Spectrum, an alien superhero in the tradition of Superman, longs to make a difference in the world. Sure, he can save lives and prevent destruction with his ability to fly and to manipulate molecular structures, but what about the bigger problems? Inequality, hunger, sickness, economic woes, unrest, how can a superhero address these? In Brian Cato's Candidate Spectrum, Spectrum, a.k.a. Grant Goslin, decides to step aside from his career as a superhero to enter political life, where he thinks he can have a greater impact. He has no trouble being elected governor of Missouri, Congress finagles a way to allow him to run for president, and he joins the fray in the 2020 election.
This is a clever set-up for the story, and Cato has some fun with it. Spectrum's reflections on public service and the life of the superhero are at times interesting and engaging. As the story gets rolling, the story-telling style is very straightforward: this happened, then this happened, then this happened. I kept thinking, OK, Cato is setting the scene for the meat of the plot. Unfortunately, by the time in the book where you think it's bound to get more entertaining, Cato shifts to a lot of speechifying.
Here's the feeling I have. Rather than thinking, "I'm going to write a book about a superhero. As part of the story, I'll have him run for president, and that will frame the adventures and conflicts of the novel," Cato thought, "I have some political ideas and ideals I'd like to write about. I'll create a superhero story to communicate those ideas." In other words, this is a political pamphlet with the barest story, rather than a superhero story in which the superhero runs for office.
So, take it for what you will, but if you are interested in a new superhero backstory, with adventures in crime fighting and heroic deeds, you'll be disappointed. Spectrum is not terribly original, and really only serves as a mouthpiece for Cato's political ideas.
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