Superhero fiction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (September 2007) |
 |
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
This is a subgenre of fiction that deals with superheroes, supervillians, super-powered humans, aliens, or mutants, and their adventures. Distinct from (but often derived from) comic books, animated films, and graphic novels, these are prose stories and full-length novels. Superhero fiction is a type of speculative fiction. This subgenre is often considered part of the genres of science fiction, fantasy, action, adventure, horror, or detective mystery fiction.
Some are stand alone novels, some books in a series, and some are anthologies. Some are individual or unique creations while others are corporate product or promotional tie-ins. Some are also the novelizations of films or television series. The largest and longest running of the corporate series are those associated with the DC and Marvel universes.
Contents |
[edit] History
Superheroes have been known by humanity since civilization itself. The earliest versions appear as gods and heroes in myths. Early superhero fiction developed out of the rich amalgam of mythic tales, dime novels, and Pulp Era action that dominated popular fiction in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. In this way, superhero fiction is a stepchild of pulp fiction.
Probably the earliest superhero novel was Gladiator, by Philip Wylie. Written in 1930, this tragic story featured a super strong protagonist who served in large part as the template for Doc Savage and later Superman. During the next decade of the heyday of the pulp magazine, Doc Savage, The Shadow, the Spider, and other crime fighters and masked vigilantes dominated the markets and were most likely the immediate ancestors of modern superheroes and superhero fiction. For example, Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, was called both a superman and a super hero and used a secret Arctic laboratory called the Fortress of Solitude long before the Superman comic books ever saw print.
During World War II, due to printing supplies and paper shortages, the pulp fiction industry was severely impacted and declined forever. Much cheaper to produce, comic books took their place in the decades that followed. Excepting some spy series (such as James Bond, Matt Helm) and detective series (Nero Wolfe, Mike Hammer), popular action-adventure novel series did not return until Don Pendleton's The Executioner sparked a revival in the 1970s.
The superhero novel tradition was kept alive by having comic book heroes occasionally spawn a full-length novel.
One of the earliest superhero novels of the new era was Otto Binder's work, Avengers Battle the Earth Wrecker.
[edit] Authors
Authors who write superhero fiction include Stan Lee, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Diane Duane, Peter David, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, George R. R. Martin, Pierce Askegren, A.P. Fuchs, Christopher Golden, Adam Troy Castro, Dean Wesley Smith, Greg Cox, Nancy Collins, Frank Dirscherl, Jon Klement, Eric M. Cooper, C. J. Cherryh, Roger Stern, Elliot S! Maggin, and Frank Fradella.
[edit] Fan Fiction
Superhero fiction, due to its nature, is a very popular subject of fanfiction. Both forms of fanfiction (original creations by fans or non-commercial writings with established characters and universes) apply here. Numerous clubs, groups, sites, and zines exist dedicated to various versions of superheroes, public and private.
Fanfiction has been a bedrock part of superhero fiction. It has kept the subgenre "alive" during periods when corporations for various reasons have ceased publication of popular superhero fiction series (such as what happened after the 1980s following Marvel's decline or what happened after 2000 when Byron Preiss Media was almost bankrupted in the Dotcom Bust). Fans have kept the stories and books coming out over the years despite what happened "officially" with vairous corporations.
With the advent of POD publishing and other forms of easier self-publishing in the Internet Age, many individually created superheroes have now moved from private fanfiction to published products.
[edit] Partial List of Superhero Fiction Books
- DC Universe:
- Batman
The Adventures of Batman
The Further Adventures of Batman
The Stone King
- DC Universe: Kingdom Come
DC Universe Last Sons
DC Universe: Infinite Crisis
DC Universe: Inheritance
DC Universe: Helltown
DC Universe: Trail of Time
- Flash:
Stop Motion
- Justice League of America
Exterminators
- Green Lantern:
Hero's Quest
Sleepers (trilogy)
- Wonder Woman:
Mythos
- Marvel Universe:
- Avengers:
Avengers Battle the Earth Wrecker
Avengers/Thunderbolts
Gamma Quest (trilogy) The Man Who Stole Tomorrow
- Captain America:
Liberty's Torch
Holocaust For Hire
The Great Gold Seal
- Daredevil:
Daredevil
Predator's Smile
The Cutting Edge
- Doctor Strange:
Nightmare
- Fantastic Four:
Doomsday
Warzone
Countdown to Chaos
To Free Atlantis
What Lies Between
Fantastic Four
The Baxter Effect
The Redemption fo the Silver Surfer
Rise of the Silver Surfer
- Hulk:
Hulk
Abominations
Cry of the Beast
Stalker From the Stars
Ultimate Hulk
- Iron Man:
Operations A.I.M.
The Armor Trap
Steel Terror
And Call My Killer...Modok
- Nick Fury, Agent of Shield
- The Punisher
- Spider-Man:
Carnage In New York
Down These Mean Streets
Goblin Moon
The Gathering of the Sinister Six
Revenge of the Sinister Six
Secret of the Sinister Six
The Ultimate Spider-Man
Venom's Wrath
- Ultimates:
Tomorrow Men
Against All Enemies
- X-Men:
Dark Mirror
The Legacy Quest (trilogy)
The Chaos Engine (trilogy)
Law of the Jungle
Smoke and Mirrors
Ultimate X-Men
- Other/Independent:
- The Axiom-man Saga (by A.P. Fuchs):
Axiom-man
Episode No. 0: First Night Out
Doorway of Darkness
- F.R.E.E. Lancers
F.R.E.E. Lancers
F.R.E.E. Fall
- Gen13
Version 2.0
Netherwar
Time and Chance
- Riftworld (Stan Lee's Riftworld):
Riftworld 1 Crossover
Riftworld 2 Villains
Riftworld 3 Odyssey
- Wild Cards (anthologies, edited by George R. R. Martin):
Wild Cards
Aces High
Jokers Wild
Aces Abroad
Down and Dirty
- Wraith (by Frank Dirscherl):
Wraith
Valley of Evil
Hero by Perry Moore
