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Soon I Will Be Invincible
by
Austin Grossman
Review by Adicus Ryan Garton
Very rarely do I read a book that is just so much fun as Grossman's first novel Soon I Will Be Invincible. The whole experience takes less than 6 hours, and the writing is so clear and precise that the prose flies off the page.
The novel consists of two storylines that parallel each other, twisting together at the climax. Our first main character is the villianous Doctor Impossible, which, ridiculously awesome name aside, is in prison for the twelfth time at the beginning of the novel. His story follows him as he escapes prison and sets his next plan in motion for control of the world. The other main character is Fatale, a female cyborg crime-fighter who has been asked to the headquarters of the Champions, in order to find out where the world's most popular superhero, Corefire, has disappeared to. Her story follows her as she tries to solve the mystery, while surrounded by the world's best and brightest superheroes.
Other heroes in this tale include Blackwolf, a playboy millionaire with no powers his but world-class physical and intellectual prowess (being a millionaire also helps, I'm to understand, when it comes to superheroing.); Damsel, the alien princess daughter of retired superhero Stormcloud; Feral, a half-man half-cat, and Rainbow Triumph, a cyborg teenager raised as a superhero. Riding the fence is Lily, a former villainess turned hero whose loyalties and motivations are not as crystal clear as her skin.
Grossman writes not with the ease of a man who knows his comics, but the ease of man who has been writing comics for decades. I can easily compare his classic superhero plots, characters and settings to the comic book romps of Kurt Busiek or Robert Kirkman. And one thing that absolutely sells this novel is that he doesn't let it deconstruct into a post-modern superhero commentary about how silly superheroes are. So few superhero writers seem to remember that people want to see their heroes fly around and save the day most of the time. Not every story should be The Dark Knight Returns or Watchmen, and not because those stories aren't good—they are very good—but that's already been done, and done well.
The story is written in first person, both from the perspectives of Fatale and Doctor Impossible, and Grossman writes it in present tense, which makes the writing more vibrant and jovial, as if the next witticism or solar-packed punch is just a sentence away. And it usually is.
The only thing I found that detracted from the story was that the Doctor, arguably the most intelligent man alive, doesn't speak or think like it. His plot is diabolical, and his reflections of heroism and villainy are quite astute, but Grossman doesn't quite convince me that Impossible is a super-genius. However, Doctor Impossible is easily the most identifiable character (lacking luck, popularity, or wit) and perhaps having him speak like the president of Mensa for half the novel would detract from that.
Soon I Will Be Invincible is what I imagine Stan Lee's 60s books would've become if not for the constraints of the Comics Code Authority. It's fast, fun, and has its fill of inventive characters to cheer for, origin stories to applaud, chapter headings like “Superfriends,” “At Last We Meet,” and “No Prison Can Hold Me,” and a story that any fan of superheroes can enjoy.
Soon I Will Be Invincible will available on June 5, 2007 from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or any Rabies' Rusty Meatbooks.
For more tales of those able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, read Atomjack's own “Cape City Hero: The Origins of Gangbuster” by Colin L. Campbell
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