Soon I Will Be Invincible

by Austin Grossman (Goodreads author)

book data

1,757 ratings, 3.64 average rating, 559 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		16%
4		44%
3		29%
2		8%
1		1%

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published

June 5th 2007 by Pantheon

binding

Hardcover, 288 pages

literary awards

John Sargent, Sr. First Novel Prize Finalist (2007)

isbn

0375424865 (isbn13: 9780375424861)

description

Doctor Impossible--evil genius, diabolical scientist, wannabe world dominator--languishes in a federal detention facility. He's lost his freedom, his...more

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01/21/08

Ben Flasher rated it:

Read in May, 2007

I bought this book based on a strong review, and was quite disappointed. Any reviewer who praises this book's imagination clearly hasn't read a comic book within the last 5-10 years. The settings, characters, and powers all seem to have been lifted wholesale out of Marvel's least inspired 80s B-list comics.

I will grant that there is some amusement to be found in Dr. Impossible's story. His wry, matter-of fact viewpoint is often entertaining, and the telling of a comic book tale from ...more I bought this book based on a strong review, and was quite disappointed. Any reviewer who praises this book's imagination clearly hasn't read a comic book within the last 5-10 years. The settings, characters, and powers all seem to have been lifted wholesale out of Marvel's least inspired 80s B-list comics.

I will grant that there is some amusement to be found in Dr. Impossible's story. His wry, matter-of fact viewpoint is often entertaining, and the telling of a comic book tale from the villain's side is at least a bit unusual, if not unheard of (see Astro City: The Tarnished Angel, for one particularly fine example). Unfortunately, Dr. Impossible's side of things only occupies half the book. The rest of it is told from Fatale's perspective, and she's an absolute bore. A cyborg with a lost past, she doesn't seem to be terribly passionate about anything. The most she ever manages is some uninspired teenage-esque angst that her character seems much too old for.

In fact, the Dr. Impossible/Fatale contrast is indicative of a larger problem with the book. Grossman has some fun poking into the psychologies and histories of his villains, people with frightening powers living with the perpetual cognitive dissonance that exists between their world-conquering ambitions and inevitable humiliating defeats. He has no such insight, however, into the minds of his heroes. None of them spend any time pondering why they chose to put on tights and fight crime. Dr. Impossible wonders why he didn't choose to become a hero instead, but none of the heroes ever ponder why they didn't choose to just go rob a bank and retire to a tropical island. None of them appear to get any particular enjoyment from fighting crime, or derive any pleasure from helping others, so why do they do it? This book has no answers, so it does its best to dodge the question. Worse, Grossman attempts to substitute angst and bickering amongst his heroes in place of psychological depth. The New Champions, the super team that Fatale joins, bicker and sulk like a car full of high school students reluctantly dragged on a field trip, rarely displaying a single likable trait between the seven of them.

Worse still, this book reads more like a first draft than a published work. The writing is sloppy and inconsistent, and the whole thing seems to have been untouched by an editor. Descriptions are few and far between; it reads more like a comic book script than a novel, still waiting for an imaginative artist to draw in the undefined settings, faces, and costumes. Characters repeat observations several time throughout the book, each time as if they're new. The book is riddled with inconsistencies and dangling plot threads. Dr. Impossible sometimes talks as if he loathes magic and does his best to avoid it, and sometimes comfortably mentions incorporating it into past and future plans. Fatale observes that a hammer weighs a couple hundred pounds, then, several paragraphs later, picks it up and finds it "surprisingly heavy." Conflicts are set up, but never pay off. Other conflicts seem to appear out of nowhere. A scene in which Fatale accuses a mystical teammate of not being a real fairy comes entirely out of left field; one scene later, the conflict is completely forgotten, and is never mentioned again.

