Soon I Will Be Invincible
Encyclopedia
Soon I Will Be Invincible is a novel
by Austin Grossman
. It was published by Pantheon Books
and released on June 5, 2007. The novel is uses two alternating first person narratives. One narrative is told from the point-of-view of Fatale, a female cyborg
who is recruited by the superhero group The New Champions as they investigate the disappearance of superhero CoreFire. The other narrative is told from the point-of-view of Dr. Impossible, a supervillain who possesses super-human strength and intellect and suffers from Malign Hypercognition Disorder ("evil genius" syndrome), as he escapes from jail and makes his thirteenth attempt at taking over the world.
It is Austin Grossman's first novel. He was better known as a video game designer but was studying literature. While the book uses characters, settings, and storylines generally associated with comic books
and superhero fiction
, it is written entirely in prose. The story looks at how superheroes cope with their powers and interact with one another. The potential motivations and perspectives of supervillians are also explored. The book has been variously described as as clever, engaging, and fun. An audiobook was released along with the hardcover and a movie has been in development since 2008.
, a man better known for designing video games. Grossman had come from a literary family, son of Judith
and Allen Grossman
and brother of Lev Grossman
, which had fostered his ambition to write his own novel. Instead, Grossman accepted a job working in the video game medium which he credited with teaching him to realistically portray creative characters and situations. He always had an interest in the superhero genre, citing Alan Moore
and Frank Miller
as literary influences. In the mid-1990s, the idea behind what would become his first novel came to him in the form of a supervillian's voice. Grossman spent the next few years casually developing the character that would become Dr. Impossible, adding supporting characters, and writing short stories. By 2006, Penguin
's imprint Michael Joseph purchased the publishing rights for the UK, as did Rizzoli
for an Italian version. By the time, the book was being published Grossman was 37 years old and had entered the University of California-Berkeley's doctoral program studying English Literature, specializing in Romantic
and Victorian literature
.
Fatale observes the actions of the New Champions as its newest member. She feels uncomfortable replacing a popular, deceased member and unworthy of belonging to superhero group, but she proves herself to be highly competent and earns the respect of her teammates. Fatale's closest friend on the team is another new member, Lily, a reformed supervillain and former girlfriend of Dr. Impossible. Fatale contrasts Dr. Impossible's flashbacks by having no memory of her life before the accident in Brazil that made her a cyborg, with her exposition coming from her new experiences with the other superheroes. During the investigation, she discovers that the corporation that transformed her into a cyborg was a front for Dr. Impossible during one of his previous plans.
The climax is reached on Dr. Impossible's island, as he attempts to start a controlled Ice Age, making him Earth's ruler and only source of energy. He almost succeeds, using the hammer formerly belonging to the supervillain The Pharaoh to defeat the New Champions. CoreFire suddenly returns but is also unsuccessful against Dr. Impossible. Lily, who had quit the team earlier, eventually returns and defeats Dr. Impossible. Lily reveals that she is actually Erica Lowenstein, Dr. Impossible's childhood crush before his transformation and frequent kidnapee when she was the girlfriend of CoreFire.
, describing the inner monologues of the two protagonists. The duel narratives foils and "blur[s] the distinction" between the superheroes and the supervillian. The language was described as having a "sincere tone of glory" and "boyish indulgence" with "an undercurrent of sadness and a surprisingly human universality". While the story uses standard comic book story elements, like superheroes fighting supervillians, the book is written entirely in prose. The story combines a satire of superhero archetypes and comic book clichés, such as the use of many superlative
s, with realist elements that portray the sometimes mundane lives and everyday challenges of its characters, like coping with cybernetic body parts that weigh far more than a natural body and that react before the brain registers what is happening. Common social situations and psychological issues, like loneliness and trying to connect with a group, are also portrayed. Reviewers identified numerous themes, such as power, greed, fame, ego, loneliness, belonging, and identity.
