Why I Love Superhero Books: Guest Post by H.L. Burke
I hope you’re all enjoying February is Fantasy Month so far!
I know I am!
Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite authors. I’m so excited to have her here today to talk about a really fun sub-genre of fantasy and why she loves it. So I’ll step back behind the curtain here and just hand the mic over to H.L. Burke, author of…. well… a LOT of books.
Why I LOVE Superhero Books
by H.L. Burke
For a long time superhero movies dominated the cinema landscape. We’ve seen epic TV shows including some of the best animated shows ever, going back into the early 90s, and comic books have a long and storied history … but for whatever reason there just isn’t much out there for novels.
Maybe it’s the disconnect between the genres very visual history and admittedly not very visual process of reading, but for whatever reason, a genre that has monopolized so much of our entertainment for decades has just never really taken off in book form. Relatively few “big” superhero books exist and if you go browsing Amazon’s Superhero List, a lot of it is just wrongly sorted Paranormal Romance and LitRPG.
So why is superhero such a weird, under-served niche specifically for the written word?
In some ways, I would say superhero is not really a genre. It’s a visual style and a dozen or so tropes wrapped up in “vibes.” Most genres have a formula to them. You can find writing guides telling you how to craft a “to market” romance or mystery, and epic fantasy’s reliance on the “hero’s journey” is notorious. Yes, there are books that go, well, “off book” in all these genres, but you can TELL when they are doing it because we all know what the book is.
While superhero movies definitely have certain formulas, it’s more dependent on the studio. There is a big difference between how the genre has been presented by Marvel/Disney vs DC vs CW shows vs Saturday morning cartoons or the existing darker/grittier takes (which I don’t like and haven’t watched so won’t really speak on).
Plus film and television are just a completely different medium, and not every aspect will transfer. A training montage works much better on the screen than it does on the page.
So where does that leave superhero fiction in books?
In some ways, superhero is best used as an “aesthetic” slapped onto other pre-existing genres. You even see this with films.
Origin stories are usually coming of age tales, often hero’s journey adjacent.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is largely a political suspense movie.
Thor: Ragnorok is a buddy comedy.
Batman often works best when treated as a detective serial over a pure superhero film.
Which leads into...
Reasons I love Superheroes:
Variety:
With the talk of “superhero fatigue” these days, this may seem strange, but since Superhero is so flexible the story possibilities are endless. From capers to family drama, you can do so much with superhero.
My Supervillain Rehabilitation Project Universe is a mix between family drama, coming of age teen stories, mysteries, and romantic comedies.
Relatable Heroes:
Superheroes can come out of anywhere, often being normal people suddenly imbued with extraordinary powers. While there is sometimes a “chosen one” trope, the best superheroes are raised up from fairly normal backstories, sometimes created by tragedy or fate or because they showed bravery with what little strength they had and were given more.
Superheroes can be “godlike” or otherworldly, but my favorites are the ones who are just normal people who are given a chance to do/be something extraordinary. Even Superhero is tethered to the persona of small town Clark Kent and as mighty as Thor is, he’s still humanly flawed with a lot of his story line being interpersonal tales we can all relate too.
I love that I can focus on real people with real vulnerabilities and connections and build stories around them.
Powers! Oh yes! The Powers!
While there are some good “tech based” superheroes out there (Batman and Iron Man being the two obvious ones), I get super sad when powers aren’t the focus on superhero fiction.
There are basically no rules for superpowers. Want to throw fireballs? Sure. Can I be all stretchy and wrap myself around buildings like a giant rubber band? Why not! Walk through walls? Shape shift? Speak with animals? Check, check, and check.
Very few genres give room for so much variety.
Five Superhero Books I’ve Enjoyed:
Sidekicks by Arthur Mayor
A snarky, fast paced take on the genre featuring teen superheroes forced to the forefront when their mentors are murdered by a supervillain.
Content: For me, this bridges on too gritty (I do not generally prefer gritty superheroes), but for anybody who actually likes gritty, it’s probably on the light side. I’d call it a low PG-13 for violence, some dark themes, and minor swearing.
The Spider-Queen by Austin McConnell and Elizabeth McIvor
YouTuber Austin McConnell is slowly crowdfunding and building a superhero universe based on golden age comic heroes who have fallen into the public domain. The Spider-Queen is a Batman-esque hero (technology and science know-how are her only real powers) with a noir vibe.
It’s a quick read, and I have it on VERY good authority there will be more books in this world coming out in the near future.
Content: Incredibly PG. No swearing. Some death/violence but lacks graphic description, has a vibe of an old school story from the 50s.
Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain by Richard Roberts
A fun, middle grade/lower YA take on the story with some good humor and fun powers.
Content: Probably PG, but ironically a little less PG than my last recommendation (considering it’s meant for younger readers) with some mild innuendo related to female superhero costumes and a place where under-aged kids are offered beer (but turn it down) which seemed odd choices for a book aimed at this level, so maybe not the best for very young readers.
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Maybe a cheat but this story about a superpowered squirrel is downright adorable and I love it so very very much.
Content: G with maybe some “sensitive reader” caution for the main character having a very disinterested and kind of just overall awful mother.
Nobody’s Hero by Janeen Ippolito
Note, I read a VERY early version of this that has since been edited a lot, so I can’t be too detailed, but I loved the version I read. Fun, snarky superhero antics. The book is available for pre-order but launches in March of this year.
Content: Low PG-13, mostly for language, some innuendo.
If you love snarky but feelsy tales of found family, sweet, wholesome romance, and superhero adventure, check out my Superhero Rehabilitation Project Universe. It’s currently four separate connected series with eighteen books, and I just can’t seem to stop writing it.
Author Bio
H. L. Burke has written more books than she can count—because she's written a lot of books, not just because she can't count very high.
Easily distracted by shinies, she has published in many subgenres including fantasy romance, Steampunk, and superhero, and always creates story worlds with snark, feels, and wonder.
Married to her high school crush, she spends her time writing, spoiling her cat, and supervising her two supervillains in training (aka her precocious daughters).
An Oregon native, she wilts without trees and doesn't mind the rain. She is a fan of delicious flavor, a follower of the Light, and a believer in happily ever after.
Find her at:
Have you read any of H.L. Burke’s books yet? I’m working my way through all her superhero books and they are quite a lot of fun and full of heart. Highly recommend!
As an added bit of excitement, her latest superhero book that just came out a couple of weeks ago: Wishing on a Supervillain is FREE over at the Kindle store this weekend! Make sure you swing over and grab a copy! I just finished it and it was delightful. You can definitely read this one as a stand-alone in the SVR universe.
