Synopses & Reviews
The Watchman didnt arrive in a Batmobile but drove a tan, four-door Pontiac. He was in costume, of course—a trench coat, motorcycle gloves, army boots, a domino mask, and a red hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with a W logo. Journalist Tea Krulos had spoken to him over the phone but never face-to-mask. By the end of the interview, he wasnt sure if the Watchman was delightfully eccentric or completely crazy. But he was going to find out.
Heroes in the Night traces Kruloss journey into the strange subculture of Real Life Superheroes, random citizens who have adopted comic book-style personas and hit the streets to fight injustice. Some concentrate on humanitarian or activist missions—helping the homeless, gathering donations for food banks, or delivering toys to children—while others actively patrol their neighborhoods looking for crime to fight. By day, these modern Clark Kents work as dishwashers, pencil pushers, and executives in Fortune 500 companies. But by night, only the Shadow knows.
Well, the Shadow and Tea Krulos. Through historical research, extensive interviews, and many long hours walking patrol in Brooklyn, Seattle, San Diego, Minneapolis, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Krulos discovered what being a RLSH is all about. He shares not only their shining, triumphant moments but some of their ill-advised, terrifying disasters as well. Its all part of the life of a superhero. As the Watchman explains, “If everyone made little changes in what they did, gave a little more to charity, watched out for their neighbors, we wouldnt have the problems that we have.”
Review
A "colorful new page-turner." —Milwaukee AV Club
Review
"It probably would have been easy for Krulos to make fun of these people, but, for the most part, he treats RLSH with respect because, if you factor out the comicbookish elements, these are men and women who are risking their own safety to make others feel a bit safer. And its hard to make fun of that."—Booklist
Review
“Tea Krulos's Monster Hunters is not your average 'seen-it-all-before' study of Sasquatch, aliens, and creepy critters. It's an eye-opening, witty, and insightful look at the people who have dedicated their lives to solving some of the world's biggest mysteries. In many ways, the characters Krulos crosses paths with are as unique and fascinating as the 'things' they seek!” —Nick Redfern, author of Monster Diary and Monster Files
Review
“Everyone has their own idea of what a ghost or Bigfoot may look like, but what about those that dedicate themselves to the pursuit of these stories? Krulos strikes out in the dark, expertly shining a flashlight not on legends or creatures of folklore, but on the very human individuals who seek their own personal truths.” —Aaron Sagers, Travel Channel host, ParanormalPopCulture.com founder, Blastr.com editor-at-large
Review
“[H]is approach seems to be not that these are wacky people with weird beliefs, but that these are ordinary people with beliefs most of us don’t understand—all of which adds up to an informative book for skeptics and believers alike.” —Booklist
Review
“This work is bound to be fascinating to those already interested in these fields and even to readers who are seeking an easy way to learn about people who work in these specialized areas." —Library Journal
Synopsis
Tracing the author's journey into the strange subculture of Real Life Superheroes (RLSHs), this book examines citizens who have adopted comic book-style personas and have hit the streets to fight injustice in a variety of ways. Some RLSHs concentrate on humanitarian or activist missions—helping the homeless, gathering donations for food banks, or delivering toys to children—while others actively patrol their neighborhoods looking for crime to fight. By day, these modern Clark Kents work as dishwashers, pencil pushers, and executives in Fortune 500 companies, but by night they become heroes for the people. Through historic research and extensive interviews, this work shares not only their shining, triumphant moments, but also some of their ill-advised, terrifying disasters.
Synopsis
Do ghosts exist? What about the Bigfoot, or Skinwalkers? And how will we ever know? Journalist Tea Krulos spent over a year traveling nationwide to meet individuals who have made it their life’s passion to hunt down evidence of entities that they believe exist, but that others might shrug off as nothing more than myths, fairytales, or overactive imaginations.
Follow along with Krulos as he joins these believers in the field, exploring haunted houses, trekking through creepy forests, and scanning skies and lakes as they collect data on the unknown—poltergeists, Chupacabras, Skunk Apes (Bigfoot’s stinky cousins), and West Virginia’s Mothman. Along the way, he meets a diverse cast of characters—true believers, skeptics, and hoaxers—from the credible to the quirky. And in the end, Krulos leaves it to the reader to decide: are these people tilting at supernatural windmills, or are they onto something?
About the Author
Tea Krulos is a freelance journalist and the author of Heroes in the Night and the blog of the same name. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.