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Incognito
Incognito, Vol. 1
What if you were an ex-super villain hiding out in Witness Protection... but all you could think about were the days when the rules didn't apply to you? Could you be a humdrum office clerk after being the best at years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn't stand it? What would you do then? Incognito - a twisted mash-up of noir and super-heroics - by best-selling creators Criminal and Sleeper: Ed Brubaker (The Death of Captain America), Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies), Val Staples on colors.
Collecting: Incognito 1-6
Collecting: Incognito 1-6
166 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
12 people are currently reading
3258 people want to read
About the author
Ed Brubaker
1,802 books3,042 followersEd Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.
Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.
In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.
Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.
In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
April 10, 2015
Zack Overkill and his twin brother were evil super villians. Then his brother was killed and Zack went into Witness Protection. He has testified against his boss the Black Death. So he knew he would be hunted. A group called SOS supervises his protection and feeds him drugs that keep his powers gone.
Zack buddies up to a co-worker and the co-worker introduces him to drugs of a different type. They counter act the ones that SOS are giving him and his powers come back.
Instead of doing bad things though he is sneaking out at night and saving the day.
Then the baddies realize he is still alive.
Brubaker and Phillips are ruling in my little warped mind as the graphic novel kings. They take evil dudes (my favorite) and put a whole new spin on them. Wants more.
Zack buddies up to a co-worker and the co-worker introduces him to drugs of a different type. They counter act the ones that SOS are giving him and his powers come back.
Instead of doing bad things though he is sneaking out at night and saving the day.
Then the baddies realize he is still alive.
Brubaker and Phillips are ruling in my little warped mind as the graphic novel kings. They take evil dudes (my favorite) and put a whole new spin on them. Wants more.
May 24, 2019
Since I am reading Brubaker and Phillips’ wonderful 2019 Criminal series, and recently reread their The Fadeout, and I saw that Sam Q had gone back to compare the new stuff to the older stuff, I thought I would reread Incognito to see whether he was actually just as good then as now. I would say not quite, I didn’t like this nearly as much, but there are aspects of the work that show the promise of today, for sure.
Brubaker did superhero comics for years, such as Captain America, Daredevil, and Catwoman that are among the best runs ever on those characters, bringing a fresh sense of noir humanity to them, while demonstrating that he has read and absorbed every single issue of what has come before. But he is at his best as a noir crime comics writer; that’s his niche. If you think of the above as a kind of mash-up, superhero noir, well he tried other {less successful) mash-ups, too, such as melding noir with the femme fatale/horror in Fatale.
And this, a pulpy superhero/noir inversion of the above, call it supervillain noir: Zack Overkill is a former supervillain in hiding, trying to forge a new life for himself working in an office under the protection of the Witness Protection Program (there’s that title, right) after turning state’s evidence against his Legion of Doom bosses. And he’s bored. Wouldn’t you be, after fighting epic battles with your superpowers?! Chatting at the office Christmas party? And he’s still an asshole; a self-aware one, and one who is now facing some blackmail. I know who you are, and we are gong to rob a bank and you are going to make me rich!
Well, okay, to be truthful, there’s more ideas jammed into this comic than in 80% of the comics out there. Some of it, to fit the pulp tone is (too, for me) over the top, uh, overkill, so yes, it fits the mythology, the world, and that can be fun: That goofy name, and Zack has a twin brother, and there’s a woman in Zack’s office who has a thing for guys that dress up as superheroes. And Zack begins actually doing bad things to bad guys, but he doesn’t want it to get around. There’re lots of nods to superhero history: Black Death and a Doc Savage-type guy, Professor Zeppelin. So, the art ten years ago was already good, and the dialogue is good, but I would say it’s just not quite as good as the work is now, and my preference is just for straight-up noir from these guys, but it’s good. Start with Criminal, if you only have so much time to read something from him.
Brubaker did superhero comics for years, such as Captain America, Daredevil, and Catwoman that are among the best runs ever on those characters, bringing a fresh sense of noir humanity to them, while demonstrating that he has read and absorbed every single issue of what has come before. But he is at his best as a noir crime comics writer; that’s his niche. If you think of the above as a kind of mash-up, superhero noir, well he tried other {less successful) mash-ups, too, such as melding noir with the femme fatale/horror in Fatale.
And this, a pulpy superhero/noir inversion of the above, call it supervillain noir: Zack Overkill is a former supervillain in hiding, trying to forge a new life for himself working in an office under the protection of the Witness Protection Program (there’s that title, right) after turning state’s evidence against his Legion of Doom bosses. And he’s bored. Wouldn’t you be, after fighting epic battles with your superpowers?! Chatting at the office Christmas party? And he’s still an asshole; a self-aware one, and one who is now facing some blackmail. I know who you are, and we are gong to rob a bank and you are going to make me rich!
Well, okay, to be truthful, there’s more ideas jammed into this comic than in 80% of the comics out there. Some of it, to fit the pulp tone is (too, for me) over the top, uh, overkill, so yes, it fits the mythology, the world, and that can be fun: That goofy name, and Zack has a twin brother, and there’s a woman in Zack’s office who has a thing for guys that dress up as superheroes. And Zack begins actually doing bad things to bad guys, but he doesn’t want it to get around. There’re lots of nods to superhero history: Black Death and a Doc Savage-type guy, Professor Zeppelin. So, the art ten years ago was already good, and the dialogue is good, but I would say it’s just not quite as good as the work is now, and my preference is just for straight-up noir from these guys, but it’s good. Start with Criminal, if you only have so much time to read something from him.
