Now this issue had some major plot points in moving the Invincible series forward and I would really hate to spoil this for anyone who hasn’t read. So I’m saying this right now, if you haven’t’ read this issue of Invincible, avoid this review!
Creative Team
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Ryan Ottley
Opening Comments: With Ottley back on art Invincible feels better then ever. Though Kirkman shakes up the Invincible-verse with some major moments and he sets up a new status quo that’s sure to leave many fans’ jaws on the floor.
Story Comments: Now I do feel I should first address the villain of this issue, Dinosaurus who only actually shows up for a couple of pages. Despite this Kirkman does show that we have an interesting new villain since he seems to believe in stopping things like over population and world peace.
Though really I think the villain was just here for all of a few pages to satisfy our love of action and it served it’s purpose for that point.
The majority of this issue is really just updating us with things like Mark and Eve settling in with trying to get their own place and Mark going to Eve’s house for dinner and etc. For the most part it’s really just set up like Invincible #51 was but it works much better as this issue really excited me with what we saw.
One thing I really liked is Oliver is older, and now going by Young Omni-man. Possibly a little nudge to Young Miracleman, Mr. Kirkman? Anyway it is just nice to see Oliver having grown up a bit and becoming more of his own hero. I also like this costume much more.
Something we all saw coming is that Conquest escapes and Cecil, being the moron that he is, wasn’t able to contain him. Gee, what a huge surprise. Truth be told I love the villain of Conquest so seeing him back in action has me jumping with joy to see him kick some ass as soon as possible.
Now the scene with Mark at Eve’s house for dinner was just…awkward. In a good way though! Kirkman perfectly captures the awkwardness anyone feels when meeting the possible future in-laws. But Kirkman kicks it up a notch by having Eve’s dad give this long winded speech about virginity and manhood and awkward as it may have seemed to use readers, it perfectly put us in Mark’s position and we felt the same he did.
I do like the dynamic Kirkman has between Eve and her family. It’s certainly fractured to say the least and Kirkman shows that without shoving it into our faces and basically saying “their dysfunctional! This is a character point!” like most writers no doubt would.
While I said that I liked the little bit of action we did get I should be fair and mention how I was kind of hoping for more of our new villain then just showing up then being jailed just like that.
Though what worked with how short the action was is how we see Invincible was actually going to kill Dinosaurus but the Guardians of the Globe showed up before he could.
Kirkman has added this new layer to Invincible where he’s no longer taking shit and if he feels people are in danger he’ll kill the one responsible. Really this is a strange twist even though it’s grown over time and makes sense for the character. After the event with Conquest I can understand that Invincible is more comfortable with killing.
Though this will probably turn off a lot of fans as people have enjoyed Invincible when it’s not so dark and violent and when it’s more happy and fun. Still Kirkman never dials up the notch to where it gets brooding and annoying at least so I have no problem with it yet.
A time skip doesn’t always work with some comics. With Ultimate Spider-man it was more jarring then anything but Kirkman handles the time skip of when we last saw Invincible very well and it all fits together nicely.
I am also really glad that Kirkman returned to the plot point of Invincible using his powers as a bit of a body guard type thing for prisons or factories and such. A really cool twist with the character and to show how he’s going to be using his powers to an advantage. I was worried Kirkman would have dropped this idea all together after Invincible War but he kept it and I’m glad as it’s a great twist for the character and his future.
Now the Sequid plot that’s been building, hasn’t really interested me much. Kirkman is setting this up to be a pretty big point but it only takes places over 2 issues and, let’s be honest, is being totally overshadowed by the upcoming Viltrumite War in March of 2010. Kirkman has tired to make this interesting but I just can’t really seem to care about the Sequids.
Then there’s that final page…oh…that jaw dropping final page.
If you didn’t head my warning and are still reading this review before picking up this issue of Invincible, this is your last chance not to get the moment of the week, probably month even, spoiled for you. Last warning.
Eve is pregnant.
You read that right, Eve took a pregnancy test and it was positive. She’s pregnant and the whole Invincible universe just got knocked on it’s ass!
Now to be honest I think this is an exciting twist for Invincible, but I have one complaint and it’s not even a complaint so much as a worry.
Whenever a child is brought into the equation of a super hero comic, it’s so painfully obvious to kill it off or something stupid like that. While every once in a while a hero may get lucky and get to raise their child, often the cliché goes that if you’re a super hero you don’t get to be a parent.
If Kirkman can avoid the obvious cliché of killing off Eve while she’s pregnant, for drama of course, and actually let this kid live, it could be an awesome new step in the Invincible series. Though if he falls into the same boring traps that so many other writers do with this kind of plot twist, I’ll be frustrated.
Overall this issue was damn near flawless, absolutely brilliantly written with lots of great moments that will satisfy just about any Invincible fan.
Art Comments: It’s good to have Ottley back, as Invincible looks gorgeous. With his work on Haunt I was a little worried there may be a slight dip in quality, but no. Invincible is still one of the best looking comics out there.
Final Comments: Longtime fans of Invincible have to read this issue, it will blow you away and make your mind melt with awesome. While the future of the series is still a little uncertain, it’s definitely certain that Invincible is a comic everyone should be reading.
Story Rating: 5 out of 5
Art Rating: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
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