Irredeemable #2

[history79]

"I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in the past few years about the difference between the rules comic-book superheroes teach you and the rules the real world demands of you–and how the lessons superheroes teach us at a fundamental age can so easily be warped and misinterpreted."

- Mark Waid




8 pages of 24

Comments

[alicemacher]

Yeesh. How Not to Reveal Your Secret Identity to Your Lover.

Near the end of Siegel and Shuster's rejected story for Superman #8 (1940), The K-Metal from Krypton, Lois has a similar reaction to finding out Clark is Superman: "I just remembered how long you've been secretly laughing at me! I don't like to be laughed at, Clark Kent--but--I'll assist you... only for the good of humanity, however!"

Clark's reaction is much calmer than Dan Hartigan's, though. After Lois walks away, he simply says to himself he suspects she'll eventually "recover her temper" and things will be okay between them ("I hope!"). It probably helps that Lois, unlike Alana Patel, doesn't tell anyone else his secret. Also that Clark reveals his identity because it's either that or Lois dies in an emergency situation--not as a poorly thought-out grand romantic gesture.

[goattoucher]

I see how finding out this secret might be hurtful, but what sort of brain responds to this information by running into a crowded room and yelling his secret -immediately?-

Alana might have been duped. She might have been ill used. She is, however, a tremendous dick. Somebody tells you a shocking secret that makes you angry and you immediately tell everyone you know?

That is a dick move.

She can be hurt, she can feel betrayed or humiliated, she can leave him, but running her mouth like this? Nah.

Imagine if the situation were (roughly) reversed: What if she had a crush on Dan Hartigan, who then pulled her aside to tell her that he was not interested because he was gay. Her response? Run into a crowded room and yell "Dan Hartigan is GAY!"

Dick move.

[beyondthefringe]

Yeah. I feel like her reaction was... ill-advised and over-the-top.
I don't blame her for being hurt and pissed, but for her to immediately out the Plutonian... and for them to immediately try to out him to the world...

I mean sure, they just betrayed both their friend/colleague and one of the most powerful heroes on Earth, without a single shred of tangible evidence beyond "dude we know looks like Plutonian and is wearing his clothes." There's a lack of journalistic integrity or making sure your sources are correct, and this is the sort of thing Superman defused twice a year in the Silver Age with stand-ins, robots, trickery, and Batman.

[lordultimus]

I think that's kind of the point. Just as the Plutonian is an imperfect version of Superman whose flaws are his downfall, Alana and the news radio people are imperfect versions of Lois Lane and the Daily Planet whose flaws are their downfall.

Just wait till we get to the Jonathan Kent expy.

[scelestus]

I have all of these books. Think I need to re-read them.

[nyadnar17]

Its something I have thought about.

I mean real talk how the hell are you suppose to reveal your secret identity? Simply by doing so you are changing that person's life forever. At a bare minimum now they now a secret so dangerous every single person they have ever met is at risk of torture or worse.

You have to give them a chance to say no before they marry you but at the same time unless you are pretty damn sure this is the person you can spend the rest of your life with it would be crazy to let them know....seems like quite the dilemma.

[roxas832]

Hmm, this is actually pretty interesting.

[wizardru]

The things that made this series work was the fact that it wasn't a direct 'Superman goes evil' story. We learn how the Plutionian and several other cast members are deeply flawed. He isn't a palette swap of Clark Kent and the other cast members are not just the Justice League with new clothes. The title goes in some interesting directions; the companion series (with a villain who decides to become a hero because this) was interesting, but not quite as well executed.

[matrix_dragon]

Every time I see scans of this comic, I'm reminded how broken the Plutonian was. That is not a functional, mentally healthy person.

[starwolf_oakley]

IIRC, Mark Waid did something similar during his FLASH run, but much more light-hearted. Iris West told Linda Park, "I figured out Barry was the Flash six months before he worked up the nerve to tell me himself."

[strejdaking]

Yeah, I'm sorry, but this just too contrived for me to work as some sort of Reality Ensues. To quote another review:

“OMG! Should we, serious journalists, fact check this?”

“Fuck that. Broadcast it immediately.”

“Alright! Have fun with your enemies coming after you and everyone you know, like your co…work..ers… Shit.”

I can buy the Not!Lois reacting like that in a moment of shock, but no way would all of them be that ridiculously stupid and evil.

[deh_tommy]

I thought this wasn’t really “reality ensues” so much as explorations of what makes Superman and his supporting cast work. The Plutonian is like Superman, but he does what he does for what could be considered the wrong reasons. Similarly, the Lois Lane expy is, on a surface level, similar to Lois at a first glance but lacks Lois’ integrity.

[theflames]

What a violently stupid and disrespectful group of people. They were going to broadcast that secret the second they realised??? That's hilariously strange.