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mellhay's review
3.0
Since there are so many stories in this one, I'm going to try to keep it short and mention only a few. I did however, write a small thought on each in my notes. So if you are curious about any stories on the list I don't mention here, just ask..
This is not your traditional 'superhero' thinking. These characters are heroes, are not heroes but potentially villains, and are in the grey area where some would think they are heroes and some would think villains. The views are yours for the deciding.
The Introduction raises questions on the use of the term superhero, and the affect on people. The question is raised of how would people react with common things in life if "we" became a superhero. Would you marry the same person? Work the same job? These are some of the thoughts in a few of the stories.
Retribution is a hard story to start with. It could very well hit close to home in an Americans heart, for several. A man losses his wife and child-to-be September 11, 2011, and a part of himself as well. He sighed up to go over seas to make those responsible for his families death pay. His rage is explosive and full of vengeful hate. This is a heart breaking tale, for both sides of the war to me as well. His story is one that many could think he is a villain, but also a wounded man in grieving as well.
Mental Man is a mystery type take. We learn why Rob is in the position he is working, and that he doesn't have an archenemy to keep him feeling balanced and with a life purpose. Rob helps the police look for a murderer, but I wonder who the true murderer is.... I loved the metaphor of his feelings and the mental villain of diseases (Mental diseases.) The way this story turns around by the end in just a few short pages, had me hooked.
I really liked Enlightened by Sin. Victor hears the encrypted threat from Red Dahlia from his favorite DJ while he's cleaning up after his latest bad guy eliminating. Red Dahlia is dangerous and known for many deaths in a world where "Heroes" are sponsored. Victor is not sponsored, and is doing the dirty work of cleaning up the streets where others are not. Victor goes to talk to a victim of Red Dahlia's that 1) didn't fit the profile like the other victims, and 2) lived. This man has secrets to tell. I liked that Victor starts as seeming like a villain for the way he works, but in reality he's not, and I wonder about the "Heroes" in this world as well. I kind of got the reversed feel of Heroes and Villains rule here.
Threshold is a favorite of mine as well, for the twisted ending. We have a man who learns at twenty when he touches someone he will learn great details of harm they have done and if they need to die for it. A symptom of his ability, severe headaches. Uncontrollable pain until he does what needs to be done, and becomes the assassin, to eliminate the horrible people that shouldn't be here. I really liked this writing style, and the storyline with this man and his headaches pushing him to do what he needs to do.
Hero was neat to see how others react with knowledge a 'hero' has and shares. Robert Hanover is with Dr. Lange, his therapist in the hospital. Robert believes he has the power to see exactly seven minutes and twenty-two seconds into the future, but he is self absorbed. When Robert shares something about a beautiful receptionist at the hospital, with the Doctor exploit what he learns?
Pride was a neat read to see how far down can you push someone before the try to turn around, and it might come back on you. Carmichael works in construction now, after he took the fall for his mentor and lost his chance to be a superhero. But things on this job go bad, and Carmichael holds back as long as he can to save others. But when there is to much invested into this project and someone has to go down with the building, a sacrifice that will deface that person and save the face and money of another, who will fall?
Sabre was one I really enjoyed as well. A hero fights the villain, Anti-Matter, in her specialized suit, but when she returns to her office she gets a visitor who suspects her as the "hero" for the suit has abilities in the area her business has worked and created, along with others. This short story starts off fast and strong with fighting, and demonstrates this wonderful suit. I like how this "hero" helps yet makes out for the good. She walks a very gray line type feel to me. I like that idea.
Crooked, Oh! This was one of my favorites. Leon uses his telekinetic power to help cover his tracks in the snow. He goes to rob his ex, just to find someones taken her captive because of him, wanting what he took from them some time ago. A crime boss is hot on Leon's trail, or is Leon the one on their trail. I really liked the way this story twisted together and came to an unforeseen end.
Gone Rogue is a neat tale to see how two heroes can turn to archenemies when one lets his sidekick do all the work and then when things go wrong, shows up to turn on him. This was a tale that really made me think sometimes the "villain" isn't always the bad guy.