or stock character
supervillain
. He is characterized as an evil genius or mad scientist
who continually attempts to take control of the world's population. This is seen as a sub-type of the hero's journey
and his calm deconstruction of his own futile, repetitive and self-destructive behaviours is compared to existentialist
literature. The supervillains, especially Dr. Impossible, are portrayed as sympathetic characters inflicted with "Malign Hypercognition Disorder", a psychological condition which makes highly intelligent people use their advantages to perform non-virtuous, or evil, actions. Grossman explained that from Dr. Impossible's point-of-view, he is not inherently evil but rejects societal norms: "it's a matter of integrity — he's sticking to his principles, doing science his own way, pursuing his goals — even if it means the entire world is against him, even if he looks ridiculous in his costume, even if he knows he's going to lose. The superheroes are taking the conformist path, and getting all the applause." From the literary point-of-view, Grossman believes the supervillains are more interesting characters, "they are usually the most dynamic characters and the most creative. ... Their plans usually start with a great invention, which gives the story all its color and energy. The hero just has to come in and smash it up." Grossman admitted that much of the Dr. Impossible character was inspired by his feelings as a graduate student, "On the one hand, you're supposed to be really smart, and on the other hand, it's a humiliating experience. You're psyched about your intellect and kind of arrogant, but at the same time, you're [insignificant] in the eyes of the world."
format and re-casts them using the novel
's prose format. This use of superhero fiction
in an alternate format was compared to other similar, successful attempts, like Sam Raimi
's Spider-Man films, Brad Bird
's The Incredibles
, and the TV serial No Heroics
. Several reviewers contrasted the novel's elements of realism
with Alan Moore
's Watchmen
and Rick Veitch
's Bratpack
which portrayed a darker side of more realistic superheroes. Novels cited as being similar included Donald Barthelme
's Snow White, Robert Coover
's Stepmother, and the works of Michael Chabon
and Jonathan Lethem
. The novel format allowed for more character development, which Grossman took advantage of by portraying them as "real, human characters, with all of the foibles that come with the territory" in what one reviewer called a "hybridization of character and genre". Grossman described it as "a book about real people who happen to be superheros or supervillains" and that if it were a comic, it would be "page after page of thought balloons". Compared to comic stories, the reviewer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch
wrote "The common denominator for most superhero comic books is that they don't make fun of themselves - the believability of their stories is never called into question. They take the heroes seriously. Not so in literature. When a novel appears with comic books as its focus, its author will undoubtedly believe that his or her theme is far more important - far more serious - than the comic books that inspired them. ... tries to do it all, combining humor and comic-book adventure with a literary sense of character. ...The result is a postmodern, inventive, comic-book plot with literary aspirations, and its only problem is that it isn't entirely successful as either humor or as straight adventure."
, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday division of Random House
, and released on June 5, 2007, as a hardcover. In the UK it was published by the Penguin Group
imprint Michael Joseph. An audiobook was released at the same time featuring the voices of J. Paul Boehmer
and Coleen Marlo. Grossman promoted the book by attending book signings in major American cities. In the UK it was promoted by wrapping telephone booths in advertising, in reference to Superman changing outfits in such booths. The cover art, which features photos of stereotypical comic book character clothing like a mask and gloves, by Chip Kidd
was called "excellent...[and] sure to attract readers". By contrast, Bryan Hitch
's cover art on the British edition, which features hand-drawn illustrations of the book's characters, was called "counter-productive...[or] unnecessary" due to its graphical interpretations of characters that were deliberately written in prose only. The book was short-listed for the 2007 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. Work on a film adaption began in 2008 through Strike Entertainment
with scripts being written Dan Weiss and Grossman.
