and who’s just posing. * How to spot a dirty slide. * Why you don’t look at the umpire while you’re arguing. Based on Kendall’s 15 years of professional MLB experience, THROWBACK is an informative, hilarious, and illuminating look into the world of professional baseball—and in a way that no one has ever seen before. ABOUT JASON KENDALL Having played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals, JASON KENDALL can boast three All-Star games. Kendall was known as a fundamentally sound catcher who was very good at blocking pitches and handling a pitching staff, despite a relatively weak throwing arm. At the plate, Kendall was known for his very opened stance and was a contact hitter who tended to "crowd" the plate. He was known to not use batting gloves. He was known as fiercely competitive, and was involved in several bench-clearing brawls. Kendall was also hit by pitches frequently as a result of his batting stance; he was hit 254 times, good for fifth all time. In addition to being a target for being hit by pitches, Kendall was also a stolen-base threat. His 189 stolen bases are second all-time in MLB history in the modern era (1901 and later) to Roger Bresnahan for stolen bases by a player primarily playing catcher for his career. Kendall's plate discipline and rare speed at the catcher position also enabled him to be used as a leadoff batter. Kendall started the game batting leadoff in 438 of his 2,085 games played, including 119 of his 147 games in 2004 and 90 of his 143 games in 2006 No other major-league catcher in the modern era of baseball has ever batted the majority of his team's games in the leadoff spot in any season.

Blake Harris Console Wars

Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars—a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry. In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo. The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and schoolyards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the US against Japan. Based on over two hundred interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the underdog tale of how Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punchline into a market leader. It’s the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, birth a $60 billion dollar industry. ABOUT THE UPCOMING MOVIE CONSOLE WARS (FROM wIRED.COM) In the 1990s, an arms race kicked off in the living room between videogame makers Sega and Nintendo. From the Sega Master System to the DreamCast, from the Nintendo Entertainment System to Nintendo 64, the fight for which company could boast the best graphics and games — and move the most units — raged between them as they angled for market share. (And shed a tear for anyone who tried to elbow their way in — sorry TurboGrafx 16). And now that story is booting up to the big screen. Scott Rudin will produce an adaptation of the book "Console Wars" by Blake J. Harris with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to write and direct. The pair are a pretty spot on choice for this gig; not only do they have the right geek credentials, they were coming of age right at the time of the Sega/Nintendo showdown which should give them a solid insight on everything that went down. ABOUT BLAKE HARRIS Blake J. Harris is a writer and filmmaker based out of New York. He is currently co-directing the documentary based on his book, which is being produced by Scott Rudin, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg. He will also serve as an executive producer on Sony's feature-film adaptation of Console Wars.

