Have no fear, Captain Freedom is here! Or maybe you should have plenty of fear.

G. Xavier Robillard’s debut novel, Captain Freedom, is a hilarious satire that plays on superheroes, villains, politics, celebrity, and just about everything else in between.

Captain Freedom, AKA Tzad Friedman, is part hero, part failed celebrity. The book details Freedom’s pseudo-autobiography, from his school days in a boot camp for heroes-to-be to his days fighting enemies with names like the Velvet Fog and Enfant Terrible and saving the world for the twentieth time for no pay and barely any recognition.

The book plays savage satire on superheroes and comics. Fans of Marvel and DC comic characters and the rest will get a laugh out of the superhero conventions that Robillard mocks, like superhero origins and the fact that for a long time - gasp! - Captain Freedom doesn’t have one. Sidekicks are also played for laughs, particularly with Freedom’s more mature companion, D.J., whose relationship with Freedom may remind readers of another well-known Dynamic Duo. Some of the funniest scenes are when Freedom searches for his arch-enemy. Looking through a hero/villain online match-up is a running gag that plays to a great conclusion when his arch-enemy is finally revealed.

Besides superheroes, Captain Freedom is a parody of celebrity and the lengths to which people go to prolong their 15 minutes of fame. When his fame as a superhero ends even though he has a very public stint in rehab, Captain Freedom tries various ways of getting known, from launching his own fashion line, to making a Captain Freedom movie, to running for governor of California. Captain Freedom at times seems less like a Superman and more like a writhing prima donna waiting for the next big comeback.

Fans of superhero parody movies like The Incredibles will get a chuckle out of this book, but just about anyone will find much to smile and laugh at through this story of a superhero’s desire to bring his glory days back.