February 9, 2011
Remember the end of Goodfellas where Ray Liotta is complaining about having to live like an ordinary schmoo after going into witness protection? And the real Henry Hill that Liotta played has had numerous arrests since turning rat because apparently once you’ve been a gangster, working a regular job just doesn’t provide the same opportunities for excitement.
Now imagine that you had been a super powered villain before becoming a regular old clock puncher. Like Doctor Doom working for an insurance company. “Buy this policy! Cower before Doom and pray I don’t raise your premiums. *sob* Oh, god. I used to rule a whole country and fight the Fantastic Four. How did it come to this?”
That’s the basic premise at work in this. Zach Overkill and his twin brother Xavier were destructive super baddies who did the bidding of a supremely powerful villain called Black Death. After Xavier was killed and Zach badly injured, the SOS agency captures Zach and puts him on a drug regimen that takes away his super strength. Overkill is forced to give secret testimony against Black Death, getting him imprisoned. Then Zach is put into witness protection where he remains powerless and spends his days as a friendless file clerk. But when Zach starts taking recreational drugs out of boredom, he accidently cancels out the government meds and get his powers back. When he can’t resist putting on a mask and using his powers again, Zach winds up with both the government and his old comrades coming after him.
Ed Brubaker is one of my favorite comic writers because he can do super heroes or crime stories or combine the two. With Incognito, not only does he use the crime scenario of a former bad guy hiding in government protection and combine it with a superhero concept, he builds an incredibly cool pulp-based mythology. In this world, the entire superhero/super villain conflict can be tracked back to Black Death and a Doc Savage-like character called Professor Zeppelin who created the SOS agency, and there were other pulp-style heroes and villains. Their old battles have turned into a Cold War-style conflict between the two forces and the general public doesn’t really know the extent of what’s going on.
It’s a gritty modern superhero/crime story with a bit of old pulp flair to it. It’s violent, funny, action filled and packed with great characters. Comic fans don’t want to miss this one.
Now imagine that you had been a super powered villain before becoming a regular old clock puncher. Like Doctor Doom working for an insurance company. “Buy this policy! Cower before Doom and pray I don’t raise your premiums. *sob* Oh, god. I used to rule a whole country and fight the Fantastic Four. How did it come to this?”
That’s the basic premise at work in this. Zach Overkill and his twin brother Xavier were destructive super baddies who did the bidding of a supremely powerful villain called Black Death. After Xavier was killed and Zach badly injured, the SOS agency captures Zach and puts him on a drug regimen that takes away his super strength. Overkill is forced to give secret testimony against Black Death, getting him imprisoned. Then Zach is put into witness protection where he remains powerless and spends his days as a friendless file clerk. But when Zach starts taking recreational drugs out of boredom, he accidently cancels out the government meds and get his powers back. When he can’t resist putting on a mask and using his powers again, Zach winds up with both the government and his old comrades coming after him.
Ed Brubaker is one of my favorite comic writers because he can do super heroes or crime stories or combine the two. With Incognito, not only does he use the crime scenario of a former bad guy hiding in government protection and combine it with a superhero concept, he builds an incredibly cool pulp-based mythology. In this world, the entire superhero/super villain conflict can be tracked back to Black Death and a Doc Savage-like character called Professor Zeppelin who created the SOS agency, and there were other pulp-style heroes and villains. Their old battles have turned into a Cold War-style conflict between the two forces and the general public doesn’t really know the extent of what’s going on.
It’s a gritty modern superhero/crime story with a bit of old pulp flair to it. It’s violent, funny, action filled and packed with great characters. Comic fans don’t want to miss this one.
February 18, 2017
4.5/5
Pulpy, supervillian turned regular guy, (sort of) noir. 'Nuff said.
Thanks to Richard Vialet for recommending Ed Brubaker!
This is right up my alley.
Pulpy, supervillian turned regular guy, (sort of) noir. 'Nuff said.
Thanks to Richard Vialet for recommending Ed Brubaker!
This is right up my alley.
August 18, 2014
Brubaker formula for a noir comic:
- self-aware protagonist, acknowledging his self-destructive nature as it consumes him: check
- flashback sequences in different colour palettes, illustrating the good old/naive days: check
- loner guy gets obsessed with a standoffish bitch: check
- skips most of the daytime in favour of nighttime scenes with long shadows and meaningfully darkened parts of faces: check
- bastards threatening women in sexually suggestive ways: check
- blackmail from unexpected places: check
- shocking plot twists that wrench the protagonist: check
- bulk pricing on Carlin's Seven Words: check
This bad-guy-gone-grey story is pretty good. Has a few thinly-lipstick's steals from Marvel and DC universes, and a good selection of well-mixed concepts to keep it from feeling like a Millar book.
However, The greatest steals are from Brunaker's own work. This feels so much like Fatale that I'm having a hard time not mixing up the mythologies. This *isn't* the one with Cthulu, right?
Aside from the powers and the super-tech, this reads exactly like a Brubaker noir.
And what keeps me reading it is just how well done a Brubaker noir really is. Sparse writing, believable dialogue, no one speechifying or addressing their best friends by name in every scene. Nice little twists, surprising relationships and random events.
Plus the incredible art. Not just Phillips' compositions, camera angles, evocative linework and heavy shadows, but the beautiful and hellishly moody colours. Every scene has a deliberate and limited palette - not so small that it looks rushed or ill-considered, not so wide that it looks like what happened the first time I got a CD full of custom fonts. (You *don't* want to try to read that eye-gouging party invite I did.)
Best surprise? The ending.