Several reviewers described book as clever, well-written, engaging, amusing, and fun. The prose was described as "effortless", "colorful", "kinetic and often witty". Numerous reviewers thought the the Dr. Impossible character was the highlight of the novel. The Library Journal
review "highly recommended [the novel] for all public libraries" calling it "fun and thought-provoking book". In The New York Times Book Review
reviewer Dave Itzkoff wrote that the novel "can't completely measure up [to other superhero fiction and film], but its ambition and persistence in the face of formidable odds make it an admirable addition to the genre". The Publishers Weekly
review noted that the comic book scenario written in a prose novel, with "thoughtfully portrayed" characters, would broaden the appeal of the genre. Similarly, regarding the comic book set-up written in prose, Mat Johnson
in USA Today
wrote that Grossman's "fabulist vision is meticulously captured so that it might be gleefully explored, nostalgically, within its traditional boundaries". Journalist Carlo Wolff
wrote that "it takes some time to engage because...Grossman is so enamored of the worlds he's fashioning that he overstuffs them...[but it] is a fresh, warm take on comic books, science fiction and pop culture." The Kirkus Reviews
summary notes that the action scenes are "unimpressive, interrupted by more talk as...the battle seesaws in an arbitrary fashion. For all the special effects, a debut novel that's lifeless and inert." Both the reviewers for Entertainment Weekly
and Christian Science Monitor gave the book a "B" grade, though the The A.V. Club
gave it an "A" grade.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Austin Grossman
Austin Grossman
Austin Grossman [b. ] is a writer and game designer who has contributed to the New York Times and a number of video games.He is the author of the novel Soon I Will Be Invincible, which was published by Pantheon Books in 2007....
. It was published by Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
and released on June 5, 2007. The novel is uses two alternating first person narratives. One narrative is told from the point-of-view of Fatale, a female cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
who is recruited by the superhero group The New Champions as they investigate the disappearance of superhero CoreFire. The other narrative is told from the point-of-view of Dr. Impossible, a supervillain who possesses super-human strength and intellect and suffers from Malign Hypercognition Disorder ("evil genius" syndrome), as he escapes from jail and makes his thirteenth attempt at taking over the world.
It is Austin Grossman's first novel. He was better known as a video game designer but was studying literature. While the book uses characters, settings, and storylines generally associated with comic books
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
and superhero fiction
Superhero fiction
Superhero fiction is a form originating in and most common to American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works....
, it is written entirely in prose. The story looks at how superheroes cope with their powers and interact with one another. The potential motivations and perspectives of supervillians are also explored. The book has been variously described as as clever, engaging, and fun. An audiobook was released along with the hardcover and a movie has been in development since 2008.
Background
The novel Soon I Will Be Invincible is the first novel by Austin GrossmanAustin Grossman
Austin Grossman [b. ] is a writer and game designer who has contributed to the New York Times and a number of video games.He is the author of the novel Soon I Will Be Invincible, which was published by Pantheon Books in 2007....
, a man better known for designing video games. Grossman had come from a literary family, son of Judith
Judith Grossman
Judith Grossman is an American writer. She earned a scholarship to Oxford, from which she received a First Class degree in English in 1958. She received a PH.D. from Brandeis University, in 1968. She taught at Bennington College. She also taught in the Creative Writing MFA programs at U. C. Irvine ...
and Allen Grossman
Allen Grossman
Allen Grossman is a noted American poet, critic and professor.-Biography:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1932, Grossman was educated at Harvard University, graduating with an MA in 1956 after several interruptions. He went on to receive a PhD from Brandeis University in 1960, where he remained a...
and brother of Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman
Lev Grossman is an American novelist and journalist, notably the author of the novels Warp , Codex , The Magicians and The Magician King...
