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The Shocker: Legit
"My name is Herman Schultz, and I am not going to jail today.
"I’ve been arrested 37 times. I’ve been convicted 34 times. I’ve escaped from prison 37 times. I’ve fought over 15 different superheroes, most notable among them, Spider-Man, who has handed me my own ass 26 times. It isn’t fair, of course. He’s got superpowers, and I’m just … I’m just a guy. It’s not like I’m even a very tough guy, but I still can’t seem to get arrested by the normal police. No simple cuffs and the back of a wagon for me. I always get to have my jaw broken and get hung upside down in webs from a street light.
"I am the Shocker, and recently numbers have become very important to me; I just turned 35. I’ve held, in my entire life, two legitimate jobs, and they were both at separate Burger Kings. This was before I started safe-cracking. This was before I invented the gauntlets.
"I have had ribs broken twelve times. My left arm has been broken twice, and my right arm has been broken once. I broke both legs and permanently damaged my left knee after getting kicked off a building by Daredevil. I have the honor of being able to tell other villains that Captain America himself nailed me in the chest with a straight right that cracked my sternum in half. I couldn’t breathe right for the better part of two years.
Today is an important day for me. Today I’m not going to jail."
Written by Max Landis (screenwriter, director, producer, and actor) during his early twenties, a novel length fan-fic about an underdog Spider-Man villain, the Shocker.
"I’ve been arrested 37 times. I’ve been convicted 34 times. I’ve escaped from prison 37 times. I’ve fought over 15 different superheroes, most notable among them, Spider-Man, who has handed me my own ass 26 times. It isn’t fair, of course. He’s got superpowers, and I’m just … I’m just a guy. It’s not like I’m even a very tough guy, but I still can’t seem to get arrested by the normal police. No simple cuffs and the back of a wagon for me. I always get to have my jaw broken and get hung upside down in webs from a street light.
"I am the Shocker, and recently numbers have become very important to me; I just turned 35. I’ve held, in my entire life, two legitimate jobs, and they were both at separate Burger Kings. This was before I started safe-cracking. This was before I invented the gauntlets.
"I have had ribs broken twelve times. My left arm has been broken twice, and my right arm has been broken once. I broke both legs and permanently damaged my left knee after getting kicked off a building by Daredevil. I have the honor of being able to tell other villains that Captain America himself nailed me in the chest with a straight right that cracked my sternum in half. I couldn’t breathe right for the better part of two years.
Today is an important day for me. Today I’m not going to jail."
Written by Max Landis (screenwriter, director, producer, and actor) during his early twenties, a novel length fan-fic about an underdog Spider-Man villain, the Shocker.
Digital
Published January 1, 2006
About the author
Max Landis
55 books78 followersMax Landis is a Hollywood screenwriter and Eisner Award nominee. Featured as one of Forbes 30 under 30 two consecutive years, Max Landis is an outspoken rising star in the screenwriting world. Having sold over fifteen projects in the last five years, Landis' first produced feature, Chronicle, did well at the box office and led to more sales.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 25, 2017
Новеллизация несуществующего комикса про Шокера, третьесортного врага Человека-паука, который вдруг ни с того ни с сего решает стать героем, но тут одно-другое-третье, а потом как рванёт!
Макс Ландис известен в первую очередь как автор сценария крутой "Хроники (2012)" и менее крутых, но тоже достаточно бодрых "Ультраамериканцев (2015)". Ещё он пишет комиксы про Супермена, а здесь в 2006-м году парню всего 21 год, и по сути его произведение является одним гигантским фанфиком, но будущие таланты уже вполне видны.
В целом роман несколько большего объёма, чем можно было бы (раза так в два), и сюжет довольно примитивный, и язык простой (последнее для меня скорее плюс), но при всём при этом он очень, очень увлекательно написан (примерно так же, как обласканный всеми Ready Player One). Также здесь промежду прочим поднимаются крайне интересные вопросы относительно психики и мотивации Человека-паука (и заодно многих других героев и не очень).
