From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust

You have to love comics to write a story like this. And in some cases, you have to love comics to read a story like this. Luckily, I do, and I loved this book. Minister Faust (Coyote Kings of the Space Age Bachelor Pad) brings us the tale of the Fantastic Order of Justice, and their battles with the horrifying entity known as... therapy.

The F.O.O.J. is a supergroup not unlike the Justice League of America (okay, it's exactly the archetype of the Justice League of America), who are struggling with their identities in a "post-superhero" society. After the battle to end all battles, there are few supervillains left to fight, and little heroic left to do. Omnipotent Man, The Flying Squirrel, Iron Lass, X-Man, Brotherfly, and Power Grrrl are at each other's throats, and ripping the FOOJ apart at the seams. On top of everything else, the world's greatest hero, Hawk King, has died (or was he murdered?), and the throne to reign over all heroes is abdicated. While the FOOJ struggles to make it through therapy, two of its members also vie for the leadership position. X-Man is a seemingly paranoid black militant Malcolm-X type who can bring words to life, and the Flying Squirrel is what would happen if Batman became a Nazi (or perhaps an ultra-right wing Republican). Power Grrrl wrestles with her sexuality, Omnipotent Man fights his im-Omnipotence, and Iron Lass confronts her type-A tendencies.

The plot is fairly dense, dealing with societal, political, and interpersonal issues. Sometimes the devices can be grating - Dr. Brain (the narrator of this book) tends to coat her prose in many layers of psychobabble. Omnipotent Man is Extra MidWestern. Iron Lass's lines are written in a quasi-Nordic/German dialect. Sometimes these devices are funny, other times grating. There are elements of the plot and story that may be appreciated only by comic book fans, but overall, this book holds enough to appeal to all readers.