Character voices are also wildly inconsistent. Everyone sounds the same in conversation, and no one sounds particularly interesting. Dr. Impossible, an evil genius, comes the closest to having a unique voice, but even he bounces unpredictably between occasionally inspired bits and inexplicably juvenile lines such as, "Whatever. Just don't think you can stop me." Most dismayingly, the two narrators sound remarkably similar for most of the book, with the only distinct difference being that Fatale's utterly flat sections lack the occasional moments of inspiration that sparingly pepper Dr. Impossible's narrative.

This book is an "adult" take on superheroes only when compared to the simplistic comics of the 30s-50s. The story and dialog ibook don't hold a candle to the clever and insightful works of such modern-day comics writers as Kurt Busiek, Brian Michael Bendis, and Neil Gaiman. The novel format tries to sell this as a more adult and literary take on comic books, but it's ultimately just a pale and surprisingly shallow imitation of the real thing.(less)

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08/04/08

Sandi rated it:

(review of isbn 0307279863)

bookshelves: 2008, gr-authors, sci-fi

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: Anyone who wants to be entertained

Should I be embarrassed about giving "Soon I Will be Invincible" four stars? Should I even admit that I bought it because I loved the title and the cover? This a silly piece of entertaining fluff. It's dessert after a really healthy dinner. It doesn't have any hidden meanings, heavy symbolism or deep thoughts. It's just really, really entertaining. I laughed a few times and had a big grin on my face when I put it down. Even better, I can pass this book to my son without any worr...more

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07/14/08

Nathan rated it:

(review of isbn 0307279863)

Read in July, 2008

First off, I loved the idea of this novel. And even after the disappointment of actually reading Soon I Will Be Invincible, I can still honestly say that I love the idea of it. It's just the novel itself I've got a problem with.

When I first saw this on the shelf, my mind raced frantically back to the long cardboard boxes of comic books that I still keep stored up in the attic, each comic tucked safely away into a plastic sleeve to protect its "value"--a concept that my inc...more First off, I loved the idea of this novel. And even after the disappointment of actually reading Soon I Will Be Invincible, I can still honestly say that I love the idea of it. It's just the novel itself I've got a problem with.

When I first saw this on the shelf, my mind raced frantically back to the long cardboard boxes of comic books that I still keep stored up in the attic, each comic tucked safely away into a plastic sleeve to protect its "value"--a concept that my incredulous wife mockingly insists will someday be reduced--if I'm lucky--to a pitiful amount of actual legal tender. Ha!, I say. Women.

Anyway, back to the book. One of the things I found most interesting about this novel right off the bat is that, through and through, it's a pairing of opposites. Just look at where its bright blue and pink cover shows up in the bookstore, somehow sitting in the "G" section as if it actually belongs mere inches away from one of my all-time favorites, Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying (except at Borders, of course, which is a different story altogether) (and by the way, A Lesson Before Dying should be stored on a throne far, far away from Mr. Grossman's awkward debut). But my point is that this thing has the heart of a comic trapped inside the body of a novel--a wedding of two mediums that have probably never thought all that much of each other. So if someone could pull that off, what a beautiful thing it would be.

But the novel does more than just pair the two opposing mediums--the story's unique touch (well, others have done it better, but still) is that it burdens near-invincible superheroes and villains with the banality of everyday modern life. Another interesting combination of opposites, and it's funny at first to think of these superheroes having to struggle through the same trivial obstacles we all go through, treasuring the same little hopes, harboring the same frustrations. In the first few pages, one of the supervillains describes being locked up in jail: "I'm the smartest man in the world. Once I wore a cape in public, and fought battles against men who could fly, who had metal skin, who could kill you with their eyes... Now I have to shuffle through a cafeteria line with men who tried to pass bad checks. Now I have to wonder if there will be chocolate milk in the dispenser."

Something about that contrast excites me, and I guess it's hard to describe--that in transforming into a novel, in moving from the shelf with all the exciting color drawings to the section with all the hefty works of literature, this comic shifted its focus from the super to the ordinary... And there was a chance that in shedding its comic-styled lettering for pages and pages of pictureless prose, this could have taken on the best of both worlds. If the author had pulled that off, if he had found a way to blend all that together and bury some actual substance inside of it, this would have been something special. Unfortunately, he didn't. And it isn't. Really, when you get right down to it, this thing is mediocre at best, whether you measure it as a comic or a novel.

