Does foul language offend you? Are you put off by blood, violence and brutality? Do you frown upon escaping reality through the use of illegal drugs? Does date rape just not sit well with you for some reason? Perhaps the fact a person may do all these deeds and more with no regret upsets you?

If you answered yes to any of the above then there is no need to read the rest of this review. Find another book. Incognito is not for the feint of heart, queasy stomached, and morally just comic reader.

However, if you started to get antsy with anticipation and excitement at the thought of the above . . . seek help and moral guidance, but before you do get this book and start reading!

The Eisner Award winning duo of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have teamed up once again to bring us a dark, gritty, and intriguing super-heroic noir tale. A tale that starts off with fast, brutal, nose shattering, blood spattering action.

The first issue of Incognito introduces us to Zack Anderson, a man who has lost his family, been stripped of his identity, dignity, and sense of self worth, a man “imprisoned” by the government, and a man who has turned to drugs to help him cope with what his life has become. Fortunately for Zack, spiraling to the lowest point of his life might be just what he needed.

Brubaker and Phillips do a fantastic job of telling a story that maintains a steady, fast pace and by the end of the first issue leaves the reader desiring more. You will not want more due to a lack of gratification, oh no.Your craving for more Incognito will be fueled by a desire to see what will happen to Zack and to learn more about his past.

If Brubaker and Phillips maintain consistency as they have in the past, not only will you get your hard scavenged monies worth, but like me you will probably make room in your budget to add Incognito to your pull of monthly titles. You will get your $3.50 out of this book.

Imagine a Super-Hero deified in the eyes of children. Picture the perfect savior of man relied upon by all of the world. Think of the one perfect protector of humanity who allowed us to sleep peacefully at night thanks to his efforts. Visualize a super-powered being who puts his life in constant jeopardy for every human that walks the planet.

Now, ponder on what would happen if that almost omnipotent being, hero, and all-around-good-guy had an inexplicable change of heart.

Suddenly, your iconic savior is committing acts just as horrific, unthinkable, and disgusting as his previous actions where astounding, noble, and just. Your “Mr. Perfect” has become something vile, wretched, and just plain . . . Irredeemable.

This is exactly what Mark Waid presents to us in his new ongoing series from BOOM! Comics: Irredeemable.

We are introduced to Mr. Plutonium, who was the world’s perfect super-hero. A classic protaganist that risked his neck day in and day out to save the world from every disaster imaginable. A supreme being possessing immeasurable strength, uncanny flying abilities and speed, x-ray vision, and the ability to fire beams of incredible heat from his eyes.

He seems like every other caped hero we’ve read about in the past. What sets him apart, though, is the fact that he has turned bad . . . very bad.

The book starts off strong and fast, quickly sucking you into the story illustrated by Peter Krause. Although, it is a nice beginning, I am a little thrown by the artwork of Mr. Krause. It’s not bad by any means, but simply does not seem to always capture the intensity of the moment.

For example, in the beginning a father (who is obviously some sort of super-hero himself) is frantically screaming instructions at the top of his lungs. Krause does a great job of showing the excitement of the moment within the features of the father’s face, however, at the same time the mother his screams are directed toward is sitting calmly and cradling their baby against her bosom. Her dialogue bubble is filled with exclamation marks, but in the panel she looks to be calm and serene.

In the next panel the tension has escalated, yet the mother looks even more relaxed and serene than she did in the previous panel. Perhaps she is under the influence of some major sedatives. Or, maybe she just does not care (which is not the case). Either way, the art seems to sometimes convey a different feeling than writer Mark Waid is attempting to deliver.

Again, the art is not bad, but at the same time it’s not the greatest and may even distract you from the story at times.

Irredeemable #1 does a nice job of introducing us to the cast of characters we can expect to see in this series. There are many questions raised by the story, and intentionally so.

Such as:

1. Why is Mr. Plutonium performing these horrific acts against his own kind?
2. Just how powerful is he?
3. Is he even human?
4. What weaknesses does he possess?
5. What secrets does Mr. Plutonium know?
6. What happened on the day the other heroes vowed to never discuss again?
7. Who is/was Mr. Plutonium’s love interest?

Don’t worry. All of these questions are explicitly asked by the characters within the comic. So, there is no need for the reader to apply any thinking of their own.

All gripes aside, I have to admit that I really enjoyed reading this first issue. My interest has been piqued and I do geniunely want to know what will happen next. What can I say? I love it when the good guys go bad. Especially when they go bad in a really dark and gruesome manner, like Mr. Plutonium.

I can’t say with certainty that this is a story line deserving an ongoing series. After the first issue I feel it could make a really great 12 book mini-series. With great writing, though, I suppose anything is possible.

We shall see.

Warren Ellis is doing a fine job following up on the first issue of Ignition City. Whereas, the previous issue introduced us more to the city than the characters that occupy it, this book starts to bring some key members of the city to life.

Particularly those who have some sort of direct connection to the death of Mary Raven’s father, Rock Raven.

We get to know even more about Mary through not only her dialogue, but also her actions within the city. It would seem that Ms. Raven is quite an accomplished and educated person. Definitely not a woman you want to cross.

Ellis also fleshes out more story behind the former heroes forced to make Ignition City their place of residence. It is really sort of sad to see how these once great explorers and pioneers–praised by their governments and idolized by the people–have become some of the most despicable humans.

Ignition City #2 reveals more details about Rock’s death to the reader, but not enough to give you a full understanding of what caused his death. At least, not yet anyway.

Gianluca Pagliarani’s art is fantastic! The detail given in each panel is simply superb. Pagliarani pulls the reader into the story without ever distracting them from what is happening. Gianluca does a great job of creating ambiance and moving the story within every panel. You will feel like you are standing inside of each frame, surrounded by the stink of the city, and stifled by the filth of its residents.

Ellis has done a great job with the pacing and character development within this issue. The story flows nicely and each scene smoothly transitions to the next. The tension seems to build increasingly higher through each panel of the book. By the end you will be eager to see the action that is brewing and learning more of the truth.