Thursday 12 September 2013

Invincible: Family Matters Review

Writer: Robet Kirkman
Artist: Cory Walker

I have been meaning to try this series for a while now, as with all the great things I've heard about it, plus the fact I love most of Robert Kirkman's work (especially The Walking Dead) I felt it was time to give it a try, so bought the first compendium. I will however be reviewing it in individual volumes (as it'd be hard to give too much attention on all the stories without it being a massive review).

Plot


Mark Grayson grows up with a father who's a superhero named Omni-Man, so when he discovers he has powers of his own he is ecstatic, and becomes a superhero, calling himself Invincible.

Review


This was an amazing volume, and I'm glad to have finally read it, as it's a very fun, and entertaining story. Robert Kirkman does a great job of introducing this new series, and it's characters, as although I know that Invincible first appeared in another series, this allows you to learn everything you need to know. Kirkman also did a brilliant job of introducing a new, and fresh type of superhero, as although I love all the major DC Comics, and Marvel heroes, it's nice to get something fresh, and new for a change. Kirkman also did a great job with the pacing of this volume, as by breaking it down into virtually one-shot issues it allows a new reader like myself to get into the series, and enjoy it without having to retain too much at once. There was also some cool action in this volume, as well as amazing dialogue, with everything feeling so natural, and dramatic, as well as exciting, and entertaining.

I really enjoyed the art on this volume, as although I'm not familiar with Cory Walker's artwork, I found it to be very appealing, especially for this type of story, as although it's nowhere near the best artwork that I've ever seen, it suits the fun style of this volume. The detail in Walker's art wasn't perfect however, as although it wasn't that rough, whenever there was a lot happening in a panel it sometimes looked slightly awkward, especially with the facial expressions. I also wasn't a fan of how he drew the characters eyes at times, especially when he'd use simply a black dot for expression, as although it worked with the tone of the story, it didn't quite appeal to me. The action in the volume was also excellent, being very dynamic, and exciting, as well adding lots of tone, and drama to the story.

With this being the first volume in the series it naturally showed how Mark Grayson became Invincible. Now this isn't one of the most unique origin stories ever written, neither is it anything spectacular, but it was still very interesting, and brilliant for the style of this series. It was nice how there wasn't a big deal made over it, and how it was a sudden development for the character, as although the extravagant origins are nice, they aren't always necessary. Plus given the fact that he has a superhero for a father it would make sense that he himself would eventually develop superpowers.

Talking of Invincible's father, this volume we also get to see a lot of the Omni-Man. I felt that the showing of the Omni-Man showed more of Invincible's routes, as well as adding the family feel to the series. The interaction between Omni-Man, and his son Invincible in this volume was also very interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the differences between the two, as well as the differences in their power. Besides this I also found Omni-Man to a very deep, and interesting character, and his origin story was also very interesting, giving more depth into the rout of Invincible's powers.

This volume would also see Invincible meet a group of superheroes known as the Teen Team, which consist of Robot, Rex-Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Atom Eve who Invincible would later recognise as a fellow classmate at his school. This was the perfect type of group for Invincible to get involved with, as they add to the fun style of the series, and with them being about the same age as him it gives him people that he can relate to. I also found this team as individuals to be very interesting, and as a team even more so, and their interactions with Invincible throughout this volume was amazing, with Eve probably standing out the most due to her being closer to Invincible than the others are.

The main threat that Invincible deals with in this volume is a person who's turning students from his school into human bombs. This story actually starts with the final conflict of this story, but is handled in such a way that teases the reader without giving too much away. The idea itself of a person creating bombs out of students is interesting, and gives suspense, and drama to the volume. The way that Invincible deals with this, with the help of the Teen Team was also very interesting, and amazingly handled, being very exciting, and entertaining, whilst also keeping the fun feel whenever possible.

Final Verdict


This was a brilliant opening volume to the series, and a terrific introduction to the characters, and their world. It's a very fun, and exciting story, with great drama, and some brilliant suspense, as well as terrific dialogue, and character interaction. It also has a lot of depth, as well as some mystery, overall being a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this volume, as although nothing spectacular, it is amazing, and is well worth the read.

Rating: 8/10

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