Incorruptible #2
Reviewed by Jim Black
Creator/Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Jean Diaz
Inker: Belardino Brado
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artists: Dennis Calero (A) and Rafael Albuquerque (B)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Cover Date: January 2010
The Story...
Reformed villain Max Damage, with his sidekick Jailbait, are riding around town with police lieutenant Louis Armadale. Armadale does not trust Max but is skeptical but wants to keep an eye on him. The lieutenant shows them what "Plutonian Fear" has done to the city. When they arrive at police headquarters, Max sees that the Plutonian destroyed it. Most of the police force died in the attack. Due to fear of the Plutonian, people are not applying to join the police.
In one of the residential areas, an armed father has threatened to kill his family unless the police guarantees their safety against the Plutonian. Max gets out and walks through the police. The police try to stop him but stand no chance. Max takes out the father. The police show up and things go bad. He stops Jailbait from robbing the family. The mother explains that for the right price, one man could give the father superpowers to protect his family. It is a former acquaintance of Max's named Orjean.
In an attempt to track down Orjean, Max has a run in with a man who had the money to buy the superpowers. On the final page, he learns that Orjean has something else up his sleeve.
My Thoughts...
Mark Waid continues to impress me with his Boom universe books. The whole theme of the series is summarized in a short paragraph.
The Plutonian (Superman type character) goes bad. His arch enemy, Max Damage, determines the only way to defeat him is to go straight. Not everyone believes him, so he asks a policeman for help.
No long winded explanations are needed. The way Waid wrote this issue you can start with it even if you have not read the first one. It is your loss if you skipped it. This title along with Irredeemable shows two sides of the same universe. In some ways, I could see this one being the better story in the long run. The story of a bad guy trying to be good has made for some exciting stories in the past. All indications are that this will be one of the good ones.
I like the addition of Jailbait. Waid is using her character to demonstrate that it is not always easy to go straight. She just wants the old Max back. So far, Jailbait is struggling. Her first instinct in the house was to rob the family. If she does not begin to control her instincts, Max will not let her stay around.
Little details, like the revelation that Max is vulnerable when he first wakes up add to the story without slowing it down. It is revealed in a short scene with Jailbait. Good writers find ways to work in scenes to uncover details about their characters.
In what is a Waid trademark, he keeps a surprise for the final scene. Max realizes that Orjean is raising the stakes. I would not want to be in Orjean's shoes when Max finds him.
The art by Diaz is inconsistent. Some panels are very well drawn. Others are weak. I think he will become more consistent over the course of a few issues. I liked the way the art team blacked out the figure of the one character being shot multiple times. In this case, the reader did not need to see a detailed panel. The stark black figures against the orange panel makes the reader focus on the scene. It is a good example of letting the art tell the story.
Overall, this series is recommended. Waid's story is improving with each issue.
Take a Look Inside
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Reviewer Bio
Jim Black/Reviewer and Interviewer
Jim has been a comic fan since he was a little boy. Comics, science fiction and music became his passions. After writing for some fanzines, Jim finally broke in writing an independent comic. Unfortunately, it did not last. In recent years, Jim has been reviewing comics (http://comicbookrevolution.net/) and science fiction (http://sciencefictiontimes.blogspot.com/). In addition to reviewing, Jim is working on his own writing projects.
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