As far as the comics side of it goes, the actual story itself is terrible. Maybe it's purposeful, I guess it probably is, but the whole novel centers around a plot that's cliche, predictable, and boring. I can see fans of the novel already saying, "But that's the whole point!" Well, I don't know. I guess so. But I don't get that, and anyway, it doesn't seem special to me, just tedious. There are plenty of comics that have brilliantly original and engaging plotlines, and I would have much rather spent my time reading one of them. Or if the author wanted to have a cliche storyline, he could have gone way overboard, having fun with it and actually being creative (Superhero League of Hoboken? anyone?). But this doesn't do that; instead, it takes its cliche a little too seriously, and that gets uncomfortably boring real fast. If you want a comic with an actual heart, better stick with Watchmen, or Sin City, or Stray Bullets, or Dark Knight, or Jimmy Corrigan, or Astro City, or any of a thousand better, more creative stories than this one.

And if you were thinking that maybe the novel side of things would save the day, not so much. I'll admit that the writing is exciting and sharp for the first few pages, but after that it takes a pretty ugly nosedive. There are actually a few long patches when this $14.95 paperback (choke!) feels more like a rough draft. At times, the author seems so afraid of describing something wrong or making a bad transition that he just skips it altogether. Whenever I hit one of those confusing, disjointed patches, I learned simply to plow ahead and either I'd figure it out later or it would turn out to be not important in the first place, so no big loss either way.

Another problem is that the writing style is so inconsistent it's distracting, almost as if a few different people (high-schoolers, maybe?) took turns hacking away mercilessly at this poor thing. One thing that is consistent, however, is that the author uses the exact same descriptions for a few things repeatedly throughout the novel (each time trying to pass them off as if they're new), so at least he knows how to cut and paste. At first, when I read one of those repeat descriptions, it sent me into a sort of deja-vu vertigo--Wait, did I read that before?--until finally I adopted the zen mindset that it takes to get through this book and just stopped caring. And I am not exaggerating when I say that there are sentences in this book that do not make sense. I'm not kidding, they don't make sense. But again, zen mindset--just keep reading and soon the book will be finished.

So as far as the writing style goes, Mr. Grossman needs to fire his editor. Or hire one in the first place, I don't know. Either way, whatever he needs to do, it would've been a lot better if he'd done it before this book came out.

Despite all my bitter disappointment at everything this novel could have been but completely failed to become, it's still earned a place on my shelf for now, if only to remind me that: a) some day, someone is going to do this right, and when they do, it's going to blow my #$!*&ing mind; and b) I seriously need to renew my public library card.

2.0/5(less)

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06/22/07

Jason Pettus rated it:

Read in June, 2007

(Full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:].)

"This morning on planet Earth, there are 1,686 enhanced, gifted, or otherwise superpowered persons. 678 use their powers to fight crime, while 441 use their powers to commit them. 44 are currently confined in Special Containment Facilities for enhanced criminals. Of these last, it is interesting to note that an unusually high proportion have IQs of 300 or more -- eighteen to be exa...more (Full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:].)

"This morning on planet Earth, there are 1,686 enhanced, gifted, or otherwise superpowered persons. 678 use their powers to fight crime, while 441 use their powers to commit them. 44 are currently confined in Special Containment Facilities for enhanced criminals. Of these last, it is interesting to note that an unusually high proportion have IQs of 300 or more -- eighteen to be exact. Including me. You really have to wonder why we all end up in jail."

