| Title | : | The Lavender Menace: Tales of Queer Villainy! |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781938720222 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 232 |
| Publication | : | First published August 1, 2013 |
The Lavender Menace: Tales of Queer Villainy! Reviews
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Bought this at SPX last weekend and was SO FUCKING EXCITED. I've been skipping around and, would you look at that, every single author and main character is male (and so far, all white, too). It's not like the phrase "Lavender Menace" was coined by Betty Friedan to describe lesbians in the feminist movement. Not like it was the name of a famous anti-homophobia action by and for lesbians in the feminist movement. I'm going to finish it first, but I'm planning to write to the editors. Ughhhh.
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I guess let's address the elephant in the room first: I still have no idea why they thought it was a good idea to call an anthology written about and by gay men 'lavender menace' and also 'queer' because it generally does not fit at all. I think I was less thrown off by this than a lot of people because I got this as a set with the companion volume 'absolute power' which was written by and about women.
I don't mind that this is all men, but I do think that using a title that referred pretty much exclusively to lesbian feminists was a weird choice and I can see how people would be confused if they hadn't read the blurb closely. Also while queer is technically accurate, I would have expected to see more variety of MLM characters based on that subtitle.
That being said, I did not like this one nearly as much as Absolute Power. I feel like there was a lot less subversion of tropes in this one and many of the stories seemed a bit silly to me and a few were definitely more explicit than I was expecting. It's still a decent collection but I would have liked more variety overall -
4.5/5.0
I enjoyed the stories in this anthology -- after all, it contains a favorite tale of queer villainy, Hal Duncan's "The Origin of the Fiend" -- but can I just say how much I absolutely loved the introduction by Tom Cardamone? We don't say enough about introductions and how they affect a reader (the "hook" they become), or what they mean to a collection or anthology. So to give you an idea of what this great collection is about, I will quote Cardamone:"Queer kids identify with the monsters in the movies, empowered outcasts, bogeymen bursting out off the closet; villains are cool. They wear their shadows well and if you're going to be expelled into the darkness, you might as well flaunt it."
"We can't just be heroes and victims -- that would create a fictitious reality, one where we are more vigilant in our denials than in our quest for equality."
So yes, as an editor, Cardamone reached his goal in choosing the writers with just the right tales of "queer villainy" for this collection. I enjoyed them all:
Light and Dark by Damon Shaw
The Web by Steve Bereznai
The Meek Shall Inherit by Jamie Freeman
After Balenciaga by Marshall Moore
The Third Estate by Lee Thomas
The Ice King by Tom Cardamone
Lesser Evil by 'Nathan Burgoine
The Plan by Charles "Zan" Christensen
The Knights Nefarious by Rod M. Santos
Snow and Stone by Stellan Thorne
Scorned by Jeffrey Ricker
Your Changing Body: A Guidebook for Boy Supervillains -- Introduction by Mr. Positive by Matt Fagan
The Origin of the Fiend by Hal Duncan
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There were some EPIC stories in here, but others were just okay. It took me a while to get through the book, as I broke my readings up into 1- or 2-story chunks between other books to help with the inherent repetitiveness. However, I think the collection as a whole deserves 4 stars; even the stories I didn't like -- writing style preferences rather than dislike of content -- are impressive in their own way, and all of the authors show deep understanding and love of the superhero/villain genre.
(I agree with the reviewers who've pointed out the problems with this book's title, though I would also point out that while the editor should have acknowledged in the Intro that the phrase "Lavender Menace" is now most commonly associated with the lesbian activist group, the use of the word "Lavender" in reference to gay men is older, dating back to the late 19th century. So I don't really have a problem with it's being used here; I only take issue with the complete lack of acknowledgment.) -
ZING! POW! SPLOOSH!!!
There's a great range of stories here - from the fun and sexy to the dark and serious. The blend worked well. I had the pleasure of reading some new titles by authors I've become familiar with over the last few years and to discover some new names that I'll be looking forward to reading more from in the future.
PWANG! FZZZT! CRCK!!!
I especially appreciated that this wasn't an erotica anthology. While erotica has its place and can be enjoyable, it's nice to see gay genre fiction that doesn't need to depend on it to entertain.