Ещё мне понравилось, что автор, будучи хардкорным фанатом комиксов, предъявляет к читателю крайне щадящие требования: по сути, всё что от вас требуется знать - это что Человека-паука на самом деле зовут Питер Паркер. Всё остальное автор читателю ненавязчиво сообщает то тут, то там.
В целом присоединяюсь к рекомендации Аввы.
Макс Ландис известен в первую очередь как автор сценария крутой "Хроники (2012)" и менее крутых, но тоже достаточно бодрых "Ультраамериканцев (2015)". Ещё он пишет комиксы про Супермена, а здесь в 2006-м году парню всего 21 год, и по сути его произведение является одним гигантским фанфиком, но будущие таланты уже вполне видны.
В целом роман несколько большего объёма, чем можно было бы (раза так в два), и сюжет довольно примитивный, и язык простой (последнее для меня скорее плюс), но при всём при этом он очень, очень увлекательно написан (примерно так же, как обласканный всеми Ready Player One). Также здесь промежду прочим поднимаются крайне интересные вопросы относительно психики и мотивации Человека-паука (и заодно многих других героев и не очень).
Ещё мне понравилось, что автор, будучи хардкорным фанатом комиксов, предъявляет к читателю крайне щадящие требования: по сути, всё что от вас требуется знать - это что Человека-паука на самом деле зовут Питер Паркер. Всё остальное автор читателю ненавязчиво сообщает то тут, то там.
В целом присоединяюсь к рекомендации Аввы.
August 29, 2017
“The Shocker: Legit” is a novel-length bit of fan fiction written by Max Landis, the son of filmmaker John Landis. The protagonist is Herman “the Shocker” Schultz, a second-string Spider-Man villain invented by Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr. in 1967.
I can’t tell you why, but the Shocker was always one of my favorite villains. I didn’t own a lot of comics with him (for years I just had one), and he looks like triple-quilt man painted gold and brown, but there was something about the way he looked and his vibro-shock gauntlets that I thought was cool. I guess I was a weird kid.
I found out about this book a year ago or so (posted free online at: http://forgotten.faithweb.com/MaxLand...), but I waited a long time to read it because I've been busy moving and changing jobs.
SUMMARY
Written in first-person perspective, Herman “Shocker” Schultz provides some quick history about himself (the number of injuries he has sustained, the heroes who have put him down, and the number of times he’s been sent to jail) before he launches a new career as a superhero instead of a villain. Plagued by self-doubt, his natural instincts for crime, and with his only help coming from fellow-villain the Rhino, Shocker uncovers a massive plot to manipulate super-powered people around the world (and possibly the universe) masterminded by an enemy Shocker could not suspect.
OVERALL: 3.2 out of 5
This is a fun story and I would recommend it to anyone who likes comics, but it has its faults too. The main "scheme" isn’t well-described, and the ending “job” that all the Shocker’s villain-friends perform is weird and felt forced. Everyone loves Herman a little too much by about the three-quarters mark, and there’s a shift in his character that also does not feel right.
In true comic fashion, the cast endure a superhuman amount of physical abuse and punishment, with graphic descriptions of the injuries, but seem okay to go out and get into another fight the next day.
There are more pros than cons though. Landis’s knowledge of the Marvel universe and the villainous psyche is brilliant. He presents a society that few other writers have ever captured, and draws some interesting conclusions about villains, heroes, and their motivations.
It’s possible I like the Shocker too much and was disappointed that he never seems to be as tough and mean as I like to think him (minor spoiler; a serious case of shortsightedness, he uses a pistol at the end instead of his gauntlets). Regardless, Landis has his own vision of the character that provides an enjoyable story.
