Private eye investigates superheroes in 'Bob Moore: No Hero'

The e-book is available now, with a paperback to follow in February. The sequel to “No Hero,” “Desperate Times,” is set for release this month, and a third book is in the works. You can download “No Hero” for free at tomandry.com.

“He's a guy who deals with supers on a regular basis, but doesn't have any powers himself,” Andry said in an email interview. “He gets by with a few gadgets and access to information that gives him a leg up on the supers. In “Bob Moore: No Hero”, Bob confronts a super from his past. Bob blames this super for the dissolution of his marriage. But when superheroes start to disappear, Bob reluctantly agrees to help him.

Andry says “No Hero” is an introduction to Bob's world and its history.

“There are hints about the effect supers have had on the development of society, but not the full story,” he said. “More, of course, will be revealed in future books.”

Andry says writers like Frank Miller (“Hard Boiled”), Alan Moore (“Watchmen”) and Grant Morrison (“Animal Man”) are among his favorites. He cites Matt Wagner comics as his biggest comics influence.

“I loved Matt Wagner's work on ‘Grendel,'” Andry said. “That comic (and Wagner in general) had the most impact on me. Stuff like X-Men, Batman, and the rest were fun and I enjoyed them, but ‘Grendel' ... really felt like literature.”

Some of the characters' powers in “No Hero” were inspired by Andry's youth playing the “Champions” superhero role-playing game, but he said his true inspiration for Bob Moore was from life.

“Most of the characters are taken from parts of my friends and me,” Andry said. “I love damaged characters. Bob is nothing if not damaged. He is world-weary and tired. He's beaten and bruised. He's sad and angry.”