By Jim Munroe, HarperCollins, 1999

"Jim Munroe has written the first novel to harness the energy, idealism and cartoon inspired playfulness of the new wave of culture jammers. It's about time we have some superheroes to save us after the post-irony meltdown -- forces of corporate darkness, beware." -Naomi Klein, No Logo

"Wonderfully written.… A debut notable for the spectacular insouciance of its dialogue and an unstoppable, fearless, herky-jerky flow of inventive humor. Munroe masterfully carries off his admittedly weird conceits, suspends our disbelief, and gives us nothing but delight in his imagination." -Kirkus Review

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From Publishers Weekly:

Two 20-somethings with special powers join forces for a wave of antiestablishment activism in this big kid's parable for the electronic age, a talky, caffeine-fueled Canadian debut novel celebrating difference and peddling self-empowerment for a new generation of disaffected youth. Ryan Slint, a quirky, mildly histrionic and altogether affable University of Toronto undergraduate with a penchant for entomology falls for Cassandra, a bisexual punk rocker turned waitress who works at a diner near campus. Their increasing intimacy precipitates a string of outrageous confessions: Cass reveals that she was impregnated by an extraterrestrial and gave birth to a clairvoyant alien-human hybrid; Ryan confides he can turn into a fly at will; not to be outdone, Cass discloses that she harbors the power to make things disappear, a talent she first discovered when she was six and "disappeared" her uncle after he tried to rape her. Having come to terms with their superpowers, Ryan and Cass invent the alter egos "Flyboy" and "Ms. Place" and set out to convert their idiosyncrasies into tools for social improvement. As the Superheroes for Social Justice, they embark on a media-savvy crusade to deface cigarette billboards (Ryan's mother, a smoker, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer), fight for the right to peacefully assemble for feminist causes and lobby for the legalization of marijuana. By the end, the Superheroes and their ragtag crew emerge from a m?lange of puerile pranks, sophomoric insights and escapist stunts still young but with a good deal more direction. Munroe's exuberant, often original phrasings rescue the prose from tediously earnest heart-to-hearts and dialogue that can read like a press release. But for all their efforts, the Superheroes cannot save themselves from the excessive moralizing that makes this novel resemble a slightly less wholesome after-school special. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description:

Ryan is a university student dealing with the normal problems of a 22-year-old guy -- shyness, virginity, weird roommates, and a massive crush on Cassandra, a waitress at his local greasy spoon. (Oh, and a freakish ability to change into a fly.) When he finally gets up the nerve to ask Cassandra for a date, he learns that the two have more in common than they first thought. (Turns out that Cassandra can make things disappear.)

Sharing their secrets for the first time, Ryan and Cassandra realize they were made for each other...and to battle forces of evil! Inspired by Sailor Moon, they team up to fight the villians in their own backyard, taking on cigarette barons, right wing newspapers, and the overzealous local police. But can the Superheroes for Social Justice transform the world in time? Find out in...

About the Author:

Jim Munroe, 26, has been involved with the alternative press for several years and has been self-publishing zines for almost 10 years. He was also the managing editor of the award-winning Adbusters Magazine. Flyboy is his first novel.

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