Incorruptible #1 (Boom! – Waid / Diaz)
Last April BOOM! Studios showed the world that MARK WAID IS EVIL with the smash-hit series IRREDEEMABLE. This December, BOOM! shows the world that Mark Waid is now… INCORRUPTIBLE! Super villain Max Damage had an epiphany the day The Plutonian destroyed Sky City. When The Plutonian turned his back on humanity, Max Damage decided to step up. Now Max Damage has changed his name to Max Daring and turned from his formerly selfish ways to become… INCORRUPTIBLE.
I am going to start out with the bottom line first… this was crazy good! This issue actually has more of a “compelling” factor than Irredeemable‘s first issue had, and I will tell you why.
Unless you have been under a rock the past half year, you have come across Waid’s series about a Superman like titan who gets a screw loose and takes out all the other metas and holds the world captive (Irredeemable), and his writing drew everyone who read his dark tale in. While we were captivated with the “why?” and the “how could this possibly resolve?”, we were equally horrified by the dark side of our favorite genre. Irredeemable masterfully brings the reader to the edge of what the comic industry’s archetypes could become (the same sort of theme was explored in Watchmen, but in much more detailed and gritty way). The fans are attracted and repelled at the same time, with excellent writing being the strong attractor that most simply can’t pull away from.
Mark Waid now takes the same story and setting and turns it around with Incorruptible. Now, instead the heartbreak of watching a demi-god go from hero to villain, we get to watch the victorious struggle of a super-powered devil go from villain to possible savior… much more soothing to the soul. He burns the money he has stolen, turns in his henchmen and ditches his underage girl-toy… great stuff! Artist Jean Diaz (Wonder Woman, 24) presents solid pages throughout the entire issue and shows he is ready to be recognized as a player in the big leagues.
Issue Grade: A
well said, eric. great issue, i only wish there was more incorruptible and less of the preview.