Brilliant #4 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  Super-powers are suddenly very public as Amadeus rips through police officers and his friends wind up in interrogation rooms.

The Review:  Bendis  has often faced ire from readers for decompression.  Given this, it feels odd to criticize this issue of Brilliant for moving too fast, but that’s what I’m finding myself doing.  Simply put, in four issues, things have happened too quickly.  Bendis is essentially having huge things occur that are generally the sorts of things that happen 20 issues or so into a run, not by issue 4.  As a result, these events have very little emotional impact and pack nowhere near the punch that they should.

The problem is that with only 3 prior issues, we’re not invested enough in these characters to truly care when big things happen to them.  We’re unphased by gigantic shake-ups to the status-quo because, well, we hadn’t even really settled into that prior status quo.

Powers #10 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The murderer of the Golden Ones reveals his backstory and we learn that there are far, far bigger and nastier things out there than the Golden Ones.

The Review:  Wow…just….wow.  If anything, this issue is proof that when it comes to Powers, Brian Bendis does not hold back.  From the absolute, gut-wrenchingly vivid brutality of the serial god-killer’s backstory to the manner in which Bendis expands his comic’s universe and the stakes of this story, Bendis has basically laughed at the idea of limiting how far Powers can go.  It’s a brave and unflinching performance from Bendis in what is, in my opinion, by far the best issue of Powers since it relaunched.

When reading the murderer tell his story through a confessional tape, it becomes increasingly shocking and downright disturbing to read.  Bendis pulls back the curtain on the Golden Ones for us to see the ugliness and depravity that lurks behind.  They are certainly less than the golden gods they portray themselves at and are, in the case of Damocles at the very least, nothing more the humans that have come into incredible power, only to become twisted and depraved as a result.  I cannot describe how intense this extended scene, and narration, was.  To say that it “hits hard” is putting it lightly.  There is no holding back, no sugar coating, and Powers lives up to its “mature readers” label.  Through words alone, Bendis paints an unfathomably brutal scene that is as appalling as it is haunting, one that feels real, while also highlighting what has become a theme in Powers – that superpowers take the old adage “absolute power corrupts absolutely” to new heights of accuracy.

Spinning out of this, Bendis also really expands the scope of his universe, which really makes it clear why Powers is becoming Powers: FBI; the stakes have been far larger and so have, well, the powers.  What has long been a police procedural involving superpowers has suddenly become a statement on the relationship between god and man.  It almost feels as though Bendis puts a Lovecraftian spin to Powers; in revealing the true nature of the Golden Ones and whether they really are gods, we end up getting an answer that leads to more questions, an answer that tells us of the enormous, unimaginable, ancient powers that lurk behind the workings of the world.  The Golden Ones were small fries compared to these cosmic forces and in violating the threshold between god and man, man pierces the veil between the two just a little bit, and the result is a punishment of biblical proportions.  We end up a hell of a long way away from the safe, old police procedural.  Instead, there’s a sense that Powers, with its cops and criminals, have gone too far, played with powers too far beyond understanding, and the result is Cthulian promises fulfilled.  To hammer home this point, this revelation of the great powers at work behind the scenes of Powers universe is accompanied by a shocking, tragic character death, one that sees polar opposites meet, true and unquestionable representatives of the godly and the human/mundane; suffice it to say, it does not go well.

Powers #7 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Christian and Enki question members of the Golden Ones while dealing with Deena Pilgrim’s surprise return.

The Review: It has been five months since the last issue of Powers came out.  Five months.  It wasn’t the end of a story-arc.  It wasn’t an official hiatus.  There was never  a stop to the solicitations.  That’s really the biggest, and truly the only, knock I have on this issue.  I absolutely hate the fact that Bendis and Oeming took a five-month break to work on Takio between issues during a story-arc.  As a result, some of the details here are a bit murky without going back to re-read issue 6.  For instance, I struggled to remember much at all about the murdered Damocles.

But it is an excellent comic, one that shows that Brian Bendis can still write a really smart book when he wants to.  He espouses some interesting ideas on religion, particularly conventional religion in a world populated filled with superpowers, and how that phenomenon challenges faith.  It’s thought-provoking and elegantly, honestly written stuff.

