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Around 2010 or so, I rented a pair of YA novels from my local library. They were the first two books in a superhero series (I don't recall if there were any more). The first book was a gameshow for young superheroes, I believe competing for the chance to become a sidekick to the host of the show. The gameshow eventually was revealed to be a plot of some kind.

The main character had the superpower to sever molecular bonds with his hands. There were several scenes where he would sit in his garage and carve marble statues for money on the side with his bare hands. His older brother was an established superhero. I remember the character was a churchgoer, Baptist or Methodist or something like that. He called some of the hymns "7-11's" (7 words repeated 11 times). Several scenes involved him talking to his youth pastor asking for advice. The cover was the main character with his costume, which was either a black or red hoodie obscuring his face.

Initially I thought this was book 1 of the Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, but I'd only read them around the same time.

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Failstate by John W. Otte?

Front cover of Failstate with his face obscured

Robin Laughlin (aka. Failstate) is a contestant in a reality TV show called America’s Next Superhero. His goal? To become an official, licensed superhero. It doesn’t help matters that his powers are often out of control, that his handsome big brother is wining the hearts of the voters, or that Robin can’t even remove his mask or viewers would shriek from fright. When one of his competitors is murdered, Robin sets out to find the killer, hoping for justice and to prove he’s no failure.

A quote regarding his powers:

"The scientist theorized that my power created a 'potential failstate within covalent bonds at a molecular level,' whatever that meant."

And indeed, one reviewer commented on the religion aspect being too much for them.

Anyway. A big red flag for me appears when Failstate starts inviting other characters to his youth group at church, and they attend, and obviously have fun in what's presented as a slightly-cheesy-but-really-they-love-it neutral social environment that just happens to feature a little talking and singing about God. A bigger red flag pops up when, after his power runs out in a life-or-death battle, Failstate prays to God and then finds more power inside himself and uses it to win the fight. (Naturally, he takes a moment to thank God for it later.) Another flag appears when a major supervillain is ruled out as a suspect because he's converted to Christianity and become a real stand-up guy.

It was followed by Legends and Nemesis

Found with a search for site:goodreads.com christian superhero gameshow

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  • That's the one! Man, what an odd series. I can't exactly say it was good, but it always stuck in my brain for some reason.
    – Reeidly
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 12:34
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    I may have to add that to my list of books to read when I get around to it. :-D
    – FuzzyBoots
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 13:03
  • Amazing that any reference to God is automatically a "red flag" and that doesn't seem to bother anyone. From the same review, "it's chock-full of religion, and does not mind shoving it in your face". TV is chock-full of anything but religion and nobody minds at all.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Oct 31, 2023 at 17:13

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