Human is the second book in Karen Diem’s Arca series about cancer-survivor heroes with multiple superhuman abilities. The first book, Super, was an action-adventure origin story that I reviewed (Super). As I picked up the second book in the series, I wondered where the author might go next. Would it be a noir, gritty, true-crime approach ala Batman? Or would it be a science slip-up with more over-the-top villains ala Spider-Man? The cover of Human favors the first approach but the initial novel followed a lighter tone.

Turns out it’s neither. Human is the sort of pulpy superhero tale you’d expect from Doc Savage or Domino Lady. Many two-fisted fights (and a lot of capoeira moves) are found within its pages. Superpowers that look like magic are magic—no explanation necessary. Add in a powerful artifact that could change the world and you have something at home in Weird Tales with a modern sensibility.

But it’s a mistake to think this is only a pulp novel. Zita Garcia, our shapeshifter and teleporter, is back with more sass and impetuousness, and she’s accompanied by her friends Ellynwyn Diamond (“Wyn”) and Andrew Cristovano. Zita is a hoot; it’s hard not to root for her. One part “fools rush in,” one part battle technician, and one part team jester (i.e. her comeback after being called a bitch by the big bad remains my favorite), Zita is all-parts action. Her friends, Andy and Wyn, are more than a little put-out by her impetuous nature. While Andy is a little less developed in this sequel, Wyn is a strong supporting character. And she gets the best joke award correcting Zita’s grammar at the end of chapter nine—I’m not giving that one away.

Zita, Wyn, and Andy are growing as a team and learning their roles in their superhero triad. Many arguments ensue between Zita and Wyn in particular as well as a few dark revelations in each character’s past which has shaped them into the women they are today. The relationship unfolds naturally until it comes to a head at the worst possible moment. The timing is what makes the novel so fun.

While I found I had to reread a few passages, the writing in this sequel has improved. For example, Wyn’s healing powers aren’t the typical glowy hands depicted in most novels. Instead we read “Stained with black and red, the silver yarn uncoiled…floating in midair…Wyn made a gesture as if rolling them up, and all the strands balled up. Silver battered through and encased the black and red, and then the ball dissipated like mist.” Nice.

Filled with action sequences, snarky conversations, and perturnatural objects, I found Human slightly better than its predecessor. While some subplots didn’t develop as much as I would’ve liked—Zita’s job offer comes to mind—the narrative does a nice job of interspersing the plot-heavy and character development chapters. The villains are also more interesting (long live the Squirrel King) than the bad guys of the first novel, and I hope some return in an upcoming offering.

So put on your mask and disguise your voice, it’s bam-pow-biff time again.