REVIEW: INDESTRUCTIBLE – VOLUME 1 / AUTHOR: JEFF KLINE / ARTIST: JAVI GARRON, SALVI GARCIA, ALEJANDRO SANCHEZ / PUBLISHER: IDW / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 24TH
Comic books have an image problem when it comes to comedy; the general public tends to assume that if the characters in a graphic novel are drawn in a serious, realistic manner then the book is going to be serious or at least not deliberately funny. The multiple meanings of the word comic means that a sit-com style work can be a tricky thing to pitch. Yet it hasn’t stopped people from trying and, in the case of Indestructible, pulling it off to great effect.
Indestructible is a situation comedy adventure set in a world full of superheroes. When a chap called Greg Pincus foils an armed robbery by getting in the way of a bullet and surviving, everyone assumes he is immune to bullets and an unlikely series of events are triggered that will either make Greg famous, or a corpse.
This is a classic mistaken identity farce of the sort that Hollywood loves to make and remake again and again. All the necessary tropes are here: the over-enthusiastic best friend, the beautiful but dangerous woman, the lovely and approachable girl and the life-changing offer that’s too good to be true. Throw in a wacky family and the result is a story with very few surprises. This doesn’t really matter however; the story is well told, the set-ups and their inevitable gags are funny.
Javi Garron’s art does its best to look cinematic and serious, though it doesn’t leave all the gags to the script; almost every character seems to be gurning in a hilarious manner at some point during the tale and though this does seem to fit the story quite well it does get old quite quickly. In addition there isn’t a single female character who isn’t either blessed with an amazing figure or at the very least wearing a good push-up bra which is also a bit dull. Still, the art is clear and solid, and Garron conveys both comedy and action very well. Over all, Indestructible Volume 1 is a good start to what we hope will be an amusing series.
