Review: Impossible Incorporated TPB

STORY

Long time comic book scribe J.M. DeMatteis brings to life a head tripping tale of cosmic adventure and exploration. This comic is very much in the vein of comics like the Fantastic Four or Tom Strong. It involves a super science family of adventurers who explore the wider cosmos of space, time and dimension. DeMatteis sets up a familiar sort of story while doing something new with it by exploring the metaphysical as well as the cosmological in the arc of this collected story. Those who are looking for a scifi adventure flavored with philosophical exploration should find this as entertaining as I did. While a fun adventure this sort of story is worthy of writers like Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison.

The cast is strong and well established with the main protagonist Number is the daughter of a legendary science hero Goliath Horowitz. Her life has been shaped by the loss of both parents, one to cancer and one lost in space/time. Number reminds me a bit of an older and somewhat angsty Tom Swift or Jimmy Newtron. She’s a suer genius but she is also headstrong and emotional which saves her character from the pitfall of becoming perfect. Number is capable and confident but also flawed and she knows it and like many of us tends to ignore those flaws when things get tough. This makes Number getting out of her own way all the more triumphant and gives her a great character arc. The supporting cast are each equally important and interesting in their own right with every one of them adding value to the story as it progresses.

The story has plenty of exciting highs and lows and is filled with drama, action, pathos and jubilation. I particularly liked the overall idea of Impossible Inc and the comic itself, that “The Impossible Isn’t A Limitation, It’s An Invitation.”“ . That really nicely sums up a lot of ideas explored in this book and is one of the prevailing themes of the story. I really enjoyed how the story bounced back and fourth between the human drama and the out of this world cosmic level caper going on. In a lot of ways the story is handled in the way of some of the best of Star Trek has to offer. That conflicts can sometimes be resolved with critical thinking and empathy instead of explosions and ray blasts. This is without a doubt a thinking man’s comic and should give readers a lot to consider long after they are finished with it.

ART

Cavallaro’s art is stylistically suitable for a kid’s animated show. At first I was a bit put off by this style, thinking that this comic was going to be more of a children’s book than something a middle aged man like myself might enjoy. Thankfully I pressed on and found that the art fits the story quite well in the way that Pixar can do something light and fun and still pay serious attention to adult theme. Page layout and flow is great, characters are easily identified with excellent designs. The backgrounds and objects are very well rendered and the cosmic is properly mind blowing in a way that would make Kirby or Dikto proud.

FINAL THOUGHTS

An exciting science hero adventure filled with big, bold ideas which should inspire any creative person out there. “The Impossible Isn’t A Limitation, It’s An Invitation.”“ Yes it is! Go do something impossible! 5 out of 5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

IMPOSSIBLE INCORPORATED TPB
Writer:Â J.M. DeMatteis
Art/Letters: Mike Cavallaro