Book picks similar to
Hero Status by Kristen Brand


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Training in Necessity


J. Clevenger - 2015
    However, they each have two things in common, super powers and their recent admittance to the Citadel program. As members of the Citadel’s newest class of recruits, they will be taught to utilize their powers, and their bodies, to their utter limits. The Citadel’s mission is simple. Halt the world’s slow slide into ruin. They each have a part to play, but will it be enough?

Legacy


Jon Davis - 2012
    About to graduate high school, he has all of life to look forward to with college, parties, and girls.But a giant asteroid changes all that when it threatens to destroy all life on Earth. In only days, Vaughn, his family, and his friends are forced to confront the fact that everything ends. And nothing human can change it.Until the Avatar rises.For humanity, the world is saved when a young hero, Alex Shaw, literally flies into space, to smash the asteroid, Yama, apart. He is given the name, Avatar.But for Vaughn, it is the start of a completely new age. For Alex did not just stop an asteroid. In some strange way, humanity changes, and some, including Vaughn are empowered.Vaughn is soon caught up in the legacy that Alex leaves behind; a legacy that will lead Vaughn Hagen to become either a hero, or a victim to villainous dreams of power. Power that threatens to corrupt even his oldest friends.And ultimately, Vaughn must choose between home and friends in the new Age of Power.

Rebirth


Jim Zoetewey - 2012
    they've inherited the League's enemies and unfinished business.In the 1960's, Red Lightening betrayed everyone, creating an army of supervillains and years of chaos. The League never found out why. Now, Nick and the New Heroes League will have no choice but to confront their past.

Sidekicked


John David Anderson - 2013
     Andrew Bean might be a part of H.E.R.O., a secret organization for the training of superhero sidekicks, but that doesn’t mean that life is all leaping tall buildings in single bounds. First, there’s Drew’s power: Possessed of super senses – his hearing, sight, taste, touch, and smell are the most powerful on the planet – he’s literally the most sensitive kid in school. There’s his superhero mentor, a former legend who now spends more time straddling barstools than he does fighting crime. And then there’s his best friend, Jenna – their friendship would be complicated enough if she weren’t able to throw a Volkswagen the length of a city block. Add in trying to keep his sidekick life a secret from everyone, including his parents, and the truth is clear: Middle school is a drag even with superpowers. But this was all before a supervillain long thought dead returned to Justicia, superheroes began disappearing at an alarming rate, and Drew’s two identities threatened to crash head-on into each other. Drew has always found it pretty easy to separate right from wrong, good from evil. It’s what a superhero does. But what happens when that line starts to break down?

Sensation


Kevin Hardman - 2013
    Unlike most of his contemporaries, however, Jim actually had the goods: a plethora of super powers that would have been the envy of any meta on the planet. But when his tryout with the Alpha League - the world's premiere group of supers - goes disastrously wrong, Jim basically becomes an outcast. Two years later, Jim is still bitter about what happened to him. However, he soon finds himself the centerpiece in an odd turn of events that gives him a second chance at his dream. But nothing is as easy as it sounds, as Jim soon discovers. Among other things, he’s made an enemy of a prospective super teammate, he’s being stalked by an unknown pursuer, and a shadowy cabal bent on world domination has identified him as the only obstacle to their plans. It’s a lot for one super to handle, even with a smorgasbord of abilities. But if saving the world were easy, everyone would do it…

Blackjack Villain


Ben Bequer - 2012
    A small-time villain. I know I’m not a big leaguer, but more than one wannabe hero has ended up in traction after getting in my way. I mostly stick to easy stuff, though, like popping banks and armored cars, and make a little money where I can. Living good is nice, you know?I thought I had it all figured out, until I found a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: A slot in a big time super villain team.The gig seemed like a dream. Steal bits of dusty old crap from different parts of the world and make serious cash. But little would I know that what would start small would end up sending me halfway across the galaxy (or was it to a different dimension?), and at the end of it all the fate of our planet, and everyone living in it, would be in my hands.Oh, and I met a girl.A girl that changed everything.

