Irredeemable #28

It's unusual for a comic books series to star a villain, and certainly there may be no more bloodthirsty bad guy in modern comics than the Plutonian.

This issue of Irredeemable brings "Tony" back to Earth after a sojourn in a mental hospital (of sorts) in deep space. For one of his first acts, he kills untold millions of people.

Which makes me wonder - has writer Mark Waid painted himself into a corner? Tony has Superman-level powers (actually, his powers are more on a level with the Silver Age Superman - he can do virtually anything). Only one hero can match him, and Tony brought back several other super-powered mental patients with him, forming his own team of immensely-powerful villains.

So how can this series end? With the destruction of life on Earth? With the death of the Plutonian? I'm not sure anything less than one extreme or the other will satisfy.

Peter Krause provides strong, dynamic artwork, with disaster striking on both a global scale and on a more personal level.

I have to say, even 10 years after 9/11, it's still upsetting to see this kind of widespread destruction depicted so casually.

It can be entertaining to see the bad guy win occasionally, but one hopes the good guys - if there are any still left - can still manage to win the day. But their chances are looking more slim with every issue.

Grade: B+

---------------