Review: Confessions of a D-List Supervillain, by Jim Bernheimer

Imagine if Tony Stark were still morally ambiguous and exceptionally talented as an engineer, but wasn't born to inherit a business empire from his father. Instead he's a low-level grunt who gets screwed by corporatocracy, and gets thrown into a life of supervillainy. And that's just the start.

Note: this is the first in a series of indie novels that gained a lot of success. The next published book was an origin story, and then two sequels. The cover art improved in subsequent installments.

The story

Our MC is a guy named Cal who--at the start of the book--is one of the last humans on Earth with any remaining free will. A horde of evil mind-controlling bugs has taken control of every living person, including the superheroes who normally protect the world. Cal's wearing a powered mechanical suit, so he's protected, but the batteries are running low and the Olympian Gods are after him.

Right out of the gate we get multiple layers to an en media res story, but the author paces it well enough that you're able to follow what's going on. It's also a pretty fresh take on what is now becoming a stale genre (superhero stories.) The creative storytelling mechanism not only makes the story interesting, but the main character as well. He's a guy with little to no ethics, whose arc bends toward becoming a better person, even though life has repeatedly kicked him in the balls.

The characters

Calvin Stringel, the above-mentioned engineer who was fired by a Stark Industries-esque company after he designed power armors for them. When he built one for himself, they sued him into poverty. Later the world's heroes were taken out by mind-controlling bugs, and he got a chance to begin his redemption arc by saving those same heroes.

We also meet his love interest, a woman who inherited the powers of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, as well as Cal's nemesis, the hero known as Ultraweapon. And that's just the start.

The world

This world is very Marvel-adjacent, in the sense that just about anything can happen. Aliens? Ancient gods? Modern business tycoons and politicians, with ground-level thugs that have mutant superpowers? Sure. A magical dinosaur that travels through time and tries to eat everyone? Also sure. And yet it's written in such a way that it takes itself seriously, plays it straight, and has a ton of fun.

The politics

None. I guess you could find some commentary on corporate culture, non-competition agreements, and IP laws, but this isn't a story that concerns itself with political overtones.

Content warning

There's a PG-13 level of profanity, but the more prevalent issue is the sensuality. Cal's arc is from villain to hero, so at the beginning he's got some pretty unlikable traits, including a Peeping Tom incident that ultimately prevents him from being beaten by an opponent. It serves to show his moral low point at the beginning, so it can contrast with his improvements along the way.

Who is it for?

Anyone who likes superhero stories, and the unique blend of don't-give-a-crap sci-fi and fantasy elements.

Why read it?

You'll hear me bang this drum from now until the end of time, so get used to it: this is a FUN BOOK. And it knows it's having fun. At the same time it takes itself just seriously enough to make the characters real, and therefore relatable.