The Darker Mask [Hardcover]

Gary Phillips (Author), Christopher Chambers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2008

Expanding on the concept behind Byron Preiss's Weird Heroes from the 1970s, George R. R. Martin's Wild Card series, and Michael Chabon's McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, The Darker Mask is a collection of original prose stories recalling the derring-do of the beings we call Superheroes and the worlds they fight to save.  But unique to The Darker Mask stories is that these plots and characters color a literary universe outside of what has been predominantly white, idiosyncratic, and male in previous homages to pulp.  This is the stuff of urban legends, new mythos, and extraordinary folks who might live in a soon-to-be-gentrified ghetto, the dreary rust-belt of the city, or in another dimension.  The Darker Mask offers an eclectic mix of popular fiction writers exploring worlds gritty, visceral, and fantastic.

 

Including stories by: Walter Mosley, L. A. Banks, Naomi Hirahara, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Tananarive Due and Stephen Barnes, Mike Gonzales, Gar Anthony Haywood, Ann Nocenti, Jerry Rodriguez, Reed Farrell Coleman, Doselle Young, Mat Johnson, Peter Spiegelman, Alexandra Sokoloff, Christopher Chambers, Gary Phillips, Victor LaValle, and Wayne Wilson.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Themed along the grayer areas of superhero fiction, this anthology of 18 original stories nonetheless covers a wide spectrum. One standout is Switchback, by Ann Nocenti (Daredevil), in which teenage Mimi must try to cope with both her strange mind-control powers and the shards of familial ties that still bind her to her broken family. In Tat Master, Edgar award–winner Naomi Hirahara (Snakeskin Shamisen) introduces tattoo artist Eye, who discovers the ability to bring her designs to life while on the run from her abusive boyfriend. Shamus winner Peter Spiegelman (Black Maps) pulls off a classic tale of superheroics meeting reality with In Vino, Veritas, delving into a simple tale of ethics and love through the viewpoint of lie-detecting Veritas. Deceptively simple and entertaining while never skimping on serious topics, this tight anthology will satisfy any superhero enthusiast. (Aug.)
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From Booklist

When most of us think “superhero,” we tend to think of world savers, people in costumes with special powers. But what about superheroes for today’s world, people who are “plain old us” (to quote the editors’ introduction)—not world savers but “flawed and scared” people who live in the real world . . . and occasionally outside it? This mostly excellent collection of 18 short stories features contributions by such notables as Lorenzo Carcaterra (about a vengeful healer), Walter Mosley (a cursed crook), and Peter Spiegelman (a crime fighter whose secret elixir is wine). These aren’t stories about cartoon heroes, although some of them, like Spiegelman’s, feature some of the trappings of comic-book superhero tales. They are, instead, stories about recognizably human characters whose lives have a dark and scary side: in L. A. Banks’ “Dream Knights,” for example, the heroine works for a paper-supply company, but when she is asleep, she battles evil in the dreamscape. Not all of the stories here are gems, but none of them are duds, either. A solid and interesting collection that should appeal to fans of the superhero genre, especially those willing to explore the subject from a new and darker perspective. --David Pitt

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765318504
• ISBN-13: 978-0765318503
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,683,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Professor Christopher Chambers is a Lecturer in Journalism and Media Studies at Georgetown University. His innovative courses include titles such as "The Decline of the Public Intellectual & the Rise of the Pundit in Modern Journalism," and "Expeditions, Executions & Exposes: Establishing a sense of Place and Personality in Travel, Crime Writing and Investigative Reporting." He has lectured on issues in communications, culture & the media and race across the United States for organizations such as Black Entertainment Television (BET), the National Association of Black Journalists, and Princeton University. He writes for theRoot.com, Uptown Life magazine and the City Paper (Washington).
He is a bestselling author whose works include the Angela Bivens(R) series of FBI crime novels for Random House, the recent illustrated superhero anthology The Darker Mask with Walter Mosley, the upcoming graphic novel Gangsterland about Harlem and mobster "Lucky" Luciano in the 1930s, and the much anticipated historical novel Yella Pasty's Boys, a study on slavery and War of 1812. Professor Chambers is a former U.S. Justice Department attorney, and a graduate of Princeton University. His current project for Georgetown is a biography of Father Patrick Healy, titled A Canticle for Eliza: The Memoir of Patrick Healy, Slave.

