Before you say it, I know...It's not horror. Occasionally I do read books outside the horror genre. Not often, but I do. And I've been a fan of Hal Bodner's since his first novel, Bite Club. The man can blend humor, camp, and horror together (no easy feat) and make it look easy. It just seems to flow from him like blood from an open vein. But when I learned he was writing a superhero novel, I kinda groaned. Yeah, I would read it, but even though Hal had written it, I knew it wasn't something I could just jump into. My main concern was could he do for the superhero genre what he did with horror. I would find out -- eventually. You see, I need to be in a certain mindset to read non-horror books no matter who wrote them. So, as a result, Fabulous in Tights has been sitting on my shelf for a while.
The book opens with the introduction of Thanatos, Centerport's newest supervillain, as he sets about destroying a genetics lab and killing several key scientists who had been working on the Feed the World Project, a project that, if successful, would eliminate world hunger. Not a bad thing, so why would anyone want to stop it? We get the idea that Thanatos isn't as crazy or as bad as some of the other villains that have passed through Centerport because he appears to have some remorse over the lives he is forced to take in order to cover his tracks.
Enter mild-mannered hunk, Alec Archer, a former hustler turned high-end escort agency owner who also happens to be Centerport's resident superhero, The Whirlwind. He's can be a bit catty (I would use another word but it might not pass Amazon's censor bots), has a sharp tongue and, at times, a quick wit, as is evident when he rescues several of Green Gene's employees from the raging inferno. He also has one deep-seated fear, and that's a fear of his secret identity being discovered, as that could potentially put his husband's life in danger. Yeah, Centerport's superhero is as gay as the come. And ironically, especially with the given name of The Whirlwind, our superhero doesn't fly.
What follows is a series of derring-do as The Whirlwind and Thanatos go head to head and Thanatos's ultimate goal is revealed. To complicate matters, though, is the attraction the two feel toward each other. There are several instances when the two are facing off when tights become uncomfortably... well... tight, if you know what I mean. So will The Whirlwind be able to keep his raging libido in check long enough to subdue Thanatos and see him safely to prison, where the hunky villain's dance card is sure to be full every night?
While not as campy or as humorous as Bite Club or The Trouble with Hairy, Fabulous in Tights does have its moments. It's a fast, easy read, and you can't help but be caught up in the story, which Bodner moves along at a pace faster than a speeding bullet. Wrong hero, I know. We're given just enough backstory to come to care about and root for the characters we're supposed to and despise the character we're supposed to despise, especially once the Big Reveal is made. And as much as I enjoyed the book, which I think is a "fabulous" addition to the superhero genre, I do have two key complaints. One, it was too easy to piece together. I knew what the Big Reveal was going to be and I wasn't even half way through; and two, we need more backstory on Alec, we need The Whirlwind's origin story. Was he born with super powers? Did he accidentally come in contact with some radioactive lube that ended up leaving him with super powers? We don't know, and since this is The Whirlwind's first outing, this is something we should have learned. But those issues aside, Fabulous in Tights is the perfect weekend and/or beach read if you're looking for something light and campy to unwind after the long week. And let's face it, after the past two years, we could all use a little bit of campy humor to get us through the day. Definitely check out Fabulous in Tights, and if you enjoy it, don't miss The Whirlwind's second adventure, A Study in Spandex, which is currently available.
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