Insufferable #3 – Review

Written by: Mark Waid

Art by: Peter Krause

Publisher: IDW

Insufferable has been an entertaining series to read because it tackles the unique relationship between heroes and sidekicks. For every Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne, there is a dysfunctional pair that is better suited for arguments than crime fighting. Galahad and Nocturnus, the heroes of Insufferable, are an interesting pair with their strained father/son issues. Mark Waid uses these issues to continue building the series’ intensity while slowly expanding the larger universe with more villains and characters. Insufferable #3 may veer slightly too far into dramatic territory, but this issue still includes some fun little touches and possible homages to old comic tropes.

Following the events of Insufferable #2, the third issue picks up as Galahad is presumably sinking to his death. Nocturnus may have been concerned, but he was more focused on figuring out what the villain Malvolia had hidden on his flash drive. No one knows how Malvolia obtained this drive, but the information was crucial to the ongoing investigation into the death of Galahad’s mother. Besides, Nocturnus secretly prevented Galahad’s death with the use of his handy dandy “Piranha Repellant”. Any chance this Piranha Repellant came from Adam West’s utility belt?

The beginning of Insufferable #3 may have focused on Malvolia and his flash drive, but the majority of the issue actually revolved around Galahad’s continuing quest to solve a murder before his father, improve his national image, and find out the fate of his mother. Unfortunately, one of these goals could only be completed without the help of Nocturnurs, so Galahad had to resort to good, old-fashioned stalking. Although Galahad’s investigation started out well, it quickly resulted in awkward confrontations with Nocturnus and a gang called the “Skeleton Crew”. Even worse, pictures of Galahad and Nocturnus began popping up on social media sites, sparking a massive Twitter debate about the heroes.

Honestly, Galahad gets overly dramatic during Insufferable #3, but these attitude problems seem to spawn from the added stress of dealing with his father. Plus, Galahad’s grumpiness is made less irritating by the constant overlay of Tweets from the peanut gallery. The constant stream of tweets about Galahad are the perfect example of how people say terrible things while hiding behind anonymous names.

Insufferable #3 doesn’t reach the heights of the first two issues, but Mark Waid and Peter Krause achieve something more important—they make Galahad sympathetic. During the first two issues, Galahad was portrayed as a spoiled brat in need of some discipline. Sure, Galahad still throws some temper tantrums during Insufferable #3—especially while meeting his publicist—, but you actually start to understand his behavior as the issue progresses. This change in perception is an achievement by itself.

Insufferable is a series well worth reading, and issue three continues this string of quality. Galahad is a little too dramatic at times, but the attention to detail and surprising moments of humor make the issue pretty dang good.