, which had fostered his ambition to write his own novel. Instead, Grossman accepted a job working in the video game medium which he credited with teaching him to realistically portray creative characters and situations. He always had an interest in the superhero genre, citing Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Frank Miller
Frank Miller
-Cartoon artists:* Frank Miller , American writer, comic book artist, and film director* Frank Miller , newspaper comic strip creator* Frank Miller , editorial cartoonist...
as literary influences. In the mid-1990s, the idea behind what would become his first novel came to him in the form of a supervillian's voice. Grossman spent the next few years casually developing the character that would become Dr. Impossible, adding supporting characters, and writing short stories. By 2006, Penguin
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
's imprint Michael Joseph purchased the publishing rights for the UK, as did Rizzoli
RCS MediaGroup
RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. , based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, new media and digital and satellite TV...
for an Italian version. By the time, the book was being published Grossman was 37 years old and had entered the University of California-Berkeley's doctoral program studying English Literature, specializing in Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
and Victorian literature
Victorian literature
Victorian literature is the literature produced during the reign of Queen Victoria . It forms a link and transition between the writers of the romantic period and the very different literature of the 20th century....
.
Plot
After CoreFire, the world's greatest superhero, goes missing, the former superteam The Champions re-unite to investigate his disappearance, bringing in two new replacement heroines, Lily and Fatale. They immediately suspect CoreFire's archnemesis, Dr. Impossible, was involved, even though he has been incarcerated in a maximum security prison since his defeat by Damsel during his twelfth world domination attempt. An interrogation by two novice heroes about CoreFire's disappearance gives Dr. Impossible the chance to escape and initiate a new attempt at world domination. The New Champions search for Impossible, convinced he is responsible for CoreFire's demise, while he gathers the materials needed to advance his plan. This is intercut with flashbacks to earlier times and his origin, as well as reflections on other paths he could have taken in life.Fatale observes the actions of the New Champions as its newest member. She feels uncomfortable replacing a popular, deceased member and unworthy of belonging to superhero group, but she proves herself to be highly competent and earns the respect of her teammates. Fatale's closest friend on the team is another new member, Lily, a reformed supervillain and former girlfriend of Dr. Impossible. Fatale contrasts Dr. Impossible's flashbacks by having no memory of her life before the accident in Brazil that made her a cyborg, with her exposition coming from her new experiences with the other superheroes. During the investigation, she discovers that the corporation that transformed her into a cyborg was a front for Dr. Impossible during one of his previous plans.
The climax is reached on Dr. Impossible's island, as he attempts to start a controlled Ice Age, making him Earth's ruler and only source of energy. He almost succeeds, using the hammer formerly belonging to the supervillain The Pharaoh to defeat the New Champions. CoreFire suddenly returns but is also unsuccessful against Dr. Impossible. Lily, who had quit the team earlier, eventually returns and defeats Dr. Impossible. Lily reveals that she is actually Erica Lowenstein, Dr. Impossible's childhood crush before his transformation and frequent kidnapee when she was the girlfriend of CoreFire.
Main characters
- CoreFire, a SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-like character. His disappearance motivates former members of the Champions to re-unite as the New Champions. He gained his powers as a college student when a lab experiment by a classmate, who would later become his nemesisArchenemyAn archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis is the principal enemy of a character in a work of fiction, often described as the hero's worst enemy .- Etymology :The word archenemy or arch-enemy originated...
Dr. Impossible, irradiates him with 'zeta radiation' giving him superpowersPowers and abilities of SupermanThe powers of DC Comics character Superman have changed a great deal since his introduction in the 1930s. The extent of his powers peaked during the 1970s and 1980s to the point where various writers found it difficult to create suitable challenges for the character...
. CoreFire became one of the three founding members of the original Champions. - Dr. Impossible, the supervillain narrator. The novel chronicles his escape from maximum security prison and his thirteenth attempt at world conquest. A lab accident involving 'zeta radiation' gave him superpowers, including super-intellect. He was diagnosed with Malign Hypercognition Disorder.
