Jeremy Scott’s The Ables isn’t quite like Teen Titans, Sky High, Umbrella Academy, or Daredevil, but it takes some of the greatest features of those stories and mixes them into a refreshing superhero novel that will surely inspire younger generations.
Image via Jeremy Scott
Scott is co-creator of CinemaSins, the hit YouTube channel that critiques movies and points out all flaws, plot-holes, continuity errors, and whatever else can be considered an on-screen offense. Superhero movies are obviously not exempt from this, given that they frequently “rehash the same kind of superhero stories we’re all used to seeing,” according to Scott in an interview with Publishers Weekly.
When it came time for Scott to write his own debut novel, he wanted to write about new kinds of heroes―the disabled individuals “that superhero culture would marginalize.”
Image via Amazon
Amazon’s description for The Ables reads:
In a world of secret superheroes who protect mankind unknowingly, Phillip and his friends ―the Ables― must overcome more than villains if they are to defeat the growing evil threatening humanity.
I did have fantastic hearing, mostly by virtue of being blind. But that couldn’t actually mean that he’s trying to tell me I have super powers, right? Because that would be ridiculous.
It wasn’t the “sex talk” he expected. Phillip Sallinger’s dad has told him he’s a custodian―a guardian―and his genetically inherited power is telekinesis. He’ll learn to move objects with his mind. Excited to begin superhero high school until he discovers he’s assigned to a “special ed” class for disabled empowered kids, he suddenly feels like an outsider. Bullied, threatened, and betrayed, Phillip struggles, even as he and his friends―calling themselves the Ables―find ways to maximize their powers to overcome their disabilities, and are the first to identify the growing evil threatening humanity. As vital custodians disappear and the custodian leadership is mired in indecision, a mysterious and powerful figure taunts Phillip, and the enemy is poised to strike. But what if the next “one who does all,” the multi-gifted custodian predicted to come, is one of the Ables?
Unlike other stoic, solitary superheroes, protagonist Phillip Sallinger has to work with a team of others like him in order to save the day. This can be a significant lesson for today’s youth to reach out for help and understanding among those with similar experience if needed―given that schools don’t always assist students with unconventional learning needs very well.
Having your disabilities emphasized by the education system is not something that does your self-esteem much good either, especially at a young age. It is important to see characters finding strength within their differences and it is sure to inspire others to do the same.
Image via Amazon
Scott himself used his own experiences with hearing loss, anxiety, and depression as the inspiration for The Ables. He has a sequel, Strings, arriving in September, along with two more expected books that will follow Phillip’s journey into adolescence and adulthood, as he and his friends become even greater heroes than they thought they could be.
“I definitely connect to the characters and their frustrations with how the world reacts to disabilities,” Scott reveals. “And, like my characters, I have learned that I can be ‘able’ just the way I am.”
Featured Image via Collage Maker