Who Can Save Us Now?

May 19, 2008
This mostly tepid anthology, edited by King (son of Stephen King and author of We're All in This Together
) and McNally (America's Report Card
), has a few stimulating moments amid a flood of formulaic stories about inept people who are given powers that serve only to spotlight their insecurities. There are a few standouts: Stephanie Harrell's “Girl Reporter” reveals the origins of a Superman-like hero through the first-person narration of a Lois Lane–like reporter. For Jim Shepard, in “In Cretaceous Seas,” the “superhero and super villain all in one” is “a shitty son, a shitty brother, a lousy father, a lazy helpmate, a wreck of a husband” who means well but hates himself for not doing better. Sam Weller's “The Quick Stop 5” is a hilarious story about five people at a gas station who are turned into superheroes after biofuel spills from a truck. Weller's presentation of “super-power” as a subjective term resonates as one flips through the pages of this anthology. Readers who can't get enough of superheroes will get the most out of this.

July 15, 2008
This high-quality collection contains 22 original stories presenting brand-new superheroes for our postmodern age. Edited by King ("We're All in This Together") and McNally ("America's Report Card"), each of whom also contributes a story, the volume features crime fighters struggling with labels like "freaky" and "creepy" and facing post-9/11 problems like registering with the Department of Homeland Security. Working out of places like Cleveland and Shreveport, they boast a mind-boggling array of mutant abilities. The stories' authors have their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks as their superheroes declare "great legs!" to the girl in distress they've just saved, or boast that "I diverted a nuclear missile. I sidetracked a civil war. I removed a cat from a tree." The eye-catching cover graphic is supplemented by interior black-and-white line drawings by the talented Chris Burnham. Fresh and fun, this collection is sure to please everyone from the classic comics lover to the newbie "Heroes" fan. Highly recommended for public libraries.Alison M. Lewis, formerly with Drexel Univ. Lib., Philadelphia

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.