Bystander 27

April 13, 2020
Hoskin (the Outlanders series) riffs on superhero stories and revenge plots with this gritty, fatalistic fantasy. Former Navy SEAL Jon Hayes accepts caped crusaders and supervillains clashing in the streets as an everyday sight in New York City. But then Jon witnesses his pregnant wife, Melanie, become collateral damage in a fight between beloved hero Captain Light and supervillain Jade Shade. In the wake of Melanie’s death, Jon sets out to discover who these superheroes really are. His investigation takes a turn for the bizarre as he spots the same people turning up in the crowds of spectators across multiple superfights and interviews bystanders who have no memory of the fights at all, leading Jon and the reader alike to question his sense of reality. Comics fans may be disappointed by one too many similarities between this and Garth Ennis’s The Boys, and despite Jon’s neuroses, he often comes across as a cardboard cut-out hero who just happens to possess every skill he could possibly need. Those willing to look past these flaws will find Hoskin’s pessimistic narrative voice bleakly transfixing, and his quickly paced plot will keep readers guessing until the very last page. This is an enjoyably meta, if unoriginal, take on comic book staples. Agent: Vaughne Hansen, the Virginia Kidd Agency.

July 1, 2020

DEBUT Jon Hayes is a bystander when supervillain Jade Shade accidentally kills his pregnant wife while battling superhero Captain Light. The Costumes--the supervillains and superheroes who inhabit the Earth--constantly wage war in the heart of New York City. At first glance, the skirmishes appear random, but Jon discovers that maybe they're not accidental at all. Devastated by the loss of his wife and soon-to-be-born child, Jon researches news footage of recent altercations and is shocked to find pictures of him and his wife, with a young girl in tow, in the crowds. But he's positive they were never there. Is there an alternate universe, are people being replicated, or is there a New World Order manipulating battles between the Costumes? Jon doesn't want revenge, he wants answers. He must figure out a way to confront Captain Light and is willing to die trying. But where does reality stop and fiction begin? What he discovers changes Jon's world forever. VERDICT Fans of comic-book universes will enjoy entering screenwriter Hoskin's world, where superheroes and villains routinely duke it out on the streets of New York City. The shocking surprise ending adds further intrigue.--K.L. Romo, Duncanville, TX

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