Written by Guest Contributor: Jordan North Invincible is a weird f@#king book. Really it is. And that’s part of the reason I enjoy it so much. What other comic do you know that would pit a hero against an alternate reality cannibal version of himself? Mind you this segment didn’t contribute to the overall plot at all; it was just a cool, weird thing to do, so they did it. And I respect that.
Its ideas like this that make Invincible a great book. We’ve all seen a post-apocalyptic piece of media in which the small surviving population is turned into man-eating crazy people for the sake of survival, but have we seen that with superheroes? I think not. Out of the box? Invincible has no box, and having no box is fun.
Another feat of writing is Angstrom Levy, who I feel like is written with a wink at all times, showing us what we all think villains would be doing if they were real people. Whose characterization has the courage to break the conventions that hold traditional villains down. “How old is this Chinese takeout?” Angstrom asks the weeping pregnant woman he just battered as she lies on the floor and he raids the fridge; simultaneously hilarious and evil as all hell.
It was also a cool tilt to have Angstrom, an inter-dimensional traveler to talk about that how in many realities Mark isn’t a hero at all but a corrupt and often mad man. Ouch. Talk about heavy news.
The cream of the crop though is another act of defied conventions by the fantastic Robert Kirkman who, in a truly surprising and refreshing turn of events actually has a villain have a come to Jesus moment after a heated discussion with his captive Atom Eve; who convinces him that his original pursuits were noble and his energy would best be directed somewhere other than petty revenge. It’s silly that things like this excite me at all. But with the big two being so damn attached to maintaining the status quo and the versions of characters people pay to see it’s really refreshing to see actual permanent change in the thoughts and motivations of members of the roster.
I love this comic. Buy this comic. All hail Rob Kirkman.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley
Publisher: Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment
Price: $2.99
Release Date: 7/17/13