Superhero: A Novel by Tim Blake Nelson (Review)

When he’s not busying himself being one of the most recognizable and varied character actors in Hollywood, Tim Blake Nelson is also an author, now with two novels under his belt. His second, just released, is Superhero: A Novel, a fictional, but very much informed-by-real-life tale of a major Hollywood star – Peter Compton – who takes on the challenge of a huge comic book movie from Sparta Comics while battling his own demons. Nelson has drawn from his own experiences – and those of his friends and colleagues – to create a lovingly crafted, wittily observed portrait of the weirdness of Hollywood.

You get no prizes for guessing who Peter Compton is based on, though Nelson has revealed he’s a composite of four real people (having started as just one). But there is a sort of perverse background pleasure to imagining which A-list names might be the source of which behavior. Which one bought out the restaurant to convince a cinematographer to stay on a project? Which one inspired Peter’s central meltdown that goes viral? As Nelson says, nothing here is made up: he either experienced it or heard it from someone who did. I will refrain from my own speculation (though I have my theories), because I don’t particularly like speaking to lawyers.

Read Next

Marvel Star Tim Blake Nelson Talks On-Set Meltdowns & Industry Secrets That Inspired His Superhero Novel (Exclusive)

Spend any time talking to Nelson, or watching his interviews, and you see where Superhero comes from: he is eloquent, intelligent, and enthusiastic about his craft and the art of character. Peter is a Classics-inspired figure of the oldest form, Sophoclean, as Nelson puts it, but he’s frankly quite difficult to get along with. That feels like it’s sort of the point: Peter’s hubris is his weakness (though he’d never admit it, of course), but it’s also made him an almighty prick. And spending so much time with him is a bit of a slog: it’s almost like Nelson has picked something up from the Coens in their construction of deeply unlikable characters who you’re still sort of fascinated by.

Nelson clearly loves language too, which you may not believe from some of his geniusly-crafted on-screen characters (The Leader is far more him than O Brother, Where Art Thou?‘s Delmar O’Donnel). At times, he takes pause to describe something in vivid detail because he wants the reader to know it matters. Every detail – from extensive notes on photography to the backstory of hero Major Machina – is attentively built, in a way that clashes – quite consciously – with the idea of the popcorn movie. That struggle is grappled with all the way through, including by its major characters. You get the sense, even despite his enthusiasm for the genre, that it’s a question that equally fascinates Nelson.

There’s a lot of dialog – which means Superhero feels like it’s made with the screen in mind (though Nelson says not) – but knowing Nelson’s background as a playwright offers the right context. It means some sections run quickly, but not every line is marked with a speaker, so it can be a touch difficult to follow occasionally.

The novel is witty, clever, and surprisingly sincere for the occasional gloss of cynicism. Nelson writes with the confidence of a seasoned writer, but also with the eye of an expert. He has, of course, smudged some of the details out, but what he leaves is a compelling look inside Hollywood that you don’t often get – in defiance of its lock-tight rules, perhaps – but with a simple, compelling story at its heart.

Rating: 4/5

Superhero is available to buy now from Unnamed Press.