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Hero (novel)
Encyclopedia
Hero is a Lambda
-winning first novel by openly gay
film producer
and novelist Perry Moore
. The fantasy novel is about a teenage superhero, Thom Creed, who must deal with his ex-superhero father's disgrace, his own sexuality, and a murderer stalking the world's heroes.
. But Thom must keep his powers a secret, for fear of further disgracing his father and risking his hometown's homophobic
wrath.
But as Thom's sexuality becomes more troublesome, he decides to run away from home. He immediately becomes mixed up in a battle between some villains and The League, and does well enough to be invited to try out for the team. Thom is accepted as a trainee, and assigned to work with a group of other probationary heroes. The stress of keeping so many secrets from his father exacts a painful toll.
Soon, however, the world's superheroes begin dying under mysterious circumstances. In order to solve the mystery, Thom must reunite with his fellow outcast trainees and deal as well with society's prejudices when his secrets are revealed.
in 2005. In X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #2, the gay character Northstar
was killed by Wolverine
(in this continuity Northstar was a villain though he is a hero in Marvel's primary continuity
). Moore believed that having one of Marvel’s biggest superheroes murder its most prominent gay character sent the wrong message to readers. Moore subsequently created a list of 60 GLBTQ
superheroes who have met with torture, rape, disembowelment, decapitation, had their genitalia disfigured or removed, or retconned as heterosexual. His growing awareness of the poor treatment of GLBTQ superhero characters led him to write Hero to present a more positive image.
applauded the book for its subject matter and for expanding the genre of gay literature into superhero fantasy. But ultimately, the review noted, "the novel misses its mark, with an abundance of two-dimensional characters and contrived situations. ... While some may be glad to see a gay hero come out of the closet just in time to save the world, others may wish the situations felt less clichéd." The Advocate
similarly equivocated in its praise. The gay newsmagazine applauded Moore's original superhero characters and Moore's decision to avoid making Thom Creed an outcast. The review also pointed to wittily-written descriptions of Thom masturbating to Internet porn, coming out to his father, and his first kiss. "But otherwise his play-by-play writing style can seem a bit choppy, especially in the story's more poignant moments," the review noted. Nevertheless, "Hero is a quick, at times shallow, but satisfying novel, the kind we all wanted while growing up and hopefully the first in a new genre of young adult literature." In a very brief review, Entertainment Weekly
called the book "pulpy" but with good punch, and rated it an A-minus.
People
magazine was unequivocal in its praise for the book. It called the novel compelling, funny, and touching, and the characters enigmatic. The Times
(London
) review on the publication of the U.K.
edition was also largely positive. "Thom is devoid of the grossly stereotypical attributes that comic books link to their gay characters' sexual preference" and "The book is entertaining, though in contrast to its rich core tackling deep social issues, the writing is light..."
Despite the somewhat reserved praise, in May 2008, Hero won a Lambda Literary Award
as the best LGBT Children's/Young Adult novel of the past year.
in 2007 that he planned a series of book sequels featuring Thom Creed.
There were many reports that the book might be adapted for other media. Moore said in 2007 that a motion picture adaptation was in the early stages. Moore announced in May 2008 that the book might be made into a television program
. "It looks like we’re going to do a TV series. There were two networks that we pitched, and we got two offers." Variety
confirmed in November 2008 that Moore and Marvel Comics
' Stan Lee
were officially developing a television show based on Hero for the cable network Showtime. The show was to be executive produced by Lee and Gil Champion (the president of POW Entertainment
, a company co-founded and co-owned by Lee), while Moore would co-produce and serve as screenwriter.
Lee revealed in April 2010, however, that Showtime had decided against producing the series. "Showtime finally didn't commit and we're now exploring our options," Lee said. Moore expressed his intent to bring the novel to television. "'Hero' will see its day onscreen. I'm not sure how or where or who will make it possible, but like all the best heroes, you have to have faith. And when it does, it will be another step forward. And some folks will think, 'Damn, it's about time someone thought of doing that.'"
Moore died on February 17, 2011. At the time of his death, Moore's father said that in early 2011 his son had been working on turning Hero into a television series on the Starz cable television channel.
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
-winning first novel by openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and novelist Perry Moore
Perry Moore
William Perry Moore IV , also known as Perry Moore, was an American author, screenwriter, and film director...
. The fantasy novel is about a teenage superhero, Thom Creed, who must deal with his ex-superhero father's disgrace, his own sexuality, and a murderer stalking the world's heroes.
