Broken Frontier

With the Plutonian readying his return to Earth, it's up to the unlikely team of superheroic ally Qubit and monstrous villain Modeus to help bring him home… or trap him forever! Mark Waid's two-book universe has had half of its stars amongst the stars for a few issues now, but with Irredeemable #27, it's all back to Earth. Is it the beginning of World War Plutonian?

Humorously, while Irredeemable has primarily been about a Superman-analog in many of its plot points, with this issue, the book turns into a send-up of Hulk. Only when you realize the Plutonian's coming back to Earth with a team of strange alien allies do you realize the previous arc was more Planet Hulk than World of New Krypton. When the exiled former hero arrives with his gang of space warriors with unique powers, it just screams World War Hulk.

Speaking of unique powers, this book has some of the more interesting ones that Mark Waid could have crafted. A character can punch someone back in time, another cuts herself only for the cuts to show up on someone else, and a third is an emotional parasite on our hero, becoming what he dreams of. These are all rather unique abilities, and stand out from the rather routine (or "already done" nature of many) plot points. Much like Waid himself with Irredeemable, it's one of the few points that make him stand out from the pack, but is saddled with so much of the regular stuff that it needs to be more appreciated. Additionally, little bits of dialogue such as aliens wondering aloud what "grass" is or the absurdity of a blue sky stand up to be noticed amidst an otherwise standard book.

While two artists are used in the book, Peter Krause only slightly edges out Diego Barreto, and the book feels rather consistent throughout. Zac Atkinson manages to keep a consistent color scheme through the book, and while Irredeemable has never been the prettiest of books (nor managed to get its own style at times, like counterpart Incorruptible), the art design works for a Boom! Studios sendup of the traditional superhero book.

Irredeemable has been a fun book, and almost a necessity for Incorruptible to exist, but it's arguable that the spinoff has become the more enjoyable book. With the return to Earth for the Plutonian, hopefully the book will pick up some speed, as the best moments are featuring the effects of the rogue Superman on the world, not him trapped in a space hospital.