Professor Chambers is a Washington D.C. native and grew up in D.C., Brooklyn, N.Y. Baltimore, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars you want Dark, you got it, December 26, 2008

By 

Elmore Hammes "Writer and Reader" (Anderson, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Darker Mask (Paperback)

The Darker Mask: Heroes from the Shadows, delivers what it promises: "an eclectic mix...,exploring worlds gritty, visceral and fantastic."

It is also a very R-rated world, with expletives, blood, violence, and drug use. That part is almost a shame, as it reduces the audience for some well-crafted stories. Would the stories lose their grit or their message if "watered-down" to a PG level? I don't think so, but perhaps it is best that the younger set still cling to a less-murky, rose-shaded world of super heroes where justice does win, and the cavalry comes in before the fight is over.

The stories are as varied as the authors in this collection - some of the standouts include THE PICKET by Wlater Mosley, THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN by Alexandra Sokoloff, SWITCHBACK by Ann Nocenti and my personal favorite IN VINO, VERITAS by Peter Spiegelman.

While the stories all have mature themes, the style and characters range from comical to disturbing. As in real life, the price of victory is sometimes dear, and who the real hero is may depend on the viewpoint presented. You may not even root for the lead character in some of these stories, but they will hold your interest.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fact or fantasy?, September 8, 2008

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Darker Mask (Hardcover)

The expression 'what you see is what get', may not hold credence if you delve into the mystery behind the mind, or more specifically if you are given the ability to see behind the mask that conveniently camouflages each person. THE DARKER MASK makes a magnanimous attempt to take readers beyond the physical and submerge them in a series of images, actions and pseudo emotions.

The cast of contributors is as varied as the stories gracing the pages. They are a virtual who's who in the zone of scientific and fantasy phenomenon. The eighteen stories they present, have diverse yet similar themes. THE DARKER COLLECTION is referenced to works by earlier Sci-Fi authors like Byron Preiss and Michael Chabon. This collection of original prose stories celebrates superhuman beings that fight to save the world(s). The stories have a certain uniqueness, which is enhanced by characters that bring a broader range to what constitutes a hero. These heroes are not predominantly white and male, as in previous tributes. They are more urbanized, and will give readers new legends and new myths, as it equips everyday people with the power and perception to become much more than ordinary. Beings that will help foster a new melting pot, in other dimensions.

THE DARKER MASK: Heroes From The Shadows offers an eclectic mix of bestselling fiction writers and artists: Walter Mosley, L. A. Banks, Naomi Hirahara, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Tananarive Due and Stephen Barnes, Mike Gonzales, Gar Anthony Haywood, Ann Nocenti, Jerry Rodriguez, Reed Farrell Coleman, Doselle Young, Mat Johnson, Peter Spiegelman, Alexandra Sokoloff, Christopher Chambers, Gary Phillips, Victor LaValle, and Wayne Wilson, who commandeer some of the worlds most captivating and most abstract fantasies. The stories are enveloping and provoking; they take readers beyond predictable. Prepare to take a ride that will feel like REM sleep.

Reviewed by aNN

of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting darker looks at those behind the masks, August 20, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Darker Mask (Hardcover)

This eighteen tale collection focuses on both the superpowers and personal issues confronting superheroes in their everyday lives. The tales are well written and fun to read as family troubles, economic woes, and ethics become front and center as the mask to hide one's secret identity so one can have a life is treated much darker than most comic books do. Especially strong are L.A. Banks' "Dream Knights" that brings a different reality to Manhattan; "Switchback," by Ann Nocenti starring teenager Mimi learning to restrain her mental powers that she desperately wants to use to manipulate her dysfunctional family members to behave like the Nelsons; Walter Mosley's "The Picket" who takes his alterego name from his mom. Perhaps the most insightful is "Vino, Veritas" by Peter Spiegelman in which superheroes face the truth of their decision processes and the outcome. With drawings enhancing the angst of the superheroes (one look at Gar Anthony Haywood's "Heatseeker" explains why a picture is worth a thousand words as no one will want to mess with that man), this is a strong anthology with no clinkers as all the contributors provide interesting darker looks at those behind the masks struggles with questions of ethics.

Harriet Klausner