You should be reading: The Incredibles: Family Matters

Though it often seems like many of their other movies get more attention, my favorite Pixar movie, far and away, is Brad Bird’s The Incredibles. It is so many things; a family-friendly comedy that’s genuinely funny, a coming-of-middle-age drama, and, of course, a tribute to the cape and cowl antics of comic book superheroes - the muscles, the gadgetry, the outlandish villains. It’s even kind of politically subversive for a Hollywood movie, if you think about it… though maybe I shouldn’t go there.

If you haven’t seen it… well, you should. I understand that part of my audience of this site is of the “oh, I only watch anime, American cartoons are just for kids” mindset, but I really think you’re doing yourself a disservice, and The Incredibles may be the movie that changes your mind. It basically address the question, “What if Superman and Wonder Woman got hitched, settled down and had a couple of kids?” After vigilante heroism is outlawed by the government, super strong Mr Incredible and stretchy shapeshifter Elastigirl settle down in the suburbs and start a family. But Mr Incredible doesn’t find the domestic life fulfilling, so he continues his heroism covertly, without cluing in his increasingly suspicious wife and kids. However, he soon finds himself over his head…

Given that The Incredibles is basically about comic book-style heroes, I guess it’s little surprise that when Boom! Studios’ Boom! Kids imprint brought the franchise to actual comic book pages, it would feel very much in place. The Incredibles is still ongoing as a comic series; Family Matters collects the first story arc into one paperback. In the story, Mr Incredible discovers he is gradually losing his super strength powers for some reason, and tries to find out why without letting his family find out (old habits die hard, apparently) or, of course, being clobbered in his weakened state. Taking place some point after the movie, where implicitly the Incredible family is apparently able to superhero with impunity (to verb a noun), The Incredibles: Family Matters features many of the same characters as the movie while introducing a few new ones, both heroic and villainous. But more than just the characters, the story maintains a certain The Incredibles feel in such things as how the characters interact; a battle against baddies is interspersed with typical family bickering. Though the traditionally drawn comic necessitates a different look than the 3D animation of the movie, the characters are still instantly recognizable and the same visual gags involving Mr Incredible’s freakish upper body proportions or Elastigirl’s, well, elasticity still “work.”

Bonus pages in the back show off the cover art used for the issues the volume compiles; some of them are done in an absolutely brilliant “golden age” style, with flat, faded colors and bold outlines. Very cool. There’s also a few pages of layout and character development sketches. All in all, the volume may feel a bit on the thin side, but I feel it’s a good value for the $10 price tag. Yes, it’s kiddie, but it won’t insult your intelligence like certain “adult” comics, and it’s definitely a fun read - and isn’t that what it’s all about?