The
Bigtime novels by Jennifer Estep take place in Bigtime, New York, a town which is overrun by superheroes and about every superhero trope out there.
Everyone is totally
Genre Blind, especially with figuring out that having an
Alliterative Name more than likely indicates that person is a
Super Hero with a name that starts with that letter. Some characters are dedicated to finding out the identities of superheroes, and have to resort to other means of deduction. This leads to the interesting experience of the
Genre Savvy reader knowing long before the characters do who is who.
The novels are:
Short Story:
- Karma Girl Christmas: Karma Girl has to protect a large donation of charity toys from the ubervillians of Bigtime
These novels provide examples of::
- Alliterative Name: 90% of the cast.
- An Ice Person: Frost and Wynter
- Badass Biker: Johnny Angel (also a Badass Normal in his first two incarnations).
- Badass Grandpa and Never Mess with Granny: Grandpa Belluci (Johnny Angel #1 and later Grandpa Pain., Granny Cane a.k.a. Grace Caleb.
- Badass Normal: some of the Johnny Angels, perhaps Granny Cane?
- Big Bad (tons of 'em)
- Big Eater: Fiona
- Blackand Nerdy: The Hermit, a computer expert, who wears garish sweater vests, glasses, and polka dot bow ties as his alter ego
- Blessed with Suck: Bella, whose Winds of Destiny, Change power comes with tons of Power Incontinence, and she has very little control over it.
- Blow You Away: Tornado
- The Cracker: Lulu
- Elemental Powers: Fiera, Tornado
- The Empath: Karma Girl
- Five-Man Band: The Fearless Five, originally:
- Flying Brick
- Fridge Logic: Carmen spends a good three years outing supers. She says outright that 1) villains try to threaten her to keep her quiet and 2) villains are not shy about killing people to keep them quiet. How did she make it that long without some villain killing her?
- Fridge Horror: Carmen narrates that the Colorful Crusader and other superheroes who suffered unknown fates after there powers became useless in a fight
- Genre Blind: everybody.
- Gentleman Thief: Debonair though he's more of a Gentleman Art Restorer.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Striker, Scorpion
- Hacker Cave
- How To Give A Character Superpowers: various methods
- Invisibility: Invisible Ingenues
- Mad Scientist: Frost
- Mind Over Matter: Mr. Sage, Malefica
- The Notable Numeral: the Fearless Five, the Terrible Triad
- Personality Powers: This should be obvious from the rest of the entries!
- Playing with Fire: Fiera
- Psychic Powers: Mr. Sage
- Required Secondary Powers: For example, Fiera doesn't burn herself.
- Sixth Ranger: Lulu
- Super Speed: Quicke
- Super Strength: Striker and Fiera. Johnny Angel has some enhanced strength
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Karma Girl, sorta, but she's more of a promoted Sixth Ranger.
- Technopath: Hermit
- Teleporters and Transporters: Debonair
- Urban Legend Love Life: Debonair
- When Elders Attack
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