Someone thought this issue cut it as a close? I mean, really? For twelve issues–for thirty-six bucks–they thought this cut it? The wife’s back from the dead. No one notices? She and the husband go flying around, no one notices? What about all the other super-powered people in Alpha One’s basement? No mention of them.
Ed Brubaker, when talking about a Doctor Doom series he was writing, said something about how the scariest part of Doom and his master plan is, Doom is probably right. Well, Alpha One isn’t exactly wrong here. When Cole gets up and gives his lame speech (how they wasted a whole issue on this nonsense is beyond me, could they have padded more?), he’s talking out of his patoot. It’s embarrassing. Worst is the news media applauds his asinine statement.
But the art… the art almost makes it worthwhile.
But not.
This book would have squeaked by me except for the really lame ass ending, making Alpha One a doofus and Cole a super powered hero at the end with zero response from earth in response to Alpha being a bad guy. Now they accept Cole? Harumph… you are entirely correct on the pacing, which stretched it out and crammed it in at the end. Ah well, it’s still better than Superman, God help us. There was a third Non Supes book on the market along with Irredeemable at this time, but I’ll be damned if i can remember it now.