I’ll admit two things. First, I am a huge fan of Ed Brubaker, in almost every form that I have experienced his work. Second, I was quite underwhelmed by Incognito #1. Although the buildup seemed to be right in my enjoyment zone (Criminal meets Sleeper), I found issue #1 ponderous and even a bit tepid.

Thank God I was wrong. Incognito #2 is perfect. Flawless (fLawless for you Criminal fans). Here, the anti-hero protagonist, Zack Overkill is well into high gear. He is now thriving in his undercover witness protection life by living for the nights in which he wreaks havoc. Interestingly, the havoc he brings is just; he has become a vigilante (although one with utter disdain for the people he saves – this ain’t Batman).

Brubaker is in rare form here. Zack is already getting laid, and it’s only issue #2. Sex in most comics is weakly portrayed. Sex in Brubaker books is good (who misses Miss Misery?). The bad guy in jail is really disturbing. His underlings are worse than evil. The cops are perfunctorily incompetent. And the twist at the end of the book makes the concept of moral ambiguity in other books seem just a little twee.

Phillips is fantastic as well. Witness the cover. Can a bad guy look scary? Damn straight, Homes. Although Marvel muddy colors are a common complaint in this forum, Icon seems to be exempt. Criminal and Incognito are both gorgeous books. What’s nice here is the addition of superhero action, which is absent from Criminal.

This is a great book. Brubaker/Phillips is at this point a brand that stands for quality. I have a hard time imagining that there is anything else in entertainment that brands itself this well. Read on people.