Willie Randolph The Yankee Way

"I don’t know if it is possible to love something too much, and maybe some people could say that my intensity and passion were responsible for both the highs and lows I experienced in each of my roles in the game. I will say this: I’d rather be hanged for my errors of commission than my errors of omission. Put another way, I’d rather lose because I cared too much than because I didn’t care enough." – Willie Randolph It Books is thrilled to publish former Yankee 2nd baseman Willie Randolph’s THE YANKEE WAY: Playing, Coaching, and My Life in Baseball (It Books; Hardcover; May 2014; ISBN 9780061450778; $26.99). Filled with sixteen pages of black-and-white photos, Randolph’s long awaited memoir is a thoughtful, fascinating look at the storied career of one of New York City’s own. For over 30 years, the six-time all-star has been a part of Yankee lore, and few people have come to know the breadth of personalities as he has. A rare figure who not only was a player but also member of their coaching staff, Willie had the best seat in the house to three generations worth of Yankee greats including the most wild, colorful team in history—the 1977-78 Bronx Zoo. THE YANKEE WAY is a story from beyond the headlines told by a man who lived through it all. After a brief stop in Pittsburgh, Randolph was signed at 21 years old to a franchise right in his backyard.the New York Yankees. He quickly established himself as a fixture on the fabled Bronx Zoo teams of the late 1970s, playing with the likes of Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson, and winning two World Series championships under the cantankerous eye of legendary manager Billy Martin. Randolph continued with the team during the 1980s, sharing the spotlight with Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield, and earning himself the co-Captain spot in 1986. In the 1990s, he returned as a third base coach, beginning an eleven-year stint with the team during their incredible run of success under manager Joe Torre, while mentoring the next generation of Yankee stars including the Core Four. Though Randolph is a Yankee, he is first and foremost a true New York City talent. Raised in the mean streets of Brooklyn, Randolph tells a story that could only happen in the Big Apple, describing his rise from the projects to the house that Ruth built. Touching upon the importance of a supportive family, he discusses his triumphs and struggles on the field and in the dugout, in addition to traveling across the bridge to become the first African American to manage a New York baseball team. Detailing his time in pinstripes on and off the field—with players like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neil, Bernie Williams, of course, The Boss himself—THE YANKEE WAY is a firsthand insight into some of the best players to ever play the game and the greatest teams ever to call the Bronx their home. There are very few, if any, who can lay claim to “The Quintessential New York Athlete” title as Willie Randolph can. And if being a true New Yorker is part of what defines Willie…being a true Yankee does so equally. Randolph weaves an exhilarating journey from his early boyhood days to life today. What emerges is a moving portrait of a legendary team, a unique city, and a remarkable man. THE YANKEE WAY includes: REFLECTIONS ON A STORIED CAREER. Willie shares his thoughts on his major milestones including: • Playing in Brooklyn’s Parade Grounds, and following in the footsteps of Sandy Koufax, Joe Torre and other Brooklyn greats • Signing his first MLB contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates • The trade to the Yankees in 1975 • Winning the World Series with the 1977-78 Bronx Zoo teams • Appointed Yankee Captain with Ron Guidry in 1986 • His return to the Yankees in 1994 as third base coach • Becoming the first African American manager in New York baseball history in 2005 THE ADRENALINE OF GAMETIME: Randolph analyzes some of the most action-packed games in his time playing, revealing all the high-risk decision-making, and the intensity of some of baseball’s most historic moments including the 2000 Subway World Series, Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS (the Pedro Martinez & Don Zimmer brawl) and, of course, the moment the pop-fly bunt settled into Mike Torrez’s glove in 1977 to end the years of frustration Yankee players and fans had experienced. FABLED STORIES FROM THE DUGOUT: Playing with the Bronx Zoo teams, his friendship with Munson and the impact of his tragic death, the much-hyped tension between Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin in 1977, meeting Don Mattingly for the first time during spring training in 1980, being a part of drought-breaking World Series victories as both player and coach, cheering Jeter on as he broke Lou Gehrig’s franchise hit record, and even heckling “Captain Clutch” from the sidelines at Yankee Stadium are just some of the highlights. PERSONAL LOOKS AT SOME OF THE MOST FAMOUS NAMES IN BASEBALL including: Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Ron Guidry, Dave Winfield, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neil, Bernie Williams, and The Boss, the incomparable George Steinbrenner. MAKING THE TOUGH CALLS: Randolph compares and contrasts players from his days playing and coaching to reveal his top picks from the left to the right, including stats that make for an interesting discussion. PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT, LOYALTY AND LEADERSHIP LESSONS: Each aspect of Randolph’s long career is applicable not just to baseball, but to life as well. Through his belief in cultivating personal relationships with every member of the team combined with his loyalty to the Yankees and the game, Randolph’s humility offers life lessons for leaders of all kinds. FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS, REGARDLESS OF TEAM AFFILIATION: A living legend in the game, Randolph has written a book for baseball fans of all stripes. He is widely admired and respected by the MLB establishment and fans. WILLIE RANDOLPH BIO Willie Randolph grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he was a star athlete. Upon graduating from high school, Randolph was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1972. By December of 1975, he was traded to the Yankees, where he would spend 13 of his 18 seasons as a player. During his time with the Yankees, Randolph was their starting second baseman on the 1977 and 1978 World Series Championship teams. He also served as co-captain of the Yankees with Ron Guidry from 1986-1988. In 1989, Randolph left the Yankees and moved quickly between teams until he retired in 1992. Randolph went on to base and bench coach the Yankees for 11 seasons. In 2005, Randolph became the Mets manager, despite never having managed a team before. In his first two seasons with the Mets, Randolph became the first manager in major league history to improve his team’s record by at least 12 games in each season. He went on to become the bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2009-2010 season, and the bench coach, and later the third-base coach, for the Baltimore Orioles in 2011. In 2013, he was the third-base coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Randolph currently lives in Franklin Lakes with his wife, Gretchen and enjoys spending time with his four children.

