So, as much of a fan of C.T. Phipps work as I have been, I have absolutely no idea why I wanted so long to pick this one up. I guess since I don’t consider myself a huge comic book, superhero, or fantasy nerd but reading through this book in a couple days tells me that maybe I am more than I thought.
Phipps tells a story about Gary, an average guy in a great marriage who becomes a Supervillain pretty much by chance. He turns into “Merciless: The Supervillain Without Mercy” (yes he knows it redundant) and with his trusty sidekick… or I guess fashion accessory Cloak they try to do evil but get stuck in the middle.
I love the idea of an anti-villain similar to an anti-hero. Gary brings this up somewhere near the end of the book when trying to figure out what the hell he is. He’s a Supervillain and he’s very proud of that, but he ends up doing more good than harm it seems.
Gary and Cloak were two of the funniest characters I’ve heard in a while. Their snarky attitudes and constant back and forth (to the confusion and dismay of those around them) had me in stitches. Funny story, the last character I thought to be this funny was also a Phipps creation, Jane Doe.
To drag on probably too long about the amount this book is funny – Phipps is able to write these character as snarky but also extremely real. I’m a real smartass in real life and I relate to them more than I expected to. The things that they think and say out loud are real reaction that a real person would have in the extreme situations they would be put in. I think that’s why I enjoy them so much.
Knowing that I’m not a comics book person, this book was fantastic. It was the perfect quick story that I needed to make this week go by just a bit faster.
Of course, throw in Jeffrey Kafer’s narration (especially the overly snarky parts) and you have a winner. Kafer is able to perform these seemingly over-the-top characters perfectly and do it in a way that always puts a smile on my face while listening.
The benefit of starting this series so late is that I get to read them almost back to back without missing any more of the story!