Wendy Martin Bücher

In the captivating first installment of the popular Webtoon series, two young mermen defy their fates and embark on an adventure filled with romance and peril, including exclusive bonus content. Kappa, destined to be the Beacon for sea creatures, faces the burden of fulfilling prophesies that demand self-sacrifice. Despite the fame that comes with his role, he soon realizes that it offers little joy. A magical yellow cord pulls him toward other sea creatures, leading him to the Shark kingdom, where he is imprisoned. The Sharks believe their curse will only be lifted if their prince, Siren, kills the Beacon. However, Siren chooses to defy this fate and helps Kappa escape, revealing that life may hold more than just fulfilling prophesies. Their journey unfolds into a wild adventure as vast and unpredictable as the ocean, intertwined with an unexpected romance. This graphic novel collects Episodes 1-19 of Season 1, along with a never-before-seen bonus chapter featuring Kappa and Siren, showcasing the charm and emotional depth of their story.

Late twentieth and early twenty-first century America has been labeled as "The New Gilded Age," a phrase that embodies the glitz and glamour of one of the wealthiest countries in the world but also suggests the greed, corruption, and inequalities teeming just below the surface. Identifying some of the sparkling moments of humanity interwoven between the moments of crisis, Best of Times, Worst of Times features short stories by such renowned writers as Junot Diaz, George Saunders, Jhumpa Lahiri, Tobias Wolff, and many others, whose distinctive authorial voices lend urgency and a sense of heightened awareness to the modern moment. Commenting on and making sense of what is going on in America today, fractured as it is by two ongoing wars, the aftermath of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, these stories speak to some of the most germane issues confronting America today, from race relations, immigration, and social class to gender issues, Iraq, and imperialism. These expertly culled, emotionally powerful stories provide the perfect mirror with which to examine the real state of the union.