- self-aware protagonist, acknowledging his self-destructive nature as it consumes him: check
- flashback sequences in different colour palettes, illustrating the good old/naive days: check
- loner guy gets obsessed with a standoffish bitch: check
- skips most of the daytime in favour of nighttime scenes with long shadows and meaningfully darkened parts of faces: check
- bastards threatening women in sexually suggestive ways: check
- blackmail from unexpected places: check
- shocking plot twists that wrench the protagonist: check
- bulk pricing on Carlin's Seven Words: check
This bad-guy-gone-grey story is pretty good. Has a few thinly-lipstick's steals from Marvel and DC universes, and a good selection of well-mixed concepts to keep it from feeling like a Millar book.
However, The greatest steals are from Brunaker's own work. This feels so much like Fatale that I'm having a hard time not mixing up the mythologies. This *isn't* the one with Cthulu, right?
Aside from the powers and the super-tech, this reads exactly like a Brubaker noir.
And what keeps me reading it is just how well done a Brubaker noir really is. Sparse writing, believable dialogue, no one speechifying or addressing their best friends by name in every scene. Nice little twists, surprising relationships and random events.
Plus the incredible art. Not just Phillips' compositions, camera angles, evocative linework and heavy shadows, but the beautiful and hellishly moody colours. Every scene has a deliberate and limited palette - not so small that it looks rushed or ill-considered, not so wide that it looks like what happened the first time I got a CD full of custom fonts. (You *don't* want to try to read that eye-gouging party invite I did.)
Best surprise? The ending.
February 26, 2023
One of the more forgettable collaborations between Brubaker and Philips but its hard to deny how entertaining this is while reading. It's a Marvel book but firmly in the Criminal style storytelling.
January 29, 2018
I'm going to be honest, this was a bit of a letdown.
So as most people know by now I love Brubaker. Even at his worst (Something like this) It's still pretty entertaining. I also think Sean is one of my favorite artist of all time. So why didn't I love this? I guess it's because I hated every character.
Now this isn't a comic where it paints you likeable characters. Everyone is basically a villain, and it's about a retired villain who decides to do good, but then it doesn't really focus on that. Instead it focuses on a mad scientist control over clones, and I guess domination, but it's also slightly confusing, and it really doesn't have any rhyme or reason compared to amazing works like Kill or Be Killed or Criminal.
Good: The art is fantastic of course. Brubaker is also a solid dialog creator giving us plenty of laugh out loud moments and solid dialog. I also enjoyed the main character's view points, even if they are somewhat depressing.
Bad: The storyline is a jumbled mess with too much focus on character you don't care about. Also it feels very rushed as if it should have been 10 to 12 issues but got compacted down to 6. The ending was unsatisfying as can be.
Overall this is a decent fun little novel but it'll be one I'll forget about unlike the other stuff Brubaker has made in the past. I'll give this a 2.5 out of 5.
So as most people know by now I love Brubaker. Even at his worst (Something like this) It's still pretty entertaining. I also think Sean is one of my favorite artist of all time. So why didn't I love this? I guess it's because I hated every character.
Now this isn't a comic where it paints you likeable characters. Everyone is basically a villain, and it's about a retired villain who decides to do good, but then it doesn't really focus on that. Instead it focuses on a mad scientist control over clones, and I guess domination, but it's also slightly confusing, and it really doesn't have any rhyme or reason compared to amazing works like Kill or Be Killed or Criminal.
Good: The art is fantastic of course. Brubaker is also a solid dialog creator giving us plenty of laugh out loud moments and solid dialog. I also enjoyed the main character's view points, even if they are somewhat depressing.
Bad: The storyline is a jumbled mess with too much focus on character you don't care about. Also it feels very rushed as if it should have been 10 to 12 issues but got compacted down to 6. The ending was unsatisfying as can be.
Overall this is a decent fun little novel but it'll be one I'll forget about unlike the other stuff Brubaker has made in the past. I'll give this a 2.5 out of 5.
September 18, 2011
Once the good guys have rounded up the bad guys in the superhero books they usually wind up somewhere like Arkham Asylum (Batman) or sent into space in a mirror (Superman 2), but in this book Ed Brubaker has his villain wind up in a Witness Relocation Program and given a job as a file clerk. There he lives a normal life of boredom, his super powers regulated by drugs administered by the good guys (a kind of less glamorous JLA). But the life he lived is too alluring and he soon finds his ways back to old life.
"Incognito" takes an interesting premise telling the story you rarely get in the superhero comics, that of the baddie after the events, from his perspective. There are a few interesting side stories such as a normal woman held hostage by one of the bad guys during a robbery who, after the event, develops a fetish for costumed heroes and danger, while another deals with blackmailing someone with knowledge of their secret identity.
The actual story of the baddie in question is less interesting as it's more akin to the kind of stuff Marvel and DC put out in their regular publications. It involves aliens, superpowers, superbrains, etc, etc. while I felt the ending was a bit Marvel/DC as well and less like the promising alternative approach that the comic started out in.
I felt that the book had the right idea but wasn't executed as effectively as it could have been. I think this new approach to the superhero genre though is quite brilliant and am enjoying this renaissance of comics coming out such as "Incognito" as well as Warren Ellis' "No Hero" and Garth Ennis' "The Boys". Ed Brubaker is a brilliant writer but I would point readers to his other series "Criminal" for a better read.
"Incognito" takes an interesting premise telling the story you rarely get in the superhero comics, that of the baddie after the events, from his perspective. There are a few interesting side stories such as a normal woman held hostage by one of the bad guys during a robbery who, after the event, develops a fetish for costumed heroes and danger, while another deals with blackmailing someone with knowledge of their secret identity.
