Delving Into Superhero Novels

For some reason, despite my love of comic books, until recently I have never been interested in regular books about superheroes. Maybe I thought the action wouldn’t translate well without visuals? Anyway, that’s how I felt.

There were three exceptions to this, however. A couple decades or longer ago, I tried a story from one of the Wild Cards anthologies edited by George R.R. Martin, and I didn’t care for it. Don’t think I even finished it. That was a negative experience that may have helped turn me off from the subgenre. (Also, there were much fewer books in the superhero genre than there are now.) Some of you may remember me recommending the Michael Vey series by Richard Paul Evans and the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Clines in past posts. Those were positive experiences. It just took me awhile to get in the mood to pursue other superhero-centered series.

So,… lately I’ve been “researching” novels (preferably series) about superheroes, and I have noticed a few things.

1) Most of them are written for the Young Adult crowd. This makes sense, assuming you still believe comics are mostly for “kids”. (More on this later…)

2) Thanks to print-on-demand and other changes in the small press world, many more superhero novels are available in print (usually paperback) editions along with the usual Kindle format and occasionally audiobook. That didn’t used to be the case. However, there still are some that are Kindle-only (or the novels are available in print but companion novellas are not), which is unfortunate, since I much prefer print copies of my books. I also can’t rationalize spending money for a Kindle reader these days, but I may eventually give in and install the Kindle app on my PC.

3) A recurring “context” (some might call it a “trope”) for several series involves a geeky or otherwise unpopular teen who a) is either an orphan or lives in a one-parent home, b) comes into powers shortly before or shortly after the story begins, c) is somewhat ambivalent about whether or not s/he even wants superpowers, d) soon finds her/himself with a more experienced and powerful archenemy, and e) is fortunate enough to get enrolled in a special school (e.g., Hero Academy, Nova Academy, Cape High) in which to get proper training, both physical and ethical, in the use of superpowers. The new “hero” may or may not remain in the “super school” for the entire series. S/he may also pick up a mentor — official or otherwise — somewhere along the way who takes a special interest in her/him.

4) There is also a subset of these books that actually focus more on supervillains. They tend to examine the life, career, and psyche of the supervillainous element, usually with a great amount of humor. As I write this, I am reminded of one other book I read several years ago from this subgenre: Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. I even posted a review of the book.

5) There are a couple of sub-subgenres that don’t appeal to me. One is LitRPG — “a literary genre combining the conventions of computer RPGs with science-fiction and fantasy novels…. In LitRPG, games or game-like challenges form an essential part of the story, and visible RPG statistics (for example strength, intelligence, damage) are a significant part of the reading experience…. Typically, the main character in a LitRPG novel is consciously interacting with the game or game-like world and attempting to progress within it.” Since I am not a gamer and have little interest in trying to follow all the terminology and concepts, I won’t be looking into them. Fortunately, few LitRPG books are in the superhero genre, most having more traditional sci-fi/fantasy settings.

6) The other is Harem/HaremLit, typically identified by cover art of one or more exceptionally curvaceous and beautiful females. Near as I can tell, the storyline will involve multiple interludes in which the main character beds one or several such beauties at a time. In other words, it capitalizes on the appeal of oversexualized art in many comic books, while providing the essential “power fantasy” aspect, as well. I prefer to avoid highly sexual situations in the stuff I read, including comics and (now) superhero novels.

As I said earlier, many superhero books are geared for the Young Adult audience — say, 12 to 18 years of age. But, many comic book readers are well past that age range. While we can often appreciate YA novels, especially if we can somewhat identify with one or more characters, we also need more than a steady diet of young romance, teenage angst, and battles with superpowered (or armored) villains. So, I am hoping to find a few that go beyond that stuff. On the other hand, I don’t want anything too “adult/mature”, a la the “graphic” stuff that the Wild Cards series is known for. So far, I have come across two or three authors whose Amazon write-ups warn that their novels contain graphic sex, violence (which doesn’t bother me much), and “lots of expletives”. (Yes, I read and watch stuff with some profanity, but the more there is, the more of a detraction (and distraction) it is for me.)

There you have my preliminary observations of the superhero novel subgenre. As of this writing, I have read three novels and am finishing a second novella before starting a third. I plan to post a few recommendations but only after I am able to read a sufficient selection. It will probably take several months, since I’ll continue reading other stuff as well. Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, if you have read any novels from this subgenre, please let me know what they were in the comments below and whether or not you enjoyed them. (Details are fine; spoilers are not.) Thx!