Entertaining and a fast read/listen.

This is a comic book novel; it could have been published by DC and just had a number of names and costumes changed to fit into the at times rather obvious figures the characters were based on.

My impression is that Grossman wanted to explore the psychology of the hero and villain archetypes while staying within the framework of the super hero comic book tales. It's a good idea, however a number of comic books have already explored these ideas for some time now, so at times it feels like a rehash of already used concepts rather than a breath of fresh air.

Some of the villain monologues got a bit long-winded and tangential; it matches the archetype and is in character so to speak. But what works on a comic book page can become too much without the support of the visuals, or the fact that many times the comic books use visual shorthand to indicate a much longer monologue than what is actually shown.

I understand there's a sequel in the works, and I'll be sure to grab that as well once it's out.