Tom King is a former Counterterrorism officer for the CIA who served in the Gulf.   A husband and father, he’s also worked at Marvel and DC Comics, and lives in Washington D.C. His debut novel, a mix of graphic novel and literary prose, A Once Crowded Sky, is out from Touchstone. It’s the story of superheroes who’ve lost their powers and purpose until a crisis calls them again. He can be found online at Goodreads, on twitter as @TomKingTK and on Facebook.

SFFWRTCHT: First things first, where’d your interest in science fiction and fantasy and comics come from?

Tom King: I was your typical nerd kid who escaped from the world of bullies to the world of heroes and swords and powers.  I think it started with Greek Myths, moved on to Narnia, and then the world, not this world, but other, cooler ones.
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Tom King is the author of the 2012 book, A Once Crowded Sky. (See the SF Signal Review.) Following the attacks on September 11th, King worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as an Operations Office. Prior to his service, he interned with Marvel and D.C. Comics. He recently had a moment to speak with us about his first novel:

SF Signal: Hi Tom, thanks for taking a couple of moments to speak with us! My first question is one you probably get a lot: how do you go from interning with comic book companies to the Central Intelligence Agency?

Tom King: The basic answer is 9/11. After the attacks, I was one of the millions of people who volunteered to help. The way I chose to do it was to apply to the CIA; I just figured they’d be the closest to the front lines. It was a new and righteous war. I wanted to be in it. I wanted to save the world. I was very young.
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REVIEW SUMMARY: Comic book in prose sends us inside the heads of heroes and villains fighting for the world and those they love.

MY RATING:

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A mysterious threat to Arcadia forces the last superhero to choose between being a husband and saving the world.

MY REVIEW
PROS: Superhero adventure with heart, mystery, and immersive action that makes reading about these characters a moving experience.
CONS: The prose may take too many liberties in what the reader understands to be happening, and the mystery of The Blue may be too slow of a burn to hold some reader’s attention.
BOTTOM LINE: May require more concentration and patience than some readers will give, but if they do, they’ll be rewarded with a philosophical gem on heroes, sacrifice, and the meaning of life in a corrupt world.

I don’t read comic books and I’m not really a fan of superheroes. That said, I can appreciate a tremendous cover, and was intrigued by the premise of a world where all but one of the superheroes gave up their powers to save the world.

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