Since the beginning of human history people have created myths, tall tales, and super- and anti-heroes. They've told stories of men and women who embarked on intrepid adventures, performed extraordinary feats of unparalleled awesomeness, and overcame all odds to violently smite their foes. In "Badass: The Birth of a Legend", Ben Thompson compiles all of these fantastical tales from the beginning of time to today and tells them in the completely over-the-top manner in which they were intended. Whether it's Michael, the Archangel who defeated Satan, or the super-punching villain, Ivan Drago, whose epic battle with Rocky Balboa was immortalized on the silver screen, these timeless legends are so totally insane they'll blow your hair to the back of the auditorium and leave you wondering what the heck just happened.
This title includes profiles such as: Rama (half-god warrior who rescued his wife by killing a giant monster); Samson (Biblical strongman); Beowulf (hero who slaughtered Grendel and his mother); Bradamante (medieval Italian warrior princess); Dirty Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood's iconic tough-guy cop); The Joker (crazy evil psychotic clown who torments Gotham City); Moby Dick (carnivorous white whale who kills all who attempt to hunt him down); Frankenstein's Monster (heartless serial killer who dedicates his life to annihilating his creator); and, the Predator (badass movie monster equipped with awesome sci-fi hardware).

Badass

by Ben Thompson

Published 27 October 2009
Bringing historical events to life with its laugh-out-loud stories and striking illustrations, "Badass" chronicles the asskicking age of antiquity to the fearless modern era in chapters that include the stories of: Ramses II - the greatest of the Egyptian Pharaohs, who once said look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair; Alexander the Great - Macedonian King who conquered the entire known world before his 33rd birthday; Blackbeard - the most feared cutthroat to ever sail the Caribbean; and, Bhanbhagta Gurung - Gurkha soldier who cleared out six enemy positions with grenades, a knife, and a healthy disregard for his own safety. From Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan to Bruce Lee and George S. Patton, this relentless onslaught of badassitude is the perfect addition to the canon of manliness that includes "The Truth About Chuck Norris" and "The Alphabet of Manliness".

Ultimate Deathmatch

by Ben Thompson

Published 12 March 2013
This ain't no table tennis. You're not here to skip rope with your niece. You're here to witness the catastrophically awesome exploits of history's greatest badasses. Not only that, you're here to see what happens when badasses collide, when glory and doom hang in the balance, when two men enter one man leave. If you dare listen, you'll hear the stories of Cyrus the Great, who forges the Persian empire with blood, steel, and a few thousand rampaging camels. St. Moses the Black, the Patron Saint of Asskickings, who teaches bandit thugs a lesson in turning the other cheek. The War of Aracau, when the Spanish invaders sawed off the hands of a Mapuche warrior, the Mapuche Warrior strapped blades to his arms and lead the only successful resistance in all of South America. The Rani of Jhansi, oppressed by the British, one Indian warrior-princess rises in revolt, taking on the British crown with a sword in each hand and her baby strapped to her back. The Charge of the Australian Light Horse, when 800 horsemen armed with bayonets embark on the last great cavalry charge in history, rushing toward trenches filled with machine guns, rifles, and huge bullets!
Tango Mike-Mike, one lone Green Beret's attempt to single-handedly rescue an entire Special Forces squad from a pinned-down position deep behind enemy lines in Cambodia. Told in Ben Thompson's hilariously over-the-top prose and accompanied with forty pieces of eye-popping, original artwork, these stories will thrill and inspire readers to grind their enemies into the dust. When there can be only one Badass, it's an "Ultimate Deathmatch".