Invincible: Three's Company Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Ryan Ottley

How will Mark and Amber's trip to visit Atomic Eve in Africa go? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

On a trip to Africa Mark finds himself torn between two lives; his normal life with his girlfriend Amber and his superhero life with good friend Atom Eve. Decisions, decisions... Also in this volume: Angstrom Levy makes his move and the truth about ROBOT is revealed!

We saw a lot of development in A Different World, but the development that I loved the most was the introduction of Mark's half-brother. Added to this the obvious tense outcome that's bound to come from Mark and Amber's visit and this becomes a very entertaining volume.

Robert Kirkman continues to make Invincible a extremely fun comic, as despite having it's extreme moments at it's core it's pure fun. In this volume Kirkman allows the characters to grow, as with Mark's mother re-gaining some purpose in life along with Mark and Amber's vacation allows everyone to have some fun. Or so you'd think. This doesn't become the case, as without going into too much detail, the re-emergence of Armstrong Levy causes a lot of problems for Mark. They are however very dramatic and intense problems, making the story that much more exciting.

Ryan Ottley's fun style is easily one of the best things about this series, as despite Kirman's amazing scripts being the most essential, I doubt it'd have the same vibe without Ottley. The detail and layout of Ottley's art is as usual spectacular, being very dynamic, helping with the flow of the story perfectly. Added to this the exciting action, along with the mixture of intense and fun facial expressions and Ottley's art also starts to add a lot of depth and realism to this gripping story. Bill Crabtre's colours are also as vibrant as ever, giving the perfect finishing touches to this amazing tale.

Invincible underwent some intense development in this volume, and it's this kind of excitement that keeps me coming back for more. Highly recommended.

Rating: 9/10

Invincible: A Different World Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Ryan Ottley

What will happen when Mark is taken to A Different World? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Mark is brought to another planet in order to save it. Is he their only hope - or the source of the worst disaster to ever befall them?

Since his big fight with his father Omi-Man, Mark has never been quite right, as despite getting along with his life there has always been some small part of him that isn't quite happy. In this volume we finally get some proper development from this, with Mark meeting his father for the first time since their fight.

Robert Kirkman puts the series into overdrive with this volume, with it being suspenseful, exciting, dramatic and anything else that makes comics exciting. It is however the dramatic and emotional side of the volume that has the most impact, with the interaction between Mark and his father being simply outstanding. There's also some astonishing action, that adds a lot of liveliness to the series, creating some terrific build-up for the series' future. On top of this there's a new character introduced that I look forward to seeing more of in the following volumes.

Ryan Ottley also produces some of the best art he's produced on the series to date, with it being very dynamic and intense. The layouts of Ottley's art is as usual superb, helping with the story's overall flow, whilst also giving more depth and drama to Kirkman's story. Ottley also adds a lot of suspense and emotion throughout the character expressions, with them giving a very realistic and thrilling tone to the volume. Added to this the gory violence and amazing colours from Bill Crabtree and it's simply impossible not to love the beautiful artwork in this volume.

Invincible has finally taken the step forward that it's needed since Perfect Strangers, and I for one can't wait to see what's in store for Mark next. Highly recommended.

Rating: 10/10

Invincible: The Facts of Life Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Ryan Ottley

How will Mark deal with having to tell his girlfriend his secret? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

After the hectic events of INVINCIBLE, VOL. 4: HEAD OF THE CLASS, Mark - aka Invincible - while continuing to deal with the loss of his father, finds himself face to face with piles of villains and the worst conflict of all: teenage love!

Invincible continues to create some interesting developments, showing that not only is it thinking of the series future but also remembering some of the events from the past. Whilst doing that Invincible continues to be a very fun series, with Mark being an extremely interesting character.

Robert Kirkman finally decided to let Mark share his biggest secret with his girlfriend in this volume, and he handles it in a brilliant way. Now it was inevitable that she'd finally find out (unless she obviously died first), but the suspense along with there even being another appearance of Allen the Alien due to it. On top of this Kirkman also brought back the Reanimen for further development, also having Armstrong Levy's plan add some excitement to the latter half of the volume. Despite this the series still hasn't matched the uber level that Perfect Strangers had, but still proves to be very entertaining and fun (which is what counts at the end of the day).

Although it was Cory Walker that co-created Invincible alongside Kirkman I can't think of the series not being drawn by Ryan Ottley. No offence to Walker who's an amazing artist, but the fun and energetic style of Ottley has been one of the things I've enjoyed the most about this series, and despite Walker's art being fun enough, it wasn't quite as dynamic as Ottley's has proven to be. The spectacular layout of Ottley's art along with the intensity of the characters facial expressions give a lot of energy to the series, allowing the dynamic tone to shine through even more. Added to this the explosive action and the suspenseful overtone and you can't help but get immersed in this fabulous series.

Invincible continues to be "the best superhero comic book in the universe" and I for one can't get enough off it. Highly recommended.

