Review: A Comic Book in Prose
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2013
Exploring an ancient city in Antarctica, Dillon Mentzer, the hero of Black Onyx, stumbles upon a mysterious suit that gives him supernormal powers.  Meanwhile, in Mexico a drug lord puts a deal together with an international arms smuggler that sets them on a collision course with Mentzer.  The action proceeds at an accelerating pace to a climactic battle in beautiful Hawaii.Author Victor Methos identifies his novel as "a superhero thriller," by which phrase I suppose he means the work is a comic book in prose.  The book is a very good comic book in prose.  Methos makes a promise to the reader with his title and delivers on his promise with a fast-paced novel.  I commend authors who make promises to readers and keep them.Superhero thrillers are not for everyone.  Here are a few observations that might help you decide if Black Onyx is for you:*This novel is a guy's book.  The few female characters are in the story to be courted or rescued by the hero.  Sadly, the women do not have conversations with each other.*If my mention of the mysterious suit that gives the wearer superpowers didn't make you think immediately of Iron Man, you don't get out enough.  Yes, this novel is derivative.  To write a comic book, whether in prose or picture panels, an author makes use of elements of stories that have appeared in fiction in various forms for thousands of years.*The formatting of the book is superior to that of many Kindle books, including those that are published by large companies.  Reading this book on a Kindle is a joy that is marred by only a few typos.