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Post by dem on Nov 28, 2007 19:28:01 GMT
Michel Parry (ed.) - Superheroes (Sphere, 1978)  Melvyn Grant
Introduction - Michel Parry
Robert Bloch - Stupourman
George E. Clark - The Evil Super-Man
John Russell Fearn - The Golden Amazon Returns
Donald F. Glut - Origin Of A Superhero
Stephen Hitchcock - Captain Amazing
George Alec Effinger - The Awesome Menace Of The Polarizer
John A. Keel - Satyr-Man
Adrian Cole - Transmuto, The Metamorphic Myrmidon
Marion Pitman - Easy Way Out
Norman Spinrad - It's A Bird, It's A Plane!
Allen C. Kimball - Up, Up And Away!
Frank Adey - Alternative Ending
Special Non-fiction feature Larry Niven - Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex: Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Superman's Sex Life!
Bearing the legend "Special Bonus Feature! Intimate Details of Superman's Sex-life Revealed!" on the cover ("He's faster than a speeding bullet. He's more powerful than a locomotive. He's able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Why can't he get a girl?"), you could be mistaken for thinking this was another entry in Parry's Devil's Kisses series, but Superheroes is another of his out-on-a-limb collections in the tradition of Roots of Evil: Beyond the Secret Life of Plants (Corgi, 1976: credited to 'Carlos Cassaba'), a collection of horror stories pitting man versus blood-lusting flowers and evil vegetables. It's perhaps stretching things to include this entertaining SF & Fantasy-heavy collection amongst a horror selection, but at least two of the featured stories qualify and, as one of these is Donald Glut’s lovable Frankenstein update, thought I’d make an exception. Who cares, anyway? An even madder mad doctor unleashes The Evil Super-Man (originally The Test-tube Monster) on the world and heads roll as a consequence in George E. Clark’s pulp romp. Includes: Donald F. Glut - Origin Of A Superhero: Bavaria, turn of the 20th Century. In a medieval castle overlooking Ingoldstadt, Viktor Frankenstein attempts to redeem the good name of his family by creating a super-goodie two-shoes, Alpha One. Alpha has been given the brain of Bertrand Starr, crippled from birth and renowned as the greatest philanthropist of his age. The operation is successful - but a lifetime's worth of bitterness and rejection have finally taken their toll on the Saintly Starr. Viktor is but the first of his many, many Vik-tims ... John A. Keel - Satyr-Man: ( The Fickle Finger of Fate, Fawcett, 1966: Coronet 1967). By day he's playboy and man about town Arthur Potter III but come the night he dons cape and mask to become - Satyr-Man! Actually, that name has only recently been bestowed upon him by sexologist Bonita Grant while she was 'repaying' him for rescuing her dad from a gang of muggers. Professor Grant, it transpires, is an Egyptologist labouring under a curse for disturbing the lost tomb of King Theops. "There have been some funny things going on at the museum ... broken windows ... things stolen ... a guard impaled on an ancient lance." What can it all mean? Mildly saucy knock-about comedy from Mr Mothman Prophesies. This could as easily have made up the numbers in one of Michel's Devil's Kisses books. Cover via John Keel.com to whom many thanks. Allen C. Kimball - Up, Up And Away!: The Avenger is worse than depressed - he's suicidal. Thirty years of fighting crime, forever saving the world and where does it get you? His girlfriend, Sally Rodgers, detests his alter-ego, mild-mannered insurance salesman Herman Glimpshire, mainly because she can't exploit his fame. She's not the only one getting rich off his back. There's the Official Fan Club, the comics, the TV shows, all that trashy merchandise ... Even if he overlooks Sally's least salient points he can never have sex with her - it would kill her. An SOS call. It's from Sally yet again, but for once she really is in trouble and not just trying to show him off to her pals. Well screw her, and screw the world ... Marion Pitman - Easy Way Out: Batman, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, The Blue Bulk - all of them congregated in NYC attempting to take out Supercreep, a super-villain equipped with defences that nullify each of their party tricks. The down-trodden guy in the grey suit is sick of seeing the streets full of these idiots in their rotten costumes demonstrating their gimmicky powers. So they want rid of this here evil megalomaniac? Fine ...
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Post by dem on Apr 22, 2018 18:18:38 GMT
George Alec Effinger - The Awesome Menace Of The Polarizer: (Fantastic Science Fiction, November 1971). "Flee, you idiot! Flee before I de-molecularise you." Roy Marquand, straight A scholar and High School sports star, has a secret only his father is aware of: He and scaly-skinned superhero THE IGUANA are one and the same entity! This latest dangerous adventure pits him versus Dr. Bertram Russell of the Ivy Plasmotics Laboratory, or THE POLARIZER, King of Evil, Fiend of Crime, as he'd prefer us to think of him. Russell has transplanted the brain of late genius-philanthropist Robert W. Hansen into the skull of an android. The world is his for the taking .... if he can only be rid of his meddling, lizard-faced adversary!
Best bit is when Roy takes Dr. Russell into his confidence, little realising he's betraying his all to his arch enemy!
Norman Spinrad - It'a A Bird! It's A Plane! : (Gent, Dec. 1967). The franchise has had such an invigorating effect on generations that now the mental hospitals are full of of meek, mild-mannered men afflicted by Superman Syndrome.
Dr. Felix 'Supershrink' Funck is by now so disenchanted with his lot that he would no longer recognise the real Clark Kent if he flew out of the window.
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Post by dem on Apr 25, 2018 21:18:49 GMT
Adrian Cole - Transmuto, The Metamorphic Myrmidon: Lucian 'Lucky' P. Sludge, garbageman aka TRANSMUTO, versus THE LORD OF VERMIN and his army of man-eating super-rats rats in the sewers beneath Cosmopolis. Transmuto became so due to a lethal cocktail of radiation poisoning and subsequent metaplasm addiction. His condition means he can become a transmorphous blob of jelly at will and mould himself into whatever shape best suits the circumstances. But that's no use now Mr. Vermin has him trapped beneath a giant re-enforced jam jar! Can Transmuto somehow escape before evil adversary lets loose his rodents on an unsuspecting population? Definitely worthy of consideration for Messers Pendle & Varley's The Stench Of Horror. George E. Clark [Ronal Kayser] - The Evil Superman; ( Marvel Tales, May 1940, as The Test Tube Monster).  J. W. Scott Cover swiped from ISFDB, to whom, many thanks(maybe now they'd like to credit our scans?). The speaker is Professor Thorndile, skeletal MAD SCIENTIST, who has invited artist Graeme Mansfield along to his laboratory to witness the dawning of the New World Order. Thorndile has not only replicated human life but vastly improved upon it! Soon, his test-tube giant will achieve ENTIRE WORLD DOMINATION! Graeme Mansfield, artist, is more interested in the Eve to the Evil Superman's Adam. 'Daphne,' as he names her, is the blonde goddess of his fantasies. He simply has to paint her! Thorndile, a rabid misogynist, has no time for such nonsense. Daphne is dispensable. No sooner has she mothered the Evil Superman's offspring than he'll destroy her - and the rest of mankind bar a handful of slaves! Alas, The Evil Superman has no intention of sharing power with ANYONE, least of all a punt specimen like Thorndile. Without giving too much away, Chapter IV is titled 'Death of a Mad Scientist' { *Spoiler*}
"The giant caught up the mad scientist and promptly tore his head from his shoulders" Mansfield and Daphne flee the lab and escape aboard the first ever rocketship to Mars, but will they ever be free of Professor Thorndile's creation? All seems lost until ...
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