Well, when a novel starts like this, how in a million years could I possibly pass it up? And indeed, just about everything at first about Bay-area author Austin Grossman's debut novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible, seemingly screams out "I am for you" to the random overeducated comics-loving geek who comes across it; the Chip Kidd cover, Grossman's nerdy credentials as a videogame consultant and PhD candidate in Victorian literature, Invincible's storyline concerning weary postmodern superheroes. But there's a big problem regarding reviewing this novel, in that there are two very different interpretations one can have as to what Grossman's point is, and that my feelings regarding the book change profoundly depending on which interpretation you adopt: of whether this is a light deconstructionist comedy about freaks in tights and what makes them do what they do; or maybe if this is instead an unironic gritty "Dark Age" drama about superheroism itself.

What to do, what to do? So I'm trying something unusual today; I'm writing two mini-reviews of Invincible instead, tackling my thoughts when it comes to each of these interpretations, since it's almost impossible to know which one Grossman meant for us to have unless directly asking him. If you end up reading the novel yourself, I'll be interested to see which of the two takes you adopt, and encourage you to leave a comment at the end sharing your own thoughts on the matter.

A. Soon I Will Be Invincible as deconstructionist superhero comedy. For those who don't know, there's a rising subgenre of superhero stories out there now for those who enjoy such things, which is the ironic self-aware superhero story; where the heroes and villains in question understand just how ridiculous their entire situation is, and end up winking at the audience the entire time they're performing their heroic or villainous stunts. Think of the most well-known example of the subgenre, the 1999 Ben Stiller comedy Mystery Men -- how the superheroes in that movie live and die by their corporate sponsorships and celebrity endorsements, how most of the superheroes in question turn out to be nerdy losers once the masks come off.

And indeed, there's a lot of the same kind of humor going on in Invincible, and it's undeniable that Grossman has a natural talent for these kinds of observational jokes, such as when the main villain (a Lex Luthor stand-in) starts ranting about the flying abilities of his superhero nemesis (clearly a blonde Superman): "He didn't even have the decency to work for it, to flap a pair of wings or at least glow a little. He seemed to do it purely out of a sense of entitlement." But there's a weakness that comes with this part of the book as well, or should I say two symbiotic weaknesses: that a lot of the novelty concerning this kind of humor has worn off by now, ten years after it first started becoming popular, and that Grossman ends up directly ripping off the concepts and jokes of a whole lot of other projects that have come before his, projects that are frankly better and funnier than his.

Perhaps he...(less)

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02/12/08

Amanda rated it:

recommended to Amanda by: Aaron
recommends it for: anyone with a sense of humor, comic fans or not.

I have a difficult time describing this novel. On the surface it is a very humorous plot involving superheroes and supervillains portrayed as actual people - you get a look at how annoying it can be to have to save the world when one's marriage is breaking up, for instance. You grow to understand how embarrassing it is to be a supervillain genius putting up with a misguided colleague's cheesy catchphrases and general stupidity. Beneath that highly entertaining surface is, I think, an intellig...more I have a difficult time describing this novel. On the surface it is a very humorous plot involving superheroes and supervillains portrayed as actual people - you get a look at how annoying it can be to have to save the world when one's marriage is breaking up, for instance. You grow to understand how embarrassing it is to be a supervillain genius putting up with a misguided colleague's cheesy catchphrases and general stupidity. Beneath that highly entertaining surface is, I think, an intelligently written satire of the entire comic book milieu. A comic book fan can read Soon I Will Be Invincible and immediately pick out who is supposed to be the Superman, the Wonder Woman, and so on, and can instantly recognize the ways in which the author paints such characters against the backdrop of our own ordinary reality.

Some comic book fans who have written reviews of this book love everything about it. Others complain about the relative dullness of the hero characters, or about the fact that it seems to be a generic amalgam of all classic comic book stories with almost nothing new or innovative. These reviewers are correct in their cursory descriptions of the book, but they are also completely missing the point. If a comic reader picks up this book expecting to read a cutting-edge original tale of heroes and villains, he or she will inevitably be disappointed. The imagination with which its fans credit this book lies not in the plot or the characters themselves, but in the way they are used to tell an entirely unwritten story. Grossman is using his unillustrated prose to poke fun at the genre with the fondness unique to a genuine fan. Frankly, if he had merely set out to write a brand new comic, I imagine he would have grounded it firmly in the industry by writing in the usual comic book format instead of taking a chance on the readers of general fiction.

