iHero is back as SuperHeroFiction.com!

That's right. The award-winning superhero fiction of iHero Entertainment is back with the same cast of writers you know and love from the original run -- Frank Fradella, Matt Hiebert, and Sean Taylor

Featuring all new stories of characters both old and new. 

Check it out at www.superherofiction.com.

[Link] I do believe in -isms

by Dale Glaser

I signed a contract today to have a short story published as a standalone electronic unit. This is my first foray into that particular distribution model, so I’m really intrigued to see how it all goes. Many more details and reflections about the story will come as it gets closer to release, but for now the only hint I will offer is this: it’s an original superhero story, another first for me in terms of semi-pro publishing, which is nothing short of remarkable considering the sheer percentage of my life for which I’ve been obsessed with superheroes and comic books. Somewhere north of 90%, at least.

Since I’m not going to talk much more about the story itself here, I thought I’d take the opportunity to dissect a couple of questions of terminology. What exactly is a superhero? What, for that matter, is a hero?

Let’s start with the second part first. It’s a little easier to get a handle on the concept of heroism because it’s a real thing in the real world; superheroes are idealized fictional constructs, but there are living, breathing heroes all around us. And yet attempting to define heroism can be surprisingly controversial! Still, semantic arguments that reveal more about the arguer’s worldview than the objective truth aside, the basic nature of heroism is fairly simple and straightforward. A hero risks or sacrifices some aspect of himself or herself for the benefit of someone else.

Note there’s nothing in there about nobility or respectability, and whether or not we should all aspire to living that way. Of course people, myself included, tend in casual conversation to use hero and idol interchangeably sometimes. If you look up to someone, and want to be like them, you call them a personal hero. And that could very well include someone who is perfectly described by my definition above. But it could also include someone who has accomplished something you want to accomplish. A kid playing guitar could point to Jimi Hendrix as a hero, or I could say Stephen King is mine, but that’s a bit outside of what we’re talking about here.

It may be a fair question to ask how much a person has to risk and how much they have to help someone before they can rightfully be called a hero. When we say that soldiers or police officers or firefighters are the real heroes, we’re acknowledging that getting shot at or running into a burning building unquestionably puts their physical safety, and quite possibly their very life, on the line. Nobody can give more than that. And by and large those same people are doing what they do in order to save someone else from an untimely demise. Very little gets as much instant, unchallenged respect as saving lives.

Read the full article: https://dalewglaser.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/i-do-believe-in-isms/

[Link] The “Superhero” Trademark: how the name of a genre came to be owned by DC and Marvel, and how they enforce it

by DG Stewart

Our publication has a category devoted to “superheroes”. It is a genre to which we have paid disproportionate attention, primarily because it is in English (the language of most of our contributors) and because of the sheer volume of superhero-genre material generated primarily by American publishers.

But what does the word “superhero” actually denote? The words “super hero” was first used in 1917, when it was used to describe a “public figure of great accomplishments”

In so far as use of the word “superhero” in the course of commerce is concerned, however, there is a severe limitation. The word “superhero” is jointly owned in many parts of the world by two US publishers, DC Comics and Marvel Characters Inc, an affiliate of Marvel Comics. The road to joint ownership of the word “SUPERHERO” in the United States is well-explained in this link.

But perhaps a more concise explanation comes from both DC Comics and Marvel themselves. The following paragraphs come from a United States trade mark notice of opposition filed by DC Comics and Marvel in May 2015:

Read the full article: http://www.worldcomicbookreview.com/index.php/2017/06/01/superhero-trademark-name-genre-came-owned-dc-marvel-enforce/

Submissions are now open for BLACK POWER: The Superhero Anthology!

Stories of superheroes in film and comic books capture essential truths about human nature. We relate to – and identify with – the characters and themes in these stories; we empathize with the dilemmas and problems that superheroes face, and we admire – and often mimic – their heroic acts.

The definition of a hero is someone who rises above his or her fears and limitations to achieve something extraordinary. A hero embodies what we believe is best in ourselves.