More than that though, this whole arc with the Golden Ones is fulfilling the promise I saw in the first issue.  Bendis begins to really mine the concept of mythological gods in a superhero-populated universe here.  Indeed, there always has been something a bit ambiguous and problematic about Thor, Hercules, and such running about in such a world.  There are so many interesting questions that arise, and Bendis scratches the surface here.  For instance, there’s the fact that in the world with superpowers, there’s no black and white distinction between man and god; there’s now a weird gray area of superhumans between the two.

Scarlet #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art & colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Scarlet’s video of her assassinating the police chief goes viral, causing a flash mob of Scarlet supporters to rally.

What’s Good: For all the critical buzz it’s been getting, I’ve still been a bit on the fence about Scarlet, and I’m a huge fan of Brian Bendis.  The potential is definitely there and the art is great, but something wasn’t fully clicking for me.  That changed this month, in a big way.

I think my issue has been that the comic has been in intro mode for the last three issues in that we weren’t getting a firm enough idea of what this comic was going to be like in the long run.  With Scarlet #4, the picture is suddenly clear and much more developed, and I like what I’m seeing.

Scarlet #4 makes it clear that this comic, or at least a big part of it, is going to be about the intersection of myth and personhood.  In other words, it’s about the relationship between Scarlet the public persona and Scarlet the actual human being.  This is far, far more compelling, and not to mention smarter, than a comic that’s simply about revolution and saying no to the Man.  In putting herself out there, Scarlet has made herself into myth and legend, a person that is more idea than person, an idea that Alan Moore touched upon so well in V for Vendetta.  What Bendis does wonderfully, however, is also show how this myth coincides with Scarlet Rue the person; for all the signs, slogans, and rallies, Scarlet is still shown to be very human.  We get scenes of her getting out of bed, chatting with her friend, and trying to rationalize her actions.

More than that though, Bendis also shows the toll the myth takes on the person.  In becoming legend, Scarlet runs afoul of her family, leading to an encounter with her mother that makes clear the price of what she’s done, suggesting perhaps that being both person and legend may not be entirely possible.

With this issue, Scarlet becomes a phenomenon.  Her presence resounds throughout the world of the comic.  The public myth of Scarlet is less a person and more a symbol and idea, and that makes for engaging and exciting reading.  The world in the comic has gone topsy-turvy and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

In presenting two very different sorts of Scarlet, Bendis ends up almost telling two stories that bounce off of one another: there’s the story of Scarlet getting out of bed and dealing with her mother, and there’s the story of protesters carrying signs bearing her name in front of police fearing a riot.  Both stories are about Scarlet, both are related, but both are also very different.  It’s really fun stuff.

Alex Maleev’s artwork is brilliant, as expected.  He does an absolutely fantastic job of highlighting Scarlet’s humanity (that last splash in particular will stick with you) while also illustrating the brazen mayhem of the rally.  He strikes the exact same balance regarding Scarlet as Bendis strives to in his script and so, as such, you couldn’t hope for much better compatibility between writer and artist.

Scarlet #3 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art & colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Scarlet finds a new ally and declares war on Portland’s police department, taking on its chief.

What’s Good: I really feel as though the ball got rolling with this issue.  The story moves at a decent pace and, finally, I’ve gotten an overall impression of what this series is going to end up feeling like and what the overall concept is.  It’s great to get an understanding of the series as a whole and the type of story it’ll be pursuing.

More than anything, we get a little bit more of Scarlet as a central character and protagonist in action, an actual character, as opposed to someone relegated to flashbacks, or someone attempting to sell us on the comic in the present.  She truly feels like an action hero this month, and that makes the comic feel more solid in its being anchored around her.  There’s a mix of insanity, vulnerability, gleefulness, and sadness to the character, but unlike past issues, all of this is shown as opposed to simply told to us by Scarlet herself.  We’re able to observe a little more.

Much of this is due to Bendis’ reigning in the breaking of the fourth wall a bit.  While the narration still often speaks to the reader, we don’t get anywhere near as many panels of Scarlet staring at the reader and talking to him/her.  While it’s a cool concept, it took up valuable page-space and slowed the comic down far too much.  I’m glad to see it under control.

This also means fewer panels of Scarlet talking against a bare background, which allows Alex Maleev to do some solid work here.  Great scenery, a fun sniper sequence, and another of those great montages spice up the goodness we’ve come to expect from Maleev.

All told, the comic got across its “one against many” theme and feel a bit more than it has in previous months, mostly because there was less talking and more doing.  I’ve always been a sucker for that old story, and thanks to that, this issue gave me something good to grab a hold of.