The reason for my difficulty in writing this review is this - I am a complete comic book dunce. I've seen the movies. I read V for Vendetta because I wanted a few plot points cleared up, and apart from a few forays into Archie as a child, I don't think I've ever read any other comic books or graphic novels or anything of the kind. My comic-fan perspectives are only conclusions I have based on the words of those who know the genre. I wish to make this perfectly clear because it is the reason for my five-star rating - even though I have no interest in the world of comic books, even though I had to have the subtexts pointed out to me by my boyfriend after failing to notice them myself, I still quite thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a comic book in novel form that manages to be universally accessible and enjoyable. The satirical overtones naturally add to the experience, but even without them, you'll have a very good time.(less)

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03/10/09

Jennifer rated it:

bookshelves: sf-and-fantasy-and-horror

Read in March, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I picked up this book (luckily from the library) based on a review from another website. This is not a good book, however. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Perhaps the problem lies in reading this just after seeing the Watchmen movie. While I rather heretically think the plot for Watchmen is pretty stupid, at least there is some attempt to explain the motivations of some of the characters in a vaguely believable fashion. Soon I Will Be Invincible does not. Explanation=cliche in thi...more

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04/02/08

Alexander rated it:

bookshelves: read-didntlike

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: beginning writers, those people who wish to do themselves harm

I'm considering writing an essay, in the tradition of Mark Twain, called Austin Grossman's Literary Offenses.

This book is that bad. Really.

It's so bad, I wonder what's wrong with someone that they could actually like this book. I know, that's a really mean thing to say, but if you read this book and it doesn't make you feel like the world just got a little darker and more dreary, I challenge that you aren't actually a human being, but probably some sort of text scanning...more I'm considering writing an essay, in the tradition of Mark Twain, called Austin Grossman's Literary Offenses.

This book is that bad. Really.

It's so bad, I wonder what's wrong with someone that they could actually like this book. I know, that's a really mean thing to say, but if you read this book and it doesn't make you feel like the world just got a little darker and more dreary, I challenge that you aren't actually a human being, but probably some sort of text scanning utility maintained by a Belarusian literature pirate.

My first complaint is with the book's form. While Grossman's and his editor removed all traces of typos and other rudimentary grammatical errors, they left intact all of the awkward and flailing writing that seems to form the backbone of Grossman's style. In most basic terms, this book was not edited. Writing should be clear or at least intentionally obfuscated; neither is the case here. Whole sections requiring rereading not because of their complexity, but because of their incomprehensibility.

At one point I had to stop reading to go watch TV when the author wrote “Give me where to stand, said Archimedes, and I will move the world.” That one sentence condenses everything that’s wrong with the author’s incomprehensible, cluttered style. Not enough pickled ginger in the world to scrub that out of my skull.

Beyond matters of form, we have issues of style. In this, I am hesitant to criticize, but I cannot leave this matter half finished. The best term I can think of to describe Grossman's style, once I've dispensed with incomprehensible, awkward, thick, and failing, is immature. I mean this in the sense that he seems the immature writer, still at the start of his craft.

The book alternates between the two main characters, one a hero, the other a villain. Generally speaking, you can tell which is which because you'll read dialogue where someone addresses the person by their proper superhero/villain name. Beyond that, there's basically nothing to indicate that either character is a different person. Add to this the fact that every character in the book not only exemplifies a stereotype, but in some cases proudly trumpets that fact.

This is not a good book, and you should not read it. It mystifies me how this book gets good reviews from anyone. And keep in mind that I say this as a reader, not as a comic book fan. This goes beyond what the author does to the genre, into basic errors of literature. Please, do someone some good and help them avoid this book.

