Invincible

[BigBlue1055]

The one thing that does give me hope for an Eve return is the fact that Future-Eve rescued Mark from another dimension after he beat Levy to a gooey mess.

 

[blksuperman2]

The one thing that does give me hope for an Eve return is the fact that Future-Eve rescued Mark from another dimension after he beat Levy to a gooey mess.

True but that was in a world and future where Mark didn't exist. So there was no reason for her to sacrifice herself to fight Conquest.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yeah, but didn't Immortal in the future say Mark left with his kids after a redhead died? Implying that Mark married and bred?

 

[Andy C.]

I guess that could mean we'll see Mark and Amber getting back together...meh.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Stupid

Stupid

Stupid

and

****ING STUPID!!!!

That's it it's official Krikman is a hack. This series just turned into a piece of **** and I'm done with it. Thank you all, have a good night.

 

[JackBauer]

Stupid

Stupid

Stupid

and

****ING STUPID!!!!

That's it it's official Krikman is a hack. This series just turned into a piece of **** and I'm done with it. Thank you all, have a good night.

Haven't read it yet. Now I really want to.

 

[Kahoot]

Sounds like good news...

 

[Spike_x1]

Did Conquest take out some more lovable characters by stuffing Deb down Oliver's throat, thereby killing them both?

 

[Dread]

The latest issue is out, and wow, Kirkman had virtually all of us fooled.

Repost, with spoilers:

INVINCIBLE #64:

Spoiler

Kirkman sure had me and many INVINCIBLE readers fooled. A bunch of us were wrong about the last issue and where it would lead, and it's one of those rare moments in comics where being proven wrong by a writer isn't a bad thing, but a glorious thing.

Basically, in the conclusion to CONQUEST, Mark Grayson's virtual deathmatch against the impossibly powerful Viltrumite agent named, well, "Conquest" ends. Despite the covers and the gorey attack last issue, a much beloved heroine in this title doesn't die after all. Imagine that! A character turning out not to die in a shock value death, and the title being the stronger for it!

Which is a good thing, because while Kirkman and Ottley have probably written and drawn one of the gorest superhero fight sequences in the series yet, Conquest isn't such a strong villain that he was worthy of the distinct "honor" that issue #62 seemingly gave him. The arc has basically been about 3-4 issues of Mark and Conquest fighting and that may be too long for some people, I'm a sucker for a fight sequence if it is paced well and exciting, and this one is. You could argue this is the first time Mark has taken on a Viltrumite warrior without his father Nolan around to save him, as happened back on "Mantis World" years ago. Sure, Oliver and Eve backed up Invincible at quite a few critical junctures, but in the end he is the one who has to step up and finish the bad buy, even with two mangled arms and an eye punched shut. To be honest, the last sequence of the fight reminded me a bit too much of the final duel in the anime film NINJA SCROLL, which arguably is one of the most well known anime films after AKIRA; whether this was by design or accident is unknown. Beyond that, though, this has been Kirkman at his superhero gore best. I mean this was the worst fight ever. Limbs getting snapped or crushed, people being impaled, even BITING HUNKS OF SUPER-FLESH out! Nasty stuff. But it all manages to work.

The last page is great hilarity, which was much needed, with Monster Girl making sure to cover the eyes of her boyfriend Robot from the scene that awaited Cecil's too-late back-up squad.

The only problem with fight issues is that reviewing them can't really go on for long. I enjoyed the prolonged battle sequence. The conclusion satisfied me completely; Mark got to finally prove he could stand up to the other Viltrumites in the empire, and Eve's far from dead. Part of me wonders if this entire arc was Kirkman's way of commenting on the status of "big two" comics as a whole. Issue 60 was hailed as a "crossover event" with virtually every Image superhero popping up, from Youngblood to Savage Dragon to Jack Staff, with Kirkman and Ottley seeking to tell a story that Marvel or DC would do in 6-8 issues within about 36 pages or so (basically an issue and a half). He vigorously defended naysayers in his letters pages saying he saw no need to stretch out the beats of the story to cover more issues and probably wondered if the audience has been so conditioned to wait 2-3 issues for even the most minor of plot points that Kirkman's "experiment" was a shock to the system, like trying to feed steak to sheep. The "aftermath" of the "Invincible War" has gone on longer and been more important than the "event" itself. Kirkman gleefully teased about killing Eve in it right up to about a third of the way through this issue before seeming to pull back against fan's programmed expectations from the last, oh, four years of comics in general. Considering some of Kirkman's borderline obnoxious promotional material at times mocking some of Marvel and DC's ham fisted attempts at same, I wouldn't be surprised if at least as a subplot to the last 5 issues was to do a story similar to a Marvel or DC event within his one title, only to "do it the right way" or at least a less predictable way. That, or he REALLY wanted to jerk around with the fans who have been smelling Eve's blood in the water for about the last seven months. Maybe both.

