GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: Irredeemable Premier Edition Vol. 1

WE DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS

If only Mark Waid writes Superman. Seriously, he can do that. Just read his Superman: Birthright, and his epic Kingdom Come. However, he’s happy with other independent comic publishers and even right now, Marvel.  Speaking of which, he wrote one of the most subversive superhero tales yet, IRREDEEMABLE. In this 37-long issue, he answered his own question, “what if the greatest superhero becomes the worst super-villain ever?” Indeed, the name itself speaks volume that he is the only few privileged types who can execute such magnitude since Alan Moore’s Miracleman run, Warren Ellis’ The Authority series, and Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis event.

What makes IRREDEEMABLE separates from most of the superhero books is the unthinkable scenario the most powerful being can do if one crosses the point of no return. Destruction of societies and nations, and even the world itself are just mere breakfasts aside, what more with the existence itself. And the heroes and even villains themselves are forced to challenge their former friend/ally/antagonist to an unwinnable position at all. And if that theme is written by Mark Waid, then IRREDEEMABLE reads like the complete flipped/reversed/rogue/opposite/disastrous Superman tale ever. Well, this series brought the writer critical acclaims and even won him an Eisner as Best Writer along the way. And right now, it’s publisher, BOOM! Studios, publishes and releases IRREDEEMABLE Premier Edition Vol. #1.

This hardcover edition collects Irredeemable #1-8, comprising of two story arcs and clocking 216 pages overall. The only feature is the cover gallery, made by some of the best illustrators around, like John Cassaday and Gene Ha. The rest is pure Mark Waid-Superman-supposedly tale of complete reversals in wider proportions.

Mark Waid’s narrative style is unorthodox upon reading this gripping of the reasons why the main protagonist/antagonist, Plutonian, commits such horrible acts of atrocities to the people he once wanted to serve and to protect. Unlike traditional storytelling trope of focusing first on the present acts and then highlight the origins in one chapter/issue, Waid shuffles the past and the present without making the readers dizzy since he knows how to write good narratives, most especially great superhero comic stories ever. The great indicator is the costume the hero/villain wore/wears, while his former superhero team, The Paradigm, attempts to neutralize him while searching for clues for his current berserker mode, while each of them dealt with his/her own problems and with each other as a team. If only this series is in Superman stories, this would definitely be a great Superman tale. Consider this a great loss for DC Comics indeed.

Peter Krouse was the main illustrator for this initial volume, whose art-style reflects of Darrick Robertson’s The Boys — gritty, dirty, grounded, visceral, but emotionally impactful just the same. Though sometimes, the shifts between past and present can be a little challenged for the uninitiated due to the same color palettes and illustrations applied. Good thing, Waid’s mastery of wordings made up this minor artistic inadequacy.

Despite great Waid’s storytelling here, this edition lacks so many features that can fulfill the moniker “premier”. One is the lack of additional notes or explanations. I believe Grant Morrison had made an afterword for the premier issue. These are definitely absent here. Another is additional artworks by the creative team, particularly Krouse’s. I love to see the artist’s breakdowns, sketches, annotations (alongside with Waid’s), references, etc. But we are treated here with the cover gallery instead. There are more blank and colored pages here instead that basically said or illustrated nothing at all. And, I believe there was a slip-case, deluxe hardcover edition of this seminal superhero revisionist. Why the publishing house can’t republish instead? The main course actually in this edition is Mark Waid’s excellent storytelling, nothing more or less.