Como Ser Um Supervilao

How to Be a Supervillain #1

by Michael Fry

Todos os pais querem o melhor para os filhos, certo? Errado! Nesta história maluca, os pais querem o pior – muito, muito pior – para o filho! Quando Victor, filho de um casal de supervilões e descendente de uma longa linhagem de supervilões, é tudo, menos um vilão, ele é mandado para um treinamento com Mancha, um supervilão decadente. Na jornada do herói (ou melhor, vilão), ele conhece Octavia, uma super-heroína tão sem talento quanto ele. Quando tudo sai do controle, os supers precisam se unir para não colocar tudo a perder. Heróis e vilões descobrem que são os dois lados da mesma moeda, e que todo vilão tem um pouquinho de herói.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Childrens, Superheroes, Science Fiction

Paperback

First published May 2, 2017

Reviews

[Michael Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. But then again I wrote and illustrated it. So I might be biased. Yes, there are tips on how to be a Supervillain (evil laugh, monologue-ing, etc..), but there's so much more. At its heart this is story about how good and evil are two sides of the same coin. And it's got space planes and two alien rock monsters named Bob and Dave. You can only say their real names with a mouth full of peanut butter. And pie. Lots of pie. Who doesn't like pie?

[JohnnyBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong 6 out of 10

How to Be a Supervillain is a book about a little boy named Victor. Victor was born into a supervillain family, but Victor doesn't really feel like a supervillain. Victor's parents don't understand why Victor acts like a superhero instead of a supervillain, so they have Victor go into an apprenticeship. Victor then trains to become a supervillain with his mentor, The Smear.

I read this book on audio, so I wasn't able to see the illustrations. The story was quite nice. There was a lot more to this world than I'd thought there'd be, and I liked how it was from the perspective of supervillains. It was funny to see the general roles reversed of normal children. Victor was expected to be naughty and break rules. He was expected to not like the vegetables, and he was supposed to be mean to others. Definitely an interesting concept.

There were some funny moments sprinkled throughout the book, but I wasn't too compelled with it by the end. Maybe I'd like it more if I read it physically instead of on audio, but I wouldn't know. I didn't really connect with the main character that much, and I felt that the romance element wasn't that needed. This book was okay, I wasn't too compelled, but I'm sure children would really enjoy this one.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victor is from a long history of villains. Just one problem, Victor is a nice guy. He’s interning for the Smear, making his Twenty Year Return! What can go wrong?!

We were listening to this in the car on audio, but it kept referencing the PDF. Which left a lot hanging. Either adapt the book or don’t.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Half book and half comic, How to Be a Supervillain follows Victor in his efforts to stop being good and be a force of evil. Except he doesn’t like to be rude and his mentor is a hack named the Smear.

There’s a surprising amount of depth to such a silly novel, and though there’s bits that are purely for fun (Victor’s super villain parents not knowing how to hug) there’s also plenty about what it means to be a good person and how to act as such.

It’s cute and clever and has many little things I approve of, such as a black female love interest and earned respect for elders, and I definitely approve this for any future kids I have.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor is a disappointment to his supervillain parents. He’s polite. He eats his peas. He’s tidy. His parents arrange for him to be the apprentice of the supervillain The Smear, hoping that he’ll learn to be bad because even though superhero vs. supervillain fights are scripted now, you still have to be a convincing bad guy. That’s right – the battles are fake, as fake as the WWE! The real fights were causing too much damage to civilians and their property so The Authority took over and starting regulating the supers’ world. And of course the superhero ALWAYS wins. Always. There’s just one problem – The Smear is tired of losing. Will he defy The Authority and become a winner?

How to be a Supervillain is the kind of book that most middle-graders love. It has text interspersed with a lot of illustrations, similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. It also has plenty of gross humor and silliness that kids will love. My 10 year-old saw it on my nightstand and can’t wait to get his hands on it. I think middle-grade fans of Diary of the Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, or I Funny books will enjoy it.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! Victor Spoil really doesn't fit in with his family. Both of his parents are supervillain. Actually, looking back over his family tree, it is filled with supervillains going back for generations. The problem is that Victor really has a hard time being bad. He tries, but he just doesn't have it in him. He either feels guilty or he plain old likes good things vegetables and cleaning up his room. Of course, his parents love him, but they really don't understand him. In the hopes of helping him fit in, they decide that he should get an apprenticeship, and they turn to an old friend to take on the role of mentor.

The Smear, Victor's mentor, is happy to take on an apprentice. In fact, he is hoping that the opportunity will allow him to come out of the shadows. A number of years back, he was part of a battle with a superhero that was called the Bostocalypse (it took place in Boston). The damage was so bad that it lead to both superheroes and villains to come together and decide that such battles were good for no one. Now, they basically just script up the battles so they are entertaining, but not so deadly or dangerous. As you can guess, Victor finds this totally surprising.

Through their partnership, the Smear and Victor find themselves in a surprising situation that will change how everyone follows these new rules.

