DC Universe: Trail of Time

Hey, any superhero fiction is fun, but this book truly is remarkable. Is it action adventure? SF time travel? Historical fiction? Magical fantasy? A western? Yes, all of the above. What makes this book truly unique out of all the superhero tales I've read over the years is the immense cast. My hat is off with a whooping congratulations to the author and editors who let this gem slip through. This book truly exposes the depth and width of the DC universe and introduces a wide arrange of characters over the course of the story. Though a diehard fan of superheroes, I sometimes get tired of the main heroes always hogging the spotlight. Book after book focuses on just the well-known superstars, like Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, or Iron Man. Hey, we have entire universes here, so let's give some of the other thousands of characters a break. The only series to date that has attempted to expose some of the wider crowd is the X-Men. I hope this book will serve as a lessson to both Marvel and DC as to what is possible. Let's see some of those other, perhaps lesser known characters in action! They deserve an adventure today.

Superman, The Demon, and The Phantom Stranger. One of the odder team-ups to come down the line, particularly in a novel. This story opens with Clark Kent in a dystopian, scared future, with tight media control, and Lois pretty much a reporter with a double life, illegally investigating reports of a shadowy overlord known as Vandal Savage. It doesn't go to well for her. This world also has a red sun. The Stranger and Etrigan turn up, tell the Clark of this world of a dual-world timestream plot involving Mordru, Felix Faust and Vandal Savage. Into this story we add Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, El Diablo, Scalphunter, and Johnny Thunder in separate interludes, as the heroes from modern times try and work out how to stop the plot, which from the aforementioned group of gunslingers is likely to end up in the Old West. There's also a Lois Lane investigating people smuggling subplot, not sure why that was added - whether to have a significant female character, or to juxtapose the free-world Lois with what happens to the three overlord controlled variety, not sure, but it is the only part that doesn't seem to fit as well. There are also cameos by Zatanna and Dr Occult. So, barring the old Challengers of the Unknown or Blackhawks novels, this is likely the DC novel with the most obscure characters that may ever appear.

For being a fan of Superman, I decided to take the plunge and buy this book. "DC Universe"- from the title, I thought it was going to be another boring comic book novel. Boy I was wrong. Couldn't put the book down. Great storytelling. But 2 things I didn't particulary care all that much for- the Western elements- overplayed in comic book lure, and the ending. Overall It is a good book and I'd recommend it to anyone who is facinated with Supes. Shane Lindsley, author of Enemies Among Us

I have read all four of the DC Universe books published so far. They are all worth reading but Trail of Time is by far the best. To have Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, Scalphunter, El Diablo, and Johnny Thunder together helping Superman, Phantom Stranger, and the Demon (Jason Blood)against Vandal Savage, Mordu and Felix Faust was magnificent. I never have seen a text adventure featuring the DC western heros before. This novel also has Dr Occult, Lois Lane, and Zatanna guest starring. I hope that Warner publishes more of the DC Universe series as having the lessor known heros featured was a real trreat,