Irredeemable #13
Written by: Mark Waid
Artist: Diego Barreto
Covers by Paul Azaceta and Crisscross
BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Releases date: May 5, 2010

What would the body count be if Superman lost his mind? Mark Waid and Diego Barreto’s Irredeemable takes us into a disturbing universe where the world’s most powerful superhero has gone rogue and the body count climbs into the millions.

Produced by BOOM! Studios and nominated for an Eisner Award, Irredeemable features the super team The Paradigm, led by the all-powerful Plutonian. As the Plutonian suddenly goes rogue and begins a mass slaughter, the rest of the Paradigm struggle to reel him in as civilization slowly collapses. In Irredeemable #13, we catch up with Bette Noir, one of the few remaining free members of the Paradigm as she catches up with her father in a refugee camp. There, she confesses to him that she had the opportunity to stop the Plutonian, but didn’t because it meant admitting infidelity to her husband. Even at the end of her tearful confession, her father refuses to forgive her for her incredibly selfish act.

Mark Waid has always been something of a comics genius, dating back to Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright. As Grant Morrison enjoys tangling the metaphysical and surreal elements of superhero culture, Waid tackles the larger ethical questions that arise when you have the power to reshape the world with your bare hands. Like his other works, Irredeemable tackles these larger questions of right and wrong, good and evil. Waid’s great at high concepts, but where he tends to fall apart is his dialogue, which is often stilted and unnatural. However, intricate plotting and quick pacing largely makes up for it. Diego Barreto’s art is fair, but I found the artwork for the Paradigm to be a little boring. It would have been nice to see some cooler costume designs for Waid’s fascinating group of heroes.

RATING: 4 out 5 Genocides