The New Champions
- Fatale, a superhero recruited by the New Champions and the narrator of the superhero-half of the novel. She is a cyborgCyborgA cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
, the result of experimental sugery following a near-fatal accident in São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Those responsible for creating and maintaining her cybernetic parts disappeared and, for a time, she worked National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
missions. - Damsel, a Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
-like character. She is the leader of both the original Champions and the New Champions. She is the daughter of a golden age superhero and a princess of an alien planet, as well as Blackwolf's ex-wife. Her powers are flight, superstrength, micro-vision, and a proctective forcefield. - Blackwolf, co-founder of the Champions, the team's only unpowered member, and Damsel's ex-husband. A BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
-like character, he is athletically trained and intellectually gifted, he is motivated by the death of family members and mild AutismAutismAutism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. He divides his time between managing his successful corporation and work as a superhero. - Feral, a half-human/half-tiger and the only member of the team who still patrols and fights street crime.
- Elphin, the last fairyFairyA fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
on Earth. Though born in the 10th century, she contunues to have the appearance of a teenager but with insectoid wings. Inhumanly fast and strong, and has some nature-controlling powers and uses a magical spear as a weapon. - Mr. Mystic, a magician much like Doctor StrangeDoctor StrangeDoctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Mandrake the MagicianMandrake the MagicianMandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
or The Phantom StrangerPhantom StrangerThe Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
. He was a stage magician before travelling the world and discovering the secret of true magic in TibetTibetTibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. He wears a tuxedoTuxedoA tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
and top hatTop hatA top hat, beaver hat, high hat silk hat, cylinder hat, chimney pot hat or stove pipe hat is a tall, flat-crowned, broad-brimmed hat, predominantly worn from the latter part of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century...
as his costume. His powers are undefined but include illusion and teleportation. - Rainbow Triumph, a teenage girl given experimental treatment for her terminal illness by her rich father. The treatment saved her life and gave her superpowers, such as superspeed, but she needs to keep taking her medicine every few hours or she will die.
- Lily, a reformed supervillainess and former girlfriend of Dr. Impossible and CoreFire. She claims to come from the far future, having been sent back to prevent an ecological disaster that would destroy humanity. She is superstrong, invulnerable and transparent.
Style and themes
The story is divided into 21 chapters, with each chapter switching between the points-of-view of the supervillain Dr. Impossible and the superhero Fatale. The narrative is written in the first person, like a memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, describing the inner monologues of the two protagonists. The duel narratives foils and "blur[s] the distinction" between the superheroes and the supervillian. The language was described as having a "sincere tone of glory" and "boyish indulgence" with "an undercurrent of sadness and a surprisingly human universality". While the story uses standard comic book story elements, like superheroes fighting supervillians, the book is written entirely in prose. The story combines a satire of superhero archetypes and comic book clichés, such as the use of many superlative
Superlative
In grammar, the superlative is the form of an adjective that indicates that the person or thing modified has the quality of the adjective to a degree greater than that of anything it is being compared to in a given context. English superlatives are typically formed with the suffix -est In...
s, with realist elements that portray the sometimes mundane lives and everyday challenges of its characters, like coping with cybernetic body parts that weigh far more than a natural body and that react before the brain registers what is happening. Common social situations and psychological issues, like loneliness and trying to connect with a group, are also portrayed. Reviewers identified numerous themes, such as power, greed, fame, ego, loneliness, belonging, and identity.
Characterization of superheroes
The novel uses characters with generic superhero traits. While they are public celebrities for being heroes, the novel deals more with the personal lives of superheroes, how they cope with their powers and interact with one another. The character Fatale, being asked to join the New Champions superhero group, is used as a "useful outsider looking in" behind the scenes. They exist in a "cult of overachievement", constantly competing and trying to distinguish themselves from one another, which results in characters as "colorful as playing cards but all from different decks, a jumble of incompatible suits and denominations dealt out for an 'Alice in Wonderland' game." Despite their celebrity status and heroic facade, they exist in a "mundane reality" with a normal routine; as the villain devises new means of committing crimes and conquouring the world, the heroes chat among themselves, reliving past adventures, and practice fighting one another. From the perspective of the supervillain Dr. Impossible superheroes live in "a dumb, hackneyed world".Characterization of supervillains
Dr. Impossible is used as an archetypeArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
or stock character
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
. He is characterized as an evil genius or mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who continually attempts to take control of the world's population. This is seen as a sub-type of the hero's journey
Monomyth
Joseph Campbell's term monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces...
