Product Description
A comic book industry event: a new original ongoing superhero series from Mark Waid! IRREDEEMABLE dares to ask the question: what if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain?  A "twilight of the superheroes"- style story that examines super-villains from the writer of KINGDOM COME and EMPIRE! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Cool concept and execution
This is just an excellent concept that is executed very well. I'm not a comic book guy, but I picked this one up and love it. Vol. 2 is on the way. Can't wait for 3 and 4.

Decadent fun
The Plutonian used to be the world's greatest superhero. What a fearsome superhero he was indeed with limitless strength, immeasurable speed, anti-gravity, impervious skin, enhanced senses, ocular radiation, and rumored telepathy... Unfortunately, Mark Waid's hero doesn't stay a hero. Something happens to corrupt Plutonian and he becomes the world's most terrifying enemy rather than its steadfast protector.

Mark Waid says in an introduction to this first graphic novel installment of Irredeemable that:

"In superhero comics, pretty much everyone who's called upon to put on a cape is, at heart, emotionally equipped for the job. I reject that premise."

Sure, the idea isn't wholly original (although I'd argue that it's relatively unimportant in this case). What better example than that of Watchmen to demonstrate a history of super heroes completely emotionally unprepared to have the power to "protect"-and worse, to even decide for themselves what the populace needs protection from. So the tradition of the "perverted" superhero is there already. However, I think Mark Waid takes the story a different direction. Whereas Watchmen is concerned with morality, humanity, and different types of power, I'd say that Irredeemable is concerned wholly with power and psychology.

What do I mean by "power" and "psychology"? Well, I mean that Irredeemable is actually a story that plays with the idea of what went wrong and the very humanity of that error. Of course, power plays into it-quite a lot-but the focus is on perverted humanity. And I totally dig that.

In a way, it's hard to talk about Irredeemable without addressing two previous comics, at least for me. I've already mentioned Watchmen, so that's out of the way, so I may as well get to the other: Superman. As far as I could tell-and please keep in mind that I'm not at all a Superman fan, so I'm just going by what I view as general knowledge-there were a lot of Superman references. Such as the scene in which the Plutonian dances with his girlfriend while floating above the ground. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's a direct reference to Superman. And it makes total sense to have these references. In a lot of ways, Irredeemable wants to engage with the idea that Superman began. Superman is the hero that can save everyone and a man that can be ultimately trusted with that power. The Plutonian is what Superman might be if that trust was not well-founded.

Really, I could gush about Irredeemable a long time. It's decadent fun. The art is gorgeous and well suited to the story. The plot and characters are grotesque, but all the more fun for that grotesqueness. The darkness is delicious. Honestly, I can't wait to begin the second volume.

Took my expectations and slaughtered them ruthlessly
Even perusing all of the raves in the press about Irredeemable, I was still skeptical. After more than two decades, we have yet to reach a saturation point when it comes to superhero deconstruction. Mark Waid finally caved into market forces, I posited, and penned his own "evil is cool" tale about a superhero with feet of clay. Yawn time.

Man, did I get thrown for a loop. Envision the finest person you can think of, then envision the most vile. Now imagine the gulf that would have to be crossed for the former to become the latter.

When other writers deconstruct heroes, they do stories about what are essentially corrupt evangelists; demagogues who present a valiant face to the adoring public, but behind the scenes reveal a decadent, cruel aspect. That sort of nihilistic attitude comes easily in today's comics, where fans happily gush about Garth Ennis' or Mark Millar's latest yarn of cape-bashing.

But to actually present us with a man who uses his vast power to kill millions and terrorize the entire planet, and then show us how a few pages later how a short time ago that same character genuinely exhibited Superman's humility and goodness--how do you pull that off? Mind control? Evil universe doppleganger perhaps? There are no such cheats here. The reader sees how even the best of men can become disillusioned and immoral, and to some degree even empathize with him.

Mark Waid is a dark and twisted [...] genius!!!!
People think of Mark Waid as a tow the big name comic guy and why not? I have been a Mark Waid fan since his inspired work on the Flash. And ofcourse his work on "Kingdom Come" is legendary and probably the most recognizble comic since "The Dark Knight Returns". But what people don't know is that Mark Waid is one SICK TWISTED GENIUS. If anyone is a fan and wants to know where he can take a crazy story go read "EMPIRE" This was a story about a madman who ruled the world and not like marvel where he rules for six issues and then everything goes back to normal. No this is what if Doctor Doom ruled the world and killed everyone who opposes him and I mean kills and tortures alot. This was my first taste into what Mark Waid can do.

