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INVINCIBLE VOLUME 2: EIGHT IS ENOUGH TPB
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Image Comics
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Cory Walker, Terry Stevens, Matt Roberts, Tony Moore, Mark Englert, Erik Larsen, Dave Johnson, Cliff Rathburn & Ryan Ottley
Colors: Bill Crabtree
Price: $12.95 US |
I don't think it's exaggerating to say that if you're enjoying Ultimate Spider-Man, you should really be reading Invincible. They are two different books, but like Bendis's work on Ultimate Spidey, Kirkman has turned in a really fresh angle on the teen super-hero in Invincible. What's interesting to me about this volume is that, like volume one, we're still very much in setup mode, and even though we now know Mark and his mom and dad and some of his friends, Kirkman is still introducing characters and subplots and paying off stories from early on in the run. In these days of six-issue story arcs and slow-moving plots, that's not unusual, but here's what is: Invincible is enjoyable in every format, from a randomly picked-up issue to a single trade to reading the whole story as it goes along. It's a different experience each way, and there are certainly some minor accessibility issues from time to time, but in general, Invincible is one of the most pure fun, easy-to-get-into superhero comic books out there.
What I really like about Invincible is that Kirkman and company know that having superpowers should be fun. Little moments of super-power usage like Mark and his father playing catch by throwing the ball around the Earth are delightful, and the notion that was set up early on, that Mark and his dad view superpowers as just part of life, always results in some great throwaway gags. The trash bag landing in London is a hilarious moment and a great payoff from the very first issue, Mark finding out that he can hold his breath for a really long time so he can fight space aliens is a fun way for a young hero to discover his new powers, and of course Omni-Man's use of superspeed to sneak in a little nookie is a deliciously wicked and funny idea.
However, Invincible isn't just about the superpowers, it's about the personalities. Kirkman went against expectations with Atom Eve by giving her a boyfriend, and her change of status is another fun example of superpowers put to naughty teenage use, with her confiding in Mark serving as a funny visual gag as a bonus. In addition, this volume contains a pretty significant change between Mark and William, making their relationship a closer one and resulting in some of my favorite dialogue in the entire book, not to mention some neat undercutting of superhero tradition. William's reaction to Mark's secret is laugh-out-loud funny, his difficulty in keeping that secret a lot of fun and his unusual request for Mark to use his powers a completely honest and yet hilarious moment.
Kirkman's riffs on classic characters sometimes feel a little tired... we've seen about a dozen riffs on the classic JLA archetypes (half of that dozen come from Warren Ellis alone), but even in the midst of these overly familiar archetypes, Kirkman injects some neat ideas. Midnight City, a city that is constantly night thanks to the machinations of a dead villain, is a great idea and a perfect setting for a Batman type. The lesbian relationship for the Wonder Woman type is of course also a cliche by now, but I liked the character and loved the casual way that War Woman dealt with intrusions of superpower into her casual life. Then of course there's the hilarious one-page "Aquaman" riff, again playing off a familiar joke but doing it well enough to get a laugh. More importantly, though these new characters keep with the light tone of the book, it comes with a shocking payoff, one that makes it clear why the characters had to be established using such shortcut means and sets me looking through previous issues of the book looking for clues as to what happened.
This book marks the transition point between original artist Cory Walker and new artist Ryan Ottley, with a segue consisting of a number of guest artists, most of whom work in a style very similar to Walker's work. Mark Englert and Erik Larsen turn in a very recognizable style on the War Woman sequence, complete with gratuitous female nudity and Kirby-esque costumes, and Dave Johnson's one page is beautiful, but in general, the artwork is similar enough to the main art that the guest art isn't noticeable. The same can't be said for Ryan Ottley's work on chapter four, which looks very, very similar to Walker in style but is actually an improvement in small but important ways. His storytelling has a little more energy, notably in the Invincible versus Elephant-Man sequence or the explosive panel at the funeral, and his characters are wonderfully expressive, with more subtlety than Walker's characters typically showed.
Invincible is a book that took a while to hook me, but it has now gone right into my list of favorite superhero books. Kirkman needs to get clear of some of the superhero parody elements (not just the JLA, but the Watchmen reference made me groan) and trust a little more in his own originality, but in general the mix of character-based moments and superhero action, with a light touch that sometimes borders on parody, makes for an entertaining and unique superhero book. In addition, as with the first trade, Image did not skimp on the extras. A full 22 pages (!) of character sketches, unused pages and cover layouts are to be found in the back of this book, complete with commentary by Kirkman.
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