DOUBLE TROUBLE

At last, the supervillain tells his side of the story.

Vordak wants you to buy this book. He’s so eager for you to read it that he’s made you a character in the story. Yes, you. He demands: “Don’t you have studying or chores or your grandmother’s toenails to trim or something to occupy your time?” And you answer: “Actually, I AM studying. I’m using this book to help me with my science class.” Once in a while, Vordak asks for advice on taking over the world. He has an evil plan, but his army of scientists keeps having accidents in the Cloning Chamber. By the end of the book, there are at least nine scientists, all named Fred. Every few pages, another clone appears. These sequences are the funniest in the book. In fact, the Freds are more entertaining than Vordak, who tends to say things like: “I’m brilliant enough to know if I wasn’t as brilliant as I thought I was!” Vordak is best taken in small doses, and by the end of the story, you may wish that you were the main character.

There’s a theory among comic-book readers that the supervillain is always more entertaining than the hero. This book puts that theory to the test.