Powers #6 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Walker and Calista go on their first adventure together, a god (maybe) is found murdered, and a certain someone makes her unexpected return in an unexpected capacity.

What’s Good: Calista comes out as the star this month.  While her role as Walker’s student expands with her first team-up alongside him, she’s the highlight this month if only because her personality really shines.  Calista is really at her most adorable this month, so much so that it’s impossible not to like her.  Best of all is that this likability is wholly natural and never saccharine, as it’s accomplished chiefly through Calista’s absurd sense of humor and Bendis’ writing of her youthful impatience.  Calista’s dialogue was a job well done by Bendis this month; she’s funny, she’s human, and her age and personality really come through.

Other than Calista-related awesomeness, this month is fairly devoted to set-up.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s intriguing and really promising for the future, as Bendis seems to intend this arc to address a region of superheroics that he’d left untouched so far.  It looks as though this arc is going to be dedicated to the mythological gods who always seem to somehow find their way into superhero tights in the comics world.  That Bendis has never even once mentioned this area before is stunning and that I had never thought of it myself is testament to how good Powers really is.  Considering the various intelligent riffs Bendis has made on superhero comics in Powers, I can’t wait to see what he does here.

Then of course, there’s the surprise return.  Even though it’s not really a surprise, given the solicitations and the cover of next month’s issue, the capacity in which the character returns is certainly an interesting one.

Casanova #1 – Review

By Matt Fraction (writer), Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon (artists), Cris Peter (colorist)

Like most Good Things in comics, I would argue that we can blame this one on Warren Ellis.

See, back in 2005, Ellis created a comic with Image called Fell, an atmospheric detective story told in an experimental format that packed more content onto fewer pages for a lower cost. A completely satisfying reading experience for Value Menu prices–a worthy experiment to pursue, right? Fraction certainly thought so, and a year later he supported Ellis’ Slimline format with the release of Casanova, a psychedelic, genre-busting tale of espionage, music, and the multiverse. Under the Image banner, Casanova enjoyed fourteen glorious issues before going on hiatus while Fraction, Ba, and Moon went on to achieve super-stardom through other projects. But the times are, as Dylan keenly observed, always a-changin’, and after two agonizing years, Casanova has been brought under Marvel’s Icon banner where it’s good and ready to remind the world why it is one of the greatest American comics we’ve got going right now. No joke.

At its heart, Casanova is the tale of Casanova Quinn, a master thief and unscrupulous rogue whose very existence is an insult to his father, the head of a superspy organization called E.M.P.I.R.E. (nope, they still haven’t explained what the hell it stands for, but does it matter?). After Casanova’s sister, the apple of her father’s eye and an operative in his organization, is killed in the line of duty, Casanova is abruptly kidnapped from his dimension by Newman Xeno, the bandaged kingpin of a criminal organization called W.A.S.T.E. (nope, don’t know what that one means either, but whatever) and dropped into a parallel universe where he is dead and his sister is an evil bitch working for Xeno, who now wants our Casanova to work for him as a double agent in his parallel-father’s organization.

Got all that? Yeah, me neither. But that’s okay because Casanova is back to blow our freaking minds, and we need that kind of Weirdness in our comics.

This comic is about so many things: fathers and sons, love and hate, redemption, greed, egos and faith and the perils of screwing with time and space. And it’s a comic influenced by so many things: rock music, beatnik poetry, James Bond, science, religion, books, comics, the aesthetics of Genres and the ambiguity of Love. And it does it all with such brazen, assured coolness and ruthless swagger that you hardly realize it’s a story that’s trying to tell you meaningful things. It’s also a record of Fraction’s life, of the things that were on his mind and the ideas and music and comics he was feeling passionate about at the time he was writing each script. There’s a kind of honesty to the way he’s let us into his world that I really identified with when this comic first came out, and I’m really grateful to see that vibe continues here in the back matter of this issue.

Scarlet #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: We meet Scarlet, our protagonist, a girl who’s had enough with a broken world.

What’s Good: As a concept, Scarlet should be applauded.  It’s a bold move on the part of Bendis and Maleev and a pretty big creative risk.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comic so completely disregard the fourth wall, as protagonist Scarlet literally talks at the reader for more or less the entirety of the book.

The result is that a certain connection is fostered between reader and Scarlet that carries a strong intimacy.  I found Scarlet to have a strong voice and I felt privy to the various nuances and complexities of a rounded, fully realized personality.  It’s also neat how all of this dialogue between reader and character leads to a sort of relentless stream of consciousness.  This led to greater immersion and an increased humanity and vulnerability on the part of Scarlet.

