First published as a weekly series on thrillbent.com, “Insufferable” asks the question “What if Batman and Robin had a really bad breakup?” It’s an intriguing setup, and in Mark Waid’s hands it develops into something really grounded and emotionally driven. In “insufferable” the relationship between aging hero Nocturnus and his former sidekick/son Galahad is the center and beating heart that drives the story. Its a fair bit more thoughtful than any other super hero book you will probably ever read.
WRITTEN BY: Mark Waid
ART BY: Peter Krause
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 20, 2015
This first issue does everything to live up to its title, depicting an obnoxious, fame-seeking, ungrateful ex-side kick that shows up to a fight after it has ended so he can take credit and further admonish his former mentor. Galahad quite clearly has some baggage about the old man, who he talks negatively about almost as much as he brags about himself. Galahad wears his resentment on his shoulders while Nocturnus is actually less irritated than you might expect him to be. After he rescues the little girl a detective asks him how he can put up with Galahad’s constant gloating and defamation to which Nocturnus replies “Because he’s my son”.
Now things come into focus: “Insufferable” take a familiar and relatable dynamic and amps it up. By the end of the first issue your expectations will be subverted as it becomes clear that who the true transgressor is is a matter of perspective. Nocturnus was more than just the mentor that taught Galahad everything he knows, he was the overbearing father that never showed his son compassion or appreciation. Galahad is more than just the unappreciative young buck desperate for fame and fortune, he is the traumatized child whose father was emotionally abusive yet seen from the outside as a hero. This issue reveals all of this in such a structured and expertly plotted way I felt pretty manipulated myself by the last page. It is pretty remarkable how quickly I switched sides while reading this issue. We are setup hate Galahad and feel sorry for Nocturnus, but perhaps it is the opposite or something inbetween? As far as first issues go, this is one of the best.
The original release of “Insufferable” has an experimental guided view transition between panels similar to Marvel’s “infinite” comics. I was skeptical of how it transition to a comic book, especially after some repeated dialogue on the first page that reminded me of the really cool way the first panel fades into the second originally. After finishing it I can tell you there is nothing to worry about. The formatting was taken into careful consideration and if you didn’t know what it was before, you probably would never have guessed. Mark Waid has promised to surprises that have been created in the transition, so even if you read it before these books will definitely be worth revisiting.