On the HahaFiction shelf
A Superhero Called Doberman
The Superhero Doberman · Book 1 · 2026
Leon Lewis has excellent eyesight and a much more dangerous inheritance: a curse that lets him take the form of Anubis. He keeps his distance from people, afraid of what getting close might cost them. When a gang targets his neighbor Rachel, he intervenes in a Sacramento where licensed superheroes have official permission to fight crime and vigilantes don't.
From the author’s blurb
“Which works out, because in this is the new age of superheroes, most names are copyrighted.”Read the full description at John and Shami Stovall, author launch description
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What makes it funny?
The criminals can't recognize a jackal, so a man who embodies an Egyptian god gets called Doberman. Copyrighted superhero names make the mistake rather convenient. Leon also keeps up a sarcastic commentary that the official hero Steelant doesn't always appreciate. Readers in LitRPG groups single out the naming joke while enjoying the superhero and game-system combination.
The comedy at work
Leon has a frightening supernatural identity and an awkward public image. The narration adds smaller embarrassments: when he watches a strip club to protect Rachel, it hurriedly insists that he's never been inside. His defensive explanations and wisecracks give the danger a less solemn voice.
Try this if…
Readers in LitRPG groups compare it to Super Powereds and ask for more of its superhero, fantasy and game-system mix. The appeal is a reluctant protector with a sarcastic streak, developing powers and personal reasons to fear using them.
Good to know
Expect superhero fights, gang threats and peril, with mild language and a strip-club setting. Leon's fear that his curse endangers the people he loves gives the jokes an emotional weight.
A few distinguishing details
- Anubis gets mistaken for a Doberman
- Superhero names are already copyrighted
From book groups
Questions readers ask
- Is Doberman pronounced like the dog breed?
- The author says it is, except for a joke.
- Does he behave like a dog or jackal?
- The author says his transformation serves as a superhero identity and doesn't give him animal behavior. His progression focuses on Anubis, including a sarcophagus.
More funny progression fantasy LitRPG
Sources & further reading
- Author announcement and answers
Author commentary
- Paperback listing
Book information
- Review and reading excerpt
Reading sample
- Review and excerpt
Review
- Reader discussion
Reader discussion
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