The actual story of the baddie in question is less interesting as it's more akin to the kind of stuff Marvel and DC put out in their regular publications. It involves aliens, superpowers, superbrains, etc, etc. while I felt the ending was a bit Marvel/DC as well and less like the promising alternative approach that the comic started out in.
I felt that the book had the right idea but wasn't executed as effectively as it could have been. I think this new approach to the superhero genre though is quite brilliant and am enjoying this renaissance of comics coming out such as "Incognito" as well as Warren Ellis' "No Hero" and Garth Ennis' "The Boys". Ed Brubaker is a brilliant writer but I would point readers to his other series "Criminal" for a better read.
February 7, 2016
4.5 stars
Introduction:
Alright! Another graphic novel that has the famous Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips collaboration touch (the first being “Fatale”). This time, I’m checking out a graphic novel that is quite unique called “Incognito” and man, was it one of the most creative and unusual graphic novels I have ever read!
What is this story about?
Zack Overkill was your average man who was working at a business job that he hated and employees that he could care less for. Surprisingly, it turned out that Zack Overkill was once a former villain who left destruction in his wake and because of this, Zack is put into a Witness Protection Program and if he gets out of line, he will be looking at a life in jail. Unfortunately, when Zack’s past associates come and pay him a visit, Zack will soon realize that there is more to him than he originally thought.
What I loved about this story:
Ed Brubaker’s writing: Wow! I was quite amazed at Ed Brubaker’s writing in this unique graphic novel! Now, I have read a couple of graphic novels where we look at everything from the villain’s point of view, but I had never read a graphic novel where a villain is forced to give up his life of crime and work in an ordinary job in order to protect his identity from the public.
Ed Brubaker did a great job at developing Zack Overkill’s character as Zack is shown to be a rude and miserable character who does not like his normal life and would rather be going out and fighting criminals or get his hands on some drugs to keep him sane. It was also interesting seeing how Zack still has murderous intentions towards various people who annoy him as it shows that he still has some villainy inside of him, even though he is slowly going through a character progression throughout the story. I also loved the way that Ed Brubaker unraveled the mystery behind Zack Overkill as I found myself being shocked at Zack’s true backstory and how it affected him as a character throughout the story.
Sean Phillips’ artwork: Sean Phillips’ artwork is as usual gorgeous to look at as all the characters are drawn realistically and the violent scenes are extremely detailed that they make me cringe with tension. I also loved the film noir style of the artwork as it made me feel like I am back in the 1940s and experiencing the mysteries and terror going on during that decade.
What made me feel uncomfortable about this story:
The reason why I took off half a point from the rating is because there were times where the plot got a bit confusing because the story went back and forth between giving us snippets of Zack’s past life as a villain and unraveling the mysteries that surround his true identity. I often found myself trying to figure out what was really going on with Zack and where the story was taking me when they tried to mention his backstory. Also, for anyone who does not like strong language and violence, this volume contains loads of strong language and some violent scenes of people being shot violently or being beaten up in a graphic manner.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, “Incognito Volume 1” is a great read for anyone who wants to read about crime noir and villains turning into everyday citizens to save themselves from going to jail. I am definitely looking forward to reading the second volume of this series!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
March 10, 2012
This has been an exceptional year for me in terms of the quality of material I've been reading. I think I've given out more 5 star reviews that anyone I know. Well, it's either this or I'm easily impressed.
WOW! A BLUE CAR.
Not only have I been recommended Ed Brubraker and sean Phillips' work by fellow Goodreader Stephen but when I saw that Bill Hader had written the forward to this graphic novel, I was genuinely intrigued. Hader, who is easily my favorite cast member working SNL today, is a crime fiction guy? Awesome! Makes me like him even more.
As Ed writes in his afterword, we often see fiction where we get a good guy going undercover as a bad guy OR the story of a good guy trying to maintain his alter-ego. How about a bad guy pretending to lead a normal life? In a sex driven and blood soaked story, we get Zack Overkill (awesome name, I know) trying to assimilate into everyday life. The government established S.O.S. program is in charge of detaining and rehabilitating former supervillians. Following the death of his twin brother Xander, Zack is placed in the custody of the S.O.S. team, stripped of his powers through powerful drugs and given a job as a file clerk in a 9-5 hell.
Brubaker and Phillips are a dynamite team here, this stuff is just drenched in awesome sauce. I was extremely happy to see that this is part of an ongoing series, not ending with one arc. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this story as well as more of the Brubaker/Phillips tag team material.
WOW! A BLUE CAR.
Not only have I been recommended Ed Brubraker and sean Phillips' work by fellow Goodreader Stephen but when I saw that Bill Hader had written the forward to this graphic novel, I was genuinely intrigued. Hader, who is easily my favorite cast member working SNL today, is a crime fiction guy? Awesome! Makes me like him even more.
As Ed writes in his afterword, we often see fiction where we get a good guy going undercover as a bad guy OR the story of a good guy trying to maintain his alter-ego. How about a bad guy pretending to lead a normal life? In a sex driven and blood soaked story, we get Zack Overkill (awesome name, I know) trying to assimilate into everyday life. The government established S.O.S. program is in charge of detaining and rehabilitating former supervillians. Following the death of his twin brother Xander, Zack is placed in the custody of the S.O.S. team, stripped of his powers through powerful drugs and given a job as a file clerk in a 9-5 hell.
