New Book – “Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain”

[JanessaVR]

Hello, all.

I don't see a topic about this yet, so I thought I'd alert the community about a book that is definitely a little slice of home.  This isn't "Watchmen" or "The Dark Knight Returns" – no serious dramas here – it's just purely fun, but reading it definitely gave me a feel of walking down the streets of Paragon City again.

Meet Penelope Akk, the daughter of two superheroes.  Her father's a genius gadgeteer (leaning towards the more "academic" version of a gadgeteer) and her mother has a sort of subtle psychic/clairvoyant analysis power that allows her to outsmart / out-calculate villains; Penny definitely regards her mother as the scarier parent.  ;D

She's coming into her power (as a classic mad scientist gadgeteer) at 13 years old, but because at first it manifests in little fits and starts, her more experienced superhero parents don't really believe her, as they're quite certain it will be another few years, at least, before it fully manifests, based on their past experience.  Problem is, they're wrong.

Determined to prove to them that her power really is manifesting now, she secretly rides out its full manifestation over the next few weeks, and plans to construct enough thoroughly magnificent gadgets that her parent won't be able to deny the truth of her power's maturity.  Her power turns out to be great and versatile, but not really controllable.  She has a tendency to black out, or nearly so, and wake up at her workbench with a completed invention on the table.  Her two friends, who witness these incidents, inform her that she cackles madly and orders them around as her minions when she's in this state.  Slowly, she learns some control, but only up to a point – when inspiration strikes, her power wants to build things.

Soon enough, she comes up with a super-serum that awakens powers in her friends, and they plan to make their public debut as new superheroes.  That's when everything goes wrong, or possibly right.  They end up in a late-night battle with a superhero sidekick (who they recognize as actually the school's snotty Alpha Bitch in costume), and soundly kick her butt.  Penny then can't help but taunt her schoolyard nemesis in classic mad scientist fashion, and from that point their destiny seems set for them.

Despite trying to "come out" as superheroes, the vindictive sidekick they bested has already rallied the superhero community against them and both the heroes and the villains readily relegate them to "new supervillains on the block" status, regardless of their protests.  They do quickly notice one thing, however – they're actually rather good at being supervillains, and the rest of the supervillain community welcomes them with open arms...

At any rate, it's only $5 on Amazon Kindle (and is also available in print), so I highly recommend it for anyone here longing for a little taste of home.  Heck, the top villain in the city is even named Spider.

My best attempt at CoH Archetype and Power Set translation:
* Penelope Akk, aka "Bad Penny" – a Mastermind (Robotics, Traps)
* Ray Viles, aka "Reviled" – a Scrapper (Street Fighting, Super Reflexes)
* Claire Lutra, aka "E-Claire" – a Controller (Mind Control, ? – Trick Arrow might be the closest match for gadgets)

As for Alignments, I'd say they're all Rogues – "Let's have fun, make some money, but nothing too evil."

[OzonePrime]

Will have to check out this one. Thanks for the heads up! :)

[Solitaire]

Thanks added to list of reads, author is Richard Roberts from what I could find on Amazon for anyone looking.

[Eoraptor]

someone else mentioned this on my ficiton writing board... when you get the same thing from two or more sources it must be a good advice

[Twisted Toon]

My best attempt at CoH Archetype and Power Set translation:
* Penelope Akk, aka "Bad Penny" – a Mastermind (Robotics, Traps)
* Ray Viles, aka "Reviled" – a Scrapper (Street Fighting, Super Reflexes)
* Claire Lutra, aka "E-Claire" – a Controller (Mind Control, ? – Trick Arrow might be the closest match for gadgets)

As for Alignments, I'd say they're all Rogues – "Let's have fun, make some money, but nothing too evil."

Well, he did say, on his website, that he managed to put a couple of his characters from City of Heroes into the book.

[JanessaVR]

Well, he did say, on his website, that he managed to put a couple of his characters from City of Heroes into the book.

I hadn't found that entry on his website!  Wow, he really is one of us!   :)

[ryuplaneswalker]

Also IIRC Bad Penny was the name of one of the Villains you could come across in the Hero Side Bank Missions.

[OzonePrime]

Amazon has a deal on  kindle books, for this one. :)

[Thunder Glove]

Also IIRC Bad Penny was the name of one of the Villains you could come across in the Hero Side Bank Missions.

Definitely not the same character (CoH's Bad Penny was a man, for one thing, and his background was that he was actually a penny - as in the coin - brought to life and transformed into a humanoid shape by a misfiring Circle of Thorns spell), but possibly named with him in mind.

This book sounds interesting.  I'll have to see if I can find it where I am (which is in France, while I still speak mainly English).

[JanessaVR]

This book sounds interesting.  I'll have to see if I can find it where I am (which is in France, while I still speak mainly English).

Just download it from Amazon for Kindle, that's where I found it.  If you don't have one, you can still read it online.

[Eoraptor]

it may not be released for international sales yet. meaning that the IP pops as french, (or anywhere outside the states) it won't show as available for purchase.

[mrultimate]

I just picked this up as well on my Kindle.

[HalcyonS]

Picked it up and read it and I have to say I was impressed with the story and how things keep just pushing them to be villains and seemed plausible or at least understandable.