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paulrdukes's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this trade, but it doesn't feel as thought out as it's companion book, [b:Irredeemable: Volume 1|6681037|Irredeemable Volume 1|Mark Waid|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256014034s/6681037.jpg|6876264]
calfaile's review against another edition
3.0
Compared to irredeemable, this spin off series feels a little. . . Lacking. It's not bad, but it alternates between predictable and forced.
blairconrad's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting companion piece to [b:Irredeemable|6681037|Irredeemable (Volume 1)|Mark Waid|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256014034s/6681037.jpg|6876264]. Max's powers would be incredibly generic were it not for one little twist, but that twist should provide an opportunity for some interesting plotlines. I enjoyed seeing the "how do I be good" aspects of the character. Perhaps the best part was the Batman-like trilogy we have going on, with faux Commissioner Gordon and faux Robin. I got a chuckle out of that.
clarks_dad's review against another edition
3.0
In truth, about 3.5 stars. Review applies to the entire series read over the span of two days.
Incorruptible reads pretty much like a single arc because of its brevity, although there are separate subplots that develop Max's character. The story follows Max Damage, one-time super villain and archenemy of the Plutonian, Earth's greatest superhero. When the Plutonian flips out and goes on a murderous rampage, Max is faced with what at first appears to be a superficial identity crisis. If Plutonian is now the villain, who is he? And just like that, Max decides to play counterpoint to the Plutonian again, abandoning a life of crime (much to the chagrin of his underage sidekick Jailbait) for a life of rectitude and justice. The series follows Max's attempts to both atone for his past - a task which is pretty much impossible, because Max has done some genuinely horrible shit - and to navigate the world of superherodom. The path is not easy and helping him navigate are a host of allies that include, for a time, the hopeful Jailbait, who is quickly spurned by Max as he sets off on a life on the other side of the law, Lieutenant Armadale, a recovering alcoholic and pretty much the only law left in Coalville, and Alana Patel, the one-time lover of the Plutonian himself.
What's absolutely fantastic about this series (just as it was in Irredeemable) is the depth given to the characters and the complexity of their motivation. This isn't a traditional comic book world where good always triumphs and people learn from their mistakes. Sometimes, we're prisoners to our pasts and we're not always successful when we try to break out. Max is seriously bad news. Not a token super villain who decides to walk the righteous path. He's literally done things that make him irredeemable; he's murdered children and his sidekick (and girlfriend) is an underaged girl named Jailbait. He changes his life the simplest and easiest way he knows how: he draws an uncompromising line in the sand and refuses to cross back over it for fear of backsliding. That means no lying, clearing the rolodex of past acquaintances, and torching anything of his received from ill-gotten gains. He pushes Jailbait away and it casts him adrift, making it harder to stick to the good road he's chosen as he's forced to forge new friendships and find mentors to fix a lifetime of bad behavior and a reckless lack of self-restraint. By far the best moments are from Max's origin story, which add hidden layers that give justification for a lot of what would seem to be superficial actions on the part of characters earlier in the tale.
Waid also imaginatively creates a new world of heroes and villains, all with rather unique and cool powers. Yes, the Plutonian is Superman, but there's remarkable ingenuity shown in the development of many other characters. Max himself is really interesting. He becomes more powerful the longer he stays awake. His skin hardens and he loses the sensations of touch, taste and smell. He can go days without sleeping, but when he does, his power resets and he's vulnerable in the first hour after he wakes. Safeword can magically use the word "stop" to freeze the behavior of those around her and there are plenty more awesomely named and inventive heroes that populate Waid's world.
The downside is that this is more of a companion piece than a standalone story. Taken on its own, Incorruptible can have some rather humorous moments. It's a fun and diverting read, but what gives it depth is the fact that it's a sort of story inversion of Irredeemable both of which are ingenious concepts. So much of Max's attitude and inspiration comes from his relationship with the Plutonian and the events that happen in the pages of Irredeemable that in a vacuum they lack the emotional punch that the parent tale has. That background knowledge gives this story the depth and shading necessary to make it a rounded and three dimensional tale. Anyway, taken together, they're the best sequential art I've read all year and will probably end up being among my favorite reads of the year.
Incorruptible reads pretty much like a single arc because of its brevity, although there are separate subplots that develop Max's character. The story follows Max Damage, one-time super villain and archenemy of the Plutonian, Earth's greatest superhero. When the Plutonian flips out and goes on a murderous rampage, Max is faced with what at first appears to be a superficial identity crisis. If Plutonian is now the villain, who is he? And just like that, Max decides to play counterpoint to the Plutonian again, abandoning a life of crime (much to the chagrin of his underage sidekick Jailbait) for a life of rectitude and justice. The series follows Max's attempts to both atone for his past - a task which is pretty much impossible, because Max has done some genuinely horrible shit - and to navigate the world of superherodom. The path is not easy and helping him navigate are a host of allies that include, for a time, the hopeful Jailbait, who is quickly spurned by Max as he sets off on a life on the other side of the law, Lieutenant Armadale, a recovering alcoholic and pretty much the only law left in Coalville, and Alana Patel, the one-time lover of the Plutonian himself.