Brubaker and Phillips are a dynamite team here, this stuff is just drenched in awesome sauce. I was extremely happy to see that this is part of an ongoing series, not ending with one arc. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this story as well as more of the Brubaker/Phillips tag team material.
February 12, 2012
Picture a supervillain in the witness protection program. That's Zach Overkill. With his twin brother, Xander, he had spent his life working for The Black Death. Now Xander is dead, and Zach has given evidence against his former boss. Aside from being given a new name and a normal job, he's also on drugs to suppress his powers. But when he starts taking drugs on the side, they cancel out the power suppressors, and Zach finds himself playing hero. This brings him to the attention of both supervillains and the government, none of whom are happy to see him empowered again.
It's a great story, with a great, ambiguous end. I'm curious to see where Zach ends up in the second volume, because that's still an open question. He's not necessarily a pleasant character to read about, but he shouldn't be. In fact, the whole book is short on pleasant characters, in a realistic way. The art suits the mood of the work, and is just nice to look at besides. I'll certainly be reading more of this.
It's a great story, with a great, ambiguous end. I'm curious to see where Zach ends up in the second volume, because that's still an open question. He's not necessarily a pleasant character to read about, but he shouldn't be. In fact, the whole book is short on pleasant characters, in a realistic way. The art suits the mood of the work, and is just nice to look at besides. I'll certainly be reading more of this.
May 15, 2014
What if a powerful supervillain ended up in witness protection, working a regular office job like the average Joe?
That is the scenario that Ed Brubaker presents his readers in the series "Incognito."
Zack Overkill was 'a very villainous fellow,' it was all he knew. And then his world changed. His brother was killed and he woke up in a secret government hospital and he was given drugs to deactivate his supernatural abilities and he was under the oversight of SOS, who had once been his greatest adversaries.
Zack hates his new life. He feels empty and useless, until he begins going out at night as a masked avenger, saving people, not out of altruism, but because it staves off his sense of boredom. But his past is catching up with him.
This is noir meets comic book superheroes and villains, and it's very well done. The tone is unapologetically 'adult', with plenty of foul language, violence, and some sexual content. However, there is something quite fascinating about this book. Maybe it's the whole concept. Or maybe it's the fact that Zack's situation is compelling. Readers can feel his pain, especially if your workday has ever felt like the movie "Office Space." And imagine going from being a supervillain to a working stiff who has the strength of the average sedentary young male. Brubaker allows the readers to walk in the shoes of a supervillain and watch his view of the world change. Zack comes to realize that why kill, steal and rampage for no reason, when once's powers can be strategically employed for something of more value? Can there be a better worldview than nihilism? Can people you once viewed as your enemies become your allies for a greater purpose?
There are some disturbing scenes in this book, but then we are dealing with plenty of amoral villains and psychopaths, and even some of the office joes and janes are not exactly admirable in their choices. I didn't care for that, but I did like that Zack's view on things is evolving, and he realizes he doesn't have to be enslaved to his past identity or even who others see him as.
I'll have to keep following this series.
That is the scenario that Ed Brubaker presents his readers in the series "Incognito."
Zack Overkill was 'a very villainous fellow,' it was all he knew. And then his world changed. His brother was killed and he woke up in a secret government hospital and he was given drugs to deactivate his supernatural abilities and he was under the oversight of SOS, who had once been his greatest adversaries.
Zack hates his new life. He feels empty and useless, until he begins going out at night as a masked avenger, saving people, not out of altruism, but because it staves off his sense of boredom. But his past is catching up with him.
This is noir meets comic book superheroes and villains, and it's very well done. The tone is unapologetically 'adult', with plenty of foul language, violence, and some sexual content. However, there is something quite fascinating about this book. Maybe it's the whole concept. Or maybe it's the fact that Zack's situation is compelling. Readers can feel his pain, especially if your workday has ever felt like the movie "Office Space." And imagine going from being a supervillain to a working stiff who has the strength of the average sedentary young male. Brubaker allows the readers to walk in the shoes of a supervillain and watch his view of the world change. Zack comes to realize that why kill, steal and rampage for no reason, when once's powers can be strategically employed for something of more value? Can there be a better worldview than nihilism? Can people you once viewed as your enemies become your allies for a greater purpose?
There are some disturbing scenes in this book, but then we are dealing with plenty of amoral villains and psychopaths, and even some of the office joes and janes are not exactly admirable in their choices. I didn't care for that, but I did like that Zack's view on things is evolving, and he realizes he doesn't have to be enslaved to his past identity or even who others see him as.
I'll have to keep following this series.
January 21, 2018
Story Synopsis:
If You Enjoy This, Check Out...: Sleeper
Other Useful Reviews: Mike's review, Kemper's review, and Sesana's review
Book Info: This collection contains Incognito issues #1-6.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Down)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
Zack Anderson (formerly Zack Overkill) is a retired super-villain that's forced to give up his life of crime, eventually becoming an informant for the S.O.S. (a law enforcement agency). When the opportunity arises to creep back into his old life, he jumps at the chance, but inevitably, this is when things get complicated. On the run from both the S.O.S. and the Black Death – his former criminal boss – Zack fights to break free of his past, as well as mediate his hedonistic impulses in the face of his harsh, new-found reality.
As is the case for several books written by Brubaker, Incognito is a crime noir book, but it also classifies within the superhero genre. It's a thriller that offers action and suspense, but at the same time sets things up at a steady pace, revealing more and more background history to fill in the blanks with each issue. Although not as good a read as I had initially hoped, I was drawn in enough by the protagonist's eventual paranoia and desperation that I really enjoyed this starting from the first issue right up until its conclusion.
