Title: Superfolks
Author: Robert Mayer
I read this little gem soon after it was published, I guess. I'd have to look it up in my reading journal to be sure. Anyway, it was originally published in 1977. Mayer was a journalist (a reporter for Newsday, if my memory can be trusted) and he wrote this unassuming novel that got wonderful reviews but not much of a readership. Apparently, though, this tale of a retired superhero became legendary in comic book circles.
I stumbled upon it on my way home one night from work. I used to stop in at the old Bookmasters store near Penn Station and there it was, a trade paperback sitting on a table, with a comic book-ish cover. A lover of comic books, I couldn't resist it. It was one of my best impulse buys.
So there I was today, in Barnes & Noble during my lunch hour today and what do I see on the new trade paperback shelves but Superfolks. And there was just one copy sitting there, indicating many people have already snatched it up. I still have my original copy, but I had to look through it. The cover has been changed, but the inside layout is the same. Grant Morrison wrote a forward (c.2004) that I had to read while I stood there in the stacks, full of wonder that this marvelous little novel was back in print for a new generation of readers to discover.
My memory of it is spotty. I recall something about disillusionment, having and losing dreams, growing up. I recall loving this book. And I'm thinking that maybe I should squeeze out some time this year to reread it, and I rarely if ever reread books.
If you love heroes, especially the fictional superhero kind, if you have an affection for comic books, do yourself a favor and hunt down this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Grant Morrison wasn't.
This is not the type of book I would normally read and would probably not take notice on the book shelf but I have to say it sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteIf you do read it, be sure to let me know what you think. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited that they reprinted it--I asked our library director to order it. She grumbled, but eventually caved in.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to have to deal with being teased by the cataloger: "Hmmm... I wonder who requested this book? Why don't you even read anything that normal people like to read??"
It'll be worth it, though.
That's cool, Leila. I was so excited when I saw it. I know I'd recently discussed it somewhere and had said if the person could find a copy, it's worth reading, but I can't remember who I'd recommended it to so I put it here.
ReplyDeleteSuperfolks sounds like fun . . . at first glance, a lot like the "Incredibles" movie, which I loved!
ReplyDeleteI believe Grant Morrison mentioned the Incredibles in his foreward. Super Folks was ahead of its time, but maybe its time has finally come.
ReplyDelete