Rating: 9/10

Invincible: Head of the Class Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Ryan Ottley

How will Mark and his mother deal in the aftermath of the Invincible/Omni-Man fight? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

After the traumatic events of Volume 3, Mark Grayson (AKA Invincible) is left to pick up the pieces and try to continue on with some sort of life. His mother is a wreck, his friends don't understand and the super-villains of the world just want to beat him up. Mark has a lot on his shoulders and graduation is just around the corner.

Perfect Strangers caused a lot of change for Invincible, and this volume sees how Mark copes following his fathers betrayal. The volume does however slow down a bit from overall development, as despite still having some exciting plots it's smaller fun stories as opposed to one for the entire issue.

Robert Kirkman does a great job of getting the series back on track, as well as showing the emotional toll that the events of the last issue had on the characters. Despite Mark's reaction to his fathers actions, it was the affect that the events had on his mother that had more depth, with her depression giving a realistic tone to this usually fun series. Kirkman does however continue to add fun, with Mark almost marrying a an Atlantian, visiting Mars, taking on a crime boss whilst also finding time to graduate high school. 

Ryan Ottley also did a terrific job of the artwork throughout this issue, with his style continuing to be perfect for this series. That along with the fabulous detail and spectacular layouts make Ottley's art some of the best out there at the moment. Ottley also produced some dynamic scenery and explosive action throughout this volume as well, adding a lot of excitement and tone to Kirkman's fantastic story. The best part of Ottley's art remains the way that he shows the characters facial expressions, as they add so much realism and emotion to the story, helping it feel more lively at the same time.

Invincible continues to be one of the best series out, with this volume being simply amazing. It is however not quite as the last volume, but to be honest that was a hard task, and this volume will still have you wanting more. Highly recommended.

Rating: 8/10

Invincible: Perfect Strangers Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley

I have just started reading this series after buying the first compendium, which I plan to review as individual volumes (as it'd be hard to give too much attention on all the stories without it being a massive review). The first two volumes were simply amazing, and I am really getting into this series, and I hope that it keeps this level of quality.

Plot

After Omni-Man killed the Guardians of the Globe there is need for heroes to fill their places in the team, and when Invincible learns of his fathers actions all hell breaks loose.

Review

This was a phenomenal volume, and the series has a whole has certainly risen to new levels. Robert Kirkman delivered one outstanding story here, as although so far the series has been very fun, and entertaining, as well as exciting, this volume has really taken it to the next level, having some very gritty, and dramatic developments, turning this from fun to serious very quickly. Kirkman has also did an excellent job of the continuing development of the characters in this volume, as I'm really starting to like them as individuals, and even though they're in a superhero world they feel very realistic. The dialogue also helped with this, as with it being very natural, and dramatic, it helps give tone, and atmosphere, helping give more depth to the characters. The action in this volume was also amazing, being very exciting, and explosive, as well as entertaining.

The art in this volume was simply outstanding, and Ryan Ottley did an amazing job. I really enjoyed the issue of art that he did in the last volume, but his art in this issue was much better. I already felt that his style suited the fun tone of this series, but he proved during this volume that he could also show great emotion, and depth, as with the more serious tone in this volume it needed to look more serious, and Ottley did a brilliant job of that. I also loved how Ottley didn't hold back on the gore, as although I have seen some bloody fight sequences in comics before, this has to be one of the bloodiest I've seen in a while, and the depth of the sequence made it even better. I also felt that Ottley did a fantastic job on the facial expressions in this volume, as even outside of the fight sequence it was very dynamic, and dramatic, with it being very easy to tell what the characters were feeling.

The last volume would see the Guardians of the Globe killed by the Omni-Man, and this volume would see the search for a new team. The search would be conducted by former Teen Team leader Robot, who really wanted Invincible to join the team. The search for the new Guardians of the Globe was very interesting, and extremely funny. I loved seeing all the different superheroes wanting a place on the team, with some being extremely interesting characters. I did however find it a bit lazy that half the team consisted of Teen Team members, with only two brand new characters being introduced to the team. This however didn't really bother me much (more of an observation), as it allows the characters a legitimate reason to stay in the series more, and the team is bound to evolve throughout the series.

When Invincible learns that his father, Omni-Man was behind the Guardians of the Globe's death, Omni-Man felt that it was the right time to tell Invincible the true story about where he came from. Now I won't go into details as to avoid spoilers, but I loved this twist in the series, as besides giving some perspective over why Omni-Man killed the Guardians of the Globe, it also gave more insight into him as a character, transforming him from hero to villain in a very emotional way. I also loved how similar it was to the original origin story, whilst still being very unique, and interesting.

The revelation of Omni-Man's true intentions would lead to him, and Invincible fighting. This was easily the best thing about this volume, as well as the best thing in the first three volumes. It was a very exciting sequence, being simply brutal, also being a total blood bath. There are plenty of fights that are aggressive, or brutal, but this has to be one of the bloodiest that I've seen in a while, especially in a superhero comic, and can only really be rivalled by such things as The Punisher, The Boys, and Deadpool comics. I also loved the dialogue during the fight, as well as the emotion, and especially the emotion in Omni-Man, as you could see that there was some conflict in him, and that a small part of him didn't want to fight his son.