BOOM! KAPPOW! YAY!!! -
This was a SUPER FUN read! As a superhero genre fan, and a person who always loves the villain, this was right up my alley. I thought all of the stories were well written and conceptualized. Just one was a bit off to me, but in a collection that isn't bad, and more a matter of personal taste than anything. Because this was an exciting edition. Awesome.
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A great variety of stories, by a lot of talented authors. Definitely kept me wanting to see what the next story, what the next author would offer. Highly recommended
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If only the stories weren't so short, most have the potential to be great stand alone novels!
Well done authors! -
"Light and Dark," by Damon Shaw
Speaking of two sides...
Having shared a table of contents with the wonderful Shaw before in The Touch of the Sea, I knew when I saw him listed in The Lavender Menace that I was in for a treat. I knew he had a way of making the unnatural feel plausible, and this verisimilitude is present in "Light and Dark."
Here, two opposing and powerful forces are clashing it out in the skies of nearly ruined London, and one other creature - Mirror - is present. It's through Mirror that we see the ultimate clash between these two forces, and it's in Mirror's mind (and heart) that we see his yearning to be more than a mere tool (as he is quickly referred to in the story) that the darker force uses to attempt to feel his position in the hierarchy.
Obviously, there's an overt tip-of-the-hat to the whole "mirror, mirror" trope here, but Shaw refreshes it and ties it into the dark, gritty world he's crafted so well that it doesn't feel remotely strained. It's a great story, with an end I didn't see coming.
"The Web," by Steven Bereznai
If you've never read Queeroes, then this is a great story to get to know Bereznai's style, which is a mix of fun, a little sexy - and, for this collection - edgy and dark. Here we have a young man whose powers are about to be tested to join a league of superheroes, and another young man who is definitely just as appealing as the future ahead of him.
But the life of a superhero - even a fledgling one who has yet to begin - is fraught with danger, and it won't be long until this young man gets his first taste of just how dangerous things can get, and just how hard it is to live up to expectations. Lavender Menace continues to deliver.
"Scorned," by Jeffrey Ricker
When it comes to my writing career, Jeffrey Ricker is like my big brother. We're mostly on the same trajectory, but he got there a little faster than me and even though I'm younger he's better looking and still has his hair. If he wasn't such a nice guy, it would be irritating. As it is, we often share stories, show each other drafts of our work, and give each other feedback in the way of all brothers (ie: honest and blunt).
In the case of this story, I got to read different versions of the initial tale. I watched this character and this story evolve into a wonderfully dark story of a man with electrical power who is now held in a jail that prevents him from using his abilities. He's being grilled by a cold psychologist and his life is far from a good one. Trapped. Broken. Powerless.
Angry.
But sometimes opportunities come even to those who seriously don't deserve them.
Somehow bitterly enjoyable, this story makes you feel a little guilty for feeling just a bit of glee at where it takes you.
"Snow and Stone," by Stellan Thorne
There's a lovely couple of standards in a lot of superhero (and by proxy, supervillain) stories. The dedicated reporter. The despotic dictator. The loud editor. The journalist standing face-to-face with the powerful villain and being one of the only people brave enough to speak the truth.
And then there are authors like Stellan Thorne who take all those ideas, and give them a not-so-gentle shove sideways.
This story, the next in The Lavender Menace, walks the line between a gritty journalistic story and a slow aching reveal and does so in a perfectly timed manner. There's a real talent to that kind of story twist, and Thorne has it. Obviously, I don't want to ruin anything, but if you think you know where the story might be heading in the first few pages, I'd be willing to bet you're wrong. I was delightfully wrong.
"The Knights Nefarious," by Rod M. Santos
Speaking of fun while feeling miserable, the next story in The Lavender Menace is freaking hilarious - and suitably bittersweet.
Here we meet Muse, a gay villain who - well, let's face it - isn't exactly a supervillain because his power is to bring inspiration to others, and that's not exactly going to stop the world in its tracks, no? Thing is, he has used his powers mostly to aid another supervillain, and for that supervillain's birthday - and to finally get that supervillain to love and notice him - he's decided upon one course of action: he's going to assemble a team who can take down the superhero who has plagued his partner for years.
