Superhero Matchup: Heroes Unleashed Universe and New Olympus Saga

Things that jumped out at me initially:

• Rich World Building, the universes in both series feels lived in, so even if you don't see all the events on screen, the repercussions are felt by the characters there.
• Face-Off/Victoria: You think they are the Loner, the Ultimate Anti-Hero but their arcs are subverted in a good way. They may be rough and tumble at the start but the people in their lives change them for the better. 
• Both series have very clear lines of good vs evil. (With Heroes Unleashed, some other books within the various series have different themes though, kinda how DC has Justice League Dark to explore the more magic side of things.) the internal consistency of these settings is top notch. 
• For NOS: They are Neos/For HU, they are called Primes. Even this is important for setting the internal tone for both.
• Gritty but without going overboard to cartoon level grim dark like some Watchmen or The Boys type ripoffs. My personal preferences aside, it takes a very deft touch to even make something like Watchmen work. In fact, the only Moore stuff I actually like is League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
• I really think there is something for everyone with both book series. If you love tabletop, CJ even included the basic rules and stats so you can run your own campaign in his universe. Ill link everything below at the end.  

Like I said on Twitter: Both of these series have the wonder of the silver age. There is some bronze and iron elements with some characters but its one happy blender. Wherein the powers are interesting but it isn't what makes the character interesting.

In my personal opinion: there's something here for anyone and everyone that ever loved supers. 

If you want street level characters, these have that. If you want Superman types, its here too. The politics in both are for that setting, not thinly veiled references to whatever is happening here on our Earth. Much appreciated.

In fact, hope is the cornerstone. It might be darkest before the dawn but when it shines, it shines like a star in the void.

The Use of Tropes:

Christine started out as what you would consider a typical college student, flaws and all, but her adventure from the mundane to the alt Earth of Neos, well that pretty much kickstarts her growth. Face-Off and Christine share something similar, they are both loners in their own specific ways. He had a rough childhood and Christine was cut off socially from people. But they each have their own anchors to offset the loneliness. They will become each other's support in a very vital way. To change for the better. (I do hope Mr. CJ returns to this setting at some point.)

As for Heroes Unleashed, the various protagonists of each book aren't pulled from "Our" earth or even a similar earth to another one. They live and breath in that setting as citizens accustomed to the happenings in their world. NOS: Fish out of water Christine hook vs They already live here. Both are fun. Plus it gives each series a way to present to the reader the various plots and characters with their own set of rules.

What's refreshing about both: The Protags want to change their worlds for the better. That's like a river in the desert for me. No matter the background, the underlining idea of Good vs Evil is ever present. Its a nice change from all the books out there where GREY morality is king.

Yes, the things we love about superheros are in these books:

• Meta Plot and Character moments, magical items, super spies doing the right thing, govt shenanigans but not a direct correlation to anything current year in nature.
• It's important to have a good balance between the main plot and quieter moments. You can tell everyone involved is experienced. (the Writers that is).
• You can root for the Underdogs, Like Joe or Face-off, or see what kind of dilemmas are afoot with Victoria or Adam. There's a story-line for everyone basically. The super powered cop that doesn't desire the lime light to help protect everyone around him. Victoria wants to stay low but her sense of right and wrong basically get the best of her.
• Jason and Christine are there to provide the more innocent view of genuine goodness. Doing their best to change things for the better.
• Grit is there but its not to the point of moral event horizon or grimdark. Which in this day and age with much fiction, that's getting harder to find. Everyone here knows what to do with Supers and its awesome. 
• Some are Knights in Sour Armor but more emphasis is placed on the nobility of a Knight.

A concrete look at why I read these books vs most comics nowadays:

• The characters have clearly defined morality. I know that's like hitting the same point over and over but I like that they have clearly stated compasses. Like Odd, from Dean Koontz's series. A clear delineation between right and wrong. 
• You can tell the writers aren't just doing it for a payday. They genuinely enjoy what they are reading and writing here. (But its vital we support them anyway.)
• The world-building and lore suck you in but the characters keep you there.
• These series are some of the few where society isn't in the dumpster. Lots of superhero prose seems to take a page from "Apocalypse Now" and paint it over with some ideas of spandex. But when that happens it usually turns into more of a downer setting. (In my experience.) 
• While not a utopia, both are aiming for a more ideal world. Because escapism is nice. Star Wars and Star Trek have forgotten this. You can have interesting conflicts but still have hope as the bedrock.

Plus I don't have much issues with characters like superman, so in other settings, have that symbol of hope, it can be embodied in other settings:

Because the biggest thing for me in superhero prose, make your characters inspiring. And give those stories villains for us to Boo/Hiss at.

Stop looking to the Dirt of "Realism" and look to the Sky of the "Ideal/Aspirational." Read things that instill the best parts of Superheroes.

Go against the more popular trends so we can have a greater appreciation for more then what's considered the top "100." We need to give niche genres and midlisters a bigger platform to spring from. So we can have more then just the despondent levels of real. It's never really appealed to me. Sure, I can have fun with a series that goes into the common level of man but I need variety. These books give me that. Please support what superhero books you can. (Even if I hope for more optimistic books, at this point, we should all try to help lift one another, yes even you dystopia books, because the genre is small enough as is.)

I'm a more old style DC girl at heart but I know the gritter aspects of marvels more "flawed" characters are more popular at the moment.

Superhero Book Database (Gonna add more to this, or help them, because our genre needs a central hub too.) If you have a book series with supers, need to get out from under unrelated books crowding the tag, submit it here.

Want these books, here they are:

New Olympus Saga
NOS Omnibus (first 3 books)
NOS Companion Book w/ Table Top Rules

Heroes Unleashed

LitRPG has its place but not in the superhero sci fi or fantasy tag.
Harem/Rev. Harem has its place but not in these tags. I get that so many want to survive on writing as a main job but until amazon can create more tags and categories, its like sifting through a pile of needles to find what you need.

Even that database spells it out:

Why Did We Create Superhero-Fiction?

Due to the crowding of the superhero category by books not fitting the archetype on major retailers, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Our mission is to provide readers with easy access to novels featuring the superheroes they love. Because this archetype may appear in many genres, we screen all books added to the website make sure they feature strong superhero elements.

Fans and Readers have to make inroads so we can bring stuff to the forfront of what we love and enjoy. If DC and Marvel arent cutting it anymore, find things that do. Things that inspire. That remember what superheroes are.


Addedum: Quick Rundown of Heroes Unleashed so Far.

This is how you add Magic to Superhero Work!

• Gemini Warrior: This is what happens when Heroes Unleashed goes Twelve Kingdoms meets Pulpy Scifi x The Rising of the Shield Hero on you all at once. (No LIT RPG elements but more like the character's personal growth arc. The foundation is there but the hero or protags are completely lost at first.)

• Overlook: Superhero Spy Thriller (What if you'd put James Bond with Mr. Smith's ability to blend in within a Superhero World.)

• Hollow City: Superhero Cop (Blue Bloods with a dash of Cyberpunk Neon but with the additional street level problems of Super Powers)

• Heroes Fall: Superhero Mystery (Imagine if Jessica Jones was likable. Along with a more upbeat attitude and moral center. My favorite entry point into this setting.)

Silver Empire publishing has something for everyone though.


(This Spot Here for NOS update)