My biggest cognitive conflict came not from the narrators, but the superheroes who surrounded them. I loved the characters Grossman creates, even though some of their powers were a little vague. The shadowy, yet debonair Mister Mystic, the magical fairy-warrior Elphin, and the beastly Feral all add just the right diversity and comic book appeal. At the same time, there were characters so transparent it seemed lazy. The Champions are pretty clearly the Justice League. Blackwolf, a normal human with great athletic ability and untold wealth, ought to be living in Gotham City. Meanwhile, CoreFire, Doctor Impossible's completely indestructible nemesis, is Superman with blond hair. He even has heat vision and a reporter girlfriend. At first I thought the rampant similarities were leading to some sort of satire or commentary, but then the story kept pushing on, full of pale shadows of the DC universe.
One of my favorite movies of the last few years was The Incredibles. It presents an alternative comic book world which is familiar enough to permit easy entry to the outsider, but it is also creatively independent. The characters, though there is precedent for their powers, are developed into their identities. Moreover, it contains genre-related introspection which arrives at a definable conclusion. None of that can be said of Soon I Will Be Invincible. It shows great promise in all those avenues, and was a truly fun read much of the time, making me laugh and keeping me hooked in the story often enough. At the end of the day, though, I've seen this before and I've seen it done better. According to a post made on his Goodreads page, Grossman is working on a sequel. I sincerely hope he develops these characters beyond the superficial and takes them as far as they seem capable of going.
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