The group he assembles aren't the A-listers. They're not the B-listers either. If there's such a thing as the M or N-listers, they'd still have something up on the group that Muse assembles, but Muse has a good plan, and it might just get him everything he's ever wanted.
Or, y'know, killed in the attempt.
If you've ever wanted to know what would happen if you were bitten by a radioactive chocolate bunny, then this tale is for you.
"The Plan," by Charles Christensen
Okay, this story has real cheek to it, and I dig cheek.
Here we have a villain whose powers are artifact based and who realizes that a life of being the good guy is morally enriching but financially disastrous. So he goes villain. Except then he starts to kinda-sorta fall for one of the good guys, and, really - it's hard enough being a gay fella without being a super-powered gay fella. The single scene is not exactly wide open, right?
Still, once a villain, always a villain. Right?
This story definitely left a grin on my face. I could picture everything so clearly - especially the revenge.
"Your Changing Body: A Guidebook for Boy Super Villains - Introduction by Mr. Positive," by Matt Fagan
Before my whirlwind trip back and forth to T-Dot, The Lavender Menace arrived, and I had a major moment of utter glee, and then realized I wouldn't be able to sit down and read it for a couple of days. Still, even though I needed to go to bed, and even though I should have done so already, I opened the book and flipped through the pages, and my eyes caught on this story.
I gulped it down, and really enjoyed it. Told in a narrative style that was just shy of comedic at times, but always with an edge of something darker, Fagan has the villain Mr. Positive telling the story of what, exactly, happened to him that led him to choose to be a villain, but from the point of view of a kind of "self-help" book for other blooming super-villains. It was charming, and a bit tongue-in-cheek in places, which makes the sudden turns into darker places all the more satisfying for the reader.
To top it off, the power Mr. Positive has is in and of itself a good one, and as far as origin stories go, this one was definitely one of the better I've read. Someone give this villain a comic book.
"The Origin of the Fiend," by Hal Duncan
This last tale in The Lavender Menace is Hal Duncan's incredibly fractured "The Origin of the Fiend." Filled with hat-tips to the great moments of comic history (you'll spot 'em if you're at all familiar with comics), the story begins with a young man reading comics and thinking on the histories and origins of the great comic book heroes - and villains - and how they intersect with reality or other world-shattering events. But as the story progresses, the lens between fiction and the reader and the comic world and the real world starts to break apart, and the blurring becomes heady.
The reader is sent on a pretty wild ride through this real-not-real narrative, and the end result is the perfect note upon which to end the collection. I often wonder about story placement in anthologies, and how editors come up with the table of contents, and sometimes - like with this collection - it's obvious just how much effort was made to leave the reader not only happy to have enjoyed the collection, but with something to mill and stew over thereafter.
"The Ice King," by Tom Cardamone
Speaking of Mr. Cardamone, the next story in the collection is his tale, "The Ice King." Here we meet a villain who - as the title suggests - is a being more of ice and cold than flesh and bone - and a deep core of hatred, anger, and arousal over a wound he gained in battle with a hero of light.
Revenge on a stranger is one thing, but revenge on someone with whom you shared a bond, however - that can be the kind of cold that cuts to the very bone.
Cardamone's villain is crafted with a kind of cruel glee - a villain you could easily imagine born of those powers and his life. The ultimate conclusion left a sly smile on my face and reminded me of why I adore Cardamone so much to begin with.
"After Balenciaga," by Marshall Moore
Oh lord this was creepy.
I don't even know how to tell you about this next story from The Lavender Menace. The power in this story of queer villainy is an exquisite one - to bring back the dead and force them to do as you wish. But where the man with this power leads, and what he does with it?
Did I mention creepy?
This story is quite short, and yet packs a solid punch. Or maybe not a punch, more like a cold finger that trails up your spine, just when you're alone and about to fall asleep.
"The Meek Shall Inherit," by Jamie Freeman
It's nice to bump into Jamie Freeman again - we've shared tables of contents a few times now - and his story in The Lavender Menace is a prime example of how many different voices he can deliver. This is a darker tale, and born of a world that it's easy to imagine. The future in which his tale takes place has grown all the more intolerant under the guise of faith, and his character learns he has an awesome - if terrible - power at his disposal.
