Goon Squad — Jonathan L. Howard

[Young Adult Fiction (Ages 12-17)]

[Narrated by Gabrielle de Cuir, Jim Meskimen, Nicholas Guy Smith and Stefan Ridnicki]

An ongoing, episodic ''prose comic'' from which the pictures are summoned by the magic of words, Goon Squad is set in an alternate version of modern-day Manchester. Its biggest divergence from the real city is that it -- along with most other large urban centers -- has a team of superheroes to protect it against unusual threats with which the conventional forces of law and order would have problems.

Goon Squad: Year One offers three action-packed volumes in a single collection:

Goon Squad, Vol. 1: Special Talents

''The New Girl''
''Nightclubbing''
''By the Water, by the Grave''
''Changes''
''No-No Dojo''
''Exterminating Angel''

Goon Squad, Vol. 2: Without Sin

''A Star in Strange Ways''
''Holy Fool''
''Dead Man Tells Tale''
''A Brief History of the Goon Squad''
''Tale of Terror''
''Pomona Island''

Goon Squad, Vol. 3: Old Enemies

''Life during Wartime''
''Red Wolf, Red Wolf, Does Whatever a Red Wolf Can''
''Shadow of the Vivisector''
''The Man from Switzerland''
''The End of the Year Show''