Just like every other kid, I believed I had superpowers of my own. Mine was mastery over water and the sea possibly fuelled by Captain Planet and Greek mythology. In my head, I’d conjure images of me raising a wave a la Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon types. Of course, all of this was shoved out of my mind when I fell into a drain during peak monsoon season. Lord of the liquid, my butt.
Andrew Kaufman’s All My Friends are Superheroes is not so much about superheroes but a romance at the heart of it. Set in Toronto, where exists an extended community of superheroes who live out in the open without needing to cloak their identity. Quite interestingly, there are no supervillains though certain heroes do have polar opposites to deal with. Being a superhero is the norm in town, but our man Tom is the exception. He does not have any superpowers which in turn makes him stand out. Tom is deeply in love with the Perfectionist, who of course does everything perfectly. Their romance ultimately culminates in a wedding, which is attended by a bunch of supes including her ex, Hypno. Yet to get over her after their break-up, Hypno decides to manipulate her into thinking that Tom is invisible. This forms the core premise of the plot and what follows is a seemingly heartbreaking series of attempts by Tom to get his wife to see him. She flinches and falls sick at the slightest of his touches and his heart is broken to shards, quite literally. Thinking that he’s abandoned her, the Perfectionist decides to move to Vancouver looking to leave everything behind. Tom accompanies her on that fateful plane ride, trying his best to get her back.
The read: The entire text is whimsical and a roundabout take on human traits without being really serious. The writing is pretty straightforward and the central plot involving Tom and The Perfectionist is punctuated by vignettes about various superheroes that exist. It’s a lot of fun to read those blurbs as they bring out the best and worst in us. The anniversary edition released in 2013 added bonus material including 30+ pages of these blurbs and I hope to get my hand on that soon. It’s safe to say that while Kaufman intends for this to be a cute and quirky take on the superhero concept, but he’s also mindful in talking about mental health and anxiety which are represented by metaphorical monsters. I really wish this was longer than its novella length, with the supporting cast fleshed out more than they have been. You feel for Tom and what he’s going through, his journey feeling like an old dull heartache of your own. He soldiers on despite everything and there in lies his biggest strength. All his friends were superheroes, but he’s the man.
Trivia: Kaufman was a part of The Perpetual Motion Roadshow, a project started by Canadian sci-fi author Jim Munroe. Three indie artists, usually strangers, would bring their vaudevillian-inspired variety show acts to seven cities in eight days, sharing costs, crash spaces, and camaraderie. Two circuits, both going to Canada and the US, meant that people could tour each month of the year. (Reference)
Documentation:
Book: All My Friends are Superheroes
Author: Andrew Kaufman
Year of Release: 2003
Publisher: Coach House Press