RATINGS BY CATEGORY
CHARACTERS: 4 out of 5
Herman Schultz takes center-stage, of course. Some first-person stories don’t reveal a lot about the narrator, but Shocker is put on display for the reader. I loved his character initially, though he actually began to wear on me a bit after three-quarters of the story. He has the right “hardened criminal” mindset, and I like his perspective on things (crime, Spider-Man, the idea that the Punisher is a psycho), but he slowly morphed into a different character that isn’t quite a hero, but seemed to have lost sight of the original guy.
I think I would have liked slightly more confidence in him; the way he is portrayed in the first “Hood” miniseries, written by Brian K. Vaughan back in 2002, is a good idea of what I hoped to see more of, but didn’t.
The rest of the cast fill out nicely. Rhino gets more dimension that a hundred comics ever gave him, Black Cat adds some sexuality and intrigue in most of her scenes, and the Punisher is awesome (at first; he gets weird later). The rather minor characters, “cameos” by everyone from the Vulture to Doctor Octopus, provide some rewarding reading to anyone who’s been a fan of Marvel comics though. Landis really nails the thinking and the society of the various Marvel villains.
PACE: 3 out of 5
The story starts out fast and brilliant. Shocker tries to change his life, he gets into some fun fights where he surprises himself, and soon things are going too fast for him to keep up.
Unfortunately the novel suffers from comic-like pacing over the long haul. I think this was written as a miniseries that Landis probably pitched to Marvel, because things soon switch into the predictable comic-book fight-talk-fight-talk-fight-talk repetition. After a while I groaned whenever a new fight “suddenly” happened; I wanted more story, character, and real narrative rather than another “this issue’s thrilling battle!” moments.
STORY: 2 out of 5
The story is a tough one to rate. I am totally in love with the idea of taking a second-string villain (especially a working-class one like Shocker) and trying to turn him into a good guy. It is his thoughts that keep things going, and it is fun seeing the public change their opinion (and the protagonist’s internal conflict over this).
The conspiracy that fills the rest of the story is interesting, though I did not feel it was explained or resolved enough.
My other complaint is that things felt unrealistic (even by comic standards) by the end. Shocker’s old friends-in-crime never seem concerned that he is now trying to be a hero, and everyone likes him too much. It felt like wish-fulfillment; he gets the praise of everyone, a hot lady-friend, and defeats his enemy (the one that matters most). In retrospect, this story would fit better (and become something of a tear-jerker) if it were all just a fantasy the guy is writing while serving hard time. It devolves into a kind of “Everyone Loves Herman” episode.
DIALOGUE: 4 out of 5
Most of the dialogue in this book is perfect. As I said, Landis really nails most of the villains, and he also creates a multi-faceted Peter Parker/Spider-Man through his dialogue interactions with Shocker. Rhino’s dialogue is well done (though he comes across too sympathetic), and even some “love bird” lingo is written well (moments that other writers would have probably made me cringe through).
The heroes aren’t as well written; maybe Landis just has the right mindset for villains. Tony Stark/Iron Man isn’t bad, but both he and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four seem to be a little too animated in their dealings with a known crook like the Shocker.
STYLE/TECHNICAL: 3 out of 5
Except for dialogue attribution, this is solid writing. The action scenes are interesting and I was never confused (though the sheer number of fight scenes turned into a bore). Descriptions are appropriate, though any reader really needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Marvel universe (particularly a lot of the C level bad guys) to appreciate a lot of what is going on.
As for the attribution... it did not bother me at first, but over time it began to feel very “junior high”. Shocker (and others) keep “screaming” their words; I don’t think “shout” is even used very much, just a lot of “I screamed” and “he screamed”. Sometimes it broke the fantasy for me because it either felt wrong for the moment, for the character, or there was just too much of it going on.
I can’t tell you why, but the Shocker was always one of my favorite villains. I didn’t own a lot of comics with him (for years I just had one), and he looks like triple-quilt man painted gold and brown, but there was something about the way he looked and his vibro-shock gauntlets that I thought was cool. I guess I was a weird kid.
