This is the volume of Invincible where I went from not quite sure I liked the post-revelation Invincible right back to loving the book almost as much as I did early on. It's clearer in volume four than in any other trade so far that Kirkman is starting to expand the Invincible universe, with a lot going on in almost every chapter and a ton of new characters being introduced, not to mention status quo changes so fast and furious that they almost give you whiplash. However, amidst all of that world-building stuff, Kirkman continues the strong characterization, action and humor that has made the book so good from the start, and he's doing a superhero book that is just a little bit different here, even while owing an obvious debt to the other superhero comics of recent years. Volume 4 also features fantastic artwork by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree throughout, and a nice little sketchbook and behind-the-scenes section that almost makes up for missing things like "Invincipals" and the original covers from the regular issues.
Invincible is a book that reads pretty well in single issues. Kirkman and company always go all out to make sure that plenty happens, that the readers get a bang for their buck (or three), and there's never an issue of Invincible without some crazy revelation, some memorable moment, some great action scene or often all three. That said, in reading Head of the Class, I was struck by how much better some of the recent Invincible issues come together when you read them all at once. The slow burn of Debbie Grayson's trouble dealing with her husband's death, the repetition of Mark's alienation of Amber, the slow disintegration of Robot's Guardians of the Globe, these stories and more of them really benefit from being read all at once. Sometimes the sense that comes from reading Invincible in single issues is that Kirkman is making everything up as he goes along, but it's clear from reading this trade that there's at least some semblance of a master plan.
Which isn't to say that there aren't stories in here that don't stand on their own. No, while there are always ramifications from stories, plenty of the tales resonate just fine when taken on their own. The story of Mark's "wedding" to Aquaria has its roots in the death of Aquarius at the hands of his father, but it's really just a fun standalone story that allows Kirkman to tweak the underwater hero archetype. The two invasions that take place in this issue either have their basis in past encounters or resonate throughout the issues afterwards, but they're also a chance for Kirkman and company to show off a big epic superhero vs. alien fight. The events on Mars and with Machinehead are sure to have consequences as things move forward, but taken on their own, they're both just really fun, action-packed stories. Despite only being one book (with tangential ties to other books Kirkman has written at Image), Invincible has that fun, shared universe feel of '80s Marvel and '90s DC.
I've known since he came on the book that Ryan Ottley was a true gift to Invincible, but this is all the more clear in reading Head of the Class, by which time he had already settled into the book. He's got an exaggerated cartoonish flair alongside a totally realistic look that is just fantastic. Whether the scene calls for subtle storytelling, like Mark's disapproval of his mother's drinking or the shapeshifter synching up his costume with the other astronauts, or for big action, like the wedding/fight or the big supervillain brawl, Ottley always delivers. He's also got a great design sense, as seen in what he's brought to the covers, in the sketchbook section of this book and especially in his design for the new additions to Invincible's rogues' gallery. Battle Beast is especially cool, although I like the simple, almost Silver Age looks of Magnattack and Kursk as well, and of course turning James Sime into a teleporting villainous henchmen is just a whole lot of fun, a nice in-joke for some and a distinctive, fun supervillain for everyone else. I should also mention, since I have sometimes been critical of his coloring style, that I can't imagine anyone else but Bill Crabtree coloring this book. His colors perfectly complement Ottley's pencils and give the book it's sleek and modern yet slightly Silver Age look.
A lot happens over the course of this trade paperback, and it feels a little more scattershot than the focused story arc of Mark and his father that defined the first two trades, or the fallout from their conflict that defined the third. However, Head of the Class sees Invincible really moving forward, developing a larger cast and expanding into a lot of different plots and subplots. I still miss (and likely always will) the family dynamic that Kirkman started out with, but he's replaced it with a pretty diverse set of characters and plots, and he's got a secret weapon with some of the best and most underrated superhero art in comics by Ottley and Crabtree. 9/10
