Card Tricks by Jon Messenger
Card Tricks by Jon Messenger
Synopsis:
Joey isn’t a Super, at least not in same league as Superheroes like Inferno or Strong Man, or even Supervillians like Razor or The Puppet Master. His power “activates” cards, bringing the printed word to life. It’s a great power for a card shark, which fits perfectly into his unmotivated lifestyle. When his girlfriend gets kidnapped by The Puppet Master, however, Joey has to face a life-changing decision: run away from his responsibility, or become the unlikeliest of heroes.
Review:
Card Tricks by Jon Messenger is a novella about Joey Scaglione, a Super with the power to bring cards to life that has no intention of capitalizing on his powers for more than personal gain.
In a world where people with superpowers have become commonplace, Joey tries his best to stay out of the limelight. He uses his powers to rig poker games, to extort money from ATM machines, and for protection in fights. He has no desire to put on a costume and fight crime, as he sees the idea of superheroes being a nuisance on the city rather than a blessing. With supermen around the police and government are lax, not even trying anymore as they know a Super will just come and save the day. It’s lazy, and Joey despises it.
His policy of staying out of trouble is pushed aside as his girlfriend is taken hostage by a well-known super villain, The Puppet Master. Joey reluctantly puts on the hero mantle and goes to rescue his girlfriend, questioning the whole way why he must be the one to do this.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It’s reminiscent of X-Men and the BBC show Misfits. I loved the slew of references to card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering; games I used to play when I was younger. There was an element of comedy too that had me laughing wildly, Author Jon Messenger putting together the ultimate “geek package” as I like to say. This is a story that deserves more attention than what it gets, and I seriously recommend everyone who ever bought a starter pack of cards to pick this up!
Five out of Five stars!
