[BOOK REVIEW] Irredeemable Volume 1 by Mark Waid

Title:  Irredeemable Volume 1

Author: Mark Waid

Artist: Peter Krause

Genre:  Superheroes / Action / Adventure

Year Published:  2009

Year Read: 9/20/2014

Series:  Irredeemable #1

Publisher:  Boom Studios

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 12+ (Mature Themes and Violence)

Buy or Add on:  Amazon  //  Goodreads

Introduction:

I have read many comic books from different companies including Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse, but this was honestly the first time I had read a comic book series from Boom Studios!  This comic book happens to be called “Irredeemable,” which is an Eisner Nominated Comic Book Series that is written by Mark Waid along with artwork by Peter Krause and man, was I in for one heck of a surprise when I started reading this comic book!

What is this story about?

In this volume, the Plutonian was once the World’s greatest superhero, but then one day, he suddenly went insane and started killing many innocent people.  His former teammates then try to come up with a plan to find out about what made the Plutonian snap and try to learn more about who he really is and how to stop him before he destroys the world!

What I loved about this story:

Mark Waid’s writing: Now, I will admit that I have read many comic books where the superheroes go bad (some stories were good and some stories were bad and should have never been printed in the first place), but this was probably one of the most unique takes on the classic “superhero going rogue” story line that I have ever read.  Mark Waid has done a great job at presenting the readers with a premise that would sound preposterous to some superhero fans, but ended up making this story pretty interesting to read!  I liked the way that Mark Waid explored the idea of a superhero going rogue through the Plutonian and the affect it had on his former teammates and his loved ones.  It is like seeing a close friend of yours suddenly going insane and you have no idea how or why your friend is going insane, which really makes this situation pretty personal for anyone who had to go through that in real life.  I also loved the mystery that Mark Waid provided in this story such as trying to figure out why the Plutonian went insane and what could possibly stop his rampage across the world, which I figure might be the main plot of this whole series.

Peter Krause’s artwork:  Peter Krause’s artwork was just amazing in this volume!  I loved how realistic the characters look and I also loved how Peter Krause drew the scenes where the Plutonian caused mass destruction all over the world, which was both chilling and mesmerizing to watch!  I also loved the way that the characters’ faces and bodies are shadowed whenever they are in the dark during the night scenes as they make the images much more effective to look at.

What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:

The reason why I took off a star from this book was because while I enjoyed the story about a superhero suddenly going rogue, I would have liked to know more about the Plutonian as a character and about his teammates also.  It felt like they just threw the characters into this situation without really explaining about why this is all happening.  Maybe the plot about finding out more about the Plutonian as a character and why he went on a rampage is a part of the big mystery for this series, but I still would have liked to learn more about the Plutonian in this volume just so I could care more about his character when he did go rogue.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, “Irredeemable Volume One” is an interesting comic book about what would happen if a superhero goes rogue and the lengths one must take to stop that superhero from destroying the world.  I am definitely going to check out the next volume to see what happens next!