Tracey Davis

Sammy Davis Jr. was at the height of his stardom in 1961 when he and close friend Frank Sinatra campaigned to elect President John F. Kennedy, but after Davis married Swedish actress May Britt, Kennedy refused to let him perform at his inauguration, Davis' daughter claims in a new book. The entertainer's daughter with Britt, Tracey Davis, reveals the Kennedy snub and more in her new book, "Sammy Davis Jr.: A Personal History with My Father," based on conversations with her father in his final months before he died in 1990. The book details how Davis overcame racism and bigotry to sing, dance and act his way to the top of a career that spanned six decades and included 40 albums, seven Broadway shows, 23 films and countless nightclub and concert performances. Talent Shielded Davis from Bigotry At the tender age of 3, Davis joined his father Sammy Davis, Sr., and Will Mastin to perform on the vaudeville stage as the Will Mastin Trio. His father put him in black face and claimed he was a 44-year-old dwarf known as Silent Sam, because it was illegal for performers under 16 to be on stage. Because of their skin color, they were forced to stay in colored boarding houses while on the road, but Davis' father told him they did that because other people were jealous of their act. "Somehow in my naive sheltered world, I believed it," Davis said in the book. "All I knew was when the Will Mastin Trio got onstage, people laughed, clapped, were entertained. Talent earned us respect." Added Davis, "Talent was my only weapon." How Davis Survived Racism in the Army While in the Army, the 17-year-old, 5-foot-6, 120-pound entertainer was repeatedly beaten and humiliated by the white soldiers in his unit until a sergeant named Williams taught him how to use his talent and not his fists to fight racial ignorance. "Sergeant Williams was my savior," Davis said in the book. "I owe him my life. He tempered all the humiliation I felt from my unit. He distracted me from all my rage, all my anger. I wouldn't have survived the army without him." Davis' daughter writes that Williams taught the entertainer, who had never attended school, how to read and write. "With all the racial tension I endured, I never turned around and hated right back," Davis said in the book. "There was always some white guy like Sergeant Williams or Frank Sinatra, who helped me back up." The Davis and Sinatra Friendship Davis and Sinatra became friends from the moment they met in 1941 at the Michigan Theatre in Detroit when the Will Mastin Trio stepped in as an opening act for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Sinatra. The star's daughter wrote that the two bonded over a sandwich between shows. "Nobody but Frank Sinatra could have put Sammy Davis where he was," Davis said in the book. "Sinatra, first of all was never a racist kind of guy. He cared about everybody being equal. When Frank said, 'This guy's great," they all paid attention." Kennedy Snubs Davis But not even Sinatra's friendship could get Davis into Kennedy's inauguration. When Davis married the glamorous blonde Swedish actress, Britt, in 1960, it not only made headlines, it inspired death threats and demonstrations and forced Davis to hire 24-hour armed guards. Though Davis had campaigned tirelessly, alongside Sinatra, to get Kennedy elected, his daughter wrote that after his interracial marriage, which at the time was forbidden by law in 31 states, her father's name was dropped from the list of entertainers at the president's inaugural party hosted by Sinatra. Britt and Davis would split seven years later. Though their daughter says she was the love of his life, Davis couldn't give up chasing stardom and was hardly ever home. How Davis Lost an Eye and Became a Jew In 1953, Davis struck up a friendship with comedian and host Eddie Cantor, who gave him a mezuzah. But instead of putting it by his door, as a traditional blessing, Davis would wear it around his neck as a good luck charm. The only time he forgot it, one night in 1954, he crashed his car on a way to a gig in California. Davis' face hit the steering wheel, fracturing the bones in his face and leaving his left eye dangling from his socket. He was forced to get an artificial eye and learn how to find his balance on stage again. After much soul-searching about his life up to that point, he decided to convert to Judaism. Later he would joke about being the only "black, Puerto Rican, one-eyed Jewish entertainer" in the world. MORE ON TRACEY DAVIS AND SAMMY DAVIS JR Nicknamed Mr. Show Business, Sammy Davis Jr. was a consummate performer who sang, danced, and acted on film, television, radio, and the stage for over six decades. In this uniquely intimate volume, the entertainment legend's story comes to life through rare family photos and a compelling narrative based on conversations between Sammy Davis Jr. and his daughter, Tracey Davis. The story of a future superstar unfolds beginning with his bittersweet childhood days, raised primarily by his grandmother in Harlem. On the stage by age three, he first became a star in vaudeville with the Will Mastin Trio. Davis was already an up-and-coming performer by the time he was recruited into the Army during World War II. As Tracey Davis candidly relates, it was there that her father first learned to use his talent-singing and dancing-as a weapon against racial bigotry. Davis's career took off in the 1940s through his sheer determination, talent, and the support of friends like Frank Sinatra. With tenderness and humor Tracey describes her father's friendship with Sinatra, and how he stood by him when Davis married Tracey's Swedish actress mother. In a time when interracial marriages were forbidden by law in thirty-one states, both bride and groom endured an onslaught of negative press and even death threats. Complete with rare personal and professional photos, Sammy Davis Jr. recounts Davis's adventures through the Rat Pack era, and the extraordinary obstacles he overcame to become a 5'6", 120-pound legend who across six decades packed in more than forty albums, seven Broadway shows, twenty-three films, and countless nightclub and concert performances. What emerges from the pages of this loving, but utterly frankly written book, is a uniquely personal perspective on one of the greatest pop culture icons of the twentieth century.

Adam Carolla President Me

Imagine a world where New York Times bestselling author, comedian, actor, television, and podcast host Adam Carolla is the President of the United States. Can’t do it? You don’t have to! Adam has done it for you! Podcast king Adam Carolla first shared his unique, but always funny world view in his New York Times bestseller In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks—but he’s not done. In President Me, Carolla shares his vision for a different, better America free from big issues like big government down to small problems like hotel alarm clock placement. Running on an anti-narcissism platform, President Carolla calls for a return to the values of an earlier time when stew and casserole were on every dinner table and there were no “service dogs” on airplanes. President Me hits right at the heart of what makes our country really annoying, and offers a plan to make all of our lives, but mostly Adam’s, much better.