Video: Super-Hero-Bowl!

Ever wanted to see all your favourite superheroes battle it out to see who's the best? Toon Sandwich (part of ArtSpear Entertainment) has you covered.



Part 2, the Super-Villain-Bowl, is also fantastic.

Shout-Out: All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault by James Alan Gardner

Monsters are real.
But so are heroes.

Sparks are champions of weird science. Boasting capes and costumes and amazing super-powers that only make sense if you don't think about them too hard, they fight an eternal battle for truth and justice . . . mostly.

Darklings are creatures of myth and magic: ghosts, vampires, were-beasts, and the like. Their very presence warps reality. Doors creak at their approach. Cobwebs gather where they linger.

Kim Lam is an ordinary college student until a freak scientific accident (what else?) transforms Kim and three housemates into Sparks-and drafts them into the never-ending war between the Light and Dark. They struggle to master their new abilities-and (of course) to design cool costumes and come up with great hero-names.

Turns out that "accident" was just the first salvo in a Mad Genius's latest diabolical scheme. Now it's up to four newbie heroes to save the day, before they even have a chance to figure out what their team's name should be!

Alter Ego: Comics and Canadian Identity

A few weeks back when I was in Toronto for the Kameron Hurley signing, I went to the Toronto Reference Library to do some research. The library currently has an exhibit on called Alter Ego: Comics and Canadian Identity, ending July 29. It's a fairly small exhibit and only took me a half hour or so to go through, but it's got some cool display pieces, like the bone and adamantium claw props used for the X-Men's Wolverine in the standalone Wolverine movies.

Some of the comics/characters on display I'd heard of (Scott Pilgrim, Captain Canuck), others I hadn't.

And while you're there, I recently discovered that there's an Arthur Conan Doyle room on the 5th floor.

Graphic Novel Review: Leaving Megalopolis by Gail Simone and J. Calafiore

Pros: great story, multi-racial cast, beautiful artwork

Cons: some gory scenes

A group of civilians tries to leave Megalopolis, The Safest City Anywhere, after the heroes who once protected the city begin killing everyone.

I bought this comic as part of a kickstarter campaign.  Its production was delayed due to illness and an extension of the story, so I only got it recently.  It was worth the wait.

Megalopolis is a cosmopolitan city, so the characters in the book are from varied backgrounds.  Mina, the caustic ‘leader’, had a traumatic childhood, seen in flashbacks, that makes it hard for her to care for anyone other than herself.  Yet she forms a group that hopes to make it out of Megalopolis to safety. 

The comic is filled with harsh realities, some swearing and the aftermath of horrific acts.  However, there’s also something amazing in the idea that humans - under the worst circumstances - can become heroes in their own right.  The characters constantly try to pass off responsibility - for their lives, for their safety - to others, only to have it made perfectly clear that if a hero’s coming, they’ll have to play that role.

The story expects you to piece together what’s happening and works perfectly for an apocalyptic premise.  I really liked the realism of the artwork and the fact that some of the more gruesome acts were hinted at rather than shown. 

It’s a pretty brutal story but a great start to a series.

Superpowers Reading List

A few years ago I did a Superheroes Reading List, with some literary and SF books.  Since books featuring people with superpowers, not just heroes in capes, have become very popular lately, consider this a revamp of that previous list (though I didn't add the books I've listed previously).  For ebooks, I've only added Carina's, because I happened to be on their site doing my 'upcoming books' post and noticed them, and Stephen Henning's A Class Apart, because I've read it and therefore know about it. Generally searching for ebooks is tough and I haven't figured out a good way of doing it yet, especially since there are so many platforms where ebooks can be published.

As with my other lists, this isn't meant to be comprehensive.  It's just to suggest books you might not have heard of.  Having said that, feel free to leave titles and authors in the comments of books you'd like to see added.

Masked - Lou Anders, Ed.

Only Superhuman - Christopher Bennett
Broken - Susan James Bigelow

Seven Wonders, Empire State - Adam Christopher

Shadow Ops: Control Point - Myke Cole

Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman

The Damned Busters, Costume Not Included - Matthew Hughes

Firestarter - Stephen King

A Once Crowded Sky - Tom King

Wild Cards, Fort Freak, Aces High - George R. R. Martin, Ed.

Trance, Changeling - Kelly Meding

Crossfire - Miyuki Miyabe

Heroics - Brian Moll, Ed.

