
Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
From the dust jacket: There were no more heroes. Kennedy was dead. Batman and Robin were dead. The Lone Ranger was dead. Superman was missing. Even Snoopy had bought it: missing in action over France. In this fading pantheon of heroes, the very last to give up combat against the forces of evil had been the most powerful hero of all, unseen in almost a decade since, unknown to the world, his Superpowers had begun to fail. Slipping into the humdrum routine of middle-class life, using the humdrum secret name David Brinkley, he was now forty-two years old, married, with two children and a third on the way. He expected never again to dash into a phone booth, strip down to his uniform, don his purple mask, and leap into battle against the forces of darkness. Then comes a TV new bulletin; an ominous phone call; and Brinkley, against his wishes, dragging along the flab of middle age, is drawn into one last heroic battle to save the world. In his comic adventures, searching to understand what is happening, find the enemy, and deal with his own yearnings, he encounters a collage of characters from real and imaginary worlds, including nefarious villains of every sort and the girl reporter who was the lost romance of his youth. Brinkley is Everyman, mourning lost goals and lost powers, dealing with his own multiple identity, facing the encroachments of middle age - like the rest of us.
Is Superfolks appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This satirical superhero fantasy explores mature themes of midlife crisis, lost identity, and fading powers through comedic and literary lenses. Contains moderate comic violence and adult themes about disillusionment.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include death, depression, and violence.
Who'll love this
Adult readers who grew up with classic superheroes will appreciate this witty, melancholic examination of what happens when heroes age and lose their powers.