And now it is my pleasure to read "Irredemeemable" this the Mark Waid I have been waiting for. The story is a rattlesnake,on the surface, what if a Superman like hero went evil but in the end it will just bite you in the ass. Short Synopsis: as his former teamates race around the world to find anything about the former hero turned greatest mass murder on earth they come to realize with dawining horror how much they relied on him and how much they don't know about him. We then begin to see parts of the puzzle that make him "IRREDEEMABLE" This was an awsome read and a great ride.

A cross between Superman and Breaking Bad
Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause is an excellent book, and one of my favorite comics right now. I bought this first volume and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though the concept shocked me and messed with my mind a bit. What if someone on par with Superman had gone bad, and started committing genocide on a massive scale? And how would the world's heroes (those who the Plutonian hasn't brutally murdered yet) stand up to this menace? Interesting, very interesting. As a longtime superhero fan I find this new spin on the genre highly entertaining, and in the skilled hands of Mark Waid the story shines and horrifies extremely well. The art by Peter Krause can be somewhat wooden at times, but overall its not bad to look at. The best part of the story is the Plutonian himself, and the mystery of why he turned to the dark side that his former teammates are trying to unravel as they desperately search for his weakness by delving into his past. All of the supporting characters are fleshed out rather well too, and the book is full of twists and surprises. Buy it if you like superheroics that are slightly askew. The art did not appeal to me, but other reviewers seem to praise it. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Middle East Policy, published by Middle East Policy Council on September 22, 2009. The length of the article is 17634 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Public diplomacy: ideas for the war of ideas.(Company overview)
Author: Peter Krause
Publication: Middle East Policy (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2009
Publisher: Middle East Policy Council
Volume: 16Issue: 3Page: 106(29)

Article Type: Company overview

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
In "Nobody Lives Forever," the Hero Sandwich Detective Agency is hired by a coven of vampires. Also features "Guns and Money," in which someone from the group's past comes back to haunt them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book
I really enjoyed it.It was very original and the characters were neat, and I mean that in a superhero kind of way.Pick up a copy, they're hard to find but worth teh effort. ... Read more

Product Description
Kurzbeschreibung1941-1943. In nur zwei Jahren werden in Osteuropa rund 1,5 Millionen meist jüdische Kinder, Frauen und Männer von deutschen SS-Einsatzgruppen und ihren Helfern ermordet. Allein in der Schlucht von Babij Jar in der Ukraine sind es in weniger als 48 Stunden 30.000 Juden. 30.000 mal ziehen Bürger eines kultivierten Landes den Abzug ihres Gewehres durch und ermorden einen Menschen. Mann um Mann. Frau um Frau. Kind um Kind.In seiner erschütternden Dokumentation beschreibt der Pulitzer-Preisträger Richard Rhodes, wie der massenhafte Einzelmord organisiert und durchgeführt wurde. Vor allem: wie fühlende Menschen zu funktionierenden Killern wurden - nicht zu Tötungsmaschinen, sondern zu Menschen, die morden.Die persönlichen Briefe und anderen Dokumente geben Einblick in das Innenleben der Täter. Sie zeigen, wie manche der Mörder vor ihrer Tat erschrecken und dennoch weitermachen. Tief verstörend ist es, in diesem Quellenmaterial zu entdecken, dass und wie diese Mörder Menschliches und Entmenschlichtes in einer Person zu vereinigen gelernt haben. Wie Menschen zu Massenmördern gemacht werden können.Dieses Buch ist ein Blick in den Abgrund unserer menschlichen Seele. Eine Aufforderung - auch heute nicht nur zuzusehen. ... Read more