Watchmen - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

Blaze of Glory - Sheryl Nantus

The Rook - Daniel O'Malley

Mind Storm, Terminal Point - K. M. Ruiz

Prepare to Die! - Paul Tobin

After the Golden Age - Carrie Vaughn

Ebooks

The Superheroes Union: Dynama - Ruth Dias

How to Date a Henchman - Mari Fee 

A Class Apart - Stephen Henning 

Yesterdays Heroes - Heather Long

* And as with my other lists, this list was the basis for an endcap currently on display at the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto, Canada.  Adam Christopher is one of my interviewees for the month, so his books are displayed with his interview at the top.

Webseries: The Collectibles

Because superheros are VERY hot right now (note to self, update my superhero reading list), there's another parody webseries, The Collectibles.  This one has the super team run by a corporation, where management shake-ups are considered the way to revamp a team and your worth is as much due to your action figure sales as it is your superhero ability.

Best of all, the entire first season is done and available for viewing (NSFW).

And to get you started, here's the pilot:

Book Review: After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

Pros: interesting take on the superhero lifestyle, protagonist has a fascinating back story and bitter streak, quick read

Cons: climax was a let down, predictable

Celia West is the daughter of two of Commerce City's quartet of superpowered defenders, Captain Olympus and Spark.  Having grown up a disappointment to them, her only power is being kidnapped by every two-bit criminal who wants to avoid her parents' interference in their affairs.  Starting with Simon Sito, the Destructor, the man who exposed her parents' secret identities.

Sito is now on trial for crimes against the city and Celia's on the prosecution's team, digging up accounting records that can help put him away for good.  But the trial brings up a youthful indiscretion that proves you can't escape your past and no amount of clean living can erase a stupid decision - if your parents are famous enough.

This is a fun novel if you're a fan of comic books.  The West Plaza and 4 member team reminding me a lot of the Fantastic Four (but only in a general way).

Celia's a sympathetic protagonist.  While everyone she meets is in awe of her parents and can't understand why she's at odds with them, through the plot and flashbacks it's easy to see where she's coming from.  She's bitter about a lot of things and comes off snarky at times, while trying to stay out from under her parents' shadows.  And she makes for a mostly intelligent hostage.

My only complaint is that there weren't many twists to the story.  The main bad guy's pretty easy to figure out (to the point that I started second guessing myself thinking it couldn't be that easy).  The climax was a bit of a let down, though the denouement made up for it.

It's a fun romp and a quick read.

Superheroes Reading List

This list doesn't try to include all books written about superheroes, it's trying to bring to attention several books normally overlooked that are about superheroes. Namely, books shelved in places other than science fiction - at least in my store. To pad it out (as there aren't that many) I have added a few more popular titles. And don't forget - if you're looking for superheroes and you don't want to read the comics/graphic novels, there are quite a few superhero novelizations (both for movies and for the comics, of which some are listed here).

Books are listed in no particular order.

Superpowers - David Schwartz
Hero - Perry Moore
All My Friends are Superheroes - Andrew Kaufman
Those Who Walk in Darkness, What Fire Cannot Burn - John Ridley
It's Superman - Tom DeHaven
Toxic Avenger - Lloyd Kaufman
The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon
Who Can Save Us Now - Owen King and John McNally, Ed.
The Last Days of Krypton - Kevin J. Anderson
Heroes: Saving Charlie - Aury Wallington
Batman Begins - Dennis O'Neil
Batman: Dark Knight - Dennis O'Neil
Batman: No Man's Land - Greg Rucka
Batman: Fear Itself - Michael Reaves
Batman: Gothic Knight - Louise Simonson
Constantine Hellblazer: Subterranean - John Shirley
Constantine Hellblazer: War Lord - John Shirley
DC Universe: Lost Sons - Alan Grant
DC Universe: Time of Trial - Jeff Mariotte
Fantastic Four: What Lies Between - Peter David
Fantastic Four: Doomgate - Jeffrey Lang
Hellboy - Yvonne Navarro
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Robert Greenberger
Incredible Hulk - Peter David
Iron Man - Peter David
JLA: Green Lantern: Heroe's Quest - Dennis O'Neil
JLA: Flash: Stop Motion - Mark Schultz
JLA: Exterminators - Christopher Golden
JLA: Superman: The Never-Ending Battle - Roger Stern
JLA: Wonder Woman: Mythos - Carol Lay
Spiderman: Darkest Hours - Jim Butcher
Spiderman: Down These Mean Streets - Keith Decandido
Wolverine: Weapon X - Marc Cerasini
Wolverine: Election Day - Peter David
X-Men: The Return - Chris Roberson
X-Men - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Star Trek the Next Generation & the X-Men: Planet X - Michael Friedman

* I've created a newer list (2012), with all new books that you can find here.