Publication Date: June 30, 2026
Page count: 388 pages
SYNOPSIS:
Which works
out, because in this new age of superheroes, most names are copyrighted.
It all
started thirty-one years ago…
Humans
began being born with a new organ called the “facet gland,” which mutated their
bodies and granted them superhuman abilities. Each person’s power is unique,
but one fact quickly emerged: these abilities were subject to progression and
advancement, much like building muscles through exercise.
Complex
powers even follow a tier system with multiple improvement paths. And while
some use their gifts to benefit humanity, others embrace unprecedented
villainy.
Leon grew
up idolizing heroes like Nova, Glitter Ninja, and Japan’s fan-favorite Shine
Shine Hero. But his own abilities are dangerous, and could harm random people,
so he lives in isolation in a cramped apartment.
That is,
until his neighbor, Rachel Anderson, is targeted by the Kings in Yellow—a
mysterious street gang infamous for making people vanish.
Leon can’t
stand by and do nothing, but activating his abilities might prove fatal…
Because
Anubis is death to friends and foes alike.
ENJOY AN EXCERPT:
Leon Lewis stood across the street, staring down the alleyway from a good fifty feet away, watching the two suspicious men. He waited, unblinking, in the safety of a moonlight shadow.
The Eclipse Lounge, one of the few high-quality strip clubs in Sacramento, only operated from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. because only the saddest of sacks went to an adult entertainment lounge in the middle of the day. That meant it was always dark when Leon came to visit, and he was extra familiar with the dank surroundings, neon flashing lights, and overstuffed dumpsters.
He also knew who usually came and went. These gangbangers weren’t on the regulars list.
Don’t get the wrong impression, though. Leon never, not even once, went inside the strip club. He had no idea what the interior looked like, and he didn’t care.
He only came to the Eclipse Lounge to make sure one of the girls made it home safely.
Rachel Anderson, who went by the stripper name of Stella Velvet, was Leon’s next-door neighbor. Months ago, she had returned to her apartment with bruises after a long night of work. Since then, Leon had gone out of his way to make sure she got home safely whenever her shift was over.
This would be the third time strange men came to bother Rachel since Leon took up his bodyguard duties. Something was clearly going on.
A super origin story for this new superhero series!
A Superhero Called Doberman is the first book in John and Shami Stovall’s The Superhero Doberman series featuring an alternate world where everyone born in the last 30 years has a superpower, superheroes are licensed and closely monitored, and vigilantism is strictly prohibited. Leon Lewis’s omega-trait is enhanced vision, but he is also the victim of a family curse known as the Visage of Anubis, which transforms him into the physical embodiment of the seven-foot-tall, jackal-headed, ancient Egyptian god of death. When in his Anubis form, Leon has greater strength and speed but also the ability to sense how close someone is to their death. However, it also curses any relationships Leon has, and anyone he’s ever gotten close to dies.
Set in Sacramento, California, Leon’s hometown has experienced a recent upturn in the kidnapping of young women and some men. When Rachel Anderson, his next-door neighbor, is targeted by the Kings in Yellow, the gang behind the kidnappings, Leon takes on a protective role. But as the gang members don’t recognize his Anubis guise, they dub him the “Doberman” instead.
Leon is such a great guy, and despite his superpowers, he gets tongue-tied in Rachel’s presence. It was so tragic that with the danger the curse poses to anyone he gets close to always on his mind, he’s deliberately isolated himself from others. He works as an Uber driver and Door Dasher to make ends meet, but sadly for the short intervals of human contact the jobs also provide. His loneliness is almost palpable. He manages his feelings with a quick wit and laugh-out-loud commentary, a trait not completely appreciated by the official superhero in the neighborhood, Steelant. I had so many feelings as they became friends.
The plot hits the ground running, with an early confrontation with a couple of the Kings in Yellow as they try to snatch Rachel, and the pace continues throughout with many well-choreographed fight scenes. Not only does the story have the emotional feels, but there is quite a lot of action, plot twists, and a big misunderstanding.
I recommend A SUPERHERO CALLED DOBERMAN to readers of
action/adventure and superhero tales.
