Leroy Black was once a lone vigilante, driven by the brutal murders of his father and brother to wage war on America’s gangs. Now, only one battleground remains: New York City, the gang capital of the world. Standing in his way are the city’s ruling powers, the three most dangerous syndicates on Earth: Dynamite Flash, led by the ruthless King Solomon; Hammer Steel, commanded by the iron-fisted Czar; and The Ascending Sun, ruled by the cunning Izanagi. Together, they are feared as the Bermuda Triangle.

Armed with cutting-edge tech designed by the brilliant scientist and strategist Tamara Jones, Black becomes Black Glove, a fearless superhero. Finally, he possesses the firepower to challenge the gangs. He will wreak revenge, and one by one, he will dismantle the Bermuda Triangle and end their reign forever.

Written by M.A.N., BLACK GLOVE is a dystopian superhero thriller told at a relentless pace. It is a world overrun by powerful, violent gangs who wage war with flying tanks, electric guns, jet fighters, and ground troops garbed in protective metal exoskeletons. Leroy Black, whose familiar origin story sets him on a collision course with the dictatorial gang lords, is the archetypal superhero in waiting. When he meets up with boffin Dr. Jones and is taken to her secret laboratory, it is only a matter of time before his already finely honed fighting prowess is enhanced by technology—birthing the warrior for justice Black Glove.

M.A.N.’s prose style is fairly basic but effective. A lot of the action sequences read like a description of a beat-’em-up video game. That said, he occasionally punctuates his prose with effective all-caps flourishes that recall panels from comic books: “Suddenly a blur of speed makes its way towards him, and Black Glove finds himself being teed off on as he’s hit with a combination of punches. BAM! BAM! BAM! BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!”

With hints of movies like The Warriors and Mad Max, mixed with more than a touch of the Afrofuturism of the Black Panther films, BLACK GLOVE is an entertaining take on the dystopian novel. There’s an emphasis on action over character development, but the author is dealing with recognizable archetypes and moving them around in a fun way. Issues of police brutality and racism loom over proceedings, but, in the foreground, M.A.N. is always eager to let battle commence.

BLACK GLOVE is an action-packed, violent, comic book–style novel about a vigilante superhero and his battles with gang lords. M.A.N.’s straightforward prose style propels the narrative from one dynamic action sequence to the next. The pace is relentless, sometimes exhausting, but always fun.

~ Kent Lane for IndieReader