I found out about this book a year ago or so (posted free online at: http://forgotten.faithweb.com/MaxLand...), but I waited a long time to read it because I've been busy moving and changing jobs.
SUMMARY
Written in first-person perspective, Herman “Shocker” Schultz provides some quick history about himself (the number of injuries he has sustained, the heroes who have put him down, and the number of times he’s been sent to jail) before he launches a new career as a superhero instead of a villain. Plagued by self-doubt, his natural instincts for crime, and with his only help coming from fellow-villain the Rhino, Shocker uncovers a massive plot to manipulate super-powered people around the world (and possibly the universe) masterminded by an enemy Shocker could not suspect.
OVERALL: 3.2 out of 5
This is a fun story and I would recommend it to anyone who likes comics, but it has its faults too. The main "scheme" isn’t well-described, and the ending “job” that all the Shocker’s villain-friends perform is weird and felt forced. Everyone loves Herman a little too much by about the three-quarters mark, and there’s a shift in his character that also does not feel right.
In true comic fashion, the cast endure a superhuman amount of physical abuse and punishment, with graphic descriptions of the injuries, but seem okay to go out and get into another fight the next day.
There are more pros than cons though. Landis’s knowledge of the Marvel universe and the villainous psyche is brilliant. He presents a society that few other writers have ever captured, and draws some interesting conclusions about villains, heroes, and their motivations.
It’s possible I like the Shocker too much and was disappointed that he never seems to be as tough and mean as I like to think him (minor spoiler; a serious case of shortsightedness, he uses a pistol at the end instead of his gauntlets). Regardless, Landis has his own vision of the character that provides an enjoyable story.
RATINGS BY CATEGORY
CHARACTERS: 4 out of 5
Herman Schultz takes center-stage, of course. Some first-person stories don’t reveal a lot about the narrator, but Shocker is put on display for the reader. I loved his character initially, though he actually began to wear on me a bit after three-quarters of the story. He has the right “hardened criminal” mindset, and I like his perspective on things (crime, Spider-Man, the idea that the Punisher is a psycho), but he slowly morphed into a different character that isn’t quite a hero, but seemed to have lost sight of the original guy.
I think I would have liked slightly more confidence in him; the way he is portrayed in the first “Hood” miniseries, written by Brian K. Vaughan back in 2002, is a good idea of what I hoped to see more of, but didn’t.
The rest of the cast fill out nicely. Rhino gets more dimension that a hundred comics ever gave him, Black Cat adds some sexuality and intrigue in most of her scenes, and the Punisher is awesome (at first; he gets weird later). The rather minor characters, “cameos” by everyone from the Vulture to Doctor Octopus, provide some rewarding reading to anyone who’s been a fan of Marvel comics though. Landis really nails the thinking and the society of the various Marvel villains.
PACE: 3 out of 5
The story starts out fast and brilliant. Shocker tries to change his life, he gets into some fun fights where he surprises himself, and soon things are going too fast for him to keep up.
Unfortunately the novel suffers from comic-like pacing over the long haul. I think this was written as a miniseries that Landis probably pitched to Marvel, because things soon switch into the predictable comic-book fight-talk-fight-talk-fight-talk repetition. After a while I groaned whenever a new fight “suddenly” happened; I wanted more story, character, and real narrative rather than another “this issue’s thrilling battle!” moments.
STORY: 2 out of 5
The story is a tough one to rate. I am totally in love with the idea of taking a second-string villain (especially a working-class one like Shocker) and trying to turn him into a good guy. It is his thoughts that keep things going, and it is fun seeing the public change their opinion (and the protagonist’s internal conflict over this).
The conspiracy that fills the rest of the story is interesting, though I did not feel it was explained or resolved enough.