The end of issue #63 had plenty of fans, perhaps myself included, fearing and fretting that Kirkman was becoming one of the crowd. This issue seeks to dismiss that feeling entirely. Or at least partly. Way to go for Kirkman, and way to end an climax for INVINCIBLE. This issue helps prove why this series is the only one that can give Abnett & Lanning's NOVA a tie for number one in my geek heart right now. "All-Awesome" is not an understatement.

 

[blksuperman2]

I'm hoping Eve isn't really dead. Perhaps she can rearrange her molecules in or to revive or something.... It's a comic right?

I'm quoting myself because I actually thought this would happened.

Spoiler

I'm glad she isn't dead.

 

[Dread]

We're all glad.

 

[Spike_x1]

*phew* X 10000000

 

[JackBauer]

See, this is what makes this book so great. While I'd be pretty f***in annoyed (to say the least) at any other title for this fake out, here, it totally fits, it doesn't feel cheap, and I don't feel cheated.

It feels like the Invincible War issue: an old and VERY tired trope effectively reduced to a single issue. Only this time it feels even more like an unsubtle jab at the clichés that Marvel and DC can't escape: this time, the fact that death in superhero comics don't mean s#!t.

It's one he fell for with Angstrom Levy, but here it actually works, considering Eve's powers and the fact that there wasn't any real time for anything to be made of her "death". I much prefer this than what happened with Superman or Captain America.

So, after last month's scare, I do feel a lot better about the book's future. Specially knowing that issues 66 and 67 are all about Allen. ABOUT GODDAMN TIME!

 

[Dread]

Not only are they about Allen, but they'll be featuring interior art by series co-creator Cory Walker, who hasn't done art for INVINCIBLE since about issue #7 or #8 I believe. Not that I have missed him, but it will be good to have him back beyond ATOM EVE covers.

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

This book hasn't been great for about 20 issues.

 

[Spike_x1]

While I don't appreciate the cheap Atom Eve scare (even if it was done as a sort of brief commentary on death in comics), I'll certainly take it over the other option of having her permanently killed off.

 

[TheVileOne]

Hey I'm with you there. So is Eve now going to be like a Deus Ex Machina/Phoenix type of character? This reveal almost seemed like a Phoenix esque thing. Is there more to Eve's powers than we know? Is there something greater at work here?

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

Hey I'm with you there. So is Eve now going to be like a Deus Ex Machina/Phoenix type of character? This reveal almost seemed like a Phoenix esque thing. Is there more to Eve's powers than we know? Is there something greater at work here?

I could very easily see this going the way of The Molecule Man or Atom or Firestorm. I mean if you think about it if she can manipulate matter at the atomic level (possibly even subatomic) she can pretty much do anything, but Kirkman hasn't really stated the extent of her powers as far as I can remember.

 

[TheVileOne]

Also, why can't we see nudity in this book? The violence is absolutely ridiculous for the most part, but why can't we see Eve's naughty bits? Because that would be awesome.

 

[Kahoot]

Also, why can't we see nudity in this book? The violence is absolutely ridiculous for the most part, but why can't we see Eve's naughty bits? Because that would be awesome.

There are other books for that sort of thing...

 

[Spike_x1]

While I certainly don't think that nudity is needed (or even welcome, really) in the book, TheVileOne does have a point. Although I don't even think that nudity is disallowed in Invincible (I could be wrong), but if someone ever were to say that they can't have nudity in the book, it would definitely be a pretty hard decision to defend when you consider the buckets of gore and violence.

 

[TheVileOne]

There are other books for that sort of thing...

Seriously what is the problem? Its OK to see her in skin tight outfits or naked with parts conveniently covered. OK to see **** loads of disgusting violence and gore, but no nudity?

Why?

At least Y had some decent nudity every once in a while.

 

[imdaly]

This was actually addressed in last week's letter's page:

 

[BAH HUMBBUG!]

I think the issue with nudity, as Kirkman points out has more to do with one of the problems with this country and not Kirkman or his comic itself.

 

[TheVileOne]

I still don't understand how they can get away with so much adult content and violence but they can't show nudity. And I think they should be allowed to show nudity in this book because it is very much an adult book. I probably wouldn't let 15 and under kids reads this book.

One problem I sort of see is that Kirkman feels this book is totally appropriate and fine for kids under 18 and is trying to sell it to them.