TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM: VOLUME III is the third throwback collection of revisionist pulp heroes, this 10-storied indie monster put together by editor Ginger Johnson. Even though some are set in modern times, they still have the flavor of the 1930s.

Starting out is the longest story, “The Cult of the Faceless Fiend” by Thomas Powers. It’s total old-school action featuring the hero The Crimson Bat. It’s very blatant that the character is amalgam of Batman with elements of The Spider thrown in, since the Bat has guns and will shoot people.

The story concerns a new Egyptian exhibit that brings out a strange cult of fanatics. As we get some of the basics of The Crimson Bat’s background – father died young, mother despondent, gets a lot of attention from his butler – it’s evident Powers knows exactly what he is doing. The story is a fine foundation from which the rest of the book is built upon.

Another standout is “Sidewinder” by Debra Delorme – a fantastic look at an aging hero who seems to be slightly slipping, to the point that he gets some much-needed and unexpected help. Throughout this piece, it seems that the hero and villain have shared a close bond that since has soured, since they were referring to each other by their real names. Or maybe I was reading too much into it.

Tom Johnson’s “Death and the Black Ghost” is a fine little piece that deals with a cop finding out who a masked vigilante really is, even after someone tries to frame the do-gooder by killing the mayor.

Then comes a trio of stories that seem to be influenced not only by the pups of long ago, but by the groundbreaking graphic novel WATCHMEN. First up is “A Taste for Murder,” in which J. Michael Major gives us a new look at the werewolf story – one that no one could have told back in the old days. Then there is John L. French’s “Soul on Fire,” which tells the story of a man called The Grey Monk, who will use any means necessary to find out who is responsible for burning down black churches. To make it more clear what to expect, this would be like if Huey Newton became Batman. Finishing up this trio is “The Dust of Death” by Joel Jenkins, where we get the first team-up of two very different hero types: The Eel, an escape artist extraordinaire, and The Adder, a variation of WATCHMEN’s Rorschach character. The two battle Nazis on an airship who plan to drop a anthrax-like dust on major city.

Ginger Johnson’s “Mr. Minus Takes a Vacation” deals with a man who has a slight problem: At the stroke of midnight, he turns invisible. Johnson dishes the background of how this man came upon this affliction, then delves into a girl found dead who has a twin sister. Johnson has fun with this tale of going through some of the problems an invisible man would face.

Three other stories fill out the book. “The Face of Chu-Jung” is Eric Turowski’s take on a Chinese myth set in old San Francisco, with a masked avenger trying to keep Chinatown clean of any mob influence. It’s nothing spectacular, which is a bit of a letdown after the strong start in the book. Then comes another slight misstep with good intentions: “Doc Atlas: The Satan Plague.” It’s obvious who this character is modeled after, as is his crew of men to help him out. But the problem is the huge wink that author Michael A. Black gives to the reader, opening with Doc having to testify at the McCarthy trials. Finishing up the book is Dale J. Roberts’ “Catch a Falling Star,” which just falls a bit flat for my tastes, since some of the angles were used in some of the previous stories presented here, even though it’s a different author’s take.

Still, on the whole, MASKS & MAYHEM delivers some great reading. The only other misstep is staring you right in the face: I’m sorry, but that cover is sorely lacking. (I mean, who let the teenager design it?) But it can be forgiven, since it’s really what’s on the inside that counts. Even with its few hiccups along the way, the anthology doesn’t bog down. –Bruce Grossman

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