Product Description
Mit dem vorliegenden dritten Band der Lindauer Texte werden wieder allen Teilnehmern der 42. Lindauer Psychotherapiewochen und denen, die die Vorträge nicht selbst hören konnten, die Beiträge zu den Leitthemen auszugsweise angeboten. Dieser Band enthält insgesamt 16 Referate zum Leitthema "Beziehungen im Fokus". In den Referaten geht es um die vielfältigen Facetten von Beziehungsformen in unterschiedlichen psychotherapeutischen Verfahren (z.B. Psychoanalyse, Analytische Psychologie), in Paar- und Familienkonstellationen sowie in sozialen und gesellschaftlichen Institutionen. "Wir und die Umwelt", ein Exkurs in die "ozeanische Beziehung", ruft uns unsere ökologische Blindheit und damit die Frage nach der Verantwortung für die Natur ins Gedächtnis. - Ein Beitrag zur Selbst- und Fremdwahrnehmung im diagnostischen Beziehungsprozeß beleuchtet das Leitthema aus sehr persönlicher Sicht. Der Band informiert zudem über die persönliche und berufliche Entwicklung von Psychotherapeuten im Rahmen einer empirischen Studie und macht den Therapeuten zum Gegenstand der Forschung. Tagebuchausschnitte von Musiktherapeuten eröffnen uns die erlebten Erfahrungen in musischen Therapiegruppen in Lindau. Klinische Beiträge zum Selbsterleben Schizophrener und den Entstehungsbedingungen von Borderline-Risiken bei Kindern ergänzen den 3. Band. ... Read more

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Der Erwerb des Buches enthält gleichzeitig die kostenlose Mitgliedschaft im Buchklub des Verlags zum Ausprobieren - dort können Sie von über einer Million Bücher ohne weitere Kosten auswählen. Das Buch besteht aus Wikipedia-Artikeln: Gabi Zimmer, Bernhard Vogel, Dieter Althaus, Bodo Ramelow, Peter D. Krause, Christine Lieberknecht, Christoph Matschie, Frank Kuschel, Josef Duchač, Ruth Fuchs, Volker Sklenar, Dagmar Schipanski, Marion Walsmann, Birgit Diezel, Matthias Bärwolff, Ina Leukefeld, Michael Panse, Klaus Höpcke, Jens Goebel, Susanne Hennig, Gerd Schuchardt, Klaus Zeh, Andreas Bausewein, Dieter Hausold, Manfred Scherer, Hartmut Schubert, Axel Stelzner, Johanna Scheringer-Wright, Heike Taubert, Evelin Groß, Walter Pilger, Gerhard Botz, Astrid Rothe-Beinlich, Bernd Wolf, Reyk Seela, Richard Dewes, Frank Augsten, Jürgen Bohn, Michaele Sojka, Ralf Bornkessel, Elke Holzapfel, Andreas Trautvetter, Knut Korschewsky, Christian Köckert, Petra Heß, Gerold Wucherpfennig, Kersten Steinke, Carsten Meyer, Uwe Barth, Wolfgang Fiedler, Mike Mohring, Jürgen Reinholz, Rosemarie Bechthum, Dagmar Künast, Birgit Klaubert, Benno Lemke, Gudrun Lukin, Michael Krapp, Mario Voigt, Christian Carius, Eckhard Ohl, Gottfried Müller, Sabine Doht, Heiko Gentzel, Werner Buse, Dirk Adams, Maik Nothnagel, Werner Pidde, Dagmar Becker, Margit Jung, Carola Stauche, Frieder Lippmann, André Blechschmidt, Birgit Keller, Henry Worm, Ursula Fischer, Frank Weber, Rolf Baumann, Ulrich Fickel, Birgit Pelke, Beate Meißner, Petra Enders, Harald Seidel, Michael Heym, Johanna Köhler, Dorothea Marx, Siegfried Jaschke, Peter Metz, Jörg Kubitzki, Volker Schemmel, Michael Gerstenberger, Helmut Rieth, Thomas Hartung, Klaus Borck, Hans-Henning Axthelm, Karin Kaschuba, Horst Krauße, Christian Gumprecht, Peter Gundermann, Ralf Kalich, Antje Ehrlich-Strathausen, Eckehard Kölbel, Sieghardt Rydzewski, Günter Grüner, Roland Hahnemann, Otto Kretschmer, Jörg Schwäblein, Willibald Bö...http://booksllc.net/?l=de&id=3559601 ... Read more

Product Description
A comic book industry events continues: volume two of the new original ongoing superhero series from Mark Waid! IRREDEEMABLE dares to ask the question: what if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain? A "twilight of the superheros"-style story that examines super-villains from the writer of KINGDOM COME and SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

It's Far and Away One of the Most Interesting and Compelling Superhero Books Currently Being Published
Irredeemable is the sort of series that would seem to have a short shelf life. Reading about the world's greatest superhero running amok and torturing the planet's inhabitants should, in theory at least, get old: How long can you read about the same villain going berserk before you want to see him taken down, served justice, made to pay for his crimes?

