Review: Boltman by Eric Quinn Knowles
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 4, 2011
Have you ever wanted to be a super hero? What if your beloved comic book super hero suddenly took control of your body?That's exactly what happens to our lead character, a young boy named Kevin, in Eric Quinn Knowles' Boltman. When his hero is killed off, Kevin believes that Boltman's persona is sent back to earth to inhabit Kevin's body.An inner struggle ensues, but it's not the dark super hero storyline we grew up on where a rich man is dealing with his past and his dark side while becoming some deep hidden personality to fight crime at night.  Boltman and Kevin literally struggle against one another for control of Kevin's body.To give in and finally become Boltman and fulfill his destiny, Kevin believes he must go to Hollywood and rescue Boltman's sidekick, Ampere, after Kevin can't convince his best friend to be his sidekick instead. Here, Kevin...I mean Boltman must battle Tommie Boy and the Church of the Mind in order to ultimately save himself and mankind.I admit the book took some time to warm up to.  I was also confused at first on what audience this book is intended for.  Its cover leads you to believe it's probably for young teens of comic book reading age.  Not so.  This book is very adult, and more for the comic book loving parents who want to relive their comic superhero glory days.The book really picks up when the setting turns to Hollywood.  This is where Knowles humor and writing really shine.  He's captured a lot of the stereotypical cliches of Hollywood personalities  perfectly and really used them to his advantage.Knowles also takes a lot of the classic comic book hero traits and story lines and turns them upside down, but has certainly included them to pay homage to the characters and heroes we all grew up on. Those looking for something new and different, or those who refuse to let their inner superhero loving child grow up, will certainly enjoy Boltman.