Without a doubt, this unique form of narration is at its very best when Bendis steers a bit from just having the character talk at us, and has her instead narrate a flashback of her life.  The fact that it’s not just straight, traditional narration but an intermingling of textboxes and Scarlet talking to the reader directly makes the flashback feel more involved and laden with emotion.  When we see Scarlet, in telling her story, speaking lines of dialogue from the flashback, it’s clear that Bendis is onto something special.

As always, Maleev’s work is slick and realistic.  His take on Scarlet helps as well.  She truly stands out and feels very much alive.  Maleev take on the environments also mirrors Scarlet’s mindset: in the present, it’s dirty and grey while in the flashback, it’s golden and sunny.

Powers #5 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Christian hits rock bottom as his relationship with Heather suddenly falls apart but unbeknownst to him, Heather has two very big secrets.

What’s Good: Oeming’s artwork is absolutely superb this month, but it’s really unique in that its greatest strength isn’t jaw-dropping visuals or stunning splash pages.  In fact, this is arguably a pretty restrained issue as far as Powers goes.  What makes the art stunning is how Oeming emphasizes the “sequential” in “sequential art” and what exactly that means.  The panel-to-panel transitions are incredibly smooth and both physical actions and mental processes are incredibly well plotted out.  There’s a great sense of logic and movement from panel to panel that leads to a really organic feel.  Honestly, it’s the sort of work that  makes most other comics feel stilted by comparison.  It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a comic with such a natural flow to it.

Plot-wise, quite a bit happens this month.  As the opening issue to a new story-arc, this issue certainly fulfills its function, offering tantalizing bits of some very major things to come.  When a first issue is giving you visions of an apocalyptic future, you know you’re going to be in for on heck of a ride.

It was also a very good month for Enki Sunrise, who Bendis is clearly trying to build up as a character.  He, more than ever, shows a softer, more human side to the character, letting us see a more sympathetic, even maternal Enki which really stands in juxtaposition to the hard-nosed Enki we’ve mostly seen these far.  Bendis is quickly adding texture to Enki and is making her a fully realized character and I like what I’m seeing.

Speaking of vulnerability, it’s hard not to feel for Christian when he’s down in the dumps.  Bendis has always done a great job of writing his leading man’s heavy burden(s) and that’s no different here.  It’s just always so easy to feel bad for Christian.

Powers #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Walker and Sunrise’s murder investigation comes to a close.

What’s Good: It’s satisfying to see Bendis and Oeming planning for the long haul.  This issue the creation of what should be a new antagonist for the series for some time to come.  A great deal of detail is added to Erika Broglia’s character, a mixture of trauma and a twisted sense of tradition.  She ends up being a very interesting character and this issue leaves her in a very intriguing position, one where the door is left very much open.  It’s satisfying to see a character that could have been so easily clichéd be given so much depth.

But Erika’s not the only character brought to the table this month.  As last month’s cliffhanger suggested, this is also a big issue for Billy Mace, who looks to be another series fixture in the making.  Mace occupies a unique position in the book as a figure that is in touch with Christian’s past.  In many ways, he looks to act as Christian’s conscience for past misdeeds and imperfections.  He’s a dark character, while still being disgruntled enough to be oddly likable.  His scene with Walker is the high point of the issue, as he maintains a full conversation while literally leaping around and drinking vodka.

Mace also opens the door to another investigation of one of the more intriguing elements of Powers: Christian’s memory and specifically, the functioning (or non-functioning) of the memories of those who live incredibly long lives.  Bendis does a good job of portraying the pain of this ongoing cycle of dim recollections, while hinting at more exploration to come.

Art-wise, I don’t think that Oeming is physically capable of putting out a bad issue of Powers.  The scene with Billy Mace is fantastically plotted, as he bounds about the building.  Oeming is even able to make the most mundane things look dynamic and beautiful; Christian’s jog in the park is absolutely amazing to experience.

Powers #3 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: It’s a high-speed, super-powered chase as Walker and Sunrise try to get their murder suspect back to the station in one piece.

What’s Good: This is just a gorgeous display of sequential art at its finest.  Not only is Oeming’s work beautiful to look at in and of itself, but as always, his sense of narrative flow and storytelling is also creative and really fun.  Oeming’s work remains explosive, yet comfortingly adorable.  He also creates a wonderful sense of atmosphere and tension throughout the issue.

