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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Collected 'Incognito', December 10, 2009
Zack Overkill is a former villain in a witness-protection program. A mandated regimen of pills keeps his powers at bay, and an overzealous parole officer keeps his balls busted. But then he finds out that illegal substances restore his powers, freeing him from the drudgery of his job as file clerk and putting him behind a mask again, this time as a good guy.
"Incognito," by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips is very violent and very vile, but always (or almost always) in service of the story: A look at what the vintage pulp heroes of yesteryear might have morphed into if they hadn't faded away with the advent of the comic book and the movies, among other johnny-come-latelys of pop culture.
Phillips' artwork bears a resemblance to the work of Wally Wood here, and that's one of the highest compliments I can pay. His men are square- jawed and his women are curvaceous in a way that's highly Wood-like, while still retaining the individuality that makes the artist's work the perfect complement to Brubaker's inventive, twisting scripts.
And there are twists aplenty. The basic premise, which could occupy a lesser writer and satisfy a more conventional title for years, are only a jumping-off point for a wilder ride here. Like most Brubaker heroes, Zack Overkill's backstory becomes more complex as the tale rolls on, his unknown past affecting his present and future. By the time the reader reaches the ultimate chapter, Brubaker and Phillips are ready to present non-stop action, with copious bloodletting and, of course, the promise of future Zack Overkill adventures to come. I'm all for it.
Missing here, as they are in all trade paperbacks of the team's other series, Criminal, are the articles and illustrations from the back of the monthly books, material that Brubaker vows will not be reprinted in the trades. As I've always read Criminal in collected editions, I haven't realized what I've been missing. With Incognito, however, which I read monthly as it was released, I became spoiled by Jess Nevins' articles on various obscure pulp heroes, and I missed them in the trade. Luckily, Brubaker saw fit to give us one of Nevins' pieces here, a (mostly) fictional history of zeppelin heroes that ties into the main storyline.
This is great stuff for the adult reader. Highly recommended.
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