Show Me A Hero

by Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor understands better than most what it takes to tell stories about people with powers more than the cliche many expect. In this giant tome, Taylor delves deep into the humanity of his creations, from the gender-bending Fishnet Angel to the tragic Starlight, but never forgets to add the right amount of danger and action to accent the tale.

413 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2011

About the author

Sean Taylor is a "genre-defying literary chameleon." That just means he writes stuff. All kinds of stuff. Lit stuff. Pulp stuff. Horror stuff. Sci-fi stuff. Poetry stuff. Non-fiction stuff. Comic book stuff. He digs it all. He dreams for the days of Vonnegut and Bradbury, where writers could write what they wanted instead getting pigeon-holed into epics and series and marketing-based genres that were layered in six feet of bricks. (For the love of God, Montressor!) He likes to leapfrog around it all like a toad hopped up on speed. In his writing life, he has directed the “lives” of zombies, super heroes, goddesses, dominatrices, Bad Girls, pulp heroes, and yes, even frogs, for such diverse bosses as IDW Publishing, Gene Simmons, and The Oxygen Network. More info at his website thetaylorverse.com and his writing blog badgirlsgoodguys.com [He, Him] Renaissance Nerd: D-List Comics, Board Games, 20th Cent Am Lit, BBC SciFi #LGBTQIAally #BlackLivesMatter #fightracism #fightheteronormativity #prochoice #SPED

Reviews

[Andrea Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in April 1, 2011 from New Babel Books, Show Me A Hero is a paperback collection of Sean Taylor's prose work with the ground breaking iHero universe This collection runs the gambits of heroes, would-be heroes, villains, and everything in between. Each character and story is beautiful, tragic, and totally human. The lingering impression I was left with was the sheer humanity of these superheroes. This collection isn't as focused on the crime-fighting action blasts (though there is plenty of that) it is focused on the quieter moments of these lives. How a mother lost her children when she chose to embrace a life of fighting crime, how a woman who can see five minutes into the future never was able to begin her own crime-fighting ways, a man who knows when and how he will die and cannot die until then.

Taylor's writing is well-crafted and he handles the tragic, joyful, and surreal all with the swift grace of a seasoned writer. The story that lingered with me the longest is "Sin and Error Pining" and the tragic Ms. Future, the superhero who never was. From the opening line, "The man who killed me wore a tattoo of Santa Claus across his chest." I was hooked. Ms. Futura's view is strong and steady and the story follows a countdown of the final moments of a life. The tragedy of the superhero that never was lingered with me for hours after I had put the book back down. It's something I've never read or even thought about before.

Each story or section is concluded with a brief Author's note. I loved the fact that I got to get a glimpse inside Taylor's mind and the creation behind the stories. He also adds in tidbits of information about the inspiration behind the characters, or the story. For all the times I want to ask an author about his or her work it was nice to have this already included. It's interesting to be able to see his struggles with a `happy ending' versus where the story needed or wanted to be.

Overall, Taylor's Show Me a Hero is a unique addition to my collection of superhero readings and I know that I will read and re-read it. The variety of stories and characters available will hold my interest for years to come. Most of all what I enjoyed in this collection is that these are more than just tales of heroes, and villains fighting it out; these are stories about people that aren't always good, aren't always bad, but are always searching, fighting and aching just like us.

[Cam Crowder · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not too often that I can get lost in superhero prose stories. Don't get me wrong, I love superheroes, but I tend to stick with comics for my superhero reading because most of the prose stories can't capture the same feel.

Sean Taylor, however, is a writer that can really make superhero prose work. And, like any of the best comic book writers, he focuses on the human nature of heroes, making them genuinely relatable which makes it easy to get attached to them in each story, and by the time you finally say goodbye, you feel like you've known them forever.

If you're looking for perfect heroes, you won't find them here, and that's one of many things that make this collection worth the purchase. Another notable trait is the unique nature of certain heroes within the pages, like Fishnet Angel, a male hero trapped in a female, super-powered body... Yeah, it's pretty cool.

So, in any case, even if you're not usually drawn to superhero prose (like me) this collection is still one to consider. Are these the most flashy, pristine superhero stories? No. Are they still among the best superhero stories in print today? You bet.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories featuring "heroes". I say "heroes" because thy aren't your traditional comic book heroes. More "realistic" is the only word I can think of at the moment. All of these take place in the same universe. If you enjoy this, I suggest the monthly iHero publication.