Considering Brubaker's level of talent as a writer, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he's able to take a smug, jaded, and self-deprecating character such as Zack, and get you to like him; very early in the story, it's easy enough to and begin to care about him and his struggles. And it certainly doesn't hurt that Brubaker embeds him in a very well thought-out universe that's clearly ripe for expansion. It takes an exceptional level of care and commitment to invest as much effort in the plot as the writer does here – as well as in finding a way to present all the colorful characters in a credible and natural fashion – but it's easy to see how it paid off to deliver a product that so competently merges the genres of noir, sci-fi, and superhero fiction.
But honestly, I've seen him write deeper and more gripping characterizations. So it could just be that here, Brubaker very cleverly appeals to our personal experiences of loneliness and our longing for emotional connection, and facilitates just enough of a connection to hold our interest in the character, while sweetening the deal by placing him in a world filled with violence, sex, and drugs. It's more than a little sneaky and convenient an approach, but works about as well as I'm sure he intended it to.
In the end, what really kept this volume short of four full stars for me was probably a combination of two factors. If I had to list both of them in order of most to least damaging, I'd say they were as follows: (1) the undue attention (i.e. "panel space") given to less interesting secondary characters like Amanda, Farmer, and Doctor Lester; and (2) the excessively intricate backstories. The story rarely dragged whenever Zack was the focal point of the narrative, but these diversions contributed little, and started to add up in a bad way. I suppose the exposition and flashbacks were more interesting than the other characters, but it all actually turned out to be enough material for like two whole volumes stuffed into one! So unfortunately, the complexity did reach the point of diminishing returns, and there were quite a bit of additional little details that could just have easily been omitted without harm.
With Incognito, you get: mad scientists, flying cars, kickass/seductive women, and some satisfying action sequences. Plus, you get all this illustrated by Sean Phillips! I'm not convinced you can ever go wrong pairing his art with Brubaker's genius. In essence, consider this as a slightly watered-down Sleeper. Fortunately, most people who have read Sleeper could tell you it's more than good enough for that actually to be a compliment.
If You Enjoy This, Check Out...: Sleeper
Other Useful Reviews: Mike's review, Kemper's review, and Sesana's review
Book Info: This collection contains Incognito issues #1-6.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3.5/5 stars} (Rounded Down)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <4/5 stars>
Zack Anderson (formerly Zack Overkill) is a retired super-villain that's forced to give up his life of crime, eventually becoming an informant for the S.O.S. (a law enforcement agency). When the opportunity arises to creep back into his old life, he jumps at the chance, but inevitably, this is when things get complicated. On the run from both the S.O.S. and the Black Death – his former criminal boss – Zack fights to break free of his past, as well as mediate his hedonistic impulses in the face of his harsh, new-found reality.
As is the case for several books written by Brubaker, Incognito is a crime noir book, but it also classifies within the superhero genre. It's a thriller that offers action and suspense, but at the same time sets things up at a steady pace, revealing more and more background history to fill in the blanks with each issue. Although not as good a read as I had initially hoped, I was drawn in enough by the protagonist's eventual paranoia and desperation that I really enjoyed this starting from the first issue right up until its conclusion.
Considering Brubaker's level of talent as a writer, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that he's able to take a smug, jaded, and self-deprecating character such as Zack, and get you to like him; very early in the story, it's easy enough to and begin to care about him and his struggles. And it certainly doesn't hurt that Brubaker embeds him in a very well thought-out universe that's clearly ripe for expansion. It takes an exceptional level of care and commitment to invest as much effort in the plot as the writer does here – as well as in finding a way to present all the colorful characters in a credible and natural fashion – but it's easy to see how it paid off to deliver a product that so competently merges the genres of noir, sci-fi, and superhero fiction.
But honestly, I've seen him write deeper and more gripping characterizations. So it could just be that here, Brubaker very cleverly appeals to our personal experiences of loneliness and our longing for emotional connection, and facilitates just enough of a connection to hold our interest in the character, while sweetening the deal by placing him in a world filled with violence, sex, and drugs. It's more than a little sneaky and convenient an approach, but works about as well as I'm sure he intended it to.
In the end, what really kept this volume short of four full stars for me was probably a combination of two factors. If I had to list both of them in order of most to least damaging, I'd say they were as follows: (1) the undue attention (i.e. "panel space") given to less interesting secondary characters like Amanda, Farmer, and Doctor Lester; and (2) the excessively intricate backstories. The story rarely dragged whenever Zack was the focal point of the narrative, but these diversions contributed little, and started to add up in a bad way. I suppose the exposition and flashbacks were more interesting than the other characters, but it all actually turned out to be enough material for like two whole volumes stuffed into one! So unfortunately, the complexity did reach the point of diminishing returns, and there were quite a bit of additional little details that could just have easily been omitted without harm.
With Incognito, you get: mad scientists, flying cars, kickass/seductive women, and some satisfying action sequences. Plus, you get all this illustrated by Sean Phillips! I'm not convinced you can ever go wrong pairing his art with Brubaker's genius. In essence, consider this as a slightly watered-down Sleeper. Fortunately, most people who have read Sleeper could tell you it's more than good enough for that actually to be a compliment.
March 19, 2015
So...a super villain becomes not a super villain becomes a file clerk becomes a superhero.
Or something?
You know what? Fuck it - it's Brubaker & Phillips - I already knew going into it that it was gonna be good.
And it was. It's gritty, brutal and its deliciously superhero-noir (yes, I just made up a genre), the words and the art are wonderful, and, all in all, it's yet another great comic from a team that never ceases to put out work that I absolutely love.