The clearest difference between a hero and what we tend to consider a superhero is that superheroes possess fantastic powers, fight their battles with advanced technology, or possess uncanny beauty, bravery, skill, or luck.

No costume is necessary; but it is cool.

We – Black / Afrikan adults AND youth – need our stories told; and WE need to tell them. We need to read about and see ourselves as superheroes from OUR perspective. We need and want this.

We at Roaring Lions Productions are going to meet that need. Following the worldwide release of the Rococoa anthology in February, 2016, we will release Black Power: The Superhero Anthology in December, 2016!

What We Are Looking For

When it comes to superheroes, we think of sweeping themes that deal with the central issues of heroism and, of course, superpowers. We welcome authors to subvert these tropes, to expand upon what “superhero” means, and to mash-up the superhero tropes with the tropes of other genres under the Speculative Fiction umbrella.

We seek original stories with more depth than simple origin tales or superhero-versus-supervillain battles. Who are these people who have strange and wonderful powers and choose to use them to exact justice? What makes them tick?

We must emphasize that your characters should be original creations. We will not consider work utilizing licensed characters or knockoffs of licensed characters unless your story is clearly a parody or spoof.

Rules

The main character in your story must be Black / of Afrikan descent. The character can be from the continent of Afrika or anywhere in the Diaspora.

The characters can be of any age.

If your story is about a superhero team, the team members should be majority Black / Afrikan descent.

Length: 1500-10000 words. This is firm.

Payment: $25.00 per story.

Type of submissions accepted: Electronic only.

Reprints? No

Multiple Submissions? No

Simultaneous Submissions? Yes

Submissions close: June 30, 2016. This is firm, as each story will have original artwork attached and the artists need time to do the illustrations.

Response time after submission of story: 4 weeks or sooner.

Publication date: December, 2016.

Submission Requirements

Failure to follow these requirements pretty much guarantees your work will be rejected.

1.  Email your submissions to blackscififantasy@gmail.com. Put in the subject line: Black Superhero. Give us a short summary of your story in the email body (no more than two or three sentences) and a short summary of who you are (previous publishing credits, etc.). Include your word count in the email.
2.  Send in .doc, .docx, or .rtf formats only.
3.  Your manuscript should follow standard formatting protocol. Times New Roman or Courier fonts only. Please ensure your story is free from typos, spelling and grammatical errors.

Good luck! We look forward to seeing what you have for us!

For more information, visit http://chroniclesofharriet.com/2015/12/10/superhero-anthology/

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #276 -- Worst Comic Book Movies

What are the bottom five super-hero movies based on comic book characters, the ones that should have never been made? (Thanks to Tyler Hicks for the question.)

Well, let's be honest, there are a lot of bad comic book movies out there, and many of them come from the 70s made for TV set. But to be fair, I'm not going to count those. I'm only going to include the ones that hit the theaters and were supposed to be something great.

And NO, HOWARD THE DUCK IS NOT ON MY LIST. I actually like that movie. Don't ask, and I won't tell. It's better that way. Trust me.

1. Superman IV -- What could have been a really cool Superman flick turns into pure camp and pure propaganda. And not good camp or good propaganda.

2. Superman III -- While I love Richard Prior in most of his flicks, particularly The Toy and Brewster's Millions, he ruins this turkey of a film.

3. Batman and Robin -- I won't waste your time with an explanation on this one.

4. Superman Returns -- This one is worse than the Green Lantern movie. I mean really, did the writers even know who the characters were?

5. Steel/Spawn (tie) -- How did they mess up these? The source material was awesome.

Why wasn't ____________________ on your list?

1. Catwoman -- Sure it wasn't about Catwoman, but if you start over from the title and tweak the dialog, you're got a watchable movie.

2. Green Lantern -- It had big green explosions. I wasn't really looking for much more than that.

3. Daredevil -- Ben Affleck isn't the greatest actor known to the industry, but this movie wasn't that bad. Slow at times, and the normally wonderful Jennifer Garner was out of place as Elektra, but not nearly as bad as people make it seem.

