Michael Stackpole's Digital Original novel: In Hero Years… I’m Dead

Digital Original novel: In Hero Years… I’m Dead|Stormwolf.com:

"So, there I was, stuck with a perfectly good novel that didn't have a home. I certainly wasn't the first novelist to face that problem. I know I won’t be the last. But it’s a bit galling when a story you know readers will enjoy doesn't see print simply because it doesn't fit in any convenient marketing niche."

Since I'm reading Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible this caught my eye. I think the Superhero Noir genre may be making a comeback.

Cheers to Stackpole for putting out the ePub version on his own. We will be seeing more big ticket authors looking for venues to publish the books that the publishers do not want. Somehow I think we'll end up with access to more innovative writing.

In Hero Years… I’m Dead is New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole’s first Digital-Original novel.
Twenty years ago someone stole him away from Capital City. Having been released from captivity he returns to find everything changed. The great heroes of his day, men who could move planets or tear apart criminal syndicates, have all retired. A new breed of hero has sprung up to deal with a perplexingly new brand of villain. It’s a world that makes no sense, and a world which, if he persists in playing the hero, will surely see him dead.
In Hero Years… I’m Dead mixes action, dark humor, satire and strong characters into a thrilling page-turner. It’s superheroes facing challenges both in costume and out, battling a cunning enemy bent on destroying all they have worked so hard to preserve.

I enjoyed this book very much. It's an interesting take on superheroes and how the world would work if there really were such people. This premise has been explored before, but Stackpole has carved out a unique take on the subject. He is a very competent writer who has a lot of experience writing in a pre-defined universe (Star Wars in particular) and knows how to step outside the usual boundaries. He crafts a fast paced adventure married with superb character development and biting social commentary.

The cast of characters are well thought out; heroes and villains are ripped out of the comic books we all know and love and re-worked into his own unique characters. All of the major characters have well-fleshed personalities, and motivations that drive the story forward. In particular, he takes an interesting look at 'superhero fatigue'. What happens when heroes (and villains) have been at it for too long.

The noir-style detective backdrop adds both drama and humor to the story. Our hero reacquaints himself with Capitol City via a series of violent episodes where the motives are unclear. Is foiling a bank robbery a simple good guys vs. bad guys scenario or is it a cynical game where points in a fantasy league are accrued based on villains defeated (non-lethally) and treasure re-captured, vs. damage to property and regular citizens.

Its refreshing to have a mature superhero protagonist dealing with mature issues. He has no innate powers, but trained to have unique characteristics, who 'lost' his middle years, comes back to retire from the business yet is forced to settle old scores. There were some genuine surprises in the plot line and an interesting commentary on the whole superhero genre. At a time when the genre is at the forefront in books, film and TV Stackpole manages to find a fresh angle.
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Other books I've read with a quirky take on superheroes:
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman: an interesting take on superheroes taken from a (misunderstood?) supervillian's viewpoint.
Gladiator by Philip Wylie: Written in 1930, it is widely believed to be the inspiration for Superman comics (Wikipedia). Copyright has expired so you can get a free copy of the book from archive.org.