The Unopan known as Allen who featured in the last volume would once again appear in this one trying to fix his mistake. Now I won't go into any details about Allen's activities in this volume any more than I already have as to avoid spoilers, but I will say what I thought about his appearance. I found him to be a very interesting, and amusing character in the last volume, and that didn't change here. In fact I found him slightly more amusing, and was extremely happy to see him again. I also loved seeing him, and Invincible interact again, as much like last time it was extremely interesting, but for different reasons this time.

Final Verdict

This was a fantastic volume, and easily the better than the first two volumes. This volume would show that there is more than just fun, and humour in this series, as it became very serious, very quickly. It was however no less exciting, or dramatic, with some breathtakingly phenomenal moments, as well as brutal fights, and interesting encounters. Due to all this it's really easy to recommend this volume, and I look forward to reading more from this series.

Rating: 10/10

Invincible: Eight is Enough Review

Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Cory Walker & Ryan Ottley

I have just started reading this series after buying the first compendium, which I plan to review as individual volumes (as it'd be hard to give too much attention on all the stories without it being a massive review). The first volume was brilliant, and I am really getting into this series, and I hope that it keeps this level of quality.

Plot

Mark Grayson is continuing his life as Invincible by helping an alien, also making college arrangements.

Review

This was a brilliant volume, and a great continuation to the story. Robert Kirkman continues to amaze me with how he can write characters, as he has a great talent for being able to create a character, and keeping them as interesting as possible, and although The Walking Dead is the series I consider that Kirkman has created the best characters in, this is giving it some competition. The way that Kirkman managed to up the pace in this book was also outstanding, as he took this fun series, and has managed to make it very exciting, and explosive, also having unique, and shocking developments as well. There was also plenty of action in this volume, with each and every action sequence being totally amazing, and exciting. There was also plenty of emotion in this story, which really added to the depth, and tone of the book.

The art in this book was mainly by Cory Walker, who did the art on all the issues in the volume bar the last one which was done by Ryan Ottley who would become the series regular artist following that. Both artists did a tremendous job, but I slightly preferred Ottley's art over Walker's. Walker's was just as good as it was in the last volume, suiting the fun style of the series. I was however still not a fan on his method of showing emotions, as although it works with the style of the series it still didn't appeal to me. I think this is the main reason I prefer Ottley's art, as his style also really suits the fun nature of the series, but he does a better job of showing emotion, with brilliant facial expressions. Both artists also did a great job of the action sequences, with them being very exciting, and explosive. I did however find Ottley's to be more dynamic, though there wasn't much between the two artists in this department.

This volume would start with Invincible's father, Omni-Man telling him about an old foe of his that's entering out atmosphere, but that he doesn't have time to deal with him, sending Invincible in his place. The threat is an alien who reveals himself to be a Champion Evaluator for the Coalition of Planets, and that his name is Allen. I found the interaction between Allen, and Invincible to be very entertaining, and interesting, adding a lot of humour to the volume. It also continued to show the fun side of this series in a brilliant way. The fight between Invincible, and Allen prior to their discussion was also brilliant, and very exciting.

This volume also sees Mark checking out the college he will be going to, visiting it with his best friend William Clockwell. I found this to be a very entertaining journey between the two characters, and with the addition of a Reaniman attacking the college it added excitement as well. I also loved how this allowed time to show the friendship between Mark, and William, and how Mark spends his normal life. It also showed how the series is trying to keep some form of realism to it, which I loved and the overall visit to the college was very enjoyable to read.

This volume would also see the first appearance of the Guardians of the Globe, as although they've been mentioned prior, this would see their first official appearance. Now I won't go into much detail about their appearance as to avoid spoilers, but I will say my thoughts on them. I found them to be a very enjoyable bunch of characters, and especially loved seeing the similarities to the Justice League of America, with each character resembling a JLA member in some way. I would however have loved some interaction with them, and Invincible in this volume, but their appearance was still very exciting, as well as slightly shocking.

WARNING: SMALL SPOILER AHEAD!

Atom Eve would also find herself in hard times in this volume, as she is heartbroken to find Rex-Splode cheating on her with Dupli-Kate. This really added a lot of drama to the volume, and the series in general, as along with other events in this volume it would show that this series would start to become a little more serious that it's been so far. This also allows the series to focus more on the relationship between Invincible, and Eve, as although they protest that they are just friends there is obviously a connection between the two characters.

Final Verdict

This was an outstanding volume, and a great continuation of the series. This was also slightly better than the first volume, as with the introducing over it allowed more time for excitement, and fun. The volume did however also have plenty of drama, and suspense, as well as some shocking moments as well. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this volume, and the series from this point is seriously starting to shape up.

Rating: 9/10

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