SOLVED. 90's Superhero Book Featured on the Kids' Section of AOL

[Billy]

I don't know if anyone remembers this, but back in the late 90's (or possibly even the early 00's) the kid's version had a lot of themes that you can choose. I don't remember any of them but the superhero one.

When you chose the superhero theme for the kid's version of AOL, you got access to cool stuff, and a couple books. Most of the books that were featured were comic books: I specifically remember a Justice League Adventures comic starring Chronos, but there were others, too.

One of these starred a group of young superheroes -- pretty sure they were in middle school, though they could've been high schoolers -- who discovered they had powers and ended up fighting crime. It was standard superhero stuff, though I think one of the superheroes had red hair.

I'm sorry, I honestly remember the interface more than the book itself, but I think there were around four heroes? And a villainous corporation?

I think my best bet is if someone remembers the superhero section of Kid's AOL.

[Tab]

Billy, do you remember if the book/show was American or Japanese?

I searched through AOL Kids Only section on the Wayback Machine (http://archive.org/web/), and it looks like Cartoon Network was heavily featured. Could your book be a cartoon that was on Cartoon Network at the time?

Cyborg 009 has a hero with red hair. Not sure the rest of the plot fits.

Or, Totally Spies (don't know if there was a comic book version).

Were the heroes all girls, all boys, or a mix?

[Billy]

Hey Tab,

Thanks for replying. Looking at the Wayback Machine is a smart idea!

The book was definitely American. It was set in a typical American high school, and had what felt to me like a typical American high school teenage superhero storyline. (They're four kids who stay at school late, get caught up in a scientific accident that gives them superpowers, and then have to fight the evil people who accidentally gave them powers.)

I watched a lot of Cartoon Network, and no, I'm pretty sure the book wasn't related to any Cartoon Network show.

Cyborg 009 is a good guess, but that's not it.

I loved Totally Spies, but that wasn't it, either.

I think it was a mix: three boys and one girl.

I found the Justice League Adventures issue: It's Vol. 1 #6, "Wolf's Clothing."

EDIT: Also, I just did my math and the years were off. I think it was probably early to mid 2000's -- not the late 90's.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Billy, are you still looking for this or did you find it?

[Billy]

Hey Lobstergirl,

I couldn’t find anything about it.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Don't give up. We've had threads much older than this solved. To get more people looking at your thread and thinking about your lost book, bump the thread every so often, e.g. every 30-90 days.

[Billy]

Will do, thank you!

[Nicholas]

Hey Billy!

My first thought was Power Pack: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...

But, the AOL stuff did feature Johnny DC books, so I thought of those. There was one called Family Dynamic, but it came out in 2008, which is maybe a little late for your timeline: http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Family_Dynam...

Is that it?

[Nicholas]

Update: The interiors of Family Dynamic used a different art style than the cover artist: https://orig00.deviantart.net/c037/f/...

[Billy]

I appreciate you looking, but the book was mostly prose, with just a couple of illustrations. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Marvel or DC.

You remember the superhero version of Kid’s AOL though? I felt like I was the only one who remembered that lol.

[Sam]

Its called Outcast 5!!!

Here's the synopsis:

O5(TM) ("Outcast 5") online interactive storybook created by Los Angeles screenwriters Patrick J. Doody and Chris Valenziano and illustrated by DC Comics. The O5 storybook tells the story of the adventures of five freshman superheroes who battle villains while uncovering the truth about their unique powers. Within each chapter, kids will find hidden interactive clues and dynamic animations that bring the story to life. In addition, a special vocabulary word feature helps kids quickly find the definition for challenging words featured in the story.

For the life of me, I can't find any visuals of the cover art or the inserts, but this was definitely it. I totally remember ready the same exact book when I was 11 and It never left me.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

So we don't get confused - Billy is the OP.

[Billy]

SAMANTHA, THAT'S THE BOOK! YOU'RE AMAZING THANK YOU!

[Patrick]

I co-wrote this book. I can't believe anyone remembers it. I did a search because my son had me join a video game site - and I called myself Madd Howler - and he asked me where the name came from. And it started the conversation. which led me here. I was certain nothing in a search would turn up.

It was released in 2003. I have all the artwork. Even the actual hand drawn art. I have a whole folder of ideas and brainstorms...it really takes me back. The image of the parents as superheroes back in the 70s is actually on my desk next to me.

I'm glad someone read it!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Neat.

[Ian]

Patrick wrote: "I co-wrote this book. I can't believe anyone remembers it. I did a search because my son had me join a video game site - and I called myself Madd Howler - and he asked me where the name came from. ..."

I literally just got off the phone with a friend and spent an hour trying to find out what this series was called. Couldn't find ANYTHING. Thank you so much for helping create Outcast 5. I loved it as a kid. I wish there was still a way to read it today!!