April 30, 2025
Incognito by Ed Brubaker is a gritty, pulpy ride through a world where supervillains go into witness protection. It’s got all the noir vibes you’d expect—drugs, dames, secret identities, and moral gray zones—but this time wrapped in a superhero shell. Zack Overkill, a former villain turned bored office drone, is a solid anti-hero, and his struggle to stay clean (and stay hidden) keeps things interesting. That said, the plot sometimes feels like it’s leaning a little too hard on genre tropes without pushing them anywhere new. The art by Sean Phillips is moody and stylish as always, but overall, this one didn’t hit quite as hard as some of Brubaker’s other work. Still worth checking out if you like your comics dark and dirty, just maybe temper the expectations a bit. 3/5.
March 27, 2013
ok, let me start this off by saying that by the end of part 4 i was leaning towards 2.5, really but then i read the last part and lolwot was that?
the first two parts were some dude!bro pseudo intellectual ramblings about good and bad and society and government, ooh that we have heard so many times before. we get it, everything is grey and all that old shit but like the way the creators of this piece did it wasn't very rewarding. it felt like we were meant to think that what they said was so important and untraveled ground but it felt forced.
i think we were supposed to like the protagonist despite his many many flaws but i didn't, lol. in fact, i really hated him.
he raped a drunk woman. he victim blamed. he was generally an awful person, lol. he sucked and he didn't earn any sympathy from me.
the story felt rushed, especially in the last part, and i didn't really like the end cos it all felt so uninspired. like a weird cop out. it was just pretty damn dumb.
in gist, the book did not like up to expectations with no likable characters and a bullshit ending.
the first two parts were some dude!bro pseudo intellectual ramblings about good and bad and society and government, ooh that we have heard so many times before. we get it, everything is grey and all that old shit but like the way the creators of this piece did it wasn't very rewarding. it felt like we were meant to think that what they said was so important and untraveled ground but it felt forced.
i think we were supposed to like the protagonist despite his many many flaws but i didn't, lol. in fact, i really hated him.
he raped a drunk woman. he victim blamed. he was generally an awful person, lol. he sucked and he didn't earn any sympathy from me.
the story felt rushed, especially in the last part, and i didn't really like the end cos it all felt so uninspired. like a weird cop out. it was just pretty damn dumb.
in gist, the book did not like up to expectations with no likable characters and a bullshit ending.
March 2, 2014
Yet another fine independent creation by Brubaker & Philips. This one focuses on a former supervillain (mid-level) in the witness protection program after being caught by 'good guys'. Thematically similar to Mark Waid's Incorruptible series, yet more pulpy like Criminal series. I liked it, though not quite as strong as Criminal, the ideas are fun to explore and it is great to see a book done from the villain POV when he's not really as bad as u think, and you even feel sorry for him and what's happening. (at least I did). Looking forward to see if this series takes off or just hums along...either way, quality and worth a read even if not a 5 star classic.
March 14, 2025
(4,1 of 5 for Ed wanting to do a Criminal story, but also The Boys)
There was Sleeper, and then Criminal started, and Incognito joined in. I love Criminal, but I don't like the superhero genre, so I was a bit worried. Luckily, Ed deconstructs the "SHIELD vs. Hydra" and turns it into his usual noir struggle. And that just works. It's dark, violent, gritty, and thrilling. The art is also fine. It's not Sean's best, but Ed and Seant aren't a long-lasting comics dynamic duo for nothing. It just works together well.
Incognito is for the superhero genre that Fatale is for the horror "Lovecraftian" one. So I like it but I'm also glad there is only one more volume to it.
There was Sleeper, and then Criminal started, and Incognito joined in. I love Criminal, but I don't like the superhero genre, so I was a bit worried. Luckily, Ed deconstructs the "SHIELD vs. Hydra" and turns it into his usual noir struggle. And that just works. It's dark, violent, gritty, and thrilling. The art is also fine. It's not Sean's best, but Ed and Seant aren't a long-lasting comics dynamic duo for nothing. It just works together well.
Incognito is for the superhero genre that Fatale is for the horror "Lovecraftian" one. So I like it but I'm also glad there is only one more volume to it.
June 29, 2012
As a fan of Criminal, I was looking forward to Brubaker's take on a noir superhero comic. Tonally, I can feel it, but the story kind of rambles around in a way that really put me off. Of course, being a superhero comic there's the expected far fetched science fiction. That, I can handle and expected. The problem is, hm, harder to pinpoint than I expected when I decided to write this review...
OK, see, the things Zack (the protagonist) thinks are very noir-esque, his internal monologue. So that's great, and essential to a great noir story, IMO. The thing is, his reactions aren't as brooding and dark as his thoughts are. Everything comes too easy, and without any emotional conflict. The big reveal, at the end, gets Zack angry, but it's a thick headed punch things angry, which isn't smart, or interesting.
I don't think Brubaker completely ruined this story or concept, it just isn't all right. It's a nice car with a ruined interior, to analogize.
I would recommend this story to hardcore Brubaker fans, or anyone looking to experience a different kind of noir. But keep your expectations low. For all I know you might enjoy it more than I did. I might have had the opposite problem, unobtainable expectations.
OK, see, the things Zack (the protagonist) thinks are very noir-esque, his internal monologue. So that's great, and essential to a great noir story, IMO. The thing is, his reactions aren't as brooding and dark as his thoughts are. Everything comes too easy, and without any emotional conflict. The big reveal, at the end, gets Zack angry, but it's a thick headed punch things angry, which isn't smart, or interesting.