and his calm deconstruction of his own futile, repetitive and self-destructive behaviours is compared to existentialist
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
literature. The supervillains, especially Dr. Impossible, are portrayed as sympathetic characters inflicted with "Malign Hypercognition Disorder", a psychological condition which makes highly intelligent people use their advantages to perform non-virtuous, or evil, actions. Grossman explained that from Dr. Impossible's point-of-view, he is not inherently evil but rejects societal norms: "it's a matter of integrity — he's sticking to his principles, doing science his own way, pursuing his goals — even if it means the entire world is against him, even if he looks ridiculous in his costume, even if he knows he's going to lose. The superheroes are taking the conformist path, and getting all the applause." From the literary point-of-view, Grossman believes the supervillains are more interesting characters, "they are usually the most dynamic characters and the most creative. ... Their plans usually start with a great invention, which gives the story all its color and energy. The hero just has to come in and smash it up." Grossman admitted that much of the Dr. Impossible character was inspired by his feelings as a graduate student, "On the one hand, you're supposed to be really smart, and on the other hand, it's a humiliating experience. You're psyched about your intellect and kind of arrogant, but at the same time, you're [insignificant] in the eyes of the world."
Genre
Soon I Will Be Invincible takes characters, settings, and storylines generally associated with the comic bookAmerican comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
format and re-casts them using the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
's prose format. This use of superhero fiction
Superhero fiction
Superhero fiction is a form originating in and most common to American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works....
in an alternate format was compared to other similar, successful attempts, like Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
's Spider-Man films, Brad Bird
Brad Bird
Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers...
's The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
, and the TV serial No Heroics
No Heroics
No Heroics is a British superhero-comedy television series, which began on 18 September 2008. The show is ITV2's first original sitcom. It was nominated for Best New British TV Comedy of 2008 at the British Comedy Awards.-Setting:...
. Several reviewers contrasted the novel's elements of realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
with Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
and Rick Veitch
Rick Veitch
Richard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
's Bratpack
Bratpack (comics)
Brat Pack is the title of a comic book limited series by Rick Veitch . It is a dark satire on superhero sidekicks, influenced partly by the fans' decision to kill off Batman's sidekick Jason Todd, but also built on other long-standing rumors and undercurrents in the history of the superhero genre,...
which portrayed a darker side of more realistic superheroes. Novels cited as being similar included Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme
Donald Barthelme was an American author known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction. Barthelme also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Houston Post, managing editor of Location magazine, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston , co-founder of Fiction Donald...
's Snow White, Robert Coover
Robert Coover
Robert Lowell Coover is an American author and professor in the Literary Arts program at Brown University. He is generally considered a writer of fabulation and metafiction.-Life and works:...
's Stepmother, and the works of Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon born May 24, 1963) is an American author and "one of the most celebrated writers of his generation", according to The Virginia Quarterly Review....
and Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
. The novel format allowed for more character development, which Grossman took advantage of by portraying them as "real, human characters, with all of the foibles that come with the territory" in what one reviewer called a "hybridization of character and genre". Grossman described it as "a book about real people who happen to be superheros or supervillains" and that if it were a comic, it would be "page after page of thought balloons". Compared to comic stories, the reviewer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond the capital of Virginia, United States, and is commonly considered the "newspaper of record" for events occurring in much of the state...
wrote "The common denominator for most superhero comic books is that they don't make fun of themselves - the believability of their stories is never called into question. They take the heroes seriously. Not so in literature. When a novel appears with comic books as its focus, its author will undoubtedly believe that his or her theme is far more important - far more serious - than the comic books that inspired them. ... tries to do it all, combining humor and comic-book adventure with a literary sense of character. ...The result is a postmodern, inventive, comic-book plot with literary aspirations, and its only problem is that it isn't entirely successful as either humor or as straight adventure."