If you need further coaxing, here, listen to my friend Charon:

“It hurt me in my brain-head, and I have only the one.”(less)

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03/20/08

Noran Miss Pumkin rated it:

bookshelves: comics

Read in July, 2008

recommended to Noran by: bookgrasm.com
recommends it for: comic fans of old

full review to follow. supervillian 4 stars. super heroes three stars. overall 3 and a half stars. a fun read--do not regret it, just wish it was better--when you hold the making of something great in your hands, and half of it falls way short of the mark, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

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12/26/08

KJ rated it:

Read in December, 2008

This world is fascinating but the writing is really unfocused -- I'm having a hard time following the passage of time, and we're really thrown into both the characters and the action. Too much of the world building is retroactive. I'm about 1/3rd of the way in, we'll see if the storytelling settles down.

Update upon finishing: I really wanted to like this book, but it never gelled for me. Too much jumping around from flashback to current timeline to hints dropped about the future, and...more

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11/17/08

Raina rated it:

Read in October, 2007

I picked this up during my "discovering comic books" phase.
It has the following great quote on superherodom:

"Your powers are what you always have with you. It’s one piece of knowledge we all share here. No matter how many dossiers the government keeps on you, no matter what data your enemies have collected, no one knows your powers the way you do. Everyone has seen them on TV. For everyone else, it’s a momentary fantasy. They don’t have to take them ...more

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08/27/08

Carolyn rated it:

bookshelves: read---sci-fi

I've got to say, I really enjoyed this book. Not being a comic book geek, or even a superhero buff, I picked this up on a whim at the library. My review was probably helped in that I started reading this the day after I saw "Hancock" with Will Smith.

Anyhoo, mix a bit of Hancock, and some of Disney's Sky High Academy, with a *big* helping of Mike Myers' Dr Evil and you've got some idea of the fun of this book. I'll leave the plot synopsis to others, but I really enjoyed the ...more

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08/01/08

Jamie rated it:

Read in January, 2008

I have to admit, I enjoyed this book by Austin Grossman. Yes, it's about superheroes, mostly about two of them in particular (one of whom is actually a supervillain) who take turns narrating intertwining stories. One is the self-proclaimed Dr. Impossible, who is your basic super magalomaniacal genius bent on world domination. The second is Fatale, a cyborg who's a rookie at the whole superhero business. The book basically follows the stories of these two characters, which run parallel to each ot...more I have to admit, I enjoyed this book by Austin Grossman. Yes, it's about superheroes, mostly about two of them in particular (one of whom is actually a supervillain) who take turns narrating intertwining stories. One is the self-proclaimed Dr. Impossible, who is your basic super magalomaniacal genius bent on world domination. The second is Fatale, a cyborg who's a rookie at the whole superhero business. The book basically follows the stories of these two characters, which run parallel to each other as the newly escaped Dr. Impossible enacts another bid for conquest and Fatale joins a legendary group of superheroes in the wake of its own personal tragedy.

To be honest, based on the cover and word of mouth, I expected more outright satire of the superhero genre than I got out of this book. There IS satire, don't get me wrong, but it's mixed in with an actual attempt to tell a story and flesh out characters while adhering to the tenants of the whole superhero thing --with a satirical edge. I particularly loved it when Dr. Impossible mentioned how one the charges that sent him to jail after his first attempt at world domination was for breaking zoning violations when he built his sinister underground lair. Actually most of the Dr. Impossible chapters are rife with subtle parody as the mad super genius carries on the kind of inner monologue that you always thought must be there when he's not bellowing "WHO DARES OPPOSE ME?" or "INSOLENT FOOLS!" at every caped crusader that walks in on him. It's pretty funny in a "what would a supervillain's life really be like?" kind of way and I was kind of rooting for the guy all along. He had a much harder time of it than you might think.