I don't think Brubaker completely ruined this story or concept, it just isn't all right. It's a nice car with a ruined interior, to analogize.
I would recommend this story to hardcore Brubaker fans, or anyone looking to experience a different kind of noir. But keep your expectations low. For all I know you might enjoy it more than I did. I might have had the opposite problem, unobtainable expectations.
August 23, 2015
This was between a 3 and a 4 for me. Great art, great storytelling, but hard to deal with some of the attitudes toward/representations of women. That said, there were some great female characters in here.
December 11, 2016
Zack Overkill is a supervillain in hiding, tucked away in the Witness Protection Program after ratting out his powerful Legion of Doom bosses. Now a powerless file clerk under the government's thumb, he grows restless, starts spending his nights beating up thugs in dark alleys, and inevitably attracts the attention of the vindictive powers who've been hunting him.
Incognito is Brubaker/Phillips' superhuman take on Henry Hill from Goodfellas. "Life used to be great. Anything I wanted, I just took it. Now I'm a nobody, a schnook." Unsurprisingly, they do a damn fine job getting inside the head of a bad guy and exploring his sort-of-transition from 'villain' to 'just a really big asshole'.
As always, Phillips flawlessly captures Brubaker's noir tone and that sense of dark, larger-than-life post-human drama. They're a perfect match.
The ending is suprisingly incomplete for a Brubaker story. The boss fight is over almost before it begins, the big catch () set up then promptly ignored. It's a weird failing.
Incognito is Brubaker/Phillips' superhuman take on Henry Hill from Goodfellas. "Life used to be great. Anything I wanted, I just took it. Now I'm a nobody, a schnook." Unsurprisingly, they do a damn fine job getting inside the head of a bad guy and exploring his sort-of-transition from 'villain' to 'just a really big asshole'.
As always, Phillips flawlessly captures Brubaker's noir tone and that sense of dark, larger-than-life post-human drama. They're a perfect match.
The ending is suprisingly incomplete for a Brubaker story. The boss fight is over almost before it begins, the big catch () set up then promptly ignored. It's a weird failing.
June 24, 2013
I'm impressed. Very impressed. And this is shocking because I have always avoided "crime" comics and I really didn't want to read another super hero comic.
This is unlike anything I have ever read before. It's dark, gritty but comical. I love the way Zack looks at "regular" people. The good guys and bad guys are ALL over the top, with crazy names and even crazier powers. This is like being on a carnival ride with rusty bolts, it's not a safe read. It throws twists and turns, but most importantly, it makes us think about stuff we have never thought about before. For example, what is the psychological damage done people who "witness" a super in action? And how thin is the line between good and evil (pretty thin it seems).
Read for She-Geeks for the month of July. Great read.
This is unlike anything I have ever read before. It's dark, gritty but comical. I love the way Zack looks at "regular" people. The good guys and bad guys are ALL over the top, with crazy names and even crazier powers. This is like being on a carnival ride with rusty bolts, it's not a safe read. It throws twists and turns, but most importantly, it makes us think about stuff we have never thought about before. For example, what is the psychological damage done people who "witness" a super in action? And how thin is the line between good and evil (pretty thin it seems).
Read for She-Geeks for the month of July. Great read.
April 29, 2011
Terrific homage to the adventure pulps. The flipside to the Noir books by Brubaker and Philips.
June 20, 2015
A different take on the superhero genre as we follow an ex-supervillain in witness protection trying to do the right thing.
August 4, 2016
Bad-ass noir infused sci-fi thing going on here. Kind of like Mickey Spillane meets Marvel Comics. Whatever it is, I like it.
June 21, 2017
As a fan of most of Ed Brubaker's work I'm really surprised it took me as long as it did to get around to reading 'Incognito.' It is a nice take on the whole good guy/bad guy dynamic. Not just what makes a hero, or what makes a villain, but it makes you ask yourself (pretty much right from the get-go) moral related questions concerning them: Is there even a difference between either? Great art, great dialogue, and great plot; the whole story had a very pulpy-noir atmosphere to it, which followed through to the very end. Recommended.
March 25, 2019
I really need to see in Brubaker has written any works outside the medium of comic books and graphic novels. I bet it would be something gritty...noir-ish.....definitely with criminals and likely a hard-drinking PI.
As usual, I have to run so maybe a real review someday down the line. Read the synopsis. If it sounds the least bit interesting I recommend you give it a shot.
As usual, I have to run so maybe a real review someday down the line. Read the synopsis. If it sounds the least bit interesting I recommend you give it a shot.
May 15, 2019
Yawn, even though this team of writers turns out awesome, real-life, hard core, gritty graphic novels, this one turns out to be a super hero novel. I just can't handle comics about people in tights. I liked Watchmen, but other than that, I'm more of a graphic novel person and seeing monsters, villains, and the same plot, bad people trying to take over the world, this just isn't doing it for me.
October 31, 2020
I like Brubaker/Phillips a lot. This isn't my favorite of theirs, but it's still pretty good.
Main thing I wanted to mention was the satirical article at the end about the rise and fall of zeppelin themed comics. OMG LOL! As the kids say. It reminded me of the wonderful satirical filmography of James O. Indandenza in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Very funny.
Main thing I wanted to mention was the satirical article at the end about the rise and fall of zeppelin themed comics. OMG LOL! As the kids say. It reminded me of the wonderful satirical filmography of James O. Indandenza in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Very funny.
May 5, 2021
Slow to start but a nice arc once it gets going.
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