We don’t want to read a Hulk novel written by Jonathan Franzen. Nor do we want to see Lorrie Moore’s name listed in the table of contents of a new Wild Cards anthology. Even though Franzen and Moore are incredibly talented authors, we’re not pining for them to write the Great American Superhero Novel.

All we want is a tightly wound adventure filled with great humor, hyper magniloquence, and preposterous characters. We want it to be clever and a little bit naughty too. Is that too much to ask?

Stephen T. Brophy has written such a book. The Villain’s Sidekick is everything we’re looking for in superhero fiction. It’s funny and ridiculous and a little bit raunchy. As an extra bonus, the author also includes a couple of “aw-shucks” moments for added value. Compared to everything else in our tiny genre bubble, Brophy has written the perfect novel.

HandCannon is a…