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Weird Heroes #2
Weird Heroes Volume 2
Weird Heroes, Volume 2 [of 8 in the series]; published December 1975. Cover art by Jim Steranko. Introductory essays by Byron Preiss, "Doc Phoenix" by Ted White; "The New York Review of Bird" by Harlan Ellison; "The Camden Kid" by Charlie Swift; "Viva" by Steve Englehart; "Spv 166: The Underground Express" by Elliot S. Maggin; "The Return of Greatheart Silver, or The Secret Life of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" by Philip José Farmer. each story is accompanied by an essay by the author, and another by the editor. Afterword by Byron Preiss; Key to Gruaga (essay) by Alex Nino. Interior illustrations by Stephen Fabian, Neal Adams, Steranko, Esteban Maroto, Paul Kirchner and Ralph Reese, Tom Sutton, Alex Nino.
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published December 1, 1975
55 people want to read
About the author
Byron Preiss
108 books39 followersByron Preiss was the president of Byron Preiss Visual Publications and Ibooks, and was recognized as a pioneer in digital publishing. He was among the first publishers to release CD-ROM's and electronic books.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Preiss graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and earned a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. He produced The Words of Gandhi, an audio book that won a Grammy Award in 1985. He was also the co-author of Dragonworld, a novel he co-wrote with J. Michael Reaves that was published by Bantam Books in 1979.
A proponent of illustrated books, as well as comics and graphic novels, Preiss also published works by celebrity authors including Jane Goodall, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, LeAnn Rimes and Jay Leno.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Preiss graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and earned a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. He produced The Words of Gandhi, an audio book that won a Grammy Award in 1985. He was also the co-author of Dragonworld, a novel he co-wrote with J. Michael Reaves that was published by Bantam Books in 1979.
A proponent of illustrated books, as well as comics and graphic novels, Preiss also published works by celebrity authors including Jane Goodall, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, LeAnn Rimes and Jay Leno.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 30, 2023
This is the second anthology in a series that's stated intent was to bring back the spirit of the superhero pulps for the modern (the book appeared in 1975) age. It was a nifty concept that was executed with a lot of verve and enthusiasm (note the neon-dayglo-aggressive-lemon-yellow cover), but the results weren't as good as one might have wished. Philip Jose Farmer's Greatheart Silver is the only repeater from the first book, and it was more enjoyable than the debut but still didn't really grab me. I enjoyed Elliot S! Maggin's SPV166, The Underground Express and Steven Englehart's Viva. Ted White's Doc Phoenix is one I tried to like a lot, but wished it had been better; Doc with supernatural ability was too much of a stretch. The story by Charlie Swift tried too hard to be a socially aware Western. All of the art was very good and added a lot to the book; I always liked Esteban Maroto, Neal Adams, Steranko, and Stephen Fabian particularly. My favorite piece was Harlan Ellison's humorous meta-fictional salute to The Shadow and himself, The New York Review of Bird. I liked this volume more than the first book, but it didn't quite live up to the hype.
May 12, 2016
An OK collection of short stories. As in the first volume the gem is the Greatheart Silver story by Philip Jose Farmer. Recommended
October 4, 2014
Some really good stories in this anthology, such as Steve Englehart's "Viva," about a jaded prostitute who discovers how much she wants to live when people try to kill her; "Doc Phoenix," about a scientist who can enter people's dreams; and "SPV 166," an oddball story by Elliot Maggin about three special police agents working out of a high-tech subway car. The weakest story is Harlan Ellison's "New York Review of Bird," a rather clunky attempt to turn his pseudonym Cordwainer Bird into a character (maybe the problem is that the idea came from someone else). Overall, good.
March 2, 2023
The experimental angle of some of the writings battle the 'pulp' labeling. While pulp writings could get pretty weird in their conceptions, much of what "Weird Heroes" elevates is bound by the mass appeal and production schedule and formulaic delivery. On one hand you have the "Doc Phoenix" modern take of Doc Savage and especially of Doc Savage's half-mentioned end game of mandated mental health treatments (Does the idea of Savage performing brain surgery on his defeated opponents give anyone else the screaming heebie-jeebies?)
...And on the other you have "SPV166 The Underground Express", which is a sort of Charlie's Angels retread but also sort of a screenplay or "gonzo journalism" thing and the wordless, visually-striking "Na and the Dredspore of Gruaga".
So it wants both the Pulp lineage pedigree and the experimental New Age vibe and is not wholly succeeding at either one. And I feel no need to read any more of Greatheart Silver, even if this one is a lot less exuberantly over-the-top than the first outing.
...And on the other you have "SPV166 The Underground Express", which is a sort of Charlie's Angels retread but also sort of a screenplay or "gonzo journalism" thing and the wordless, visually-striking "Na and the Dredspore of Gruaga".
So it wants both the Pulp lineage pedigree and the experimental New Age vibe and is not wholly succeeding at either one. And I feel no need to read any more of Greatheart Silver, even if this one is a lot less exuberantly over-the-top than the first outing.
July 22, 2010
Volume two in this series offers a stronger line up of stories and heroes as it tries to create pulp heroes for a modern audience.
Doc Phoniex: Doc Savage clone that has the ability to enter people's dreams to help them. This had a nice mix of action and weird science. Reads like a good 70's sci-fi or super hero TV show
Greatheart Silver: Farmer got all the silliness out of his system and gives us a much more straightforward adventure.
Viva: story of an LA prostitute that eventually becomes a kind of jungle goddess. Nice job of starting gritty and slowly moving into the fantastic.
SPV166: cute, weird story of three female investigators that live in a converted subway car.
Cordwainer Bird: Harlan Ellison's alter ego fights the evil conspiracy that controls the publishing industry.
Camden Kid: Cowboy from New Jersey is the weakest of the bunch, as it tries too hard to be funny, but has potential as it tries to tell a traditional western set in 1970's west,
Doc Phoniex: Doc Savage clone that has the ability to enter people's dreams to help them. This had a nice mix of action and weird science. Reads like a good 70's sci-fi or super hero TV show
Greatheart Silver: Farmer got all the silliness out of his system and gives us a much more straightforward adventure.
Viva: story of an LA prostitute that eventually becomes a kind of jungle goddess. Nice job of starting gritty and slowly moving into the fantastic.
SPV166: cute, weird story of three female investigators that live in a converted subway car.
Cordwainer Bird: Harlan Ellison's alter ego fights the evil conspiracy that controls the publishing industry.
Camden Kid: Cowboy from New Jersey is the weakest of the bunch, as it tries too hard to be funny, but has potential as it tries to tell a traditional western set in 1970's west,
December 15, 2014
These are awesome collections of original fiction, spearheaded by Preiss. Dunno why they didn't reach much of an audience but I enjoy the hell out of them, especially Goulart's Gypsy adventures. Recommended.
November 28, 2014
Like the first book, this attempt to create a pulp series for the '70s was nobly intended, sharply laid out and cleverly packaged, but ultimately not that memorable. Steve Englehart's Viva may be the best realized.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews