Can a book about superheroes appeal to someone who doesn’t read comic books? Certainly superhero movies reach a much larger audience then their comic book equivalents. Lou Anders, who specializes in collections of sorcery, alternative history and science fiction, has turned his attention to Masked, an assemblage of original super heroes’ stories written by some well established comic book writers and graphic novelists.
{WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!}
The first story of the collection opens with a misunderstood, cannibalistic super hero, admittedly maybe not the best way to start. However, the joy of an anthology is there more than one story and more than one opportunity to find your favorites. There are reluctant heroes, supervillians and revenge seekers to choose from in Masked.
A couple of stories into the anthology and the reader will find Secret Identity by Paul Cornell, it is about more than a costumed superhero saving the day, it is a metaphor for the closeted world of gays. Can a superhero be him/herself without donning a mask? How does it feel to hide a part of yourself from the world? Secret Identity explores these questions with surprising depth and is a gem in this collection.
Later, Chris Robertson treats us to a classic pulp tale in Knight of Ghosts and Shadows, where a vigilant protector of city not unlike LA in the 1930’s grieves for his lost mentor and recognizes an opportunity to pass the torch to the next generation. Explore the world of a teenage black belt or a manipulated bully.
Other than crazy costumes and sometimes crazier powers, these stories have another common thread; each superhero must balance their responsibilities to the human race with their responsibilities to themselves. Comic book legend Stan Lee once wrote in Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. And this has been increasingly explored by graphic novelists and super hero geared filmmakers of the last decade.
The struggle is not only the good guy vs. the bad guy, but the inner turmoil that special powers bring, Masked clearly shows these powers as burdens and how they may avenge evils, but can easily destroy the souls of the good that wield them.
Masked highlights some very creative minds, and whether you like every story or not, you will be amazed by the collective imagination of these writers.
Also, the Boston Book Bums continues its special Masked giveaway. Pop on over to last week’s post for the 411 on how to win!
Masked- edited by Lou Anders- was received as a free review copy by the Boston Book Bums
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