My Brother Is a Superhero by David Solomons (review)

It’s the ultimate indignity: being a true comic book aficionado, a superhero buff through and through, and then finding your brother is the one granted magical powers while you were in the bathroom. It is almost too much for Luke to bear, and his older brother Zack is darn lucky that Luke is mostly able to set aside his jealousy and help him learn to be a true superhero, especially since neither has any idea what Nemesis, the terrible thing awaiting Earth, even is. It’s a real treat that this superhero adventure, complete with capes, discussions of good and evil, and a worthy, if unexpected, villain, is also a thoughtful, kind look at sibling rivalry and the ways in which it can be both productive and destructive. Luke’s narration is pitch perfect, providing just the right amount of snark, admiration, and cleverness to keep readers in the loop without resorting to all of the intellectualizing or overthinking his older brother applies to everything. A hinted-at sequel will be eagerly anticipated by readers, who will want to return not only for the whizz-bang superhero stuff but also for the memorable and carefully developed sibling dynamic.