From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain [Paperback]

It's been established that we're all too sophisticated for the simplicity of good versus evil that makes up the formula of classic super hero stories. This was the work of Alan Moore and Frank Miller back in the 1980s with the explanation that anyone who put on a cape and fought crime had to be seriously disturbed. Nobody since has dared suggest that might not be the case. This has led to some good stories and some bad stories.

From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain is in this vein, and it's a good story. A group of superheroes, members of the Fantastic Order of Justice, have been commanded to attend therapy due to various mishaps. There is Omnipotent Man, a superman-type, who talks like a hick and makes numerous mistakes. Flying Squirrel, a fascist Batman who owns half the world's businesses. Ice Goddess, a Wonder Woman with mother issues. Power Grrrl a narcissistic self-absorbed media icon. Brotherfly, a Spider-man crossed with the Fly (from the movie of the same name) as played by the Fresh Prince of Bel Air era Will Smith. X-Man is the only character without a direct analogy, but he's a black right activist with the power to manifest his words as physical objects.

The therapy of these characters is highly amusing but Faust is clever enough to realise that's not enough to carry the whole novel so he adds a plot that starts with the death of iconic hero, Hawk King, and culminates in apocalyptic events centred around a conspiracy seen only by the paranoid X-Man. With this, Faust is able to take potshots at therapy and self-help gurus, the media, celebrities, the rightwing philosophies of early superheroics, Afroamerican culture and the War on Terror. There's a lot to chew on, and the story does not lionise even the hero, who is shown as a flawed individual. Dr Brain as narrator is quite unreliable, obsessed by psychoanalytic techniques that shield her from what is actually happening, although she does get results.

The only small fly in the ointment is that there are resemblances in the plot to Watchmen. It's played entirely differently, for laughs, but there's even a Roscharch analogue. It doesn't make the novel any less enjoyable, though.

Although this book was written from the perspective of a psychiatrist treating a group of superheroes for their various mental issues, I still expected the book to contain lots of good superhero action - not so. It is undoubtedly a cleverly written book, exploring the likely personality flaws, mental fractures and interaction issues that a group of modern day super heroes may suffer from. However, this was pretty much all the book was about. For me there just wasn't enough of anything else, it may as well have been a book about the dysfunction of a normal group of people! In addition to this none of the characters were remotely likeable, so I really didn't care what happened to them anyway. In the end it was a relief to finish the book, which says a lot!

If you are looking for a really good superhero novel then I would recommend 'Devils Cape' by Rob Rogers or 'Soon I will be invincible' by Austin Grossman.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly why this book doesn't click. The characters and good parodies of better-known superheroes and the story is interesting, but perhaps it is the unnecessary focus on racism which slows it down. I kept getting to parts and thinking 'ok, more of this, can we just get back to the good stuff now?'. Unfortunately it has to be read, as small revelations are often dropped during these conversations.

Not a waste of a read at all, and doubtless more entertaining for comic book fans like myself who can see the in-jokes, but I'm glad I only got a cheap second-hand copy.

It does, however, deserve the award for best character name: Festus Piltdown III.