Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman

Grossman's debut novel is full of good fun for comic book fans. He tells the story of the self-described "brilliant, the appalling, the diabolical Doctor Impossible" who - like all evil geniuses - seeks to rule the world. The only way to do this is to become invincible. Doctor Impossible's string of twelve failures does nothing to squelch his desire to try again. "Curses, foiled again!" "I'll get you next time!" and "This is not the last you've seen of me!" are phrases we finally come to appreciate in all their pathetic glory. You have to grant this evil genius one thing - he has tenacity. On top of this, he really can't help himself: the poor evil Doctor has Malign Hypercognition Disorder. One feels pity for Doctor Impossible: "There are days when you just don't feel all that evil." This book is fantastic fun. Hearing the story from the villain's point of view is hilarious. I found myself, by the end of the book, wishing the Doctor could at least have one success, but alas, that is not the way of the comic book genre. His ImpossiBlaster is ultimately of no avail. The evil genius always loses. Or does he? Muwhahahahaha!