A collection of stories describing the adventures of such superheroes as Captain Cosmos and Captain Housework

YA?Twenty-five marvelous short stories about cartoon heroes. These are not your run-of-the-mill superheroes like Captain Marvel, Superman, or Batman?these people have weird, sometimes twisted, viewpoints. Consider Captain Housework in Laurell K. Hamilton's ``A Clean Sweep,'' who gets so frustrated about everyone hiring him as a maid instead of using his special powers that he takes macabre revenge on his last customer. In Josepha Sherman's ``The Defender of Central Park,'' a misplaced leshy (tree spirit) is upset at being out of his element. But, as he defends a young woman from a stalker, he decides his life's work is to protect innocent people. Nevertheless, his defenses take dark turns. Harvey, a pediatrician, writes to his mother complaining of the hardships in caring for extraordinary infants in Mike Resnick and Lawrence Schmel's wacky ``Super Acorns.'' All of the selections have unusual twists and surprise endings. Many are satirical and full of dark humor, and some are violent. All are intriguing.?Pat Royal, Crossland High School, Camp Springs, MD