As always, the actual action mirrors the panel structure (if you can call it that), giving the book a fast, organic feel.  For instance, a car drives from one panel to another, snaking its way through a double-page spread.  How can you not adore something like that?

His work on a tense scene in a sewer is also in wonderful contrast with the rest of the issue, which is a high-paced car chase.  Oeming’s style easily shifts to accommodate and create a real sense of claustrophobic tension.  It’s great stuff, as is that car chase, which explodes with a real sense of speed.  Colorist Nick Filardi also helps quite a bit and the usage of light in the sewer scene is amazing, telling a story in itself.

On Bendis’ end, the chase itself is perfectly paced.  There’s also a very well timed flashback towards the end of the issue that both feels natural and surprising; it feels like it came out of nowhere, yet also satisfies.  Bendis also hits you with one big, badass ending to this issue.

Powers #1 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Detectives Christian Walker and Enki Sunrise try to learn to live with each other as they embark upon their first case together.

What’s Good: Powers is a rightfully celebrated series and I can assure you that this relaunch issue lives up to its previous volumes.  In more or less every way, this is the definition of what a good comic should be.

Certainly, all of the Bendis hallmarks are in place.  The staccato dialogue and the creative profanity are in fine form.  That said, what also returns is Bendis’ ability in Powers to portray multi-layered, real, and complex human relationships.  It’s all the more impressive that he manages this with Enki Sunrise, a character that has remained ill-defined and two-dimensional up until this point and was one of the few weak spots of Powers’ last arc.  Finally, Bendis manages to flesh out the character a bit and give her a little more life.  Moreover, he’s actually well on his way to making her likable.  Readers of Powers will know this to be no small feat.

And he does this through minimal, subtle strokes.  In a few pages of near-wordless action, we arguably learn more about the character than we have through the entirety of the last arc.  Furthermore, when she attempts to forge a bond with Christian, the dialogue is expertly played; her conversation is scattered, stumbling, and awkward.  Really, the syntax says as much about the character and her desires as her actual words.

For a first issue, Bendis also manages a large scope.  Upon finding an old associate dead, we get a flashback to a period of Christian’s past that is all gaudy film noir.  I’ve always loved Bendis’ visiting of Christian in previous eras, as his treatment of these time-periods are evocative yet honest, and this is the case here.  I also have always enjoyed noticing the subtle differences, and similarities, between Christian’s personality then and now.  It’s an absolute pleasure to see a Christian this month that is, for lack of a better word, an asshole, if not a tag-along.

Beyond this, the sense of mystery is palpable and Bendis makes me want more.  This is also thanks in large part to Oeming’s artwork, and this is his best work in some time.  His paneling is as abstract and creative as ever (one memorable double-page spread tracks our characters’ path across a street and up a building), without causing the confusion that Powers’ previous arc was at times guilty of.  Colorist Nick Filardi also improves the series, alleviating it of the slightly excessive darkness of prior issues.

Oeming’s style urban environments are absolutely beautiful despite their seeming simplicity, heavy with mood and dark ambiance.  His rendition of the flashback is also well done: it glows with just enough life and vibrancy to distinguish it from the present day without becoming overly self-conscious, and of course ,the present-day is as grim and gritty a place as ever.

What’s Not So Good: None whatsoever.  Some might say that we didn’t get enough information regarding the actual murder and make cries regarding plot progression.  Relax, it’s only the first issue and besides, Powers has long been more about the characters anyway.

Conclusion: Comics bliss… This should satisfy even the most stalwart Bendis-hater.

Grade: A

-Alex Evans

Incognito #5 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (art), and Val Staples (colors)

The Story: Ava Destruction and Zack Overkill go to ground before Zack discovers the awful truth about his origins.

What’s Good: Everything you’ve liked about Incognito returns for another month.  Sean Phillips’ art is a key example of this; completely consistent in its style, tone, and quality without any dips or hurry. It continues to capture Brubaker’s weird mix of dark, hard-boiled noir and bizarre, ray-gun toting 60s sci-fi.  Incognito has been nothing short of excellent every issue, and #5 is no different.

