The Government Manual For New Superheroes

To Do List:

1. Discover Your Inner Superpower
2. Read The Government Manual For New Superheroes
3. Learn How to Maintain Your Secret Identity, Register with a Superhero Union, Find a Nemesis, and More
4. Ultimately, Save the World!

Are you faster than a speeding bullet? Are you able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Or, are you scared of heights and wheeze when you walk to the end of the block, but swear that your dry, cool wit allows you to maintain superhero acclaim? No matter how stupendous or trivial your power might seem, The Government Manual for New Superheroes (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $10.95) offers the tutoring any soon-to-be superhero cannot function without.

The Government Manual for New Superheroes is a hilarious, mock-official handbook offering thorough, accessible, and completely zany advice. Going well beyond tights and capes, this manual provides insight into choosing a name, constructing a costume, maintaining a secret identity, establishing a base of operations, and finding a nemesis. Extra features include a roster of superhero unions, a registration application, several useful charts and tips, and even a list of other Government-sponsored periodicals for further reading.

For help deciphering clues: "Choosing a computer is simple. You merely need to purchase the largest one with the most flashing lights that your budget will allow."

Costume choice: "Some heroes include thick, bullet-proof armor in their costumes, but this is generally an unpopular choice. It interrupts the sleekness of your profile, ruining your carefully cultivated image of mystery and power. The only thing is has going for it is that it stops bullets."

On picking a sidekick: "You will want by your side someone who unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues unchangeably. Also, your sidekick must not be better than you are at anything."

Born with the powers of a cult classic, this manual imparts all the necessary knowledge you need to become an "official" superhero. Whether you're an interplanetary, space-traveling mutant on a mission of vengeance or an ordinary citizen searching for relief from an otherwise dull day, The Government Manual for New Superheroes provides all the know-how you need.

About Matthew David Brozik

Matthew David Brozik has studied writing with Joyce Carol Oates, Russell Banks, Leslie Epstein, Steven Wright, and Susan Shreve, and he has published short fiction in the Sycamore Review, Spout Magazine, Sidewalks, Barbaric Yawp, the Palo Alto Review, and the Dogwood Journal. He lives in Great Neck, New York.

About Jacob Sager Weinstein

Jacob Sager Weinstein's writing for HBO's Emmy-nominated Dennis Miller Live won him a Writers' Guild of America Award, for which he was nominated twice. He has been a regular contributor to The Onion, and his humor has also appeared in McSweeney's. His fiction has appeared in the North American Review. He was also a contributing editor for the Washingtonian magazine. His Web site, www.yankeefog.com, receives 2,000 visits a month. He lives in London.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Contact: Jennifer Collet, (800) 851-8923, ext. 6675, jcollet@amuniversal.com