Incognito #3 – Review

Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist), Val Staples (colorist)

Story:

Zack Overkill is in a tight spot. As an unwilling participant in a witness protection program for villains, he’s having a hard time reconciling the liberties and excitement of his old life for the doldrums of his beige, office-filled existence. But since he’s been getting his powers back, things have changed – and not for the better. His so-called friend is mooching off his abilities, his parole officer’s pissed, and worst of all; his old boss, The Black Death, has agents on his trail.

And now, of all times, is when that “friend” wants him to go rob a bank, or else he’ll let everybody know who Zack really is…

The Good:

There’s good, and there’s loads of it. Brubaker’s writing, which has always found the balance between descriptive and evocative, finds a certain strength in combining his two passions – noir and superheroes – into a single project. The characters are amusing, intriguing, and, most of all, relatable, but to a stronger extent; many of us’ve had a fantasy of watching a maligned workplace burn to a cinder, but Zack Overkill could actually do it. And it pains him that he’s forced to work there, to troll around like a regular shmoe in a shit job, when he could be doing so much more.

The art from Phillips is phenomenal. As seen in his run on Criminal with Brubaker, he draws characters with personality and clarity. There’s distinction, perspective, and a certain stylization that makes everything easier to deal with – which makes the story that much more engrossing. His gritty style is a perfect setting for the story, and even with rayguns abounding, these elements come across as cool, rather than trite.

Val Staples brings a strong, savvy style of coloring that plays well with contrast and effect. It’s a great match for Phillips’s pencils, and is that third, truly crucial piece to bringing Brubaker’s words to life – because not only does it bring life, but it also brings personality to the pages. And when coloring can do that, you’ve really hit the nail on the head.

The Bad:

It’s very hard to find anything bad or disappointing about this book. It’s a cool, fast, fun, easy read with multiple layers to it. The colors are spot on, the art is great, and the writing is a perfect fit. If you can find something wrong with it, I’d imagine you’re trying far too hard. But, I do have one complaint – we were kept waiting almost two months between issue two and issue three. Brubaker apologizes profusely in the back of the book, saying that “from here on in, we should be monthly for the rest of the series and then we’re going right into the next run of Criminal, with no break this time.”

…I suppose we can cut you a little slack, because you two really delivered with this issue, and hopefully, the rest of the series.

Grade : A