Surprisingly, in the hands of an able storyteller like Mark Waid, the story remains fresh and vibrant, as Volume 2 of Irredeemable proves. Collecting issues 5 through 8 of the monthly series, this second volume further illustrates the Plutonian's troubled background, both as a child and as a superhero. The Plutonian is more or less a Superman figure, with somewhat similar powers, and he's been a member of a Justice League-like group known as the Paradigm. Together, this collection of superheroes saved the world many times over, but something, some case, has made the Plutonian crack. He's killed millions of people around the globe, including many of his former teammates, and he's biding his time searching for the rest. The survivors have banded together in a secret hiding place--a difficult thing, considering the vision and hearing powers and other heightened senses their pursuer possesses--as they try to formulate a plan to bring him down.

One of the treats of Irredeemable is Peter Krause's crisp, clean art, which oftentimes evokes the style of legendary comics artist Curt Swan. It adds to the overall creepiness of the ongoing story, making it truly seem as though you've stepped into an EC Comics spinoff of a Golden Age storyline.

Volume 2 is less violent and graphic than its predecessor, but that doesn't mean it's light fare. It remains a dark and twisted book with plenty of gore, so it's more suited for adults and older teens. The action is swift and intense, and Waid doesn't dawdle in the plot lines. Most interesting is the subplot involving the Plutonian's former girlfriend (the fabulously named Bette Noir), who is now married to a superhero who has no idea his wife used to be the Plutonian's flame. The storyline gives Waid opportunity to inject a little bit of humor periodically (such as the scene in which the heroes have infiltrated the Plutonian's lair: Bette opens the door on a shrine to herself in various stages of dress, and she quickly shuts the door and says, "Dead end. Keep moving!").

Perhaps a less talented writer would have devolved the series into a quick slugfest, but Waid keeps the interest piqued with Irredeemable. Where he'll keep taking the series is anyone's guess, but it's far and away one of the most interesting and compelling superhero books currently being published.
-- John Hogan

If you don't love this book then I'm not sure what to tell you.
Awesome...Great story on all fronts...love, violence, suspense, flashbacks...I mean you don't get better than this.

Make sure to pick up Incorruptable as it takes place at the same time and it kicks azz as well.

Sweet Fudgin' Monkeylover! Mark Waid's dark and delicious read.
The hero-turned-villain conceit is old hat nowadays in the comic book field, and yet writer Mark Waid keeps on exploring new territory with the stark and riveting, near apocalyptic IRREDEEMABLE. To catch up the more casual readers, at last count, the homicidal Plutonian - once the world's greatest superhero - had massacred over eight million people, what with his near leveling of Sky City and his sinking of Singapore. As this second volume opens (collecting issues #5-8) the Plutonian expands his reign of terror to playing cruel mind games with the global populace. And there's an alarming element in how he seems to know the slightest detail, the deepest secret, harbored by the most random of strangers. This man is scary to the umpteenth power.

The surviving members of his former team, the Paradigm, are running for their lives, still desperately trying to come up with a counter for the all-powerful Plutonian. The best hope still lies with Qubit's Mobiusbots. Except, really, how wise is it for Qubit to have clonedthe intellect of the most diabolically intelligent super-criminal in history, and then to clone it multiple times? This bites the Paradigm in the bum. In these four issues, even more secrets are unearthed, more sleazy betrayals sussed out, further fracturing the Paradigm's already shaky team chemistry. Waid also finally gets around to the events which directly led to the Plutonian's snapping. And I'll say that Waid's flashbacks still reek with sick foreboding, so ominous is the pervading tone.