Overall, this book really got me to thinking about who really is a "Hero" and a "Villain" and where is the line drawn. It all depends on the side you see, sometimes. The Heroes here could be borderline Villains. Or Villains, borderline heroes. A feeling of Dark Superheroes, nothing is black and white and they live in the grey making the tough decisions and trying to cope with the strange abilities within them in a world dominated without it.
This is not your traditional 'superhero' thinking. These characters are heroes, are not heroes but potentially villains, and are in the grey area where some would think they are heroes and some would think villains. The views are yours for the deciding.
The Introduction raises questions on the use of the term superhero, and the affect on people. The question is raised of how would people react with common things in life if "we" became a superhero. Would you marry the same person? Work the same job? These are some of the thoughts in a few of the stories.
Retribution is a hard story to start with. It could very well hit close to home in an Americans heart, for several. A man losses his wife and child-to-be September 11, 2011, and a part of himself as well. He sighed up to go over seas to make those responsible for his families death pay. His rage is explosive and full of vengeful hate. This is a heart breaking tale, for both sides of the war to me as well. His story is one that many could think he is a villain, but also a wounded man in grieving as well.
Mental Man is a mystery type take. We learn why Rob is in the position he is working, and that he doesn't have an archenemy to keep him feeling balanced and with a life purpose. Rob helps the police look for a murderer, but I wonder who the true murderer is.... I loved the metaphor of his feelings and the mental villain of diseases (Mental diseases.) The way this story turns around by the end in just a few short pages, had me hooked.
I really liked Enlightened by Sin. Victor hears the encrypted threat from Red Dahlia from his favorite DJ while he's cleaning up after his latest bad guy eliminating. Red Dahlia is dangerous and known for many deaths in a world where "Heroes" are sponsored. Victor is not sponsored, and is doing the dirty work of cleaning up the streets where others are not. Victor goes to talk to a victim of Red Dahlia's that 1) didn't fit the profile like the other victims, and 2) lived. This man has secrets to tell. I liked that Victor starts as seeming like a villain for the way he works, but in reality he's not, and I wonder about the "Heroes" in this world as well. I kind of got the reversed feel of Heroes and Villains rule here.
Threshold is a favorite of mine as well, for the twisted ending. We have a man who learns at twenty when he touches someone he will learn great details of harm they have done and if they need to die for it. A symptom of his ability, severe headaches. Uncontrollable pain until he does what needs to be done, and becomes the assassin, to eliminate the horrible people that shouldn't be here. I really liked this writing style, and the storyline with this man and his headaches pushing him to do what he needs to do.
Hero was neat to see how others react with knowledge a 'hero' has and shares. Robert Hanover is with Dr. Lange, his therapist in the hospital. Robert believes he has the power to see exactly seven minutes and twenty-two seconds into the future, but he is self absorbed. When Robert shares something about a beautiful receptionist at the hospital, with the Doctor exploit what he learns?
Pride was a neat read to see how far down can you push someone before the try to turn around, and it might come back on you. Carmichael works in construction now, after he took the fall for his mentor and lost his chance to be a superhero. But things on this job go bad, and Carmichael holds back as long as he can to save others. But when there is to much invested into this project and someone has to go down with the building, a sacrifice that will deface that person and save the face and money of another, who will fall?
Sabre was one I really enjoyed as well. A hero fights the villain, Anti-Matter, in her specialized suit, but when she returns to her office she gets a visitor who suspects her as the "hero" for the suit has abilities in the area her business has worked and created, along with others. This short story starts off fast and strong with fighting, and demonstrates this wonderful suit. I like how this "hero" helps yet makes out for the good. She walks a very gray line type feel to me. I like that idea.
Crooked, Oh! This was one of my favorites. Leon uses his telekinetic power to help cover his tracks in the snow. He goes to rob his ex, just to find someones taken her captive because of him, wanting what he took from them some time ago. A crime boss is hot on Leon's trail, or is Leon the one on their trail. I really liked the way this story twisted together and came to an unforeseen end.
