I get it, superhero prose isn't a big mind boggling hitter like LIT RPG is at the moment. I get that amazon's tag system absolutely sucks. Especially if you are a reader who loves a genre combo that is getting about as much love as a red headed stepchild.
Right now, Uplift Protocol has 20 or so consistent readers. Imagine if this genre had a bigger buffet. Most times when I find something on amazon, its rare to find stuff like Heroes Unleashed or New Olympus saga. IE: Actual series. Most superhero prose writers are lucky to hit beyond 2 books most times.
Plus the ones who have a series going: Its dark and watchmen-lite 8/10 times. With more marvel sensibilities than optimistic time DC ones. Of those, half of those are woke tripe in the vein of Marvel's Civil War I and II. Gotta put them politics on your sleeve. Bleh. IE: Just Cause series after/around book 7. (If that's people's cuppa, whatever but its not mine.)
Or they are in a super powered academy. Or just starting out. That's another reason why I am doing the prequel book before the main series hits. I gloss over some stuff, like big time training montages in order to set up basic character dynamics/relationships and setting highlights.
Very little time spent as kids or high school setup, with one chapter devoted to each of those slices. It was mostly to highlight character relationships.
So I totally appreciate it when a series starts with adult heroes who are already beyond college. Or even just out of college level.
I guess its cause I'm also in my 30s. Really, by the time Uplift Protocol starts the main series proper, the youngest on the main team will be Star, around 29/30. Even with Prolong, that's still more interesting to me personally. (One Last Echo also has World Building and other fun things I appreciate. Yes, there is surprise pew pew type things in it......)
So Ill keep writing. Having fun, maybe by the time I publish on amazon (Might as well give it nice covers and such) the platform might evolve more. Who can say? The plan is to put things into omnibus collections. IE: Prologue, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12.
I'm more of a hobbyist writer and will plan accordingly but that doesnt mean I don't want to see more of certain kinds of genre combos. So I vote with my wallet. + its why I have two subscriptions to Silver Empire Publishing. MOAR I SAY!
Basically:
I want to keep building superheroes x space opera combo
Find more like what I am doing even if its going to take a while
Find more Superhero Prose like Heroes Unleashed, One Last Echo and New Olypmus Saga
For most Superhero Prose I can find at the moment: (IN some cases it sometimes nearly hits the top 1000. The really popular stuff hits 500-300 range.)
The more popular tropes used at the moment. From what I can see of samples and some past purchases.
A majority of them are High Schoolers
Dramatic Family Death
A family member is a villian.
Marvel Type Narrative really outnumbers Old Style DC (IE: Street level Problems/X-men type prejudge stuff vs Giant Scale ones/More Optimistic)
Anti-Heroes, Villain POV, Downer Settings (Some improve their setting by the end)
In fact, I can count on one hand what types of superhero books manage to get to the top 100: (Rest of its Lit RPG, UF, PRomance, Harems/ Rev Harem, which again, dead horse time: need their own sub genre tags.
Outlaw (Gritty, More Marvel type Avenger type deal)
The Outlaw High school junior Chase Jackson is the infamous Outlaw, a
celebrated midnight crimefighter caught in an ancient clash between
order and corruption. The world only sees the mask, not the young man
balancing his secret identity against love.
Rumors surface of a
growing evil within Los Angeles, and powerful strangers are searching
for the reclusive vigilante, whispering truths about his illness.
Despite his desperate attempts for peace, the Outlaw is being drawn into
war with the dangerous Infected.
I wont be listing harem books because I don't consider that actual proper superhero stuff. Because its everywhere and needs its own category. Yes, its simple human resentment on my part but its there. I am very biased against these books because they are making it harder to find Cape books. In a sea already flooded. Glaring at UF and Paranormal Romance too. I am beginning to resent them taking up the Superhero tag also.
Supervillains are
murdering people in the streets, but yet superheroes are more concerned
with gaining popularity than bringing the villains to justice.
These villains think they are above the law and that nobody can stop
them, but they never planned for me. I’ll murder every one of them with
my powersuit, traps, and sidekicks.
And if killing bad guys makes me a villain in the eyes of the heroes, well… I’ll destroy them too.
Plus more often then not, with Superhero Prose, many are trying to go for the literary Option:
The author of the “urgent and deeply moving” (The New York Times) Youngblood
returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of
super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial
America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.
Thirty
years after its great triumph in Vietnam, the United States has again
become mired in an endless foreign war overseas. Stories of super
soldiers known as the Volunteers tuck in little American boys and girls
every night. Yet domestic politics are aflame. Violent protests erupt
throughout the nation; an ex-military watchdog group clashes with police
while radical terrorists threaten to expose government experiments
within the veteran rehabilitation colonies.
