Chuck's Critiques by Charles LePage
Irredeemable #5
Boom! Studios
Mark Waid and Peter Krause
Mark Waid's tale of a superman gone mad continues, and it continues to be excellent. As we learn more about Plutonian's teammates, The Paradigm, we are treated to tips of the hat to other comics and at least one Superman movie. And this is a great "jump on" issue, as you won't find a better comic at this price.
Our story begins with Plutonian playing upon the public's paranoia. They are already living in fear, wondering what awful thing will happen next, as Plutonian appears unstoppable by both any exterior forces and his own conscience. Now Plutonian reminds people he can be dangerous and destructive without physically hurting them. We don't see the effects of his announcement, but unless it gets forgotten, I imagine future issues will at least mention some self inflicted violence by the general public.
The notion of Plutonian monitoring what people are saying and writing about him is a fantastic twist on what Superman did in the most recent movie. While Supes listened in to find people who needed his help (except when he was spying on Lois Lane and her boyfriend), Plutonian is doing so just so he can turn up the terror dial to 11. Likewise, the character of Volt is a tribute of sorts to Tony Isabella's Black Lightning. His background story shows us the world was not anything close to perfect before things fell apart.
As in previous issues, the writing and art are terrific. The "Previously" section at the beginning is a very helpful inclusion for new readers. Plus, the comic is only 99 cents. Buy one for yourself, and with the money you saved, buy one for a friend.
I give Irredeemable #5 four and half Raspberry Tea Snapples out of five.