Fatale and the New Champion chapters, on the other hand, are written with more of a straight face and a lot less of the tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink kind of tone. Instead we get to see her wrestle with what it's like to be a newcomer to an established family of legendary heroes as they try to recapture Dr. Impossible (for the 12th time). Amusingly, Fatale seems to be taking the whole confrontation with our resident supervillain a lot more personally than he is taking her, since she broods and agonizes over their supposed animus while Dr. Impossible barely acknowledges her existence. This is most evident at the climax of the book when he pauses in his narrative to merely say "Then that cyborg chick punched me for some reason."

All in all, the story isn't that fantastic, even for a novel born of the superhero comic books scene. It's just standard take over the world kind of stuff. Neither are the supporting cast of characters particularly engaging, especially if you're halfway familiar with the comic culture touchstones upon which most of them are based. You've got your Batman-esque character, your Superman-like character, your Wolverine type, your Dr. Strange knockoff, and a few others. But still, I enjoyed it for the ride and the gentle mocking of the genre.

And perhaps best of all, at just under 300 pages Austin has the sense not to let it outstay its welcome and get bloated into something it has no business being. It's fun and easy to read, and it often offers amusing insights and parody of the whole scene that the author obviously loves.(less)

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04/26/08

Randall rated it:

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in February, 2007

Translating one genre into another is difficult, and more often than not, you end up turning off the fans of genre one while failing to capture genre two. Instead of crossover appeal, you have lost an audience. This is especially true with cult genres like comic books. Comic fans are very protective, and wary of outsiders. Likewise, the general reading public gives little weight to the literary merit of the ‘Funny Papers.’
In the last few years however, comics have attracted the talent...more Translating one genre into another is difficult, and more often than not, you end up turning off the fans of genre one while failing to capture genre two. Instead of crossover appeal, you have lost an audience. This is especially true with cult genres like comic books. Comic fans are very protective, and wary of outsiders. Likewise, the general reading public gives little weight to the literary merit of the ‘Funny Papers.’
In the last few years however, comics have attracted the talents of established fiction writers like Brad Meltzer and Greg Rucka. The comic fans have found their way to sample fiction works by these authors and fiction fans have begun to pick up their comic work.
Austin Grossman has taken this a step further in Soon I Will Be Invincible, his debut novel. A work of fiction with no interior art, the story is none the less a perfect comic caper. Invincible is the story of Dr. Impossible, the world’s greatest villain, and the superhero team known as The Champions. Grossman employs a first person narrative, but from opposing sides; half the novel is told from Dr. Impossible’s perspective, while the other is told from the point of view of Fatale, the newest member of The Champions. Zigzagging back and forth between the two, the plot is tight, and fast paced, sucking the reader in from page one. The action sequences are superb and show Grossman’s command of language.
Grossman’s secret weapons, however, are his characterizations. People with ridiculous names like Damsel and Blackwolf (and crazy outfits to match) are revealed to be all too human, with inner conflict, socialization issues and occasionally a sense of humor. Damsel and Blackwolf come from the Fleetwood Mac School of Relationship Adjustments. They are divorced (from each other) and still fighting on the same team, while they try to adjust to working with someone you don’t want to be around anymore. While there aren’t any Top 40 hits penned by them, the duality of their situation does permeate the exchange they have, and create a more realistic portrait of both of them. These are the things that will appeal to the general reader, a great story told through a fast paced plot and excellent characterization.
Invincible does not abandon its comic roots though. Many comic fans will rejoice in the plot itself (the team is trying to thwart Impossible’s latest scheme to take over the world) and the wry wit comics are becoming known for. Without spoiling a major scene, there is a hilarious exchange between Impossible and his arch-nemesis CoreFire.
A tough balancing act is accomplished as the novel winds to its inevitable conclusion. The reader cannot help but marvel at how completely Grossman has created a new world. It’s kind of jarring to come back to reality when it is all over. That is the hallmark of a great writer. One hopes Soon I Will Be Invincible will usher in a slew of new books by Austin Grossman in the future.
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11/01/07

Dan rated it:

bookshelves: never_finished

Read in January, 2007

Everything started out fun enough - hearing the story from an old super villain's point-of-view. It kinda made you think of Dr. Doom by way of The Monarch from Venture Brothers. Then the book gets into a routine of switching every other chapter between the villain and a rookie hero who just got invited to join the big super team. Again, all well and good. Grossman apparantly created and entire world, mythology, and history for all the heroes and villains. Problem was, he REALLY wanted to make su...more

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10/21/07

K rated it:

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: anyone, esp. people who like Venture Bros.

