Irredeemable # 2 -

Sky City is in ruins, The Plutonian did it. After all, he just went rogue, right? This issue kicks-off with the story of one of his former allies (the girl you see in the cover), named Kaidan. And one of her (at least from my point of view) very first jobs as an enforcer of justice, which doesn't go too smoothly and she ends up being rescued by The Plutonian, who resembles a silver age Superman (by this point this shouldn't be a surprise) and demonstrates Waid's bond to the comic book genre and its most famous characters. It turns out that Kaidan's looking for the Plutonian's girlfriend (Lois Lane!), who spends her days smoking, alone and sank in sadness. Kaidan's out to get some answers about the Plutonian, she wants to know any kind of weakness he might have (if any, remember he's earth's mightiest being).

Originally posted on May 6, 2009.
 
 This is a review I meant to get out earlier.  The second issue of Irredeemable hits stands today and it has already pre-sold out through Diamond.  It is possible you can still grab a copy today.  If not, no need to worry, Boom! Studios will be make a reprint available in mid-June (be sure to talk to your comic shop about getting a copy).

When the first issue hit, I can't really explain what compelled me to pick it up.  I've been slowly getting into more of Boom!'s titles.  I always say you should give other publishers a try as well.  The fact that it was written by Mark Waid was a draw.  There was also something about the cover that compelled me to pick it up.  And I'm glad I did.

In Irredeemable, we are basically thrown into a world that already has superheroes.  Where we come in is when the world's greatest and most powerful hero turns bad.  That's what makes this title interesting.  What about his former teammates?  They don't stand a chance.  How can he be stopped?  That is the question. 

Normally I wouldn't like jumping into the middle of a story but here, it works.  And I like it.  In issue #2, we see some flashbacks in the life of the hero-gone-bad, Plutonian.  Mark Waid just throws in past battles as if they actually happened.  The quest the heroes of the world need to accomplish is to figure out how to stop Plutonian before they are all killed.

People seem to like the bad/evil characters.  There is something appealing about having power and not having to hold back if you don't wish to.  Mark Waid is doing a great job setting things up.  He's delivering a world of heroes and seems to have their backstories already figured out.  The art by Peter Krause is nice.  To me, it has a slight 80s/early 90s feel to it.  That's a good thing.  It adds to the mood of the book.  I'll tell ya, it just feels like this comic is already a classic and I'm checking out an older comic.  Something has to be said about Andrew Dalhouse's colors.  It's not too often I notice the coloring of a comic.  There are a few colorists whose work I admire and appreciate.  The colors  here just work.  They compliment the art and add to the tone.  We get a mixture of bright and dark to distinguish between the events.

Issue #2 gets a solid 4 out of 5.  It's fun.  It's a chance to get in on a hero and 'universe' as the title just begins.  There are questions and answers that we'll have which makes the book all the more compelling.  I am curious where this title will go.  What can stop the Plutonian?  It's definitely worth a look, especially if you want something that isn't your straight traditional Marvel or DC title.