What's absolutely fantastic about this series (just as it was in Irredeemable) is the depth given to the characters and the complexity of their motivation. This isn't a traditional comic book world where good always triumphs and people learn from their mistakes. Sometimes, we're prisoners to our pasts and we're not always successful when we try to break out. Max is seriously bad news. Not a token super villain who decides to walk the righteous path. He's literally done things that make him irredeemable; he's murdered children and his sidekick (and girlfriend) is an underaged girl named Jailbait. He changes his life the simplest and easiest way he knows how: he draws an uncompromising line in the sand and refuses to cross back over it for fear of backsliding. That means no lying, clearing the rolodex of past acquaintances, and torching anything of his received from ill-gotten gains. He pushes Jailbait away and it casts him adrift, making it harder to stick to the good road he's chosen as he's forced to forge new friendships and find mentors to fix a lifetime of bad behavior and a reckless lack of self-restraint. By far the best moments are from Max's origin story, which add hidden layers that give justification for a lot of what would seem to be superficial actions on the part of characters earlier in the tale.
Waid also imaginatively creates a new world of heroes and villains, all with rather unique and cool powers. Yes, the Plutonian is Superman, but there's remarkable ingenuity shown in the development of many other characters. Max himself is really interesting. He becomes more powerful the longer he stays awake. His skin hardens and he loses the sensations of touch, taste and smell. He can go days without sleeping, but when he does, his power resets and he's vulnerable in the first hour after he wakes. Safeword can magically use the word "stop" to freeze the behavior of those around her and there are plenty more awesomely named and inventive heroes that populate Waid's world.
The downside is that this is more of a companion piece than a standalone story. Taken on its own, Incorruptible can have some rather humorous moments. It's a fun and diverting read, but what gives it depth is the fact that it's a sort of story inversion of Irredeemable both of which are ingenious concepts. So much of Max's attitude and inspiration comes from his relationship with the Plutonian and the events that happen in the pages of Irredeemable that in a vacuum they lack the emotional punch that the parent tale has. That background knowledge gives this story the depth and shading necessary to make it a rounded and three dimensional tale. Anyway, taken together, they're the best sequential art I've read all year and will probably end up being among my favorite reads of the year.
remlezar's review against another edition
3.0
A fun, original story, held back by art that is at best mediocre and at worst confusingly bad.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
It's somewhat remarkable how different Incorruptible is from its "parent title", [b:Irredeemable Premier Edition Volume One|27499801|Irredeemable Premier Edition Volume One|Mark Waid|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448205479s/27499801.jpg|47537975]. While Irredeemable tells the story of a long-time superhero who seemingly cracks and becomes a genocidal supervillain, Incorruptible tells the story of a supervillain who was set to commit his own act of genocide when he sees The Plutonian (the rogue hero from Irredeemable) has started killing people, and decides he needs to become a superhero and stop The Plutonian.
It could have worked.
Instead, we are treated to a story where a guy who is still a complete scumbag is supposed to be seen as Trying To Be A Hero. Look at how he decides to stop sleeping with his underage partner-in-crime named Jailbait. He should get a cookie for that, right?
Everything about this comic is cheap and exploitative. It's difficult to believe it's written by the same person as Irredeemable. I mean, the main character of the book is Max Damage. With his partner, Jailbait. It sounds like some shitty, Howard Chaykin hackjob. I can't find any interviews where Waid says he's embarrassed to have produced this title, but he should be.
It gets two stars because [a:Jean Diaz|111462|Jean Diaz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art is far better than this story deserves.
I don't recommend it. But if I had to, I'd recommend it to people who still look forward to Frank Miller books, people who confuse "gritty" with "interesting", and people who stay in abusive relationships because they believe it will get better.
It could have worked.
Instead, we are treated to a story where a guy who is still a complete scumbag is supposed to be seen as Trying To Be A Hero. Look at how he decides to stop sleeping with his underage partner-in-crime named Jailbait. He should get a cookie for that, right?
Everything about this comic is cheap and exploitative. It's difficult to believe it's written by the same person as Irredeemable. I mean, the main character of the book is Max Damage. With his partner, Jailbait. It sounds like some shitty, Howard Chaykin hackjob. I can't find any interviews where Waid says he's embarrassed to have produced this title, but he should be.
It gets two stars because [a:Jean Diaz|111462|Jean Diaz|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s art is far better than this story deserves.
I don't recommend it. But if I had to, I'd recommend it to people who still look forward to Frank Miller books, people who confuse "gritty" with "interesting", and people who stay in abusive relationships because they believe it will get better.
saraha19's review against another edition
4.0
Love the idea of a superhero/supervillain swap. Can't wait to catch up on this series.
nnebeluk's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting concept - what happens when the world's biggest super villain goes straight - is launched in this book but it doesn't go very far. The majority of it is spent on past exposition instead of plot or character development and so it doesn't seem to have any momentum. We're just told to admire how odd this situation is for a 100 odd pages. That being said, the series does seem to offer some potential and I'll likely check out future volumes.
chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
What do you do when the world's greatest superhero turns bad and kills millions of people? If you're Max Damage, one of the most infamous villains, you decide that you're going to switch teams and play for the good guys. Naturally, not as easy as it might sound, but makes for a very entertaining comic book premise.
tin_squid's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoy Mark Waid's writing, but this was kind of meh. There are a couple of similarly premised short stories in Masked which I thought were better.