As writers and readers of Science Fiction and Fantasy, most of us are quite familiar with the traditional categories of Fantasy- i.e. High Fantasy (such as Lord of the Rings), Heroic Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery (i.e. Conan the Barbarian) but what about the new kid on the block-- Urban Fantasy. Once relegated to the back stalls of the Comic Book Store (where you would find me) Hollywood has taken note of what we fans have known for years. Urban Fantasy is great! But how as a writer can this profit you?
Have you ever thought about delving into Urban Fantasy? What is Urban Fantasy anyway? It is a subset of fantasy usually contemporary or futuristic in nature and takes place in an Urban setting (i.e. Metropolis, New York City or London or you get the picture). Some of the more well known Urban Fantasies began their early life as comic books like Superman (Note Superman: The Man of the Steel a sequel to Superman Returns begins production this year). And then there is the Batman comics featuring the Caped Crusader as the Dark Knight with his faithful sidekick Robin.
But back to my point, typically the protagonists in Urban Fantasy are Superheroes but who's to say that's the only way to portray them. Note the Transformers, they are Robots from another planet. Not to mention there is the YA or Young Adult and middle reader's market which features Urban Fantasy for kids that have been successful in their own right in films such as Sky High and Zoom.
So when you sit down to write your next fantasy novel why not put a mask and cape on your hero and drop him in the middle of downtown Cincinnati and see what happens next! And by the way don't forget the love interest you Romance writers out there!