And soon that awesome and terrible power will clash with all manner of intolerance and hatreds and - just maybe - make a dangerous and bloody point. But this is a darker world in which he lives, and sometimes power isn't enough.
Well told, this story was gripping all the more for the dark setting. I really enjoyed it.
"The Third Estate," by Lee Thomas
Speaking of destroying everything you touch, the villain of the next story in The Lavender Menace has a unique gift that is definitely laying waste to all in his path. Capable of possessing others, Legion is a man who has decided his mission is to punish, and punish he will.
It shouldn't have surprised me how dark and gripping Lee Thomas's story was - after all, this is the man who gave me nightmares with previous tales. I loved the idea of it - I think one of the best parts of this collection is showing how any power could be so quickly twisted to something dark in the face of our "wonderful" world.
Awesome. In the original sense of the world. -
Welcome to the review. Hope you survive the experience!
Picked this up because one of my favorite authors (namedrop: 'Nathan Burgoine) had a story in it and I have to say, I found it a pretty enjoyable read. Couple of things you need to know going in, which helps to make the book better: One, not erotica. Given that's the section I found it in at the store I picked it up at, kind of was expecting it but that's not the focus of the stories. Relationships, yes and there's a few teases and hints in some of the stories, but nothing extensively explicit. Two, read the introduction. With a lot of the stories, the villains just happen to be gay. The focus is not on the gayness, but the villainy, which is something that Mr. Cardamone talks about in the intro. With some of the stories, the narrator's orientation does become the focus but overall, it's just another aspect of who the characters are rather than their driving motivation.
As one might expect from an anthology about villains, some of the stories are a bit on the dark side but there are enough upper endings that I didn't feel like I was slogging through the book (unlike Queer Fish 2, which I'm *still* trying to get through.) There are stories of redemption and stories about characters who are utterly unrepentant. Comic geeks will find similarities in a lot of the stories but they're more like Easter eggs or homages...with the exception of the "Origin of the Fiend," which draws heavily on comic tropes (and for good reason.) I found it interesting comparing 'Nathan's hero in his story, Lesser Evil, to Pride, since, at the time of publication, Light was still forthcoming. They don't exactly run the same in powers, but there's a few similarities that suggest our hero could have taken a different path without proper guidance.
Overall, there were more hits in the book than misses, which signals a good anthology to me. Given I bought it for one author and wound up enjoying stories other than his a bit more (Sorry, but the Knights Nefarious are just fantastic!) signals that it's a good collection in my book.
If you like reading stories about people named 'Daytripper' and the 'Ice King,' get the book. If you like seeing the bad guys win the day, get the book. If you like delving into what makes villains tick, get the book. About the only way I'm going to say *don't* get the book is if you've got a problem with the subject matter, but if you did, you probably wouldn't be looking for reviews on things like this.
Yoinks and away! -
I have been a fan of THE Tom Cardamone for several years. I had the honor and pleasure of buying this book and having him autograph it at a special event, the same year this anthology was published (2013).
My copy has 226 pages, including the last three "end pages."
I shall list the "tales of Queer villainy" (the table of contents listed as the "Rogues Gallery") included in this edition, as well as my favorites:
"Light and Dark," by Damon Shaw (loved it!)
"The Web," by Steven Bereznai (LOVED IT!!)
"The Meek Shall Inherit," by Jamie Freeman (yes, I loved it lots!)
"After Balenciaga," by Marshall Moore
"The Third Estate," by Lee Thomas (oh, yes, I loved it!)
"The Ice King," by THE Tom Cardamone (of course, I loved it!)
"Lesser Evil," by THE 'Nathan Burgoine (you KNOW I loved it!)
"The Plan," by Charles "Zan" Christensen (I definitely loved it!)
"The Knights Nefarious," by Rod M. Santos (who definitely has a new fan in me)
"Snow and Stone," by Stellan Thorne (who also has a new fan in me)
"Your Changing Body: A Guidebook for Boy Super Villains--Introduction by Mr. Positive," by Matt Fagan (LOVED IT!)
"The Origin of the Fiend," by Hal Duncan (yes, I loved it!)
I have not made New Year resolutions in many years, probably closer to two decades now. However, I made a promise to myself that, in 2022, I would spend more time reading more LGBTQIAPlus Literature, and I AM making good on my promise to myself.
