Customer Reviews

Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FLYBOY ACTION FIGURE COMES WITH GASMASK is a terrific character study on the benefits and perils that may develop when someone is given a position of power. FLYBOY concerns a twentysomething slacker who has, until now, kept his unusual secret to himself; he has the ability to transform into a fly. While this may seem amazing, what distinguishes FLYBOY from other, more comic-book oriented superhero novels is the amount of realism that goes along with an ability of this sort.

After all, what use can one truly get out of this power? As Flyboy soon discovers, his talent is more useless than anything else, and it's not until he meets a fellow superhero-in-waiting that he is able to put his power to any use. His new friend, a rather statuesque waitress, has the ability to make things disappear. Where they go after that, she doesn't know, nor does she care, until the horrific destructive capability she holds becomes clear to her. Together, our heroes decide to transform the world, in their own little ways.

That is what makes this novel truly charming. There are no super-villans, no evil despots out to enslave humanity. Instead, the fearless twosome decide to take on a right-wing newspaper, by casually removing the newspaper outlets from existence. It's the smallness of these acts, the reality of them, that allows the reader to easily bond with the characters. The heroes are not infallible; they make unwise decisions, and like most of us these days, are prone to fits of unusually harsh depression. There are no Superman heroics in sight. Those sorts of epic clashes between good and evil don't exist in most peoples lives.

What we're left with is the story of two people, each slightly eccentric, and each slowly realizing the potential people have. They aren't perfect. Indeed, they wouldn't want to be. How much fun could you have if you were better than everyone else?

Occasionally a novel comes along that is so compatible with your life... your situation... that it just pours into you like a continuous chug of grape flavoured Kool-Aid. This was that book for me. I read it from front to back without stopping.

Munroe successfully captures the setting of urban university life that can most accurately be described here as what the tv show "Felicity" tried to do, but failed (of course that's where the similarity stops). With casual narration and often blunt conversation between characters, he describes people we've known for years, and events that have happened to us.

Through all of the crazy, yet somehow realistic Super Hero entertainment, he manages to build an intense and true relationship between the heroes. He is able to fully describe any relationships between Flyboy and the people he knows and meets in a simple sentence, or a clever dialog.

While the anti-corporation messages occupy a fairly small portion of the novel, they are incredibly blatant. They are effective, but I think the social commentary could have been toned down and presented more subtly as he managed to do in his second book "Angry Young Spaceman" (which if you haven't read, is also excellent). It just seemed like the character was rambling in a few places.

The story that is created here has so much depth that the ending seems to come too soon, like a movie that plants the seeds for a sequel.

Aspirations of superpowers in small children are nothing new. One little boy thinks he cam fly. Another little girl thinks she can fight evil. A little boy thinks he can turn into a fly. A little girl... Wait. A fly?

Jim Munroe's Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask begins an average story about an average guy named Ryan who lives with his average roommates and is an average student and does a below-average job of picking up women. One day while at his regular haunt - the coffee house - Ryan gets up the nerve to ask out Cassandra, the waitress he has been admiring from afar.

Cassandra is less than average. She used to play in a famous punk rock band. She is an ardent feminist, sometimes lesbian and single mom. And she can turn invisible.

Average Ryan might be intimidated by this fact if it weren't for his own ability to turn into a fly. That's right, a fly. In Flyboy, Ryan discovers early on in childhood that he can indeed turn into a fly.

Now before you go off assuming that this is some modern-day remake of David Cronenberg's 1986 hit The Fly, know that in this tale boy meets girl and girl does not shoot boy as he turns into some grotesque creature. In fact, Flyboy is only a small part science fiction, believe it or not.

When a girl who can turn invisible meets a boy who can turn into a fly, there is no other choice than for the two to become superheroes.

Right?

If those argument is not a reasonable one to you, than neither will be most of the plot of Flyboy. However, if you can accept this shaky premise, then Flyboy makes for what is actually a sweet, though quirky, story.

Anyone with a sense of adventure should read this book! This as well as Munroe's other two books are three of the BEST books I have ever read!

"Flyboy" was a good read. The story moved along nicely until the ending where it feels rushed. I'd desribe the feel of the book as quirky and goodnatured, as are the socialy motivated stunts the superheroes pull. The main hero's sympathy is, by the way, heavily with the left wing. If that sort of thing turns you off, you might be irritated (Most of the political declarations are pretty unsubtle). If not, it's a fun book. (There are several darker sub-plots though. Both those and the lighter ones are left dangling in a few cases however. Nothing was left open enough to the point where it ruins the book but it would have been nice to have some of them wrapped up.)

