Review by Ian Keogh
When Ed Brubaker first began writing for mainstream comic publishers in the early 21st century the only real option was to work with superheroes, and it’s with Captain America that he made his name. With his status now being one of comics’ greatest crime writers it’s interesting to look back at his gradual transition. Incognito is his final dabble with super powers, and it’s an awkward beast despite the first of two volumes being nominated for Eisner Awards.
It’s the better of the two combined in this hardcover collection for Brubaker unravelling mysteries, whereas the sequel has little tension or mystery to offer. Both feature Zack Overkill/Jack Anderson, the two names used by the same man on a redemption trajectory throughout. Once a super villain working for a criminal calling himself Black Death, as Incognito begins he’s been relocated in a witness protection programme having sold out his former boss. He’s far from content, has a ballbusting new official to report to, and is elated when a side effect of the illegal drugs he’s taken to pass his mandated urine tests is the return of his super powers. However, far from being the start of a new life as Jack assumes, it’s actually the beginning of a protracted downfall.
Via his narrative captions Jack is an early example of the flawed characters Brubaker writes so astutely. They’re self-serving and not the smartest, but a cut above many they associate with, giving them a false sense of their intellectual capabilities. When sticking with Jack Incognito is very readable, and as part of his narrative Brubaker explains the presence of super powers on Jack’s world, and begins to underline some anomalies about him and his now dead twin brother.
Although it didn’t seem that way to American readers, Sean Phillips was already well over a decade into his career when working on this, and had already hit a plateau from which he’s never dropped. The storytelling provides absolute clarity matched with effective suspense in a noir environment established by the darkness long before Val Staples adds colour. He’s not very at home with super powers, though, and that gives his villains a wonky, offbeat look, slightly removing them from their usual gaudy presence, but here that’s a plus.
While there’s no drop in Phillips’ standards for what was first published as Incognito: Bad Influences, Brubaker has little more to say. Jack’s story has already run a natural arc, and the option of moving further into the world of super powers would suck the appeal from Jack and his world. There’s not a great deal left to reveal, and when the disclosures come they’re tacked on to what’s an ordinary dip into the underworld. The ending is good, in keeping with the overall tone, but not good enough to salvage the remainder.
The Classified Edition supplies extras not available in the paperbacks, and better printing for the original covers, but not really enough to make it an essential purchase when there’s so many better Brubaker/Phillips collaborations.
