Masked (2010)
Authors: Lou Anders
MASKED
FEATURES THESE BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING CONTRIBUTORS
STEPHEN BAXTER,
Philip K. Dick and BSFA Award-winning author of the
Destiny’s Children
series. . .
MIKE CAREY,
Acclaimed writer for
Lucifer
and
The Unwritten
from DC/Vertigo. . .
PAUL CORNELL,
Two-time Hugo Award nominee for his work on
Doctor Who
, and a writer for the Marvel Comics series
Young Avengers,
and
Captain Britain
and
MI-13
. . .
PETER DAVID,
New York Times
bestselling author known for his work on Marvel comics like
Spider-Man
, and
The Incredible Hulk
and DC Comics’
Aquaman
. . .
MARJORIE M. LIU,
New York Times
bestselling author, and the writer of Marvel Comics’
Black Widow, Dark Wolverine,
and
NYX
. . .
IAN MCDONALD,
Hugo and BSFA Award–winning author of
River of Gods
and
Brasyl
. . .
CHRIS ROBERSON,
Award-winning science fiction author, and the writer of DC/Vertigo’s
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love
and
I, Zombie
. . .
GAIL SIMONE,
acclaimed writer of DC Comics’
Wonder Woman, Superman,
and
Birds of Prey
. . .
MATTHEW STURGES,
fantasy novelist and a writer for DC/Vertigo’s
Jack of Fables
and DC’s
JSA All Stars
. . .
BILL WILLINGHAM,
Creator and writer of the DC/Vertigo smash hits
Fables
and
Jack of Fables
.
Praise for editor Lou Anders
“Lou Anders is an accomplished anthologist, adept at choosing themes likely to encourage originality of concept from his writers.”
—Locus
This title is also available as an eBook
| Gallery Books |
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
“The Golden Age” copyright © 2010 by Lou Anders
“Cleansed and Set in Gold” copyright © 2010 by Matthew Sturges
“Where Their Worm Dieth Not” copyright © 2010 by James Maxey
“Secret Identity” copyright © 2010 by Paul Cornell
“The Non-Event” copyright © 2010 by Mike Carey
“Avatar” copyright © 2010 by Mike Baron
“Message from the Bubblegum Factory” copyright © 2010 by Daryl Gregory
“Thug” copyright © 2010 by Gail Simone
“Vacuum Lad” copyright © 2010 by Stephen Baxter
“A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows” copyright © 2010 by Monkeybrain Inc.
“Head Cases” copyright © 2010 by Second Age, Inc.
“Downfall” copyright © 2010 by Moorsyum Enterprises
“By My Works You Shall Know Me” copyright © 2010 by Mark Chadbourn
“Call Her Savage” copyright © 2010 by Marjorie M. Liu
“Tonight We Fly” copyright © 2010 by Ian McDonald
“A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)” copyright © 2010 by Bill Willingham
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition July 2010
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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Designed by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Masked / edited by Lou Anders.—1st Gallery Books trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
1. Fantasy fiction, American. 2. Superheroes—Fiction. 3. Fantasy fiction, English, I. Anders, Lou.
PS648.F3W58 2010
813'.0876608—dc22
2010003536
ISBN 978-1-4391-6882-0
ISBN 978-1-4391-6883-7 (ebook)
For My Little Superheroes, Arthur and Alex,
Who Stormed the Fortress and Banished the Solitude
As with any
anthology project, thanks are due to many people. This time out, copious appreciation is due to my friends George Mann, Mark C. Newton, and Christian Dunn, who had a hand in this anthology’s genesis. Thanks also to my editor at Gallery, the incomparable Jennifer Heddle, who, incidentally, also bought my very first professional anthology
Live Without a Net
way back when (and thus had a major hand in launching my publishing career). It’s wonderful to be working with her again. Thanks are certainly due to the marvelous Trevor Hairsine for a fabulous cover, and to the very dear Paul Cornell, who, apart from his own wonderful contribution, generously helped with facilitating introductions to some of the comic book scribes herein. Finally, and as always, thanks to my wonderful wife, Xin, for her superheroic levels of love and support.
Introduction: The Golden Age L
OU
A
NDERS
Cleansed and Set in Gold M
ATTHEW
S
TURGES
Where Their Worm Dieth Not J
AMES
M
AXEY
Message from the Bubblegum Factory D
ARYL
G
REGORY
A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows C
HRIS
R
OBERSON
Head Cases P
ETER
D
AVID
AND
K
ATHLEEN
D
AVID
By My Works You Shall Know Me M
ARK
C
HADBOURN
Call Her Savage M
ARJORIE
M. L
IU
A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too) B
ILL
W
ILLINGHAM
“And the other fields I’ve worked in—Fantasy, or Children’s Fiction, or Horror—tend to be critically looked down on as gutter literature by a certain sort of reader (comics weren’t even in the gutter when I started writing them. We were some kind of sub-drain. You looked up to the gutter).”
—N
EIL
G
AIMAN
Superheroes and superheroines
have come a long way since Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the Man of Steel back in 1938. From the prototypical archetypes of Superman and Batman (themselves direct descendants of the pulp fiction heroes Doc Savage and the Shadow), a whole multiverse of costumed crusaders has evolved. Seventy-two years later, and every shape and size of superhuman vigilante has been explored. They may come by their powers naturally or as the result of exposure to some scientific accident. They may rely on a technological arsenal of their own creation or have been bequeathed their abilities by a mentor. They may be caped or cowled, though plenty are neither. They usually have a secret identity, though some forgo privacy in favor of a public life. They may have a cave deep under the ground, a laboratory high above
the city, a base at the North Pole, or even a headquarters on the moon. They serve as a shining example or dish out a rough justice. And whoever they are, they all battle colorful rogues’ galleries of the worst villains imaginable, from mad scientists to alien monsters, harmless pranksters to homicidal maniacs.
These days, the so-named “golden age” of the comic book field is three-quarters of a century behind us, during which time comic books have grown and evolved a considerable degree. Decades have passed since the first time the lid was lifted on dealing with social issues in a metaphorical context, and after a long struggle, so called “comic books” have found their way into mainstream acceptance as legitimate, sophisticated entertainment.
What’s more, the comic book superhero has been a staple of television animation and live-action filmmaking since its inception, so much so that we find ourselves in 2010 with a rich canon of superhero film adaptation. When
Superman: The Movie
debuted in 1978, exactly four decades after Superman’s initial comic book incarnation, it set a new standard for excellence in portraying costumed crime fighters in a sophisticated context, a standard exceeded many times over by such films as
Iron Man, Watchmen
, and
The Dark Knight
(which was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won two—one for Best Supporting Actor, no less). These days, superhero films are among the most anticipated of Hollywood offerings and the hottest of video games.
