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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hilariously wonderful! It's got a superhero aptly called 'hero', a femme fatale called 'femme' and the villains (Great Aunt and Monique Frostique) are even better, but it's more than just a brilliant spoof on superhero movies/books. I already adored Milkman, so excited to read her other books as well.
Quite a similar style and concept to another 'All My Friends are Superheroes' by Andrew Kaufman, and I can't help but feel that Kaufman did it better!
I enjoyed the straight-faced ridiculousness of this story, but overall it didn't quite do it for me.
I enjoyed the straight-faced ridiculousness of this story, but overall it didn't quite do it for me.
2.5*
U win some u lose some I guess
Don’t get me wrong it had its moments, not a lot of them though
U win some u lose some I guess
Don’t get me wrong it had its moments, not a lot of them though
Cute and quick. Not my cup of tea. You can see in this the bones of what works so well for Milkman but Mostly Hero was a little forgettable.
I read and liked Milkman a while ago, so I was excited to dive into more of Burns' work. I don't think I could have been more disappointed, unfortunately. If you know anything about my reading habits, you know I don't like fantasy, and that extends to superhero stories.
But this is a parody of a superhero story! And the inside cover describes it as "hilarious!" Sadly, it is not hilarious. Not one joke landed for me. The cartoonish characters didn't make me laugh at the ridiculous nature of comic books. It was just annoying.
The book takes stereotypes from comics, and gives very convenient ways out -- superheroes and supervillains can die hundreds of times -- to maintain the narrative. Never mind that one character managed to murder an entire family of heroes/villains with no explanation as to how this "many deaths" rule was circumvented. The Great Aunt supervillain character is simply above all these rules, apparently. Except for when she's not.
Also, most of these characters aren't named, and instead go by their archetype or relation to the protagonist, but for some reason, two characters are named. I couldn't see a reason for this lack of continuity.
My final issue with this book is a bit random, but it still frustrated me. All the speech is in italics, as well as speech marks. As a result I kept reading the speech as if everyone was placing a lot of emphasis on every word even though I knew it was meant to be read normally. I really did hope this would be clever and funny. Instead, it just took well-known flaws of comic books and amplified them, serving only to make them more frustrating.
Sorry, but this one only gets 1.5 stars.
But this is a parody of a superhero story! And the inside cover describes it as "hilarious!" Sadly, it is not hilarious. Not one joke landed for me. The cartoonish characters didn't make me laugh at the ridiculous nature of comic books. It was just annoying.
The book takes stereotypes from comics, and gives very convenient ways out -- superheroes and supervillains can die hundreds of times -- to maintain the narrative. Never mind that one character managed to murder an entire family of heroes/villains with no explanation as to how this "many deaths" rule was circumvented. The Great Aunt supervillain character is simply above all these rules, apparently. Except for when she's not.
Also, most of these characters aren't named, and instead go by their archetype or relation to the protagonist, but for some reason, two characters are named. I couldn't see a reason for this lack of continuity.
My final issue with this book is a bit random, but it still frustrated me. All the speech is in italics, as well as speech marks. As a result I kept reading the speech as if everyone was placing a lot of emphasis on every word even though I knew it was meant to be read normally. I really did hope this would be clever and funny. Instead, it just took well-known flaws of comic books and amplified them, serving only to make them more frustrating.
Sorry, but this one only gets 1.5 stars.