Halfway between war
and peace, the Volunteers find themselves waiting for orders in the
vast American city-state, Empire City. There they encounter a small
group of civilians who know the truth about their powers, including
Sebastian Rios, a young bureaucrat wrestling with survivor guilt, and
Mia Tucker, a wounded army pilot-turned-Wall Street banker. Meanwhile,
Jean-Jacques Saint-Preux, a Haitian-American Volunteer from the
International Legion, decides he’ll do whatever it takes to return to
the front lines.
Through it all, a controversial retired
general emerges as a frontrunner in the presidential campaign, promising
to save the country from itself. Her election would mean unprecedented
military control over the country, with promises of security and
stability—but at what cost?
Featuring Gallagher’s “vital” (The Washington Post), “evocative” (The Wall Street Journal) prose, Empire City is a rousing vision of an alternate—yet all too familiar—America on the brink.
*FACEPALM*
No thank you. Would you kindly. It has the taste of Watchman on it. And current year shenanigans.
Again, all of this just keeps motivating me to work on my own series every day. Even in little ways. Between the short stories for the anthology, the other two first drafts, the world building, revamping books 1, 2, 3, and 4 so far, outline wise, I've written over 300,000 words so far. And its only Feb. I started in Nov of 2019. Let's see where the rest of the year will bring us.
So far, what my series will have: (Thinking of calling the series The Uplift Protocol.)
Planet Hopping within the sol system (Book 1), eventually ill go cosmic :D (Late Book 2/Book 3+)
Stopping nefarious agents of the Grays/Keepers, The Roswell Incident. Grays vs Atlantis made WW1 and 2 happen. Oops.
A whole clan of Superheros, 3 whole generations jumping into the fray.
My Justice League standins vs the Legion of Doom (The Cabal)
Space doggos powered with Defender Belts, most of them Blue for Loyalty, but some are Reds. Powered by the Blood that runs hot in them. One of those is going to be a doberman, 2nd in command of the entire Defender Corp. Cooper/Guards-The-Stars is Green for Faith.
This Earth has Prolong, Habitat Rings, outer Sol System Defenses, Moon Bases, Colonies on Mars, Bases on Jupiter's Moons. Plus even our doggos live to be 40 years old or so. Because why not.
O'neil Cylinders, Terraforming. Yes, that means good old pulpy mini moons around other planets also have humans on them. Because it reminds me of fun. Its why this series isnt hard sci fi as much as space opera. It does have some slight tech aspects but just like supers and pulps, the tech will be made to fit that setting.
Cosmic Relics, Kardeshev 5 and 6 civilizations
Babylon 5 references
Cornfields of Silly out the butt because I am also corny.
Atlantis, wherein Arthon is a Muthra, which translates to Security in a certain dead language.
Pew pew pew!
Truth, Justice, the American Way and Apple Pie. Just like my old school superman.
Space Ships w/ FTL
Area 51 and other things that will be just as fun to write.
A United Earth. Still have many individual countries but we pulled ourselves up and formed a Terran Alliance. Not even gonna touch any current year subjects. Just like Original Star Trek, our society is more concerned about exploring beyond Earth.
Ancient Astro theories are true. After a fashion. :P
No Dead Parents or Dead Grand Parent crutches. No orphans. Just tired of that aspect. Its why I have prolong on this Earth.
What makes Earth stand out is its ratio for magical Demis/Supers. Not the same as the Atlantians. Its a plot point I built up for the world building aspect that will come into play later in the series.
Ill Update this page as I find more: *NEW Tag for blog (GENRE DATABASE) so look for that label to find the updated genre fun.
Well regardless of my own personal preferences, I am going to compile more links and things to help showcase more superhero prose, because I want it to rise to the top, or make it easier for fellow enthusiasts to find things. (Even if I don't share the same politics because that's not what's really important to me atm. Just want people to be able to find books. Period.)
So Ill also include series that don't appeal to me personally. Its all about adding to this hub.
Websites/Search Hubs: (even linking sites that give writing advice I don't agree with mainly because its a resource. Cause I really do want to find as much as possible and put it in one spot.)
Here comes the books, not going to link names, going just to link who writes superhero prose in the style of actual capes/comics/spandex or alt earth. Even if its YA, Dystopia, More Marvel in Nature rather then DC, as long as its not the clutter from the mis-tagged top 100.
IE via series name instead, have fun at the buffet everyone. (this will be lots of scrolling if you are on a phone especially.)
This is only the beginning. Breaking up the sections with a bit of commentary. The more YA angled ones love to have the teen super hero vs school vs secret id angle. Then the setting will open up in later books. From what I can tell anyway.
There's so much out there, Ill keep adding to this page as I find more. Wont let the mistaken labels win. Onward! Another thing, ummm....sometimes the covers really dont tell if you are actual superhero prose or not. Just saying.
