Incorruptible, Vol. 1 TPB
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Jean Diaz
Inker: Belardino Brabo
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Boom! Studios
Price: $16.99
Release date: May 5, 2010

What if you were the world’s vilest, nastiest villain? What if you decided to change your ways? Would anyone believe you? Could you permanently change everything about the way you lived your life? These are the questions that are posed by the story of Max Danger, formerly known as supervillain Max Damage.

Incorruptible takes place in the same universe as Irredeemable, the comic about Plutonian, a beloved hero who turned into an evil, heartless villain. This is the story of the flip side of that coin. Max Danger watches Plutonian attack a town, and the incident changes him. He decides to become a hero. Of course, now he has to convince everyone that his conversion is legitimate.

Danger arrests his old gang except for his former lover, the underage thief Jailbait. He brings her with him on his new life, which frustrates Jailbait. He gets rid of everything that he gained illegally. Also, he has stopped being intimate with Jailbail. Danger also finds a police lieutenant that he can confide in. Danger decides that since everyone believed in the Plutonian and he let them down, he will be the new symbol for people to trust and believe in. The first mission of this makeshift “team” is to stop a geneticist who attempts to give people superpowers with disastrous results. Their next task is to fight AmberJack, a mentally unbalanced arms dealer rumored to have access to a dimensional portal that could transport someone to a world free of the Plutonian.

Max Danger is a very interesting character. The longer he is awake, the more invulnerable he becomes. However, he does get tired and has to sleep. When he wakes up, he is vulnerable for an hour. After that hour, he is basically numb to all forms of pain or touch. He describes it as only having two senses.

Jailbait is another interesting character. Jailbait is a classic “wild child,” her dialogue is priceless. I laughed out loud when she exclaimed, “I hate you with the heat of a thousand suns.” I also enjoyed her line, “If I didn’t want ‘dangerous’, I’d be in a prom dress right now being felt up by Poindexter J. Limpstick, okay?” Jailbait seems to have really developed feelings for Max, and she keeps attempting to seduce him, which results in even more comedic moments.

Mark Waid has created another interesting tale set in the Irredeemable universe. It stands to reason that if the greatest hero can turn bad, then it’s also possible for a nasty villain to join the side of the angels. Jean Diaz must also be commended for his solid artwork, particularly in capturing Jailbait’s range of emotion. I am really interested in reading more of this book and I am anticipating the inevitable confrontation between Max Danger and Plutonian.

If you just read Irredeemable, you’re missing out on the whole story. Incorruptible is exciting, action-packed, and occasionally hilarious. Give this interesting tale of redemption a try.

Rating: 4 out of 5