While not a huge fan of comic books or graphic novels, none the less I was intrigued by the advance copy of Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible (which I got in, what February and finally got to it, a month after its release?). According to his bio, Grossman is a freelance game-design consultant, what ever that is, along with being a doctoral candidate in English lit at UC Berkeley.
In his first novel, he gives the assorted comic heroes and villains a dose of reality (much like the Watchman graphic novel series), with a cast of characters who have very human emotions. The novel shifts back-in-forth between evil genius Doctor Impossible and newcomer Fatale, a cyborg, who has joined the group known as the Champions. Lonely and unsure of her reasons for being in the group, Fatale must navigate the ups and downs of her new family who all miss -but sometimes hated -their dead leader, Corefire. Meanwhile, once again after breaking out of jail, Doctor Impossible hatches his new scheme to knock the earth out of its orbit.
Using the many themes that are common among comics, the heroes also face the pitfalls of fame and ego, and Grossman turns the novel into funny, engrossing read that almost anyone can enjoy. Of course, for comic book fans, this riff on both of the DC and Marvel Universe, will make them smile, or groan at all the parallels.
In his first novel, he gives the assorted comic heroes and villains a dose of reality (much like the Watchman graphic novel series), with a cast of characters who have very human emotions. The novel shifts back-in-forth between evil genius Doctor Impossible and newcomer Fatale, a cyborg, who has joined the group known as the Champions. Lonely and unsure of her reasons for being in the group, Fatale must navigate the ups and downs of her new family who all miss -but sometimes hated -their dead leader, Corefire. Meanwhile, once again after breaking out of jail, Doctor Impossible hatches his new scheme to knock the earth out of its orbit.
Using the many themes that are common among comics, the heroes also face the pitfalls of fame and ego, and Grossman turns the novel into funny, engrossing read that almost anyone can enjoy. Of course, for comic book fans, this riff on both of the DC and Marvel Universe, will make them smile, or groan at all the parallels.
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