Item - Hero City

This is a pretty entertaining take on the superhero genre. There are quite a variety of different storylines to explore, and some of them cross over each other in interesting ways, with some of the same characters and themes popping up in different places and situations. The book can't be said to have much in the way of plot consistency, but at least the various paths build on each other in some way -- the adventure feels a little more substantial and thought-out than the garden variety "random crazy events" gamebook.

It often amazes me how easily some authors are able to create their own sets of superheroes and villains that appear just as interesting and well-developed as those put out by the major-label comic books; unfortunately, that's not really the case here -- the super-powered character designs are probably the book's weakest point. However, since the book clearly has its tongue in its cheek, the absurdity of the characters is quite possibly by design, and it helps to generate a few genuine laughs here and there. Interestingly, though, the book takes the occasional surprisingly dark turn from humor to violence here and there, particularly in threads involving the brutal and insane Joker-like villain known as the Terrier.

It's been quite a few years since a new Twisted Journeys title has been released, so it seems like this may be the last one. If that proves to be the case, at least it can be said that the series ended on a reasonably high note.

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