Plot summary
Thom Creed is a high school basketball star. His mother abandoned the family and his father is a former masked crimefighter who retired in disgrace following a national incident and now works as a lowly worker in a factory. Thom's own superpowers are beginning to manifest themselves, as is his homosexualityHomosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. But Thom must keep his powers a secret, for fear of further disgracing his father and risking his hometown's homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
wrath.
But as Thom's sexuality becomes more troublesome, he decides to run away from home. He immediately becomes mixed up in a battle between some villains and The League, and does well enough to be invited to try out for the team. Thom is accepted as a trainee, and assigned to work with a group of other probationary heroes. The stress of keeping so many secrets from his father exacts a painful toll.
Soon, however, the world's superheroes begin dying under mysterious circumstances. In order to solve the mystery, Thom must reunite with his fellow outcast trainees and deal as well with society's prejudices when his secrets are revealed.
Genesis and future books
Moore said he wrote the book after being upset by a Marvel ComicMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 2005. In X-Men: Age of Apocalypse #2, the gay character Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
was killed by Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
(in this continuity Northstar was a villain though he is a hero in Marvel's primary continuity
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
). Moore believed that having one of Marvel’s biggest superheroes murder its most prominent gay character sent the wrong message to readers. Moore subsequently created a list of 60 GLBTQ
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
superheroes who have met with torture, rape, disembowelment, decapitation, had their genitalia disfigured or removed, or retconned as heterosexual. His growing awareness of the poor treatment of GLBTQ superhero characters led him to write Hero to present a more positive image.
Critical reception
Reviews of Hero have been mixed. For example, Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
applauded the book for its subject matter and for expanding the genre of gay literature into superhero fantasy. But ultimately, the review noted, "the novel misses its mark, with an abundance of two-dimensional characters and contrived situations. ... While some may be glad to see a gay hero come out of the closet just in time to save the world, others may wish the situations felt less clichéd." The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
similarly equivocated in its praise. The gay newsmagazine applauded Moore's original superhero characters and Moore's decision to avoid making Thom Creed an outcast. The review also pointed to wittily-written descriptions of Thom masturbating to Internet porn, coming out to his father, and his first kiss. "But otherwise his play-by-play writing style can seem a bit choppy, especially in the story's more poignant moments," the review noted. Nevertheless, "Hero is a quick, at times shallow, but satisfying novel, the kind we all wanted while growing up and hopefully the first in a new genre of young adult literature." In a very brief review, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called the book "pulpy" but with good punch, and rated it an A-minus.
People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine was unequivocal in its praise for the book. It called the novel compelling, funny, and touching, and the characters enigmatic. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) review on the publication of the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
edition was also largely positive. "Thom is devoid of the grossly stereotypical attributes that comic books link to their gay characters' sexual preference" and "The book is entertaining, though in contrast to its rich core tackling deep social issues, the writing is light..."
Despite the somewhat reserved praise, in May 2008, Hero won a Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
as the best LGBT Children's/Young Adult novel of the past year.
Sequels, and film and television adaptations
Moore told The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in 2007 that he planned a series of book sequels featuring Thom Creed.
There were many reports that the book might be adapted for other media. Moore said in 2007 that a motion picture adaptation was in the early stages. Moore announced in May 2008 that the book might be made into a television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. "It looks like we’re going to do a TV series. There were two networks that we pitched, and we got two offers." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
confirmed in November 2008 that Moore and Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
were officially developing a television show based on Hero for the cable network Showtime. The show was to be executive produced by Lee and Gil Champion (the president of POW Entertainment
POW Entertainment
POW! Entertainment is an American media production company formed by Gill Champion, Arthur Lieberman and former Marvel Comics editor and publisher Stan Lee in 2001. POW! is made up of primarily two companies, POW! Entertainment, Inc...
, a company co-founded and co-owned by Lee), while Moore would co-produce and serve as screenwriter.
Lee revealed in April 2010, however, that Showtime had decided against producing the series. "Showtime finally didn't commit and we're now exploring our options," Lee said. Moore expressed his intent to bring the novel to television. "'Hero' will see its day onscreen. I'm not sure how or where or who will make it possible, but like all the best heroes, you have to have faith. And when it does, it will be another step forward. And some folks will think, 'Damn, it's about time someone thought of doing that.'"
Moore died on February 17, 2011. At the time of his death, Moore's father said that in early 2011 his son had been working on turning Hero into a television series on the Starz cable television channel.
External links
- Perry Moore Web site, with more stories featuring Thom Creed