Publication and reception
Soon I Will Be Invincible was published by Pantheon BooksPantheon Books
Pantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday division of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, and released on June 5, 2007, as a hardcover. In the UK it was published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
imprint Michael Joseph. An audiobook was released at the same time featuring the voices of J. Paul Boehmer
J. Paul Boehmer
J. Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe. He appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise as well as video games Star Trek: Klingon Academy and Star Trek: Bridge Commander...
and Coleen Marlo. Grossman promoted the book by attending book signings in major American cities. In the UK it was promoted by wrapping telephone booths in advertising, in reference to Superman changing outfits in such booths. The cover art, which features photos of stereotypical comic book character clothing like a mask and gloves, by Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd is an American author, editor, and graphic designer, best known for his book covers.- Early life :Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up in the Reading suburb of Shillington, strongly influenced by American popular culture...
was called "excellent...[and] sure to attract readers". By contrast, Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch is a British comic book artist. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as Action Force and Death's Head, before gaining prominence on American titles such as Wildstorm's Stormwatch and The Authority, DC Comics titles such as JLA, and Marvel...
's cover art on the British edition, which features hand-drawn illustrations of the book's characters, was called "counter-productive...[or] unnecessary" due to its graphical interpretations of characters that were deliberately written in prose only. The book was short-listed for the 2007 John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize. Work on a film adaption began in 2008 through Strike Entertainment
Strike Entertainment
Strike Entertainment is an American production company founded in 2002 by Marc Abraham, Thomas Bliss and Eric Newman. Strike's films are distributed through Universal Studios...
with scripts being written Dan Weiss and Grossman.
Several reviewers described book as clever, well-written, engaging, amusing, and fun. The prose was described as "effortless", "colorful", "kinetic and often witty". Numerous reviewers thought the the Dr. Impossible character was the highlight of the novel. The Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
review "highly recommended [the novel] for all public libraries" calling it "fun and thought-provoking book". In The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
reviewer Dave Itzkoff wrote that the novel "can't completely measure up [to other superhero fiction and film], but its ambition and persistence in the face of formidable odds make it an admirable addition to the genre". The Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
review noted that the comic book scenario written in a prose novel, with "thoughtfully portrayed" characters, would broaden the appeal of the genre. Similarly, regarding the comic book set-up written in prose, Mat Johnson
Mat Johnson
Mat Johnson is an American writer of literary fiction.-Biography:Born and raised in the Germantown and Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Johnson writes primarily about the lives of African-Americans, using fiction, nonfiction and graphic novels as mediums...
in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote that Grossman's "fabulist vision is meticulously captured so that it might be gleefully explored, nostalgically, within its traditional boundaries". Journalist Carlo Wolff
Carlo Wolff
Carlo Wolff is a prolific freelance journalist who writes for publications including the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the The Plain Dealer and the Christian Science Monitor. He specializes in music criticism, book reviews and feature articles about popular...
wrote that "it takes some time to engage because...Grossman is so enamored of the worlds he's fashioning that he overstuffs them...[but it] is a fresh, warm take on comic books, science fiction and pop culture." The Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
summary notes that the action scenes are "unimpressive, interrupted by more talk as...the battle seesaws in an arbitrary fashion. For all the special effects, a debut novel that's lifeless and inert." Both the reviewers for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and Christian Science Monitor gave the book a "B" grade, though the The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave it an "A" grade.
External links
of Soon I Will Be Invincible- Soon I Will Be Invincible (& Interviewed): Austin Grossman, Silver Bullet Comic Books, August 31, 2007
- Superhero Nation structural review of Soon I Will Be Invincible
- Girl-wonder.org forum interview with Austin Grossman