Needless to say, the writer continues to plumb the Plutonian's troubled psyche, picking up where Alan Moore left off in MARVELMAN. I guess some guys just don't have it in them to be a hero, some just don't have that inner strength. On the inside, the Plutonian simply isn't as sound as, say, Clark Kent. For the Plutonian, it started with the little things, such as his inability to cope with sensory overload. With his super senses, the Plutonian is able to hear every plea for help on the planet, and this gradually has an eroding effect on him. It doesn't help, of course, that humanity is so ingrained with that selfish gene. The Plutonian rapidly learns just how fickle and ungrateful man can be. There's one moment in the flashback in which he refers to the world he protects as this "ant farm of a planet." At this juncture, the Plutonian was already well on his way to cracking under pressure. But this isn't what decidedly remade him into a mass murderer. This was just a signpost.

But just when things look the most bleak, an unlikely hero emerges who just may be able to stand up to the all-powerful Plutonian. Except that I suspect this to be fool's gold. This comic book, after all, isn't titled PUNKABLE or CLOBBERABLE. It's IRREDEEMABLE, baby, and I cherish its sense of menace and oppressiveness. Mark Waid keeps on deconstructing.

Don't even hesitate to start this awesome series
The Plutonian was once the world's greatest superhero-until the day he snapped and became the world's most dangerous supervillain. The death toll is stacking up as the Plutonian's history begins to be divulged. The Paradigm, once a group of Plutonian's fellow superheroes, is lost in the face of the Plutonian's wrath. However, there may yet be hope for the earth as finally one person seems able to stand toe-to-toe with the ex-superhero. Meanwhile, it becomes more and more apparent that there was-or is-something strange going on between Bette Noir and the Plutonian.

After finishing the first volume of Irredeemable (which contained comic issues #1-4), I was very worried with how the story would be continued in the second volume (issues #5-8). It wasn't that Mark Waid had really given me anything to quibble with or worry over. In fact, I think it was the distinct lack of quibbles-by which I mean the sheer awesomeness of the story-that generated my fear! I became utterly afraid that Waid would somehow plow the great story, fascinating characters, and beautiful artwork into the ground just to spite me.

Thankfully, the fear was entirely misplaced.

The first volume of Irredeemable was amazing because it was shocking, beautiful, and well-thought out. This second installment continues all of that. The Plutonian is given a lot more backstory now. And even if I don't enjoy the scenes of kid-Plutonian with foster families as much as I enjoy the present-day mayhem, I do enjoy the format Waid is using to give the backstory. The flash backs always seem to come at just the right moment for the biggest emotional payoff possible. My favorite was the bits about Volt (which almost begin the graphic novel, actually). Volt joins Paradigm, Volt befriends with Plutonian, Volt says something he shouldn't to the crazy man... Sincerely love it.

Similarly, I'm pretty fond of the developments with Bette Noir. I have a feeling that the third graphic novel (which I have actually started collecting in comic form, because I need to read more soon) will have a lot more of their relationship. I mean, it was pretty obvious in the first volume that something unhealthy was going on. This volume makes it explicitly clear that "unhealthy" doesn't even begin to cover it-which, of course, is just plain awesome.

The only problem I have with the series right now is more of a dislike for where one particular storyline. Before reading this volume I was worried that the Plutonian would continue to go unchallenged. Like all-powerful heroes, I find all-powerful villains to be boring as all hell. That worry turned out to be irrelevant. However, even though I'm fond of who is stepping up, I'm not very fond of how that's happening. Frankly, I feel that the current motivations and actions of that character are leading on a path that just isn't all that original-which is upsetting, particularly considering all the options available. No, I don't want a pure superhero to battle the `evil' one, but I do want a complex and varied look at how different people react to power. I'll even by the `absolute power corrupts absolutely for everyone` argument if I'm given just a little bit more reasoning behind it first.

Other than that, I have not a complaint with Waid and Krause's Irredeemable. And perhaps that's a very small complaint indeed when considering how many times this series sends little thrills down my spine.

Also, I love the last full page panel so much. If it didn't inherently contain a handful of spoilers, I'd share it here.

Obviously, if you're a comics fan-and particularly a fan of superhero comics that don't follow the genre rules-don't even hesitate to start this awesome series. For those who don't normally go in for comics, I'm still going to recommend it, especially if any of these keywords pique your interest: homicidal superhero; sexual creepiness and skeeviness; trying to destroy everyone because they didn't love you enough.

irredeemable
Awesome story line! what would happen if the greatest superhero just got sick of all the BS? ... Read more