This was really a fun read. The superhero and villain names are punny and funny! There definitely was a similar feel to the storytelling that would make fans of The Incredibles and Mastermind want to keep turning these pages. I know that I kept reading.

[Sheila]

Victor is supposed to be a supervillain. After all, his parents are but it seems like he is so good his parents cannot relate to him. So they hire The Smear to teach him to be bad and evil. But that doesn't work as planned.

I loved the characters in the book. They were a hoot. The story and drawings were wonderful. I liked the thought processes going on with Victor and The Smear and Victor's parents. I laughed out loud throughout the book.

I can't wait to get the next installment.

[Billie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cute, in a way that can be appreciated by nine-year-olds. Listening to the audio, though, made me painfully aware of how many dialogue tags the author used. Also, most of the apps and companies mentioned were things like "sBay," but A****n was mentioned by name, which seemed really strange in a book from James Patterson's kids' imprint.

[Cym · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was funny and amusing yet could be confusing to children. It sort of blurs the lines of good and bad... Or! It could be a way to talk to children about grey areas and use other words to describe good (kind) and bad (firm).

[Candra Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comical story for all ages. It was not quite what I expected- it ended up being better than i expected. This book also teaches some good lessons.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor Spoil has supervillain parents called The Spoil Sports. But Victor is too good. They want him to be more evil so he will be a supervillain too. They hire the villain “The Smear” to teach Victor how to be bad. The Smear’s super power is making stains that won’t come out. He takes Victor to a fight he has scheduled against MegaMole. Along the way, Victor meets Octavia who is traveling with MegaMole to learn how to be a superhero. Octavia’s parents think she’s too bad to be a good superhero. Just like Victor, she doesn’t behave the way her parents want her to. All battles between heroes and villains are scheduled and scripted. They know who is going to win before it even begins. But The Smear is tired of losing. He wants to win this time. He travels around with Victor, battling many superheroes and teaching Victor how to be a supervillain.

This story is so funny. I love all the rules the superheroes and villains had to follow, like having their fights scripted beforehand. The powers they have are also ridiculous, like being able to create stains that can’t be removed. It’s also funny that Victor is too nice and polite to be a supervillain. The typical story of the “bad” child is reversed with the child being too good.

This book reminded me of Captain Underpants because of the crazy plot and the illustrations within the story. Captain Underpants was one of my favourite series when I was a kid.

I really enjoyed this unique plot. It’s a great, funny read for middle grade readers and their parents.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly did laugh and smile while reading this book.I think there is very little difference in being a hero or a villain.Most of us do have some good and bad and when we aren't too extreme with what we do-they even out.But taken to extremes is what causes us to be seen as a hero or a villain.Victor and Octavia just happen to be the ones caught up in the deciding age group.Their parents come to realize that by working together things can get done faster.The Smear really helps Victor since he let him decide for himself while his parents were pushing him to be evil or bad.The Smear himself was like an older version of Victor-he had the right reasons for what he did and most of the time they worked.
A positive book on heroes and villains.One adults and children can enjoy.Everyone at some point in their life must've thought of a good super______ name for themselves.If not maybe now they will.

[Summer R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book. I love that it's told in a mixture of prose and comic book panel illustrations. Lots of fun little jokes, and gives you a reason to consider questions like: What does it mean to be good? and Can 'evil' ever be good? Fun, silly characters and an overall good message. You can't go wrong with this one.

[James Schattel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a laugh out loud kind of book. I read this book to my son at night and he loved every minute of it. It has comicstrip pictures on almost every page. Any kid who loves super hero and super villains will enjoy this book. It has a few twists and turns and a lot of action. I'm so glad my son and I got to read this book and hope to read more of Michael Fry's stuff soon.

[Ginger Mcclintick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a lot of the kids books from James loved them but this one was just ok.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super super cute! Loved it. Kids..be what you want to be!

[Roz (Seventyeight.Sundays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and unexpectedly deep. Deals with how good and bad are both sides of the same coin. Also awesome illustrations.

[Dude18 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and funny.

[Jks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 6th grade student recommended this to me. I couldn’t put it down. It is hilarious and a perfect story to read out loud to 5th and 6th graders.

[MaryLibrarianOH · Rating 4 out of 5]

From advanced reader copy.

[Shannon Sansom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give this to your students who love superheroes, or anti-heroes. It rarely makes it back to the shelves before another student checks it out. Looking forward to more books about Victor.

[Readergirl77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shorter chapters with some comic strip graphic novel style thrown into the mix. Victor learns how to be a supervillain. Nathan enjoyed this one and gave it five stars. I'd say it was a 3.5 star rating.

