Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

The legendary Blackwolf spots him, and they fight in the sewers of Manhattan the Doctor escapes in a submarine. The Doctor attends the service without his habitual disguise. The first confrontation occurs past the novel’s midpoint, in the aftermath of CoreFire’s memorial service (there’s a mystery as to who killed him). Their history adds little to the storyline. As the Doctor gathers the four objects he needs for his doomsday machine, the superheroes spend their time yakking, recalling past exploits and indulging in flip commentary. Their preferred costumes are capes, cloaks and leotards, accessorized with the latest gadgetry, but they’re all dressed up with nowhere to go.

They include an old-school magician, a fairy from the 12th century and a former villain from the 35th century. His nemesis, dating back to their Harvard days as science students, is CoreFire, who has gone missing. It will not be long before the Doctor escapes and tries for the 13th time to conquer the world. The dual narrator device leads to some initial confusion, as Grossman does not attempt two different voices. He narrates alternate chapters: The other narrator is Fatale, a female cyborg newly inducted into the Champions, the current superheroes. He’s “the smartest man in the world” even though, right now, he’s in prison in Chicago. Get ready to be bombarded by superlatives as the world’s leading supervillain, Doctor Impossible, introduces himself. Superheroes square off against a supervillain in a high-tech fantasy.

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman