“Irredeemable” began almost four years ago with a premise based on questions. The final trade is out, and it’s time to see if those questions were answered.
Written by Mark Waid
Illustrated by Diego Barreto
Thanks to one last desperate attempt to defeat the Plutonian, the world has begun to choke on radiation. The Paradigm members are scattered or dead, offering only weak resistance. But when Qubit offers the Plutonian redemption in exchange for saving the world, the enduring question will finally have its answer: can a man be so evil as to be truly IRREDEEMABLE?
This trade finds itself in a tough spot. “Irredeemable” is a superhero story in its own universe, and it was set up to be an ongoing, not a miniseries. No matter how good the previous volumes were, these last chapters are the cornorstone of the series, and will be the biggest factor in the quality of the series as a whole. Unlike properties like Spider-Man or Batman where readers can pick and choose which runs to re-read or to ignore, this is one large work which must be taken as a whole. Before I get around to evaluating the series, let me examine this trade by itself.
The first thing I noticed about this collection was the lack of an introduction. None save the first volume have had one, but I expected someone to say something about the title, even if it was just Mark Waid saying goodbye.
Despite starting with chapter 34, Waid is able to naturally work in some exposition reminding readers where the story is. However, he blows this by also throwing in an utterly pointless appearance from Max Damage, serving no point beyond an excuse to cross over with “Incorruptable” one last time.
Waid closes out the series with Tony getting a lopsided beatdown from the villain, ending when Qubit takes a level in badass, ultimately defeating Modeus because science. Or magic. I’m not really sure how QUbit did what he did. In the final chapter, the Earth is saved, and Tony gets a chance at redemption. Sorta-kinda.
Bonus features for the book were standard BOOM! fare: a cover gallery and a preview of a different BOOM! title. I have never been a big fan of “Irredeemable”‘s covers because they never related to what happened inside the books. The 16 page preview was for “Fanboys vs Zombies”, which didn’t do much for me. I’ve never been a big zombie fan, and I don’t think Fanboy humor is more sad than funny because I’ve met too many people who are those characatures.
Value-wise, this collection is a dollar more than the single issues, but that’s still a good deal if you have an interest in “Fanboys vs Zombies.”
Considering the series as a whole, I think the best way to evaluate it is to look at the original promise of the first issue. From Waid’s introduction and the solicitation of the first issue, this series had four goals: Show how Tony came to this, what happened to the hope he once had, what happens to the world, and what makes a hero irredeemable. The first three were definately covered, but the fourth and most important was…more ambiguous. The final collection re-worded it as “can a man be so evil as to truly be irredeemable?” Split infinitive aside, I don’t think this question was answered to satisfaction. Instead of a definate answer, which I think a story like this should’ve had for the cast at least, Waid kicks the can off to two dead men and DC Comics.
Making my best effort to avoid telling you how I think the book should’ve gone, I will say I think the series went too long. I think it could’ve ended more naturally around issue 20, when Tony was captured by the Vespa. The second half of the series, while entertaining felt like Waid was stretching something he always intended to be finite. Marvel and DC have the market covered for superhero stories, and I feel other publishers need to tell a better story if they’re going to create their own universe. It would need some tweaking, but Tony’s story could’ve been told by Marvel or DC with no problem. “Heroic near-omnipotent man turns to the dark side” describes the Sentry in ‘Siege’ just as well as Tony in “Irredeemable”. Shoot, Marvel probably would’ve jumped on this as a big summer event that would change everything forever.
Continued belowUltimately, I don’t think this will be held up as one of the great series fans will be recommending to others in ten, five, or even one year. It’s not Sandman, it’s not Watchmen, it’s not Kingdom Come or Batman: The Long Halloween. It was a fun ride, but the end proved it was nothing more, and can now be packed away and forgotten.
Final Verdict, Volume 10: 6.5 – Worth having if you’ve followed the series
Final Verdict, Irredeemable: 5.5 – Entertaining, but ultimatly not a must-have