The casual dialogue does feel kind of stilted, until I tried to imagine it as bantering between my own friends. It works then - it DOES sound very much like some of the exchanges you hear between, say, university aged friends. Unfortunately without the tone to back it up, it doesn't come across as well on paper. Still, there were some nice witty bits. And it has the first four lines of the North American Sailormoon themesong as an epigraph. That alone convinced me to take a look.

"Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gas Mask," was a title I only finally picked up when a friend of mine shoved it into my hands. Jim Munroe is a Canadian, and I always try to give fellow Canucks a fair shake, but the title made me blink away from the book. My mistake.

First off, the surreal plot set up for the book makes you think you're going for an odd story with lots of laughs: Our hero Ryan can turn into a fly. His girlfriend from the diner can make objects disappear, and had a baby from an alien father. Much fun ensues, right?

Well, yes, but not entirely. Starting off with a fun romp at fighting Corporate Power (the big evil of the twenty-something crowd), and striving for the Feminist Ideals (the big good of the twenty-something crowd), the book has pep and hilarity and a trove of other enjoyable moments.

Then things go deeper. Ryan's mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, and from there the story, while still light on many levels, takes a more serious turn that sneaks up on you and keeps you hooked right up to the end. Some very heavy topics are brought up in this book, as well as some lighter pokes at those things my age-group tends to consider "Important!" with a capital I.

I will definitely grab a copy of "Angry Young Spaceman," which is Munroe's second novel. If you're in the mood for some semi-serious social commentary with a lighthearted twist, snap up "Flyboy." Just be prepared for strange looks from people if you read it on the bus.

'Nathan

I picked this book up in the library one day, unemployed and depressed and looking for something fun to read. I didn't know it was going to be THAT fun. Munroe does several things with this wonderful book. First of all, he made me laugh with the unobtrusive but offbeat humor I look for and rarely find in literature often described as "hip." He also totally nails realistic dialogue down for the 90s generation (whether you're "X", "Y", or "conscientious objector" is entirely up to you, if you dislike media labels) without being TOO self-consciously pop-culture savvy. I think if you're going to be pop-culture savvy, it's impossible not to be self-conscious, but Munroe comes closer than anybody I've ever read (or watched on TV or in film). Finally, he proves that it's possible to be politically and socially concerned and still maintain a sense of humor and fun. While the stereotype nowadays is that the two cannot coincide (sometimes they don't, but just as equally they do), Munroe reminds us of the opposite view. The issues are sensitively and humorously explored without becoming especially didactic. I can't end this without praising Jim Munroe for creating Jack and Phil, too of the more amusing roommate characters in modern fiction. "There's a bee in here..." Congratulations, Jim, and keep 'em comin'!

I won't revisit the plot of this book... see other entries for that. Overall, I found the story to e amusing but something was unsettled in me that left me feeling that there could have been much more to the story. A lot of situations were left unresolved and the ending was quite abrupt. The author could have done a better job setting up how his mothers illness was affecting the main character and how it, along with the other you-knew-it-had-to-happen event near the end, caused the character to take such drastic steps. But again, it's better than any novel I've written (none) and did manage to keep my interest throughout. I will definitely be watching for this author's next book!

Munroe's first novel is a fun exploration of the life of a super-hero in a fairly real world setting. Instead of fighting ultimate evil, Flyboy and Ms. Place use their powers to make strong political statements in their city of Toronto.

Instead of focusing on action on plot and action, Munroe wisely chooses to use superpowers to explore the unique aspects of the two main characters. The powers relate, for the most part, fairly well to the mind set of these two people. But despite not being too plot driven, the story does move pretty quickly. There are lots of fun moments within the story, and anyone under 35 or so will find it fun (many over that age will like it, too).

Muroe's biggest failures in this are with the ending and with a sidestory. Ms. Place uses her powers in a marvelous way that we never get to see, which was quite a let down for the reader. There is also a sidestory of the narrator's mother dying of breast cancer; this is worked in so slightly I doubt it's importance when it resurfaces towards the end. While a fun work, it missed in hitting me between the eyes with feeling.

A guy who turns into a fly and his girlfriend who can make things disappear and who was impregnated by an alien, are inspired by everyone's favorite anime, Sailor Moon, to fight crime in Canada. Amazingly well written, and a laugh riot! Without a doubt, the best part of the book is how well the author related the main-charater's interactions with his wacky roommates. Its science-fiction presented in an amazingly life-like setting. Sometimes a little disturbing, but not afraid to be real. It definitely receives a high recommendation!