[Coos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het vorige boek dat ik las waar tekeningen vermengd werden in het verhaal was 'De Vreselijke Twee'. Daar vond ik het echt heel fijn; het verrijkte het verhaal. In dit boek vond ik het echter heel vervelend. Het is een constante wisseling tussen tekst en strips, wat ervoor zorgt dat ik er nooit echt in kwam. Voor kinderen die niet graag lezen is het wel een mooie tussenvorm tussen een stripboek en een normaal boek.
Het verhaal sprak me ook niet echt aan. Voor mij gevoel deed Fry zo zijn best om grappig te zijn, dat het niet meer leuk was.
Over het algemeen wel een redelijk boek, maar absoluut geen hoogvlieger.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Have we talked about your evil laugh?” asked Mom.

Annnnnd that about sums it up. Hilarious in exactly the way you’d expect. Way cuter than I anticipated.

I am super into this whole idea of not-so-bad guys being expected to be bad guys... love this trend JB kidlit!

[Melanie Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!

It was funny and a great read!!! I can't wait to read the next book in this series!! Great for kids and adults!!

[Jeremy Rodden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why I Think Boys May Enjoy This

This book is along the lines of other modern illustrated chapter books (eg, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) with what are essentially comic panels inserted into written text. Instead of simply being illustrations, the panels themselves continue the narrative. It’s a good elementary school/middle grade bridge book, with enough fun pictures to break up large chunks of text but without relying solely on the images to keep attention.

The book is full of random-based humor. Sometimes it hits (such as the randomness of The Smear’s stains and stain-based fighting attacks) and sometimes it misses (some of the lame superheroes/villains). Unfortunately, I also find it falls into the trap of “old person writing down to young people” using such tropes as parents always being annoying/idiotic and I often felt that Victor was portrayed as *way* younger than the 12 years old he is supposed to be.

However, it was definitely fun. The concept that superhero/supervillain battles were ostensibly public displays and scripted performances like professional wrestling is a fun one. The plot and story that spun from this central idea made for some fun moments, especially as Victor grows to understand the complexity of The Smear (who is really the only character that isn’t a basic stereotype throughout the book).
I hope as the series continues the author, who is more well-known for being a comic artist, is able to talk to his audience instead of continue to rely on what I call “Disney TV show” tropes and gags. His art style is perfect for this hybrid comic/chapter book format and his core ideas are fantastically fun.

Content/Appropriateness

Even though Victor is supposedly twelve, he really presents as way younger throughout the book. Thanks to this, he never really acts in a way inappropriate to ages as young as 8. There is no real danger or violence throughout the book and definitely no language or sexual concerns. There’s no reason any young reader would have a problem with content here.
Rating

4/5 Giant Cartoon Mallets from Toonopolis, The Blog's Books for Boys Review on 12/11/17: http://www.toonopolis.com/2017/12/11/...

[Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My book of the month is How To Be A Supervillain By Michael Fye. I like this book because it is funny and shows that two different groups of people can come together and help each other. In the book a kid born to two super villains but the kid is not a villain. He meets a superhero girl that wants to be a villain but she gets kidnapped so the two families have to work together to get her back. In the book a villain that kidnapped the girl ends up realizing what he is doing then helps the two families get the girl back.
In the book they went to many different states all over the country. It reminds me of when we went on a road trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. They went to Fargo North Dakota in the book and we went through Fargo.
I like the book because they go on a big adventure all over the country. I also like the book because it has some funny parts. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes books that are funny or any one that likes adventure books.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Victor Spoil is the son of the Spoil Sports, a pair of minor super villains in a world seemingly overpopulated by superheroes and villains. Problem is that Victor's a nice kid. His disappointed parents apprentice him to another villain, The Smear. While under his tutelage, Victor meets Octavia who is a rotten kid born to superheroes. They, along with a cast of villains and heroes make their way through a number of battles, which have become scripted and fake due to civilian casualties.

I seem to be in the minority of reviewers here but I found this to be mediocre kid-lit. The premise was interesting and promised to be a lot of fun but I just found the whole thing to be pretty boring. Too bad because I was looking forward to the read. The pictures were a treat though.

I won this through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read with illustrations that are akin to a comic book frames inserted into the story to enhance the action.
So, what makes us good or bad, villain or super-hero? Is it genetics, family upbringing, our choices? Victor Spoil is trying to figure it out. His parents are super-villains and they are very disappointed with their too nice, too neat, too GOOD kid. So they are going to have him become an apprentice to an aged super-villain who will sort him out, teach him the ropes and produce the villain that they can be proud of. But when Victor finds out that the fights between the heroes and villains are pretend, he is the one who is disappointed. But his mentor has a few surprises up his sleeve and things are not about to go as planned.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Younger Middle grade novel with comic book elements.
Body function humor, fake fights, plot to take over the world, kids figuring out who they are - this one taps into the humor and reading style for upper elementary readers.
Victor is the son of semi-retired supervillains. He hasn't done well in following the family tradition. They work out an apprenticeship with The Smear so he can develop his supervillain powers and learn the trade. Villains and heroes fight scripted battles to entertain citizens across the US. He meets Octavia - daughter of superheroes - who is also struggling with her role as a hero.
Plenty of action scenes and plot twists for this age level.
In the end, readers need to decide who is "good" and who is "bad" and what it means to be true to yourself.