Comics I Bought This Week: February 11, 2012

Feb11
on February 11, 2012 at 6:00 am
Posted In: Comics I Bought This Week

I’m back from the comic shop this week and I got three new comics plus a hard cover collection:

  • Berlin – 18

  • Grifter – 6

  • Murky World – One Shot

  • ”Morning Glories” Deluxe Collection

    • And now for a review of something I’ve read recently.

    ”Irredeemable: Volume 3” by Mark Waid and Peter Krause

    I’ve heard good things about ”Irredeemable” since it debuted a couple of years ago from BOOM! Comics and I’ve been meaning to check it out but haven’t until now. I generally consider Waid a good writer but it was the fact that ”Irredeemable” is yet another take on a Superman-like character that kept me away. I’m bored with takes on Superman but it was a slow week at the comic shop so I decided to give this a try.

    The first think that struck me was how confusing the beginning of the story was. There is no text piece or intro to say a word about what happened in volumes 1 and 2 nor even a little “Bitten by a radioactive spider” sort of paragraph.

    We’re thrown into a five page introduction to a super-hero team and then flash forwarded four years to start the story yet again as the team is in shambles. Characters are introduced without even naming them or establishing relationships. When we first see the lead character, The Plutonian, he isn’t even wearing the costume he’s wearing on the cover of the book. It’s all a bit hard to follow and I’m a veteran comic reader. This is no book for a beginner.

    The artwork is fine. It’s solid super-hero stuff and the storytelling is good. The visual story was never confusing. The coloring and lettering were also okay. I have no complaints about the art. It’s not great but it’s good.

    My complaints are reserved for the writing. Not that the script was bad but since I haven’t read parts one and two and there was no attempt to catch the new reader up I was barely involved in the story. Plus not only did I feel like I came in in the middle but the story ended in the middle. This wasn’t even writing for the trade but writing for four trades. That’s if they finish the story next time.

    Overall I’d have to say that I was disappointed by this volume. It ended up being a big “Meh” for me. Not horrible but uninteresting.