by Mark Waid (Writer) & Peter Krause (Illustrator)Publisher: IDW Publishing (February 9, 2016 Vol 1; May 17th, 2016 Vol. 2)
Softcover, 120 pages (vol. 1), 104 pages (vol. 2)
I'm reviewing the first two volumes (of the four
available) together as they are contain one continuous story. No need to break
it up into multiple entries, but separate links to both books are available
above.
An engrossing read and a concept so intriguing
that you wonder why no one had ever thought of it before. While these characters
are obvious analogues to Batman and Robin, they are different enough so that
any similarities seem almost coincidental.
A rich man, methodical and obsessed, becomes a
costumed vigilante and eventually trains his son to take his place. They become
Nocturnous and Galahad. However, the son gets tired of being put in the corner
and reveals his identity to the world. His father is forced to go into hiding,
but can't funnel his fortune away fast enough. The son becomes a media giant,
and a brand, spending more time advertising products and posing for social
media than defeating villains.
The interesting thing is that the title
“Insufferable” can easily be applied to both protagonists. Nocturnus secretly
enjoys demonstrating his son’s weaknesses to him, while hobbling him as an
effective partner. Galahad has a public image to maintain and is thus hungry to
collect bragging rights regardless of what he actually achieves. The father who
will never treat his son like an adult and the son who hasn’t grown out of that
blaming dad for everything stage. They make for a toxic team-up.
The plot is almost secondary to the family
drama. When the mother died, father and son took half of her ashes. When both
urns are rigged to explode and give the cryptic message “help me” then
Nocturnus and Galahad are forced to work together. The big reveal at the end
isn’t much of a surprise as it is literally the first you meet this character,
but the ride to get to the final showdown is worth the trip.
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