ADONIS MORGAN
(Nobody Special)
By Frank Byrns
115 pages
Pro Se Press
There are several respected writers in the New Pulp movement
who specialize in tales of realistic superheroes. One of the best is writer Frank Byrns as he
amply demonstrates in this paperback collection starring his metahuman
character, Adonis Morgan.
The five stories here detail the adventures of a man riding
the unpredictable rollercoaster that comes with having super strength. Early on we learn that Morgan went the
traditional cape and mask route upon attaining his powers but the world being
what it is, he gave up that romantic calling fast. He then tries his hand at being a movie
stuntman; being impervious to most kind of traumas does have advantages. But when he’s framed for murder by a fellow
metahuman with a long-held grudge, even that quickly sours.
Next he’s a nighttime taxi-driver and eventually a bodyguard
for a campaigning senator assigned to protect the man’s younger, trophy
wife. When she’s kidnapped, Morgan is
once again the public patsy.
As you can see, Byrns’ doesn’t offer up any rose-colored
views; proving all too often that the fun stuff does indeed only happen in the
comic books. A world with real super
powered people would, by the mere premise, be a complicated place. One which he deftly portrays with ease. From the first page, we dropped smoothly into
this world and could easily empathize with Morgan. Sometimes being a superhero just isn’t all
it’s cracked up to me. On the other
hand, these stories are original and insightful and offer up a unique look into
a little explored sci-fi pulp genre. If
you’ve never read superhero prose before, this is the place to start.
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