Picked up this book because Jackson Publick, creator/writer of the Venture Bros. series recommended it on his blog.

A superhero novel that switches narrative viewpoints b/w supervillain and new superhero. It is more melancholy and internal than comic/action-packed, though all those aspects are present.

Had following emotional reaction
15% - admiration for Grossman's approach to these old themes
15% - amusement at cleverness
15% - outright snickering
...more

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10/17/07

Eric rated it:

Read in October, 2007

An interesting and well written first novel about the perils and promise of superpowers -- a thinly disguised exploration of the nature of good and evil and, more importantly, how none of us ever really gets over high school. (Interestingly, Meg Greenfield's book "Washington" about power, politics and the press in the nation's Capitol also is built on this premise!)

Grossman's uber-abled characters struggle emotionally and physically with their own abilities and limitations....more

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09/18/07

Speedtribes rated it:

bookshelves: novels

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: Comics fans, DC Universe fans

Good points: I loved how the DC Universe archetypes were turned sideways. Namely Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor. I loved the thorough walk-through of how genius can become a sort of insanity, and gave me a better appreciation of the original crazy-scientist Lex Luthor. (I've preferred the Machiavellian businessman version.) Look! It's the Justice League! Also, Superdickery! Acknowledged superdickery!

The Bad: While there is a very strong in depth view of Dr. Impossible and his world...more

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09/06/07

Peter rated it:

recommends it for: people who dig comics

This book was good. There it is, with out adjectives. Just plain old good. With seemingly every newspaper, magazine and Joe Schmoe reviewer rushing to proclaim the brilliance of every book these days we don't ever see dust jacket quotes that say "this booked is good".

So, such a review might came across as damning.

Damning is certainly not the intent.

Soon I will be invincible took me a long time I read. It isn't a dense or complex book and at 287 pages...more

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07/30/07

Maggie rated it:

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: Fans of Superheros/Narrative Dialogues

A video game consultant goes to UC Berkeley to study Victorian and Romantic Literature. He then sits down and writes a book about supervillans/heros. Essentially the text on the dust jacket said "For Maggie. You should totally read this."

I adored this novel - devouring most of it on a flight home. Chapters alternate between Doctor Invincible, a has-been villan on his way back up to the top, and Fatale, the newbie good guy who has everything to prove. Each character pre...more

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06/25/07

James rated it:

Read in August, 2007

recommends it for: only hardcore comicbook fans with nothing better to do

This book wasn't terrible, but it was ultimately pretty disappointing. I picked it up because I'd seen a very positive review of it on The Onion, and it sounded great--an ironic, comedic take on the superhero stories I enjoyed so much as a kid. Unfortunately, this book ended up just being barely enjoyable enough to justify finishing it.

Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel alternates between two narrators--the evil villain, who is supposed to provide the book's comic relief; and th...more

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"Your powers are what you always have with you. It’s one piece of knowledge we all share here. No matter how many dossiers the government keeps on you, no matter what data your enemies have collected, no one knows your powers the way you do. Everyone has seen them on TV. For everyone else, it’s a momentary fantasy. They don’t have to take them into the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. Or wake up in the night in flames, or sweep up shattered glass in their apartment, or show up late for work with a black eye. No one else knows where they itch or bruise you, or has tried the things you’ve tried with them when you were bored or desperate. No one else falls asleep with them and finds them still there in the morning, a dream that won’t disperse upon waking." More quotes...

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