If you see anything with the name Tom Cardamone, just buy it; you'll be glad you did (smile)! -
These stories about gay supers pose questions about morality, accountability, villainy and psychosis. However, I like m/m tales with heated, pulsating sex throbbing from the pages and, to my disappointment, such…action was almost woefully absent from these pages. To be fair, this anthology doesn’t promise erotica in the blurbs on the back. It’s an anthology of supervillains who just happen to swing for the home team but must deal with the weightier problems of handling their superpowers for their own ends.
So I can’t claim to have been misled. Still it was a letdown to read stories where there wasn’t even a single kiss depicted, relations between men with heat and innuendo but without any sexual payoff or where sex emerges but is cut off after a suggestive couple of sentences.
Most of these stories ably explore how the notion of “otherness” translates to villainy through the lens of queerness. Just look elsewhere for erotic passion. -
The sub-title "Tales of Queer Villainy!" might make you think you're in for some campy romp, but this anthology is anything but. The characters in these stories are Villains-with-a-capital-V: terrorists, serial killers, and the like, performing all manner of horrific crimes. The stories are well-written for the most part, but the gruesome tone started to wear me out after a while (there are a couple of more lighthearted entries, including a very funny bit about a motley crew of grade-z supervillains trying to take out a Superman-level hero). I personally burned out on "grim and gritty" superhero stories back in the 1980s, but if that's the sort of thing you're into, this is a pretty good iteration of it.
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My Recommendation: Honestly, I was underwhelmed with most of the stories. I truly enjoyed roughly 1/3 of them and the rest were just meh. They weren't bad but they just weren't that great. The editor did a decent job of varying the plot points, but when you take in the overall diversity and representation issues in authors and characters it doesn't really balance it out. Maybe seek out the four I mention, or if you really want to read the entire collection give it a go, but this isn't really a "must read."
My Response: UGH. I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I remember the excitement when I stumbled across it seven years ago at PAX East in the LGBT lounge. I guess I either forgot the premise or didn't really read the full premise of the book so ended up slightly disappointed.
Don't get me wrong there were definitely a few stories I very much enjoyed (more the redemptive ones) and there was some great writing throughout the novel, but there were some larger issues with the collection that may reflect when it was originally published (2013) and how far we've come as a society, and the background of the editor (cis white gay man).
Continue reading on my book blog at
geoffwhaley.com. -
Rod M. Santos' "The Knights Nefarious" was so good, they deserve their own series.
The rest of the collection was kind of samey. -
This is the first non-comic I've read from Northwest Press, and so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! The title choice aside, quite worth the read.
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As always, the quality of the stories in an anthology can vary, but there's a surprising amount of quality to be found in this collection. All of the stories are at least interesting, and most take a fairly serious approach to the subject. And there's a fair number of standouts including the entries by 'Nathan Burgoine, Tom Cardamone, and Jeffrey Ricker. There's a fair number of books in mm right now featuring superheroes right now but it's a shame that this one seems to have been lost in the shuffle due to its being an anthology.
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I’m going to split this review in half and look at two different parts - one part I liked and the other I loathed.
Anthologies are consistently inconsistent I tend to judge an anthology favorably when it has more stories I really liked than more stories that were meh. As the editor explains in the introduction, this is an anthology ONLY about gay men but overall most of the stories in this collection were really well done. In this case, the weaker stories were in the front of the book but there were several in the middle that were real standouts.
You can tell most of the authors know superhero mythology and tropes extremely well. As a person who worked in a comic book store for years and currently reads a lot of mainstream superhero titles, I found most of it to be a light and fun read that twisted tropes on their heads.
I want to give particular mention to ‘The Knights Nefarious’ by Rod M. Santos which stars a motley crew of some of the cheesiest villains you’ll ever see. I would gladly read a whole book or comic about the fascinating relationship between Muse (a villain who inspires others) and El Fantasma de Sangra (“The Ghost Who Bleeds”). All the characters in this book were cis and most were white — El Fantasma was the only POC. But all the characters in this story were fantastic, up to and including Chocolate Bunny Boy, a hilarious villain who can create exploding chocolate rabbits.