The Secret Lives of Superhero Wives


Joynell Schultz - 2017
    Not only is there laundry, cooking, and a career to balance, but throw in a few supervillains and your day’s booked.Ariana, Victoria, and Emma’s men spend more time saving the world than doing dishes. These wives want some semblance of a normal married life, but would settle for an uninterrupted meal together. Besides, how can they compete with saving the world?When a catastrophic earthquake devastates Shadow Town and crime spirals out of control, it appears the city needs all the help they can get to clean it up. Everyone expected the resident superheroes to save the day, but nobody expected the wives’ help too…

No Master Plan Here


Joel Burdick - 2014
    He thinks he can make the world a better place by being in charge. When the United States government tries to pass a law that requires superhumans to submit to registration and testing, Anansi kills the man in charge of the bill in an attempt to push it off track, earning himself a dead or alive place on America's Most Wanted list. So it comes as a surprise when he is snatched up three years later to save America by the very government he stood against.

Super Sales on Super Heroes


William D. Arand - 2017
     He has the ability to modify any item he owns. To upgrade anything. Sounds great on paper. Almost like a video game. Except that the amount of power it takes to actually change, modify, or upgrade anything worthwhile is beyond his abilities. With that in mind, Felix settled into a normal life. A normal job. His entire world changes when the city he lives in is taken over by a Super Villain. Becoming a country of one city. A city state. Surprisingly, not a whole lot changed. Politicians were still corrupt. Banks still held onto your money. And criminals still committed crime. Though the black market has become more readily available. And in that not so black market, Felix discovers he has a way to make his power useful after all, and grasps a hold of his chance with both hands. Warning and minor spoiler: This novel contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/partial harem, unconventional opinions/beliefs, and a hero who is as tactful as a dog at a cat show. Read at your own risk.

Shadow


Jan Stryvant - 2017
    The problem however, is that's all Sean has been doing. Forced to hide who and what he is from the world, Sean's life has become a fairly meaningless existence. But after an unexpected weekend with a rather willing woman, Sean suddenly realizes that there's a lot more to life than an endless stream of criminals and vengeance. It's time to let someone else punish the guilty. It's time to start enjoying life. Spoiler Warning: Contains harem, violence, bad language, and a fair amount of partying.

The Distort Arc: Cape High Omnibus #1


R.J. Ross - 2014
    Ross: Super Villain Dad America's Grandson Hello Kitty Don't Know Jack "So it's agreed--as part of your parole, you'll become principal of Cape High," Mastermental says. "No, it's not agreed," Nico snaps. He takes a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "It is not agreed, because none of the super parents will want their children taught by a super villain. Ask them! I'm sure they're all listening right now--heck, I'm betting this little interview is on Super TV right this instant." He looks to the flashing light he's finally noticed, knowing that he's being recorded. "For your kids' sakes, call right now and tell Double M that he's insane." This is how it starts, for us, the super kids, the cape brats, the students of Cape High.

Yesterday's Heroes


Elizabeth Gannon - 2012
    Just ask Wyatt Ferral, one of the city’s cape-wearing favorite sons. For one thing, he can’t stand the other heroes, and is starting to see that they aren’t especially heroic. Plus, he’s forced to wear stupid looking spandex costumes, and his unauthorized biographies are filled with glaring inaccuracies. Heroing is so isolating. Some days, he just wants to walk away from it all and have a real life. All it would take is one personal tragedy to push him over the edge…Meanwhile at the Consortium of Chaos…The life of a super-villain is a blast, just ask the super-villainess known as “Harlot.” Just because you’re dedicated to evil doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun, right? So, when the almost forgotten hero Wyatt Ferral walks into the Consortium’s headquarters one day and says that he has a plan, she’s intrigued. Can Wyatt help their troubled organization finally succeed in one of their world domination schemes? Can she keep her fellow villains from killing the handsome hero long enough to hear what he has to say? Will he see the subtle but important distinction between collecting his memorabilia and stalking him? Was his Hero swimsuit calendar photoshopped, or do his abs actually really look like that? So many important questions…

Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine


Tim Hanley - 2014
    The original Wonder Woman was ahead of her time, advocating female superiority and the benefits of matriarchy in the 1940s. At the same time, her creator filled the comics with titillating bondage imagery, and Wonder Woman was tied up as often as she saved the world. In the 1950s, Wonder Woman begrudgingly continued her superheroic mission, wishing she could settle down with her boyfriend instead, all while continually hinting at hidden lesbian leanings. While other female characters stepped forward as women’s lib took off in the late 1960s, Wonder Woman fell backwards, losing her superpowers and flitting from man to man. Ms. magazine and Lynda Carter restored Wonder Woman’s feminist strength in the 1970s, turning her into a powerful symbol as her checkered past was quickly forgotten. Exploring this lost history adds new dimensions to the world’s most beloved female character, and Wonder Woman Unbound delves into her comic book and its spin-offs as well as the myriad motivations of her creators to showcase the peculiar journey that led to Wonder Woman’s iconic status.

The Cloak Society


Jeramey Kraatz - 2012
    Ten years ago the Cloak Society was defeated by Sterling City's superheroes, the Rangers of Justice, and vanished without a trace. But the villains have been waiting for the perfect moment to resurface. . . .Twelve-year-old Alex Knight is a dedicated junior member of Cloak who has spent years mastering his telekinetic superpowers and preparing for the day when Cloak will rise to power again. Cloak is everything he believes in.But during his debut mission, Alex does the unthinkable: He saves the life of a Junior Ranger of Justice. Even worse . . . she becomes his friend. And the more time he spends with her, the more Alex wonders what, exactly, he's been fighting for.

Metamorphosis


Kevin Rau - 2011
    The meteor shower that altered the heroes also mutated many others in Metrocity, causing a scene of chaos at Iron Cross General Hospital as Lance and Stephanie are captured by law enforcement, and Rael must free them.The friends join the Homeland Extraordinary Response Organization (H.E.R.O.), and seek to stop a mutant named Shrinker as she gathers new supers to build an army of bloodthirsty mutants in her plan to cause anarchy. Her evil squad kidnaps normal humans to feed those mutants, and it becomes a race against time to find the anarchists before they murder the people.While searching for the villain's base of operations, the group must learn their powers and overcome the problems associated with telepathy, a strong blood thirst, and strength capable of crushing steel under one’s fingers. They also begin to take part as heroes in the city, and discover that having powers is not as easy as it appears - in heroic actions or in normal life.H.E.R.O. – Metamorphosis is the first novel in a growing series of action-based superhero novels based on the Metrocity division of H.E.R.O. It acts as the introductory novel to the supers and how three of the main characters fight crime and deal with disasters in the city. The novel leads the way into the H.E.R.O. series as a growing roster of H.E.R.O. agents take part in various events and disasters.H.E.R.O. – Metamorphosis is a full-length novel of approximately 122,000 words. An preview is included of the first five chapters of H.E.R.O. – New Markets as a bonus.The ongoing series currently consists of these novels (as of early 2012):H.E.R.O. - MetamorphosisH.E.R.O. - New MarketsH.E.R.O. - Rise and FallH.E.R.O. - Dark ResearchH.E.R.O. - HordeH.E.R.O. - ParagonH.E.R.O. - Illustrated Guide (behind-the-scenes book w/pictures of characters, doesn't fit into a specific order in the series)H.E.R.O. Shorts - GatecrasherH.E.R.O. Shorts - SilverlashH.E.R.O. - Gene Front (coming soon)“I'm half way through the last book, Horde ... the characters have become like friends and I don't want to leave them. Thank you, Kevin, for writing this series. I felt like a kid again reading it. The series can be summed up in one word, ‘FUN.’” - Dale R. Bille“… I just couldn't stop flipping the pages of HERO.This book is smoothly written. It flows well, and although the story isn't groundbreaking, it has its own brand of charm. It has all the cool super hero stuff you want, and the 3 main super heroes are very well fleshed out. Their internal dialogues and character development are really what gives this book a (super) leg up on other similar novels.” – Gregory Ciallella“This was fun to read, and if you're a twenty-something then you'll enjoy the characters and their relationships. Action like X-men, romance like Twilight, bloodier than both but nothing too serious.” – Geeky guy"Greatest superhero book series ever..." - Taylor Robbins