Written by Mark Waid
Drawn by Peter KrauseThe Paradigm are still reeling from their no-holds-barred battle with the Plutonian. Alliances are forged and broken, and one hero is revealed to have powers beyond the team’s wildest dreams. But they may not be enough to prevent the ghastly event that’s on the horizon… This is the perfect time to pick up Mark Waid’s explosive, Eisner-nominated superhero series!
Take a look behind the cut to see what I thought on the latest book in Mark Waid’s epic superhero tragedy.
I absolutely loved Irredeemable when it started… then I sort of fell out of love with it. When I realized it wasn’t a 12 issue book, I began to get curious as to how this was really going to play out. I didn’t want to see it go on forever, especially when so many deliciously insane things were happening in the beginning. Now that it’s an ongoing, I’ve been sticking with it although my interest wavers between issues. Issue #15 was pretty solid, with a lot of big changes coming in that helped point the book in the direction I think it needed. Now, with issue #16, I’m pretty sure that Irredeemable is ready to be great again.
A while ago, some of you might remember that a special came out point out three characters as the most important people to take down the Plutonian. It included Max Damage, that guy who died in the first issue, and Kaidan. This confused a lot of people because Kaidan is probably one of the most underused characters in the Paradigm, but with last week’s finale and the loss of several characters, it’s time for her to finally come out and shine – and now we know why she’s so important, and how the Hornet will play into it as well.
The issue also takes some time to focus on Survivor and Gilgamos post battle as Gilgamos is now a shattered man and Survivor is on the verge of breaking himself. I really enjoy that when the book first began, we were thrown into a situation with a bunch of characters that we were supposed to treat as if we’d been reading them for years, and now that we’ve been reading them for a year they feel more at home with us. It’s that familiarity that allows these quiet moments that allow the story to cool off a bit play out well, whereas before it would seem awkward in the cut throat high octane pace of the book.
We also look at the Plutonian and Samsara, also known as the body that Modeus is hanging out in. We haven’t had a supreme evil moment for the Plutonian in a while, but Mark Waid brings it back out as Plutonian teases a man whose family has just died, as well as begins to put Modeus’ cards on the table. Modeus is a villain we’ve been teased about for so long, so to finally have him somewhat in play with the other characters is great, and to have Plutonian back into his fully evil actions brings back what I loved about the book when it first started.
Mark Waid’s writing is definitely back into form with this issue, and it reignites my faith in the series. I think that the book is clearly heading in a new direction as far as how it is written goes, but this new pace feels appropriate given what has happened since the book started. On top of that, Peter Krause’s artwork is absolutely fantastic here. I am so glad he’s back in the book, because his work is fantastic. His pencils coupled with Andrew Dalhouse’s coloring is just perfect for the issue, and it’s incredibly dark and foreboding. This issue is a lot like the calm before the storm, and I can only assume that the storm is going to be huge.
Irredeemable had it’s lull, but I’m happy to report that now is the perfect time to get back into the book. And if you never dropped, then good for you – you’re being rewarded for your patience! Bringing the story back down to a smaller cast of characters with the sole focus being on stopping the Plutonian is what the title needed, because all the additional characters and moments changed the feel of the book and it just got crowded. We’re given our evil Plutonian, we’re given our devilish twists, and we have reason to care about everyone again. It’s like Irredeemable #1 all over again, except this time we’re ready.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy it
