Product Description
From the creators of Criminal and Sleeper comes the most insane and evil super-villain comic you’ve ever read! What if you were an ex-super villain hiding out in Witness Protection… but all you could think about were the days when the rules didn’t apply to you? Could you stand the toil of an average life after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn’t stand it? What would you do then? Incognito – a twisted mash-up of noir and super-heroics – by best-selling creators Ed Brubaker (The Death of Captain America) and Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies) with Val Staples on colors. Collects Incognito #1-6…. More >>
Incognito
I’ve read Brubakers run on Captain America, and it is epic. But this is a really good story, with some great art as well. Totally unexpected and refreshing. I love it when I find something as good as this. Rating: 5 / 5
Great read. Brubaker and Phillips have another hit series. And what’s this? An ending that is somewhat happy?
Brubaker is one of my favorite comic book writers. If you liked this and want to get into the marvel universe without picking up a dozen titles, check out his run on Captain America or Daredevil. Rating: 5 / 5
Basically, the plot of Incognito is a sort-of reverse alteration of Brubaker & Phillip’s thriller Sleeper. It almost seems like it could be a sub-plot of that book. While Incognito doesn’t have as many “oh s***!” moments as Sleeper, it still holds up pretty high to the bar that the Brubaker/Phillips team set with their previous work.
I would rate it third behind Sleeper (1st) and Criminal (2nd), with Gotham Central being fourth. Rating: 4 / 5
I am a big fan of Ed Brubaker. I love Sleeper, I love his Captain America, his Daredevil and the issues of Criminal I have read. Therefore, I had to buy this the instant it came out. Incognito has a similar feel to Criminal and Sleeper, which it is not surprising as all three are crime fiction and all three have the same duo writing and illustrating.
Incognito is the story of a super villain that is now in protective custody because he testified in court against a bigger fish. His powers are controlled by medicine. He realizes he can counter the effects of the medicine by getting high. He gets his powers back, but not wanting anybody to figure it out, he now uses his powers to stop thieves instead of for crime, as the only reason he does that is for the thrill. For three years he had lost his motivation to live and now it was all back.
As usual with Brubaker, the story gets better as it goes along. The twists keep coming and the story just flows perfectly, thanks to the great art provided by Phillips. I had always known that Phillips was the perfect noir artist, but since I hadn’t seen his covers before, I didn’t know he was capable of making such beautiful covers. The covers of the Incognito series are mesmerizing, I want one of those as a poster.
I like that the book incorporates ideas from pulp fiction (not the movie, but actual pulp fiction from the 30s), being inspired by those heroes and thrusting them into a great noir story.
Brubaker and Phillips are a perfect team and anything they will write, I will read. Check this book out. Rating: 5 / 5
If you missed picking up the individual issues at your local store, pick up the compilation. It’s yet another winner by Brubaker, and will keep you coming back for more. Great writing. I love it that people who can actually write — Brubaker, Greg Rucka, Charlie Huston, Richard K. Morgan (to name a few) — are crossing over from writing sci-fi and detective novels and adding comics and graphic novels to the mix. It certainly bodes well for the continued success of the genre, and really, it was a complete no-brainer (or should have been) to figure out what would make comics more compelling and widen the audience to include adults — throw in adult themes, realistic plots (well, realistic given the addition of the supranatural), and great writing instead of bad ideas saddled with stale dialog and the occasional “Ka-pow!” Rating: 5 / 5