The Incredibles: Family Matters #1

The Incredibles: Family Matters #1
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Marcio Takara
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse; Letters by Jose Macasocal, Jr.
Covers by Michael Avon Oeming and Nick Filardi
Published by Boom! Kids

Modern master scribe Mark Waid takes the reigns of Disney and Pixar's hit The Incredibles and flawlessly translates it to the comic book page. The family's all here: Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Violet, Dash, and even little Jack Jack (whose powers we still aren't quite sure of). Fans of the film and characters (and honestly, who isn't?) will hopefully enjoy his book as much as I did. The book doesn't give a time frame on how long ago the events in the movie took place from here, but the reader can assume it was probably either a few weeks to a few months since none of the characters show any sign of aging or slowing down. They make no mention of the adventure in the movie because the family is a superhero family: another day, another bad guy to beat. They seem well adjusted.

Debuting almost 5 years ago, the Parr family, a.k.a. the Incredibles, are still a household name. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen this movie, and yet I've discovered something new with every viewing. It was a layered cinematic achievement in animation that practically begged to be made into a comic book. Now I'm all for comics being in kids' hands -- and what kid would turn down a comic about a movie they love? This has been a long time coming, too. I remember when the movie came out, another comic company was planning on releasing the book, but then that feel through. All this time later, it was worth the wait.

Waid does not simply continue the story, but expands it. He opens their world a bit wider for the reader to explore. There are even nods to other Disney/Pixar characters (Dash and the new neighbor kid are seemingly playing "cowboy and space ranger"). Waid has worked on countless superhero teams before (JLA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Fantastic Four), yet he maintains these characters with their respective, unique voices and doesn't suddenly make Mr. Incredible sound like Superman or anything like that. The art is pretty stellar as well, never over-rendered or outrageous. The coloring is bright and simply striking.

Only the first issue of a 4-part miniseries, it ends with Mr. Incredible revealing to Frozone a secret that he has been keeping from his family. Waid has promised new characters and villains and, if Pixar would allow it, Waid wants to explore Mr. and Mrs. Incredible's past adventures, and that to me sounds like a worthy read. Rest assured, Incredi-fans, your favorite spandex-clad family is in good hands with The Incredibles: Family Matters.