Nothing can shatter a man's dreams like finding out the super secret magical cloak mysteriously showing up on your doorstep wasn't actually meant for you...after you've bonded with it for life.
Forget everything you think you know about heroes and villains. Phipps redefines the genre. The Rules of Supervillainy is wildly entertaining, delightfully original, and will make readers everywhere yearn to don spandex and join the crusade.
Gary is just a regular guy, with with problems. Money woes, a checkered family past, and a whole lot of resentment plague the unemployed protagonist until a superheroes death finds him in possession of the deceased's magical cloak. Don't get confused, though. This cloak is so much more than Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility. This cloak imbues the wearer with some powerful tools to add to his arsenal of supervillainy. Unfortunately for Gary, he finds out the hard way that super strength is not one of its benefits. The cloak, a character all on its own, is a snarky addition to the story. Besides giving Gary superpowers, it's a wealth of knowledge, outside of Judaism, of course.
As any comic book fan will tell you, no supervillain is complete without his henchmen, and in this case, henchwench. I was so nervous to read this book. I know Charles Phipps. He's read my own books and has made it no secret that he's a superfan of the Time of Death series (much appreciated Charles!). This is first book I've ever read in the superhero genre. To say that it's way out of my comfort zone would be an understatement. So, I was apprehensive going into the read that I would not be an appropriate target audience for the content. I underestimated Charles's ability to spin an entertaining tale, and for that, I'm a bit ashamed of my original apprehension.
I couldn't begin count the number of times I found myself chuckling out loud at the witty banter flying back and forth between Gary, the cloak, his wife, and the plethora of other superheroes/villains and antiheroes. Not to mention his inner dialogue, which was just as enjoyable.
As its title would suggest, The Rules of Supervillainy reads almost like a manual for becoming Super. Chapter subheadings sets the readers anticipation of what's to come. With every new chapter I found myself envisioning how it set the scene in graphic form. Much like the movie, Kickass, I could see this going to the big screen.
Supervillains have real families with real problems; ex-wives, the struggles of raising teenage kids, college loans, and the ever-important task of keeping their wives happy. Merciless, Gary's moniker of choice for his alter ego, is married to Mandy. It's fun to witness the progression of their marriage during Gary's transformation into Merciless and even more fun as she reveals hidden parts of her past to Gary for the first time. Like Bruce Wayne's dark spiral to becoming Batman, Gary's past defines him and drives his yearning to become a supervillain.
What's great about this book is that there's no long buildup to explain how the Supers come to be. It's a world where people have powers, objects of power exist, and the war waged between good and evil is prevalent. Phipps doesn't pussyfoot around. Instead, he dives in with the (accurate) assumption that readers will accept the reality he's penned. I like that boldness, and to his credit, even with a nonbeliever like me, it was a successful risk, and one that paid in dividends. Because, let's get real, if I had to read chapters of fluff just to lead up to the meat and potatoes, It'd likely have been yawn central.
It's also worth mentioning that this is the most impeccably edited book I have ever read. Normally I'd find at least minor typos missed, like it instead of if, but there was absolutely nothing I could find.
Let me close with this. It was such a joy to find my name among those receiving thanks in the book's acknowledgments. Not only because I respect Charles as a writer, and friend, but also because my name is inside a book that's sure to become a smash hit. I've always known he was a hugely talented writer, but I never realized just how funny he was. Though, in hindsight, the fact that he enjoys the "poopy" humor in my books should have been my first clue. I never turn notifications off on my phone, but while reading, I did! I was so into the story I didn't want any interruptions. If that isn't a testament to The Rules of Supervillainy's awesomeness, I don't know what is.
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