Gone Rogue is a neat tale to see how two heroes can turn to archenemies when one lets his sidekick do all the work and then when things go wrong, shows up to turn on him. This was a tale that really made me think sometimes the "villain" isn't always the bad guy.
Overall, this book really got me to thinking about who really is a "Hero" and a "Villain" and where is the line drawn. It all depends on the side you see, sometimes. The Heroes here could be borderline Villains. Or Villains, borderline heroes. A feeling of Dark Superheroes, nothing is black and white and they live in the grey making the tough decisions and trying to cope with the strange abilities within them in a world dominated without it.
seak's review
4.0
Corrupts Absolutely? is an anthology that deals with superheroes and metahumans and their powers. What would we actually do if we had 'em? Hopefully people would do good, but like the title of the anthology says, would it just corrupt people absolutely as the saying goes.
I always thought that if I got a superpower it'd be something like fire coming out of my butt. Everyone else gets the handy dandy and oh so convenient fire from palms, but I'd have to be like, "Give me just a sec..." *zip* "...alright, I'm ready to do this."
Retribution by Tim Marquitz - Let's just say this is quite the explosive beginning. Okay, I have more to say than that. This one deals with a man who's lost his family in 9/11 and watched it happen. Revenge consumes his life and he has the means to make something happen. (4/5)
Hollywood Villany by Weston Ochse - This was a hard one to put down. A "kid," who really just looks like a kid, but who's actually quite old follows a man home - "I want my two dollars." This story has a sick twist that was entirely unexpected. (4/5)
Mental Man by William Todd Rose - I really enjoyed the concept of this one, a man can get inside the victims' or the killer's head and see what happened, but in this case the killer smashes all the mirrors in the house and hides his face well enough he can't figure it out. I would love to see this as a full length novel. (4/5)
The Real Church by Jeremy Hepler - A guy resurrects a dog and then, with his mother, starts a church. This, in my opinion, is one of the most truthful stories of what someone would do with a "superpower." (3/5)
Ozymandias Revisited by A.S. Fox - No, this is not a Watchmen tribute, but has to do with the poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Worth a read before reading this story as it is often referenced with it's own changes. Ozymandias Revisited is about a guy who has ultimate power, who can do anything he wants, which he also does. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and everything else. This all comes with costs, some what you may think, others not expected. Revisited has a very unique style that's worth a read in and of itself. (3.5/5)
Enlightened by Sin by Jason M. Tucker - Another I'd love to see turned into a novel and my favorite so far, Enlightened is about a Dexter-like character, but who has the power to actually know the sins of those he kills (unlike Dexter's "I proved one bad thing so they're dead" take). Victor's tracking a brutal serial killer, but what's great about this one is that it expands the whole concept and world - there are superheroes, but who are sponsored by corporations. They help, but at the same time make sure to help themselves. (5/5)
The Origin of Slashy by Jeff Strand - This is how a serial killer is made. I was expecting a clown going into this, but this concept was creepy too. Slashy starts off with Kaylie getting raped and then finding out she can't be hurt. (3.5/5)
Conviction by Edward M. Erdelac - Told from the perspective of a young black boy and also as if he had written it, misspellings and everything. Abassi meets with a shrink about a picture he drew and tells about his rough life in the ghetto. He likes the shrink and decides to follow her advice. Conviction kind of had a similar concept to Ozymandias but also very different. (4/5)
Threshold by Kris Ashton - Similar to Enlightened by Sin in that the main character can tell whether a person has done something wrong, but in this one he feels pain until he does something about it. Great ending and great story. (4/5)
Oily by A.D. Spencer - About a superhero who gets hints from her dad about who to track down, she goes about as Cat's Eye. Enjoyable but a bit forgettable at the same time. (3/5)
Hero by Joe McKinney - A man, to around 7 minutes ahead, can predict the future - so of course he's being held captive. A highly enjoyable story. (4/5)
Pride by Wayne Ligon - One of my favorites so far, I think I like the ones more that display the powers. This reminded me a lot of Shadow Ops: Control Point where powers are highly regulated by the government, but that doesn't necessarily mean controlled. (4.5/5)