My other complaint is that things felt unrealistic (even by comic standards) by the end. Shocker’s old friends-in-crime never seem concerned that he is now trying to be a hero, and everyone likes him too much. It felt like wish-fulfillment; he gets the praise of everyone, a hot lady-friend, and defeats his enemy (the one that matters most). In retrospect, this story would fit better (and become something of a tear-jerker) if it were all just a fantasy the guy is writing while serving hard time. It devolves into a kind of “Everyone Loves Herman” episode.
DIALOGUE: 4 out of 5
Most of the dialogue in this book is perfect. As I said, Landis really nails most of the villains, and he also creates a multi-faceted Peter Parker/Spider-Man through his dialogue interactions with Shocker. Rhino’s dialogue is well done (though he comes across too sympathetic), and even some “love bird” lingo is written well (moments that other writers would have probably made me cringe through).
The heroes aren’t as well written; maybe Landis just has the right mindset for villains. Tony Stark/Iron Man isn’t bad, but both he and Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four seem to be a little too animated in their dealings with a known crook like the Shocker.
STYLE/TECHNICAL: 3 out of 5
Except for dialogue attribution, this is solid writing. The action scenes are interesting and I was never confused (though the sheer number of fight scenes turned into a bore). Descriptions are appropriate, though any reader really needs to have a thorough knowledge of the Marvel universe (particularly a lot of the C level bad guys) to appreciate a lot of what is going on.
As for the attribution... it did not bother me at first, but over time it began to feel very “junior high”. Shocker (and others) keep “screaming” their words; I don’t think “shout” is even used very much, just a lot of “I screamed” and “he screamed”. Sometimes it broke the fantasy for me because it either felt wrong for the moment, for the character, or there was just too much of it going on.
May 3, 2016
At a certain point, one of the characters says this about our titular main character: "You are smarter than you have any right to be".
Well, this unpublished, novel-length fanfic written by a young Max Landis is way more amazing, funny, balls-to-the-wall, poignant and smarter than it has any right to be.
There's just so much awesome contained within these (digital) pages that it's hard to distill to a few paragraphs. Some shining examples are:
- The way Landis makes an amazing tour de force throughout some of the most obscure B-list and C-list villains of the Marvel universe and, incredibly, makes you care for them. A lot.
- In addition, the cameos (and some in-depth interactions) with a couple of A-list heavy hitters, such as
- How Schultz "vibrates" a problem until it falls apart and clicks in his head, and how this is so concordant with Landis' depiction of the Shocker.
- Also, how he identifies some of the friends and foes he comes across by the particular combination of smells that accompany them
- Of course, while we're at it: Schultz whole characterization is among the best I've ever seen for a fictional persona. Period. From his family history and childhood, to his relation with his peers and friendship with Aleksei "Rhino" Sytsevich. From what drives him while, paradoxically and at the same time, pushes him down. To his self-doubts, life-defining defeats and soul-crushing victories. It's all so fleshed out I had to look it up and see if it was in any way inspired by the 'actual' characters' official history. Nope, all borne from the mind and imagination of an early-twenties Max Landis. A-freaking-mazing!
- The whole conspiracy, the twists and turns, the hints and red herrings, the development of the investigation: the whole plot is weaved together with non-stop action, intense moments of self-reflection and deft knocking on a thin fourth-wall by the snarky-yet-slowly-developing-actual-empathy narrative of the Shocker himself.
- One criticism I do have involves
In short, one of the best superhero novels I've ever read, published or not. And certainly a read that should really get more attention than what it's got so far.
Well, this unpublished, novel-length fanfic written by a young Max Landis is way more amazing, funny, balls-to-the-wall, poignant and smarter than it has any right to be.
There's just so much awesome contained within these (digital) pages that it's hard to distill to a few paragraphs. Some shining examples are:
- The way Landis makes an amazing tour de force throughout some of the most obscure B-list and C-list villains of the Marvel universe and, incredibly, makes you care for them. A lot.
