Irredeemable #14$3.99Writer: Mark WaidArtists: Diego Barreto, Peter KrauseThe Paradigm is held captive. Survivor has been abducted. Bette Noir is on the run. And Modeus continues to manipulate Plutonian into committing unspeakable acts of evil. With the team fractured and Gilgamos wounded, how will the Paradigm escape their captors and take the fight back to their former leader? The epic second year of Irredeemable continues to pick up even more momentum with this can’t-miss issue! Covers by Peter Krause and Tommy Patterson.
Coming out today is the 14th issue of Mark Waid’s superhero disaster comic Irredeemable, a title nominated for multiple Eisners. I can understand if some people are a bit wary after last month’s certainly-not-bad-but-not-quite-good-either issue (there has to be an easier way to say that), so follow the jump to possibly be swayed from one side of the fence to another.
For the most part, this issue mainly consisted of buildup to the next one, wherein it looks like the Plutonian will be once again confronting The Paradigm. Overall, I felt that this issue was a bit better than the previous one, especially with the very dark flashback Gilgamos’ past and how Waid implemented it in the modern day (though it may have been a bit too grim for some). I’m always intrigued by the inventive ways Waid uses Quibit’s loosely-defined power, and just the general subtle ways he has been using superpowers that are now commonplace.
One criticism though: maybe I just wasn’t paying close enough attention last month, but I was really feeling the loss of Peter Krause on this issue. I was unimpressed with Diego Barretto’s art on this issue, especially when I compared it with the excellent work Krause gave in the first twelve issues. The last page in particular, which I’m sure was supposed to evoke fear, really just looked awkward and slightly goofy. Here’s hoping the next few from Barretto look a bit more polished.
If anything, this issue just got me super-stoked for next month’s issue. We’ve heard a lot about the candle which could make the Plutonian temporarily lose his powers, and the little reveal of what has been done with the remains was a clever use of an old standard. Overall, this was definitely solid if you’ve been following the series, but if you’re a newcomer you might want to come back a bit later.
Final Verdict: 7.3 – Buy it, especially if you’re interested for next month!
