Ed Brubaker goes ‘Incognito’
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Valentine’s Day is still a month off, but I already have my new romance for 2009 -- I absolutely love ‘Incognito.’
I also suspect that when I’m decorating my next Christmas tree, this book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips will be on my year-end list for the best of 2009.
The first issue of the Icon/Marvel Comics series sold out, and a second printing, with this cover right here, will soon be on its way to stands.
I met Brubaker for the first time a few weeks back on the set of ‘Angel of Death,’ the White Rock Lake Productions project that is going to be very interesting to watch. It’s planned as a series of live-action, episodic shorts for Crackle, the Sony online video destination. And from what I saw on the set I think it’s going to acclerate the already considerable Hollywood interest in Brubaker, who wrote the screenplay and is best known in the comics world for the gritty street tales of ‘Criminal’ and smart superhero fare such as his work on ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Captain America.’
You can see a trailer for ‘Angel of Death’ at the bottom of this post. ‘Angel’ stars stuntwoman-turned-actress Zoe Bell (‘Death Proof’) as a ruthless killer who gets a big ol’ knife jabbed into her brain and lives (it does happen, folks) and then finds that things aren’t quiet the same in her life. For one thing, the cranial calamity has stirred something in her resembling a conscience, which is a nettlesome thing when you earn money for being a stone-cold killer. ‘Angel’ also features Doug Jones (now known for so many roles, among them Abe Sapien in the ‘Hellboy’ films) and Lucy Lawless (she of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ fame).
I’ll be writing more on my visit to the ‘Angel’ set as its February release gets closer (and also post my long interview with Brubaker), but right now, a bit more about ‘Incognito’...
‘Incognito’ is a snarling noir tale about a supervillain marking time in a witness protection program where, like Henry Hill at the end of ‘GoodFellas,’ he’s a sullen rulebreaker forced to live by the rules and bitterly daydream about the old days when he took what he wanted when he wanted it. There’s a lot going on in the book and, if grouped by theme, it might sit on the same shelf as ‘Wanted,’ ‘Powers,’ ‘Kick Ass’ and other comics that carry on (in very different ways) the heroes-in-the-gritty-real-world ethos of ‘Watchmen.’ Brubaker has a fantastic touch with dialogue, and if you are going to buy one comic book this month, it should be ‘Incognito.’
Here’s that trailer (it’s a little bit bloody, so skip it if you don’t like that kinda thing)...
-- Geoff Boucher
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