Playing Catch Up

First, let me address Hero, albeit in brief. I certainly enjoyed the story, especially the gay aspects of it, and the superhero storyline just adds to the package. Unfortunately, it has been a while since I read it (and I should have blogged about it sooner, I know). I think any gay man can certainly understand Thom's plight (the gay part, not necessarily the superhero part), and Moore makes this story accessible to young adults and older readers alike, primarily by attaching archetypal superheroes with alternate names (you can tell which character is based on Wonder Woman, for example). I wish I had more to say about the book, but I'm not one for explanatory posts, rehashing plot elements (sorry Randy!). I'd rather this not become akin to an essay my students would write, using parenthetical citations or quotes from the novel. Suffice it to say, Hero was a great read for me, and I would certainly read other books by Moore.

Now, on to Soon I Will Be Invincible. First, let me say that I think this novel is creative in its use of two narrators, Fatale (a female cyborg) and Jonathan (aka Doctor Impossible), which certainly adds to the personalizing of the story for the reader. I teach many books with narrative shifts, and they do make the book a more interesting, captivating experience. That said, I enjoyed the novel quite a bit, but I did find it a little predictable, and perhaps that was its intention. Similar to Hero, it's not a dark, complex read like American Gods by Gaiman, but rather an almost tongue-in-cheek look at the quintessential hero/villain story. CoreFire (a Superman character) ultimately fights against Doctor Impossible (a very Lex Luthor-like individual, especially in the past years of Justice League/JLU), but the story is anticlimactic in that it's not CoreFire who takes down his arch foe, but rather Lily, the Lois Lane character who knew both CF and DI before they were CF and DI. Certainly a fun read, especially some of the over-the-top comments made by Jonathan as the "supervillain." Also, Grossman uses archetypal characters who resemble more established heroes (Blackwolf reminds me of Batman) which also connects with readers who can identify someone from another publication.

Both novels were a welcomed change from the literature I read for school and provided me with the necessary distraction from the day-to-day experiences of a teacher on summer break. I look forward to reading books by Moore and Grossman in the future, and I plan on suggesting them both to my students, for the emerging homosexual or archvillain in all of us ;)