- In addition, the cameos (and some in-depth interactions) with a couple of A-list heavy hitters, such as
- How Schultz "vibrates" a problem until it falls apart and clicks in his head, and how this is so concordant with Landis' depiction of the Shocker.
- Also, how he identifies some of the friends and foes he comes across by the particular combination of smells that accompany them
- Of course, while we're at it: Schultz whole characterization is among the best I've ever seen for a fictional persona. Period. From his family history and childhood, to his relation with his peers and friendship with Aleksei "Rhino" Sytsevich. From what drives him while, paradoxically and at the same time, pushes him down. To his self-doubts, life-defining defeats and soul-crushing victories. It's all so fleshed out I had to look it up and see if it was in any way inspired by the 'actual' characters' official history. Nope, all borne from the mind and imagination of an early-twenties Max Landis. A-freaking-mazing!
- The whole conspiracy, the twists and turns, the hints and red herrings, the development of the investigation: the whole plot is weaved together with non-stop action, intense moments of self-reflection and deft knocking on a thin fourth-wall by the snarky-yet-slowly-developing-actual-empathy narrative of the Shocker himself.
- One criticism I do have involves
In short, one of the best superhero novels I've ever read, published or not. And certainly a read that should really get more attention than what it's got so far.
March 28, 2019
There's a lot to like about this story. Herman is a genuinely unpredictable protagonist. The action is imaginative and often just gonzo bonkers. There's larger scale forces working in the background that make sense for the Marvel Universe. And so on.
The reason i give this 3 stars rather than 5 is that a lot of well-known Marvel characters come across as out-of-character in this story. A related issue is that Herman gets increasingly Mary-Sueish as the story goes on. It's hard to escape the impression at points that the setting and other characters are just there to react like giddy schoolgirls at how awesome Herman is.
Also, yes it's a comic book setting, and yes, Herman is clearly a strong-willed character but even allowing for that, the amount of injury he takes in stride over the course of this story reaches laughable levels.
3 stars can mean two different things. It can mean a story that's just meh. And it can mean a good, interesting story with significant flaws. In my opinion, this story is the second one and that's much more interesting.
PS. If you're interested in a fanfic with similar themes, I'd definitely recommend "Inviolate" by Scriviner starring Lex Luthor. (https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5536346/1/...)
The reason i give this 3 stars rather than 5 is that a lot of well-known Marvel characters come across as out-of-character in this story. A related issue is that Herman gets increasingly Mary-Sueish as the story goes on. It's hard to escape the impression at points that the setting and other characters are just there to react like giddy schoolgirls at how awesome Herman is.
Also, yes it's a comic book setting, and yes, Herman is clearly a strong-willed character but even allowing for that, the amount of injury he takes in stride over the course of this story reaches laughable levels.
3 stars can mean two different things. It can mean a story that's just meh. And it can mean a good, interesting story with significant flaws. In my opinion, this story is the second one and that's much more interesting.
PS. If you're interested in a fanfic with similar themes, I'd definitely recommend "Inviolate" by Scriviner starring Lex Luthor. (https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5536346/1/...)
August 6, 2019
Quite nice and interesting fanfic about Marvel universe.
The author joins existing stories into intriguing backstory. It shows how important is to build characters and their behaviour in advance. Unfortunately, that is only good if you like these heroes and villains. If you don't get (or enjoy) the references, the style is a bit weak, the dialogues are not engaging, everyone loves Shocker, Shocker is too much Mary Sue-like and behaves like a 20- year old person.
The author joins existing stories into intriguing backstory. It shows how important is to build characters and their behaviour in advance. Unfortunately, that is only good if you like these heroes and villains. If you don't get (or enjoy) the references, the style is a bit weak, the dialogues are not engaging, everyone loves Shocker, Shocker is too much Mary Sue-like and behaves like a 20- year old person.
June 3, 2017
I'm not much for superheroes, but this one is surprisingly good. A relatable protagonist, a sane plot and very decent writing make for a very enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews