Our discussion of Soon I Will Be Invincible

As always, we had a GREAT discussion (thank you, everyone!).  I'll try to hit some of the highlights here:

• Hola started off by saying that she loved the book.  She had first read it in 2007, so this was a re-read, but she really enjoyed it again.  She loved the illustrations, especially the little raygun and eye for the alternating chapters, and thought the author had a great writing style (which was funny, but also kind of dark).  She liked that all of the characters had issues, which made them all very human (even if, in fact, they were not altogether human).   She especially enjoyed that the book had a grim undertone to it, and also how the author worked in a lot of the usual superhero cliches.
• Theresa, as well, liked that this is an origin story where everyone co-exists but don't necessarily mesh (like in The Rook).
• Furry also liked the book and said that she was glad that everyhing wasn't explained.  For example, she didn't need an in-depth explanation of zeta beams.
• Taylor said she loved the book, and actually recommended it as the next book to read to her other book group.   She thought the idea of the book was interesting because many of the things that the author adds in are considered cliches, but he turns them around and makes fun of them, which she thought made it a great read.   She felt the characters were funny, but somehow realistic.    
• We had some general discussion about the superheroes v. villains setup in the book.  As Hola notes, most of the villains seemed to create their own nemeses, which we found interesting.
• We also talked about how odd it seemed that someone like Doctor Impossible could basically throw a napkin over his face and go totally unrecognized.  
• There were mixed reactions, though, to the book.  Nathan said that he didn't really find the book very funny, and neither did Mike.  However, both noted that they aren't into comic books, or superhero movies.  Mike said that he's never been a big fan of superhero stories, and that this book didn't stand out to him (although he liked that the author built it all up from scratch).   Menolly also noted that she isn't a superhero/comic book person, although she enjoyed some of the more human elements of Doctor Impossible. and Fatale (although she didn't find the book that funny).
• aNON said that he thought the book was okay, and actually liked it more than he thought he would.  And yes, most of us were also surprised that he liked the book.   He felt the worldbuilding was well done, although he also said the book felt like it should be the first one in a series.
• Brian the Elder, as well, enjoyed the book, although he found the pacing inconsistent.   He also noted that the book broke all of the rules for beginning writers that he had been taught: Show, don't Tell; Never use first person; and Stick with one POV.    We talked a bit about this, and many readers felt that in the hands of this author, that he did a pretty good job with breaking those rules (although we agreed that for first-time writers, that the rules make sense).
• We had some general discussion about the characters, and who we liked (and didn't like).   Hola said, "I was kind of pissed at Blackwolf."  And as for Fatale's crush on him?  Hola found that frustrating, too.  As she said, "It's so clear: Stay away from that mess!"   Jen liked that the author explored the cost of being a superhero, and how it wasn't easy for these people.  For example, Fatale's statement about how heavy she is, and how she has no help available if something in her system goes down.  For all of these people, there are issues that accompany having powers, and Jen liked how the author went into those details.   Menolly noted that she appreciated how these superheroes (and villains) also couldn't relate to people anymore because of their powers (and the resulting consequences).  
• We talked about how a lot of the characters seemed stuck in a kind of adolescence, especially in how they related to other people.  We also talked about the realities for some of the heroes (physically and mentally), and how we liked how Fatale's story gives a lot of insight not only into her own life, but the lives of these other heroes.   To her, from the outside, they seem pretty perfect; but of course, in reality, no one is perfect at all.
• Lily was one character that many readers found to be intriguing.  A few readers said they found it off that she would go from villain to hero and back again.  However, Theresa pointed out, "She's the Catwoman of the group."   Some people thought it was odd that Doctor Impossible didn't realize that Lily was really Erica, especially since he had focused so much on her in his early years.   (As Hola said, "How can somebody be so dense?!")    Menolly pointed out that we never see things from Lily's perspective, which highlights that Doctor Impossible's perception of things (and people) really isn't reality.  Of course, now, after our discussion, many of us would like a follow-up book, which would be Lily's story.   It's just an idea.  You know, in case the author would like to write this for all of us.
• Lastly, I'm include the comments from Burt Macklin, FBI.  He wasn't able to attend in person, but had sent me his thoughts on the book.  Usually, I would edit this down (like I do with our discussions), but frankly, what he said was pretty eloquent, so I'm going to include most of it as is.  
  "One thing that kind of surprised me was that I had expected that it would be more of a deconstruction of superhero archetypes, like Watchmen, but they actually played it pretty straight - the heroes and villains could easily fit into the Marvel or DC universe.  (And since some of them were pretty much direct copies of existing characters, like CoreFire == Superman and Blackwolf == Batman, that makes sense.)  What I really liked was the exploration of the extraordinary things that are absolutely mundane to these characters.  It made them seem more real, and through Fatale's thoughts, it showed that even these super-powerful, godlike people still have real emotions - love, jealousy, inner doubts, etc.  I also enjoyed Dr. Impossible's musings on what makes someone become a villain vs being a hero, as well as his overall attitude - he seemed almost resigned to the fact that he would constantly try to take over the world, but always be defeated in the end.
  I do wish the book had given us a bigger glimpse of what the New Champions were doing when they were not fighting Dr. Impossible, and I felt that a few things were repeated too many times - he semed to circle back to the same facts about Dr. Impossible's years at Peterson too many times.  I did like the reveal that Lilly was really Erica, but I wish they had made that reveal affect Dr. Impossible more - he just seemed to shrug off the fact that his former partner/girlfriend as a villain was the same woman he had pined for in real life.  I also wish they would have given a little more insight into what regular people in this world think of these heroes and villains fighting all the time.
  I also really liked the details that he put in - the heroes and villains were really varied, and I laughed at little things like the Pharaoh singing the "King Tut" song when he went into battle. I also found it surprisingly poignant at points, like when Fatale found out information about her previous life, and realized how unhappy she had been - possibly to the point of her trying to kill herself.  I wish there had been a little more interaction between Fatale and Dr. Impossible."

So, as you can see, we found a lot to talk about.   We welcome further discussion, so please feel free to leave your thoughts in a comment.    We gave the book the codes of SHO, LEL and HAA and the averaged-out rating was a 4.

Please note that the Lifeline Theatre is currently doing a production based on this book (through July 19).  Three people from the group will be going, so we'll look forward to a report when we meet again in June.