The villain's journey is rare in popular culture--most characters are fully-formed tyrants with little to no story arc. However, a few particularly epic series take the time to develop complex villains, including Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Babylon 5, Game of Thrones, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Increasingly, villains' origin stories have found new popularity through films like Wicked, Maleficent, and Despicable Me, alongside shows starring serial killers and Machiavellian schemers. This book examines the villain's decline and subsequent struggle toward redemption, asking why these characters are willing to cross moral lines that "good" characters are not. The first half follows characters like Loki, Jessica Jones and Killmonger through the villain's journey: an inverse or twisted version of scholar Joseph Cambell's hero's journey. The remainder of this book examines the many different villainous archetypes such as the trickster, the outcast, the tyrant, or the misunderstood hero in greater detail. Written for writers, creators, fans, and mythologists, this book offers a peek into the minds of some of fiction's greatest villains.

The Writer's Journey is an insider's guide to how master storytellers from Hitchcock to Spielberg have used mythic structure to create powerful stories. This new edition includes analyses of latest releases such as The Full Monty.

The Justice League is the greatest force for good the world has ever seen. But not everyone sees them that way. Their never-ending battle against evil results in casualties beyond its super-powered, costumed combatants. The League's attempts to safeguard innocent lives cannot save everybody. Unbeknownst to Earth's greatest champions, their greatest triumph may contain the seeds of their greatest defeat. For heroes are not the only people who face tragedy and are reborn as something greater than they were before. Villains can take this journey, too. And once they start out on this dark path, the road could lead straight to the destruction of the Justice League.... The New York Times bestselling team of Geoff Johns (Green Lantern) and Jim Lee (Batman: Hush) are joined by artists Gene Ha (Top 10) and Carlos D'Anda (Deathblow) for JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 2: THE VILLAIN'S JOURNEY, collecting issues #7-12 of the series. Can the world's greatest super heroes survive a voyage deep into the heart of darkness? It all ends with one of the most shocking ... and surprising moments in DC history!

Joseph Campbell, arguably the greatest mythologist of our time, was certainly one of our greatest storytellers.

“[Brennan] is making a name for herself by producing not only memorable heroes but also unforgettable villains.”—Romantic Times Book Reviews Fear never dies Theodore Glenn loves to inflict pain . . . both on his victims and on those who later find the mutilated corpses. At his trial seven years ago, Glenn vowed vengeance on Detective Will Hooper, the cop who nabbed him, and beautiful Robin McKenna, the stripper whose testimony put him behind bars. When a catastrophic disaster sets Glenn free, he blazes a freshly bloodied path across San Diego County. But the death he craves most is Robin McKenna’s. Putting aside their past troubled relationship, Will rushes to protect Robin, now a savvy businesswoman operating an upscale club. As the killings mount and Glenn proves a master manipulator, Robin and Will become snared in a twisted web of horror. But the shocking truth is even worse: The evil they are to face is even deadlier than they fear.

WHAT IS THE STORY GRID? The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It's like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what's not. The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult). The Story Grid is a tool with many applications: 1. It will tell a writer if a Story ?works? or ?doesn't work. 2. It pinpoints story problems but does not emotionally abuse the writer, revealing exactly where a Story (not the person creating the Story'the Story) has failed. 3. It will tell the writer the specific work necessary to fix that Story's problems. 4. It is a tool to re-envision and resuscitate a seemingly irredeemable pile of paper stuck in an attic drawer. 5. It is a tool that can inspire an original creation.

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan weaves the intimate, unputdownable story of an investigator confronting the most important--and most dangerous--mystery of her career. Investigative reporter Max Revere has cracked many cases, but the one investigation she's never attempted is the mystery from her own past. Her mother abandoned her when she was nine, sending her periodic postcards, but never returning to reclaim her daughter. Seven years after the postcards stop coming, Martha Revere is declared legally dead, with no sign of what may have happened to her. Until now. With a single clue—that her mother’s car disappeared sixteen years ago in a small town on the Chesapeake Bay—Max drops everything to finally seek the truth. As Max investigates, and her mother's story unfolds, she realizes that Martha teamed up with a con man. They traveled the world living off Martha’s trust and money they conned from others. Though no one claims to know anything about Martha or her disappearance, Max suspects more than one person is lying. When she learns the FBI has an active investigation into the con man, Max knows she’s on the right path. But as Max digs into the dark secrets of this idyllic community, the only thing she might find is the same violent end as her mother.

Voytilla takes the mythic structure developed by Christopher Vogler in "The Writer's Journey" and applies this idea to 50 classic motion pictures. 100 original carts with mythic icons.

Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, Rick in Casablanca--why do we perceive certain people as heroes? What qualities do we see in them? What must they do to win our admiration? In Heroes, Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals offer a stimulating tour of the psychology of heroism, shedding light on what heroism and villainy mean to most people and why heroes--both real people and fictional characters--are so vital to our lives. The book discusses a broad range of heroes, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino, Senator Ted Kennedy, and explorer Ernest Shackleton, plus villains such as Shakespeare's Iago. The authors highlight the Great Eight traits of heroes (smart, strong, selfless, caring, charismatic, resilient, reliable, and inspiring) and outline the mental models that we have of how people become heroes, from the underdog who defies great odds (David vs. Goliath) to the heroes who redeem themselves or who overcome adversity. Brimming with psychological insight, Heroes provides an illuminating look at heroes--and into our own minds as well.

Phil Grey has always been a kid with special talents and his family has always maintained their privacy. But after moving to a new neighborhood and leaving his old friends behind Phil meets other kids with similar talents and he is prompted to unveil his secrets to them. Together the children discover a connection between their families and a history that is linked to a bitter enemy who is determined to destroy Phil's family. In contrast to the enemy the children meet an ally who endows them with powerful tools and vows to help them defeat the rising foe. With his newfound comrades Phil begins a journey that takes him away from his home and on a path of self-discovery. While the enemy becomes stronger Phil realizes that he must protect his city and his loved ones from danger, and he finds a bravery he never knew. Now having the new ally as a mentor Phil begins to realize his fullest potential and the ultimate power of friendship.