Incognito: Bad Influences (ICON) – Comic Series Review

Opening as a government agent, Overkill is at least less bored than the opening of the first series, but things don’t look that good regardless. Working for the ‘good guys’ lets Zack cut loose with his powers and take down some real heavy hitters, like the Nuclear Nazis, G.I. Gorilla and Zhing Fu, the Asian underlord. As Black Death’s soldiers continue to plague him, he looks for a solution to his issues.

Keeping a secret identity however is not on his list of things he enjoys. It’s boring, mundane, and reminds him how much he doesn’t care for people. Still, he likes this part more than being a lab rat for the S.O.S. while they run their tests and experiments looking to isolate his ties to Lazarus, the Returned Man.

Things get gritty, bloody and dangerous fast as threats new and old emerge. What is happening inside the S.O.S.? Is there a mole of some kind? What about Black Death, who is continuously plotting Overkill’s death and even more destruction? Maybe Zoe Zeppelin will be able to keep him on the right path and his powers under control…

Brubaker hits with a darker sequel to his dark original series, this time bringing even more turmoil to the world and adding some deeper spy and espionage type elements. Character behaviors are again off the charts wild and morals may be thrown out the window, but the series remains readable and enjoyable despite this tone. The five issues whip by and are well plotted and written, with some memorable moments and fine dialogue. There is a fairly solid resolution, and for now, this is the end of the Incognito story, but who knows what the future holds.