G-Child by Malon Edwards - A girl with parental issues attempts to stop a similarly power-enhanced teammate. Lots of action, but I didn't love it. The story switches back and forth between the action and her earlier years. (3/5)
Static by Jason Gehlert - I loved the plot, the ideas, and the action, but had a hard time following exactly what everyone could do as far as powers go and some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, a bit awkward. (3.5/5)
Illusion by Karina Fabian - Probably one of the most realistic in terms of what would actually happen if someone had psychic abilities - they'd go crazy. Illusion follows a kid's experience with this. (4/5)
Sabre by Anthony Laffan - The closest to an actual comic, this had great action, great scenes, and was lots of fun. It follows Sabre, a superhero dogged by reporters with lots of secrets to hide. (4/5)
Crooked by Lee Mather - The name of this story says a lot more than I realized when I started reading. A man with certain handicaps runs into an ambush while breaking into a home. Crooked is one of the darker stories, I wasn't a big fan of the parts that discussed children being injured or worse (I've become a softy in this area), but otherwise a very worthy installment. (3.5/5)
Fixed by Trisha J. Wooldridge - A woman, often marginalized by the men she's working with, both because of her gender and because of her handicaps, becomes a big player. But, is it because of her expertise or because of blackmail. Fixed wasn't my favorite, but very well done. (3.5/5)
Acquainted with the Night by Cat Rambo - One of the shortest stories if not the shortest, this story describes the origin, the career, the arrival, and the announcement of our superhero. I liked the unique structure and this story is the only to involve aliens so far. (4/5)
Gone Rogue by Wayne Helge - I mentioned some of these stories are very close to being comics, well, Gone Rogue is more like an '80s superhero cartoon. Filled with campy superhero and villain names (like The Midshipman and Kitty Twister), a teenage sidekick has to step up. (4/5)
Max and Rose by Andrew Bourelle - One of my favorites, if not my favorite, Max and Rose is a powerful story. I was going to say it's about what it means to be a superhero, but it's really more the opposite - if you're not being a superhero with your powers what does that make you? What if you're taking advantage of those powers? (5/5)
Corrupts Absolutely? is a great anthology with a concept that never gets old. Each of the stories is incredibly unique, even the ones that deal with a similar power or theme. I had a great time with this and I didn't dislike a single story. That's hard to do. Highly Recommended!
4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)
I always thought that if I got a superpower it'd be something like fire coming out of my butt. Everyone else gets the handy dandy and oh so convenient fire from palms, but I'd have to be like, "Give me just a sec..." *zip* "...alright, I'm ready to do this."
Retribution by Tim Marquitz - Let's just say this is quite the explosive beginning. Okay, I have more to say than that. This one deals with a man who's lost his family in 9/11 and watched it happen. Revenge consumes his life and he has the means to make something happen. (4/5)
Hollywood Villany by Weston Ochse - This was a hard one to put down. A "kid," who really just looks like a kid, but who's actually quite old follows a man home - "I want my two dollars." This story has a sick twist that was entirely unexpected. (4/5)
Mental Man by William Todd Rose - I really enjoyed the concept of this one, a man can get inside the victims' or the killer's head and see what happened, but in this case the killer smashes all the mirrors in the house and hides his face well enough he can't figure it out. I would love to see this as a full length novel. (4/5)
The Real Church by Jeremy Hepler - A guy resurrects a dog and then, with his mother, starts a church. This, in my opinion, is one of the most truthful stories of what someone would do with a "superpower." (3/5)
Ozymandias Revisited by A.S. Fox - No, this is not a Watchmen tribute, but has to do with the poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Worth a read before reading this story as it is often referenced with it's own changes. Ozymandias Revisited is about a guy who has ultimate power, who can do anything he wants, which he also does. Sex, drugs, rock and roll, and everything else. This all comes with costs, some what you may think, others not expected. Revisited has a very unique style that's worth a read in and of itself. (3.5/5)