4. Howard the Duck -- Shut up. This movie is fun.

5. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -- Nothing like the book. I get that, but like Catwoman, if you stop thinking of it in terms of the source material, it's not so bad at all. Kinda fun, actually.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#238) -- Believable Super Heroes

Any advice for writing superheroes in a believable way?

I tend to use five key principles when I try to write believable super-powered characters:

1. THINK CHARACTER -- Beyond powers and costumes, who is this character and why should readers care about him or her? Does he have a job? What's her favorite movie? Does he have trouble with commitments? Is she religious?

Go past the obvious when creating your characters. Figure who they really are. A good exercise is to fill out job applications for your key characters at least. Give them a background, hobbies, job experience, educational experience, key moments in life to remember. Sure, not all (or even any) of this background info will make it into your story, but your characters will become much more real both to you and your readers.

2. THINK CONFLICT -- Not just Super-Bob versus the Giant Panda for the fate of the world, but what's really at stake? A character's worldview failing to be real? The fear of the unknown? The inadequacy of super powers? A childhood trauma that prevents a character from growing as a person?

Many times, the internal conflict can be played out against the external or physical one. In the best stories, the two conflicts are inseparable, the yin and yang, the heads and tales that make a good story a great one.

3. THINK HUMAN -- Characters become real when they become human, touchable. Do your characters have anything in common with flesh and blood people? With the reader? Readers can't identify with being able to throw tanks around, but if that character who can throw them around also has a few failed relationships or is grieving a lost sibling or has claustrophobia or struggles with shyness, then you've made the super-human more human.

4. THINK PLAUSIBLE -- In the comic book world characters may be able to fly or save the universe the minute they get zapped by lightning or sprayed with radiation, but in the Cyber Age universe, things aren't so spontaneous. They take practice. Just as you don't immediately learn quantum physics in your first class of Physics 101, your heroes shouldn't have a graduate degree in super heroics simply by virtue of putting on a costume.

5. THINK SHARED - Your stories don't occur in a vacuum. There should be a rich history and society in place in the universe, thanks to those who have written before you or your fertile imagination. Even a small detail sprinkled here and there will give your stories the edge that makes them seem that they're a part of something bigger.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#201) -- Why Super Heroes?

What is it about writing super hero stories that appeals to you?

I love super heroes. I have ever since I first saw the trash can Iron Man beat up on the bad guys. I have since I first read about Superman stopping asteroids from hitting the earth (as opposed to meteorites).

But even as I grew up and realized their adventures were a little hokey and campy from time to time (or more often than that), I couldn't help but still love them. They exemplified the image of the sacrificial martyr putting himself or herself on the line for the greater good, the person willing to die in order to save others. I couldn't help but love that.

For the next part of this post, I quote from my foreword to the Cyber Age Adventures short story collection A Private Little Corner of the Universe.

"But I grew up. I got jaded. I got cynical.

"The happy world of the Avengers and the Legion of Super-Heroes faded into the bleak landscapes of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Raymond Carver, Ernest Hemmingway, and Flannery O’Conner. Their characters smacked of realness to me. I knew people like them. I didn’t like them, but I did know them. They lived in my neighborhood and frankly got on my last nerve as regularly as taking a breath.

"But somewhere inside me was that child who got tired of all the bleakness and pain and reality and wanted to see the bright colors
streak across the sky again. At times, I’d have given anything for the freedom to be a kid again and empty my action figures onto the bed.

"Thanks to the modern wonder of the Internet and discussion lists, I eventually met Frank Fradella and discovered Cyber Age Adventures. I saw in Cyber Age an opportunity to do something a little different, something that excited both the boy who longed for heroes and the man who knew they were fallible.

"So I turned in a story about a woman who left her husband and kids when she developed super powers because she couldn’t face what those powers had made her. More stories followed, stories about heroes who had the one “flaw” we all have—they were human. For all their powers and drive and heroic tendencies, they were merely mortals in the guise of gods. And they often learned that the hard way."

So why do I love to write and read super hero stories? Because I think they're still one of the best settings we have to tell stories about people making complex decisions that can tell us about ourselves. (All while beating up bad guys and stopping asteroids, of course.)