Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves (Paperback)

~ G. Xavier Robillard (Author)
Key Phrases: secret headquarters, methane vents, Captain Freedom, Gotham Comix, Chief Justice (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What do you get when you give a metrosexual superhero a sidekick, an identity crisis and the ability to predict the weather? The answer: Captain Freedom, the lovable hero of Robillard's debut novel. Once a popular superhero, Freedom's celebrity is on the wane, and instead of going quietly into retirement, he goes in search of his origin. Along the way, Freedom visits with a life coach, tries to find his lost father and writes his memoirs. He also laments his lack of a completing other half: an arch-nemesis. Causing trouble for Freedom, meanwhile, is the sniveling journalist/would-be superhero Skip Goodwin, whose antagonistic history dates back to the superhero school he and Freedom attended. Although Freedom manages to maintain a successful career into retirement and stay in the public eye, he also has a lot to learn about personal relationships. Robillard keeps the satire fast and furious, with laugh-out-loud moments competing with strangely insightful quips. It's funny and smart, and even readers who've long given up comic books will enjoy the ride. (Feb.)
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Review

Captain Freedom is a truly funny and energetic romp of a social satire, a terrific send up of not only of super heroes, but the cult of personality in general. --Christopher Moore, Author of Lamb and Fool

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061650684
• ISBN-13: 978-0061650680
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,289 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun, February 12, 2009

By	matt dundas - See all my reviews

I laughed until i fell off my chair. Then i got up, read some more and fell over again.
Non stop fun. A constant stream of whit fired at you from beginning to end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superhero Fun, May 11, 2009

By	L. Gibaldi "http://www.halfdesertedstreets.com" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first heard about this book I was incredibly excited. A writer from McSweeney's wrote a satirical superhero book? Yes, please!

Captain Freedom starts off like most superhero stories - the hero in pursuit of the evil villain Genghis Kong is flying high above the streets and wondering frantically if his creme brule was taken out of the oven in time. Captain Freedom is unlike the Batmans and Supermans of our time. Yes, he's strong (he has super strength and the ability to fly and predict the weather), yes he stops bank heists, yes he's saved the world (FOUR TIMES and without the recognition he deserves), however he's also quite the chef, very concerned about his appearance (when the invisibility cape makes him look fat, all hell breaks loose), and has a penchant for drugs and alcohol.

Captain Freedom is about what would happen if superheroes were real and around today. The book starts with him being fired from Gotham Comics (because all great superheroes can only work when a cartoonist is following them, creating their comic book of course) and wondering what else there is to life. After a brief stint with internet dating he finds a life coach and decides to write a (hopefully best selling) memoir. The majority of the book is his life story.

From battling aliens on Mars to saving third world countries, Captain Freedom has done it all with the help of his sidekick/adopted son DJ (who's power is harnessing radio airwaves and turntableing, as Freedom calls it). He spends some time in rehab (what superhero celebrity hasn't?), dates an assassin, finds an underground crime unit, and constantly looks for his archenemy (because every superhero must have one.)

What I love about this book is that it's very self aware. In the beginning, Freedom states that in his memoir it must be in present tense because what comic book isn't? So, the entire book is in present tense, putting you in the middle of the action. Using pop culture references, Captain Freedom jokes about everyone from Britney Spears to Salman Rushdie. Thor makes an appearance, as does a contract that was signed in the firey pits of Mount Doom.

The book is full of quick comebacks (like all superheroes must have), strong dialogue and wonderful lines, such as "My enemy's accent is filled with that combination of malice and menace that could only come from the nation that brought us existentialism and the guillotine." (And, yes, there's a deconstructionism joke after that as well.) The book is very relevant for our time, which is also somewhat of a downside. Although it's incredibly entertaining, I fear most of the jokes being lost in time for those who read it down the line. Also, the book gets drawn out at times. Towards the end, when his memoir is done, I started to wonder where, exactly, the book was taking me. There was no end in sight and it started to drag a bit.

Regardless, the ending was well worth it. Bringing it back around, the book ends on a high flying note that makes you wish you lived in a world with superheroes. Because even though they are just normal people (with neat abilities), there's something magical about them. Something that, no matter how many drunk driving records or hijacked blogs they have, makes you have a little more faith in humanity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A stale and flat attempt at Fantasy/Real World fusion., February 18, 2009

By	Jacob A. Manalan (seattle, wa United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A clever concept, injecting a superhero into a modern world of lattes, board meetings, and financial planning, this novel reads like a mad lib. What are supposed to be thrusts of satire and mockery come off as tersely written internal dialogue. The character, an acknowledged fame seeker, provides no insight or personal empathy into his motivations in any meaningful or striking way. Instead, the author derives all motivation from stale comic book devices, without any drama, struggle, or personal revelation. I kept waiting for the character or story to pick up and find a cohesive narrative, but, instead, it remained a collection of uninteresting jabs at modern pop culture through the eyes of an unimpressive and inexpressive protagonist.