Enlightened by Sin by Jason M. Tucker - Another I'd love to see turned into a novel and my favorite so far, Enlightened is about a Dexter-like character, but who has the power to actually know the sins of those he kills (unlike Dexter's "I proved one bad thing so they're dead" take). Victor's tracking a brutal serial killer, but what's great about this one is that it expands the whole concept and world - there are superheroes, but who are sponsored by corporations. They help, but at the same time make sure to help themselves. (5/5)
The Origin of Slashy by Jeff Strand - This is how a serial killer is made. I was expecting a clown going into this, but this concept was creepy too. Slashy starts off with Kaylie getting raped and then finding out she can't be hurt. (3.5/5)
Conviction by Edward M. Erdelac - Told from the perspective of a young black boy and also as if he had written it, misspellings and everything. Abassi meets with a shrink about a picture he drew and tells about his rough life in the ghetto. He likes the shrink and decides to follow her advice. Conviction kind of had a similar concept to Ozymandias but also very different. (4/5)
Threshold by Kris Ashton - Similar to Enlightened by Sin in that the main character can tell whether a person has done something wrong, but in this one he feels pain until he does something about it. Great ending and great story. (4/5)
Oily by A.D. Spencer - About a superhero who gets hints from her dad about who to track down, she goes about as Cat's Eye. Enjoyable but a bit forgettable at the same time. (3/5)
Hero by Joe McKinney - A man, to around 7 minutes ahead, can predict the future - so of course he's being held captive. A highly enjoyable story. (4/5)
Pride by Wayne Ligon - One of my favorites so far, I think I like the ones more that display the powers. This reminded me a lot of Shadow Ops: Control Point where powers are highly regulated by the government, but that doesn't necessarily mean controlled. (4.5/5)
G-Child by Malon Edwards - A girl with parental issues attempts to stop a similarly power-enhanced teammate. Lots of action, but I didn't love it. The story switches back and forth between the action and her earlier years. (3/5)
Static by Jason Gehlert - I loved the plot, the ideas, and the action, but had a hard time following exactly what everyone could do as far as powers go and some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, a bit awkward. (3.5/5)
Illusion by Karina Fabian - Probably one of the most realistic in terms of what would actually happen if someone had psychic abilities - they'd go crazy. Illusion follows a kid's experience with this. (4/5)
Sabre by Anthony Laffan - The closest to an actual comic, this had great action, great scenes, and was lots of fun. It follows Sabre, a superhero dogged by reporters with lots of secrets to hide. (4/5)
Crooked by Lee Mather - The name of this story says a lot more than I realized when I started reading. A man with certain handicaps runs into an ambush while breaking into a home. Crooked is one of the darker stories, I wasn't a big fan of the parts that discussed children being injured or worse (I've become a softy in this area), but otherwise a very worthy installment. (3.5/5)
Fixed by Trisha J. Wooldridge - A woman, often marginalized by the men she's working with, both because of her gender and because of her handicaps, becomes a big player. But, is it because of her expertise or because of blackmail. Fixed wasn't my favorite, but very well done. (3.5/5)
Acquainted with the Night by Cat Rambo - One of the shortest stories if not the shortest, this story describes the origin, the career, the arrival, and the announcement of our superhero. I liked the unique structure and this story is the only to involve aliens so far. (4/5)
Gone Rogue by Wayne Helge - I mentioned some of these stories are very close to being comics, well, Gone Rogue is more like an '80s superhero cartoon. Filled with campy superhero and villain names (like The Midshipman and Kitty Twister), a teenage sidekick has to step up. (4/5)
Max and Rose by Andrew Bourelle - One of my favorites, if not my favorite, Max and Rose is a powerful story. I was going to say it's about what it means to be a superhero, but it's really more the opposite - if you're not being a superhero with your powers what does that make you? What if you're taking advantage of those powers? (5/5)
Corrupts Absolutely? is a great anthology with a concept that never gets old. Each of the stories is incredibly unique, even the ones that deal with a similar power or theme. I had a great time with this and I didn't dislike a single story. That's hard to do. Highly Recommended!
4 out of 5 Stars (Loved it)
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