Now on to the bad. I had a BIG problem with the title:
Let’s start with the phrase ‘Lavender Menace’. Historically this was a term used by Betty Friedan in the late 60’s to refer to the lesbian feminists that were accused of ‘threatening’ the women’s movement. Later a radical lesbian feminist group of the same name emerged to challenge the exclusion of lesbian issues from the women’s movement.
So to slap the title ‘Lavender Menace’ on the front of a book without A SINGLE story about queer women is somewhere between baffling and offensive. There are no women main characters and even the female secondary characters are mostly there for cheap laughs. For example, one of the briefly mentioned female characters in a story is actually named Lard Ass, the gag being that she is so fat she takes up three chairs *eyeroll*.
Likewise I’m irritated by the use of the word queer in the subtitle. This book isn’t really queer in the umbrella sense of the word. It’s just gay. Why not subtitle it “Tales of Gay Villainy”? It makes no sense to me to advertise queer content when that isn’t what is being offered here.
Even more bizarre, it was given away as a prize for supporting Anything That Loves on kickstarter. I assumed from the title that I would be getting a book that was somewhat similar in character to Anything That Loves - you know, containing a diverse look at different letters in the LGBTQQA soup, maybe even a bisexual character. Nope.
The end result of the book isn’t bad by any means, but is mis-labeled and mis-marketed. I think fans of mainstream comic book superheros will enjoy some of the creative twists and turns between these pages because some of the stories are truly enjoyable. But make no mistake, this book is Gay Only. -
This was a great book. I am not a huge comic book fan. Or even a medium sized fan but I do like well-written stories and these delivered. My favorite, I have to say, is Jamie Freeman's The Meek Shall Inherit was the best. The alternate- and not so far fetched - future that could befall us all if the religious right were to seize ultimate power is a Thomas Hobbs existence that should scare us all. Along with the Antagonist - this is a world where good is bad and bad (in the name of Good) is worse. As an ex fundi - the imagery provoked startled me and made me realize that there are more than just one group of religious nut jobs out there.
Jamie's portrayal of power hungry religious leaders is incredible and accurate and remind me of various leaders in the past who fell hard from their ivory towers or were exposed post mortem as being absolute fraudsters or were just all around bigots. This is a world where these moral majority fools would run amok. And it ain't pretty. However, it IS literary. A great job by Freeman.
The rest of the stories were neat as well. But like I said, I'm not a comic book guy and only picked this up after a recommendation to read that one story. The idea that gay men fill the spectrum and represent all walks of life, good and bad, makes for better argument regarding equality.
So if you like your protaganists with a side of Dr. Evil *holds pink up to mouth* and your characters sort X-men-y (I'll take Wolverine please and thanks) then I'm sure you'll enjoy this. Good job, Fellas. -
I am so disappointed. And so angry.
This book claims to be "a truly diverse and challenging collection", but where is the diversity? Every story in this anthology was written by a man and every story is about a man (with the exception of "After Balenciaga", which refrains from identifying the protagonist's gender).
For crying out loud. You can't label something Tales of Queer Villainy and have such a thin representation of the queer community. Part of what makes me so sad about this is the perpetuation of the assumption that the primary if not only consumers of geeky media are cisgendered men. By labeling it Tales of Queer villainy but only featuring gay men, this anthology is tacitly stating that the only queers it considers worth representing are Gay men. I feel alienated as a geeky woman already, and this anthology succeeded in alienating me as a queer woman. Not cool. -
Despite the 'queer' in the title, this collection is formed entirely of gay men- which is obvious if you look at the blurb and introduction, but I wish it had been clearer.
The stories themselves are mixed- the ones by Jamie Freeman, Ron Santos and Hal Duncan among others are well worth a look. Some disprove the notion that gay men write the best m/m content. Worth a look if you have the patience to read or skim through the poorly written ones. -
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I like the concept. A lot of the stories don't really feel like a complete short story, but more like a larger story unfinished. My favorite stories from it were The Plan by Charles "Zan" Christensen, The Knights Nefarious by Rod M. Santos, and Your Changing Body: A Guidebook for Super Villains -- Introduction by Mr. Positive by Matt Fagan.
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Most of the stories were pretty entertaining. Some grander than a short story ideas. Very much what's promised in the description: gay male super villains.
