Ron Rosenbaum does his 'couple thousand words with ancient Greek references' thing on The Underminer, the soon to be published comic novel from Mike Albo and Times TV critic Virginia Heffernan in this week's New York Observer:

The novel records the effect of The Underminer s psychic depredations on the tormented friend whose life is ultimately destroyed by them. Nasty. But fun. And very funny. I started out dog-earing the pages of the galley I laughed the most at, but then ended up dog-earing most of the book.

Consider Rosenbaum's piece the second salvo in a full-on Underminer assault, the first being the excerpt of the book (which is scheduled for release in February) in this week's New Yorker.

We're preparing ourselves for a full-on Underminer media orgy in the next few months. First we'll get the book, then the New York magazine front of the book piece, "A Night Out With..." Times 'Style' article, and countless blog entries all mimicking the book's distinctive writing style, followed by the movie and sitcom deals.

Finally, sometime next year, we'll see the DVD release of The Incredibles, which also features the Underminer (above, right) as the final act villain.

Can "I AM AN UNDERMINER" T-shirts and trucker hats be on the horizon?
The Underminer: Raid for the Roaches of the Soul [NYO]
The Underminer [Bloomsbury USA]
The Incredibles photos [Rotten Tomatoes]

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