Plus many of these series go a more X-man Route then Justice League. IE: Teens fighting against evil situations. But Ill still link, because its better then what's displayed in the top 100. Seriously, would you want anyone to put Harry Dresden stuff in the superhero genre tag? When its Urban fantasy? Paranormal Romance is not superhero capes/spandex stuff either. You can have romantic elements but its not fair to shove what's obviously Twilight Ripoff 200202 into this seagull's funtimes. I will rip it out like a rotted french fry.
The reason why some of the witch and wizard stuff doesn't work for supers is because its not like its attached to a world of supers like Constantine is. So dont put your book in that category even if they have magic powers because it will not correlate with what cape fans are looking for. All I'm asking for is for writers to genuinely put thought into the genre tags and keywords they use.
Some of these books try to make the Boys look like a walk in the park though.
Some of these books only lasted a book or two, then the writer gave up. Don't give up people. That's a subconscious key to readers that they shouldn't invest.
If you are going to write for a really popular category to try to get the mythic "Write for Job" earnings slot, you will have to fight millions of writers who had the same idea on kindle. But dont mess up the tags just on the slim hope you will beat out Harem LIT RPG Frack Fest 2000. At this juncture readers are going to have to build networks. So that's why this whole thing here is happening on my blog.
To be continued/added to. This is only the beginning. If the tech is having a hard time getting us what we want, we have to interlink our markets to each other. Not only that but writers have to pin point and find those readers. So we can all uplift each other.
Sometimes even having more anthologies can help. Even if Superheroes aren't the gang busters that all these harem books are in terms of dollar signs, as a reader I hope people will carry on and make more superhero stories to follow. Readers need more then junk food at the table. We need entertainment.
Its really easy to find many very gritty superhero stories. :P In general. Compared to what my own preferences are but its still a type of superhero story. So they are going in.
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.
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.
For many of these I'm looking at reviews and synopses to get an idea of what is going on. When I get further into a series I might just end up doing and overall rundown of what I love about it.
Superhero prose fiction tends to deal with either deconstructing the
genre conventions of the superhero world or parodying them. They can be
very serious or very-very silly. Neither of these styles is any better
than the other and the best part of the superhero genre is that you can
do both without going too far from your inspirations. Superheroes are,
after all, stories that can be horrifically tragic one day to
relentlessly goofy the next.
I think superhero prose can go beyond (Watchmen Deconstruction, Anti-Hero or Villain dominance, Negative to Positive Arcs) or just lampshading of tropes. Feels like most of the "popular" stuff keeps itself in a box of "Only this will work." They are right that its an under utilized genre.
I am determined to feed myself and other people. Hopefully by the end of 2020. :D A year of writing superhero prose is very rewarding to me. On a personal level. Don't care about the money as much as getting this onto the book scene. http://penandcapesociety.com/
It's important to find networks like this. Esp. if you love this genre like I do.
This has more Marvel sensibilities then I'd like but it has some things like alt history, time jumping, semi-justice league type tendencies. Might give this one a look. Esp love that it starts on the Moon.
Has tropes I am familiar with but like many in the genre currently: Has a big Dystopia bent. I do like the fact that you get to go to other planets.
Maybe all the Harem books are doing better because they are more upbeat? I admit I don't read them because Anita Blake's chaos basically killed any interest I'd have in that sort of setup. Male or female. Or if a series changes course like Vampire Humper did. Yes, I don't call it hunter anymore. Get eaten by FL gators Anita Blake. You suck as a character now.
The search will be endless. But I don't mind doing these.
If you like the gritty, understated superheroes in Netflix's Jessica
Jones and the raw urban fantasy of Veronica Roth, you'll get sucked
into USA Today Bestselling Author Emerald Dodge's Battlecry!
So if you love gritty reality, then this series will probably be right up your alleyway.
The Law Offices of Winters & Franklin, where the only thing more dangerous than a superhero is his attorney.
Yea, don't really know what to make of this series but I am putting it here mainly because my basic setup/criteria for actual superhero stuff involves classic capes and spandex. Usually.
Feels like adding blurbs about what your series is with much more very recognizable things is a good idea. Def. giving me ideas when my series launches. Plus I can see why the genre is as mixed up as it is currently on the selling lists.
I do appreciate when writers will put in certain descriptions for their series: It doesn't start out as Harem, but it eventually developed to harem.
WARNING: This
novel contains profanity, open relationships and ass-kicking superhero
action. If you’re looking for reasons to be offended by profanity, open
relationships or ass-kicking superhero action, this novel might not be
for you. (Book 4's addon) Every hero has a beginning.
So does every villain.
Titan,
the world’s greatest superhero, has been murdered by his longtime
archenemy Lord Borealis. And from the ashes rises a new generation.
Gifted
with powers on the night of Titan’s death, fifteen-year-old Hugo awakes
to the strange world of superheroes. A world he isn’t prepared for.
But with godlike powers and a history of tragedy, will Hugo become a guardian of justice…or agent of chaos?
Choose your side in Age of Heroes, the first book of The Pantheon Saga superhero series. Start reading today.
