Two masters of the superhero pulp fiction world, Frank
Dirscherl and Bobby Nash, have come together to tell this tale, the NEVER
before told origin of the first Wraith/Paul Sanderson, as only they could.
Witness to the original Sanderson's early childhood, the emptiness in his soul,
his yearning for meaning in his life, his finding it in the wilds of Africa and
coming face-to-face with the man who would one day become his greatest nemesis.
And finally, how he was endowed with the awesome powers of the Eyes of
Judgment, becoming the very first Wraith Dread Avenger of the Underworld. This
action packed, atmospheric thrill ride could only be told now and could only be
told by master storytellers like Dirscherl and Nash. An epic, never to be
repeated and not to be missed.
Sanderson of Metro (Superhero
Pulp Fiction)
By Frank Dirscherl & Bobby
Nash
Trinity Comics
ISBN #978-0646979236
Trinity Comics
Price $13.58 (Paperback)
232 Pages
Rating 4-Stars
From the comic book series the authors bring the
origin of The Wraith to prose fiction.
Paul Sanderson, of Metro, is a spoiled rich kid reaching for attention
from his mother and father and can’t find it. As an adult he sets out to travel
the world looking for his place in it. Almost dying in the African desert, he
is saved by a native who tells him there is an ancient prophesy about a white
man coming who will save the world, and Paul is the fulfillment of that prophesy.
He is taken to a mountaintop where an old man trains him for his coming place
in history as the Dread Avenger of the Underworld. But it goes deeper than this. If Paul dies, he is to
pass on the power to someone else.
In fact, it is the second man telling the story, as
Paul has already died and been replaced by Michael Reeve, a Metro policeman.
The story is well written, and the Paul Sanderson’s character flushed out fairly
well, but for an origin story we don’t get a whole lot of action. There’s just
enough to move the story along. And by the time he starts to fight crime in
Metro City, it’s time for him to die and be replaced by the super hero who will
carry the legend on after Paul’s death. This is Book #1 in the prose series,
and I suspect there is more action in future stories, or at least I would hope
so. For those following the Wraith’s stories in comic books, this prose entry
will clear up a lot of mystery behind the character, and is a must read for
that reason alone. I highly recommend this well written entry for all comic
book fans.
Tom Johnson
Author of THE MAN IN THE
BLACK FEDORA