I said it in my review last month and I’ll say it again now: I really, really like Ava Destruction as a character. Once again, despite her clear mental imbalances and homicidal tendencies, she remains impossibly likable. In that sense, the reader’s own relationship to her mirrors Zack’s. She’s dangerous, bloody, and generally awful. Yet relentlessly attractive and compelling.  It’s her very strangeness and ruthless and carefree violence that pull us towards her. And when Brubaker adds a level of vulnerability to her this month, it only makes us embrace her all the harder.

The twist regarding Zack’s origin occupies a central place in this month’s issue, and while it conveys, thanks in no small part to Phillips’ art and Staples’ neon colors and that throwback grindhouse/sci-fi feel, it also truly is a culmination of Zack’s existential struggles. In fact, Zack’s discovery and the subsequent conclusion of this issue are both beautiful in their being a concrete yet almost surreal manifestation of Zack’s loss of identity. Indeed, it fits the title “Incognito” perfectly. Despite its reliance on strong interior monologues, this series once again serves to question the nature of identity and whether the concept carries any validity at all. At the end of this issue, I’m leaning towards “no,” and yet paradoxically, I still see Zack as a distinct person that I’m invested in. This is testament to Brubaker’s skill as a writer that avoids clear answers.

Simply put, this is a highly intelligent issue that takes the book’s themes to an extreme new  level, setting up a bloodbath finale that is sure to define what it is to be “Incognito.”

What’s Not-so-Good: The short pair of scenes with Zoe Zeppelin didn’t feel particularly integral, especially given how awesome the rest of the book was. They’re clearly there as to explain the S.O.S’s presence in next month’s battle royale, but I can’t see why they couldn’t have been shortened, or combined into one scene. Then again, I’m biased as I really just want more Ava.

Conclusion: As I said last month, Incognito is a book that has given one of the best writers in comics today the freedom to do what he does best.  This is a writer in his prime, without constraints, making his ideal comic book.  Bottom-line? Buy the book, buy the trade, just read it!

Grade: A

-Alex Evans

Incognito #4 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (art), and Val Staples (colors)

The Story: The S.O.S. has finally caught on to Zack’s night-time activities as our “hero” finds himself trapped in an unenviable situation.

What’s Good: Showing, not telling.  This phrase has haunted more or less every creative writing hopeful at one point or another, but in this issue, Ed Brubaker proves his mastery of the well-worn adage. Rather than have Zack tell us how his psyche is developing through textboxes, Brubaker uses his scenes and images to make these internal shifts all the more significant.

Two notable occurrences in this issue are the surprise office memorial for Farmer and the encounter with Amanda directly afterwards.  The former is a scene that shows Zack on the cusp of acknowledging an inexplicable positive in humanity and the “average Joe” he has so derided, yet due to letting the scene speak for itself, the reader almost seems more aware of this moment than Zack himself.  Meanwhile, the scene with Amanda plays up the feeling of paranoia that pervades this comic, making the reader actually share Zack’s anxiety right alongside him.

This is just a further nuance to the great writing that has continually propped up this series.  Paranoia is the game in this issue, and Brubaker plays it well.  Enhancing this is a further graying of the “good-guy/bad-guy” divide; not only is Zack hazy, but so too are the S.O.S., who turn out to be a far cry from SHIELD.

The character that sees the most development this issue is without a doubt Ava Destruction.  On the few pages that she appears in, she is utterly infectious.  Despite being terrifyingly insane and completely homicidal, she carries an undeniable charm and likeability.  The fact that we will be getting even more of her next issue has me excited.

Art-wise, Sean Phillips fans no what to expect.  The same dark, heavy pulp fare continues in this issue with no sign of slippage.  Phillips is nothing if not consistent.

What’s Not So Good: I didn’t feel that the internal monologue/textboxes were up the standard set by previous issues.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re still fantastic and were this any other comic, I would be enthralled; it’s only due to the unbelievably high bar that the series has set for itself that I find myself writing this.

I think a good part of it comes from what I mentioned about “showing, not telling.”  Due to Brubaker allowing the scenes to tell Zack’s emotions rather than the textboxes, the internal monologue becomes much more event-centered.  You don’t get the sort of overarching ruminating that you got in past issues.  It’s just feels simpler and more down to earth, with Zack more focused on his predicament than on the nature of his existence.

Also, I’ve always had a bit of a pet peeve for misleading covers.  Know that nothing close to a super powered battle between Zack Overkill and Zoe Zeppelin occurs in these pages.

Conclusion: Incognito remains an example of one of the top writers in comics today doing what he does best with complete freedom.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans