Back in 2007-2008ish, on Free Comic Book Day, I got a sampler of a few titles, I only remember one of them, for this thing called Invincible. Don’t ask me what the story was, but there was something about the art, the characters, and the tone that made me sit up and take notice. A week or so later, I picked up the first Trade Paperback Collection and I was hooked. Every couple of weeks, I’d grab the next one and read it a few times, until I could go back to the shop and get the next. At a point, I caught up and started buying the single issues. New issues were a highlight of the month.
Somewhere around issue 90, I got to the point where I had to cut my comic reading for financial reasons—it was an easy choice, really. But Incinvicible? That hurt. For years now, I’ve wanted to pick it up and finish the series, but haven’t gotten around to it. But then Amazon announced they were adapting the comics into an animated series. That sounded promising. Then I saw the trailer—wow. That looks like they captured the comics almost slavishly.
This led me to two things—1. I’ve resumed getting the TPBs, I’m going to see where things went after I stopped reading. and 2. I had to re-read the first three collections—the basis for Season 1. I figured I might as well, talk about those a little, here, right?
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Volume One: Family Mattersby Robert Kirkman, Corey Walker (Artist) |
(the official blurb)
Mark Grayson is the son of a human mother and an alien-Superman-esque super-hero, Omni-Man. He’s been waiting most of his life for his powers to kick in (and has been fearing that they won’t). During his senior year, they do. Suddenly, he can fly, has super-strength, invulnerability, and so on. Naturally, he gets some training and guidance from his father (who also introduces him to the man who handles his costumes), teams up with the Teen Team, defeats an alien invasion, and handles a mad scientist with a penchant for turning people into living bombs.
That seems like a whole lot of story for 120 pages—and it is. The comic will continue in that vein, too. And almost always, it doesn’t feel rushed. It’s just the way Kirkman, Walker, and (later) Ottley tell this story.
The book is filled with the kind of joie de vivre that characterizes the Sam Raimi Spider-Man or Shazam movie—or the early Ultimate Spider-Man comics from Bendis and Bagley. Mark learning to use his powers, his reactions to meeting the Teen Team, etc.—it’s the same feel as the above. At the same time, when it’s time to be a super-hero, Invincible steps up and gets it done.
Possibly my favorite part of this book (and it continues for quite a while) is the family interaction between Mark and his parents, Nolan and Deborah. There’s a warmth and an awareness of the ridiculousness of their lives. While “it’s all in a day’s work” for Mark and Nolan, it takes a toll on Deborah. And it shows (not that Deborah lets them see it). I thought that was a great touch, and something we need more of in comics.
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Volume Two:Eight is Enoughby Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker (Artist), Ryan Ottley (Artist) |
(the official blurb)
These issues seem to cram even more story in them than the previous collection managed. I swear, Invincible comics are like the TARDIS—bigger on the inside. We start with Invincible going head-to-head with an alien, Allen. Omni-Man has faced off with Allen before, but Invincible does something his father never has accomplished. Allen will come back, which is great, he’s one of my favorite characters.
Later, Mark and his best friend take a college tour, and Nolan and Deborah enjoy some time without him at home. Naturally, a little super-heroing has to happen at the campus, but not much. The next issue, however, is one that I really don’t remember reading before—and I have this reaction almost every time I read it. Until the last page and then it all comes back to me. It’s a ridiculous game that my subconscious plays with me.
The last half of this collection is proof that no matter how much fun this series has/will have—when it gets serious, it gets serious. There are so many super-hero guest stars and so many super-hero deaths that if this was a DC property, it’d be a 6-12 part mini-series with the word “Crisis” in the title But for Invincible? It’s two issues.
I enjoyed the first 1.5 collections, but the last half of this one made me stand up and pay attention to this series.
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Volume Three: Perfect Strangersby Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley (Artist) |
(the official blurb)
The first issue and a half or so of this collection is heavy on the humor and entertainment front. We start with more Allen the Alien—and get a The Next Generation parody at the same time. Then we see Mark doing stuff at school and with his friends—he even gets some comics signed (there’s a great joke about comic art in there).
Of course, all that light-heartedness has taught us that another shoe is going to fall. And fall it does. We find out what was behind the giant events of the last collection, and Invincible is in for the biggest—by far—fight of his career to date. It’s just brutal, leaving killing more civilians than Man of Steel and pushing Invincible to his breaking point. It’s huge and almost flawlessly executed.
What’s more, this collection basically sets the arc of the entire run of Invincible (I’m guessing). We continue to have the light moments, the personal stories, the typical super-hero stuff, but there’s a shadow cast over it all by what these issues set in motion.
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