Robert Kirkman doesn't really write in story arcs. Instead, he writes in a more old school style, which means more far-reaching subplots that can take issues to pay off combined with stories that are enjoyable on an issue-by-issue basis. The resulting blend can sometimes feel a little too jam-packed in some issues, and you occasionally get issues that seem a little self-indulgent, a flight of fancy that is almost completely unrelated to the main story you've been following, but when you look at the book as a whole, you start to see how this pacing evens out and how the most unrelated of events can turn out to be crucial. As a result, while Invincible is thoroughly enjoyable as a single issue comic, it's most enjoyable when read in trade or, ideally, in a series of trades, so you can see the overall story developing.
Invincible volume five, like the volume before it, features a lot of transition stuff, as Mark heads off to college and has a major status quo change in his relationship with his girlfriend and a variety of background stories involving supporting characters and nemeses ramp up and play out. Despite much of this being build-up for later stories, however, Kirkman never makes it feel like filler material, offering up key moments and big payoffs in the midst of all the build-up so that Invincible readers get a good, solid read even as they continue to look forward and back to the framing events of the stories on either side.
When we first "met" him, Mark Grayson was a high school senior, but he has quickly advanced to college age, and Kirkman does a great job of showing the effects of that transition. More than just capturing the change from high schooler to college student, however, Kirkman gives it a superhero twist. The change in romantic relationships includes a difficulty with secret identities. The estrangement from parents comes with increased guilt thanks to recent changes in the parental relationships and Mark's ability to easily travel. And Mark's part-time job is considerably different and more adult than the jobs that most take while in college, although it does offer up that universal feeling of not having enough time for yourself or your studies.
For all that Invincible has school issues at the heart of its stories, though, it is still first and foremost a superhero book. Kirkamn returns to the eternally dark Midnight City, a concept I loved when he first introduced it, and uses it as a colorful backdrop for a superhero adventure. He takes us out into space for a very different kind of Invincible issue, and while it seemed a bit out of place during the regular series run (coming right after the new reader friendly #0), it's a pretty interesting diversion in the trade. This trade also features the payoff to a long-running subplot about a potential new villain whom we can now guess is due to become Mark's arch-nemesis. So amongst college relationships and parental worries, we've got supervillains and plenty of punch-ups, providing a nice balance between character development and superhero slugfest.
At this point, although he didn't originate it, this is Ryan Ottley's book, artistically speaking. Ottley's distinctive art style, light and fun without being overly goofy, continues to impress me on every issue of Invincible. He really sells the big slugfests that find Invincible taking on a zombie cyborg, Darkwing or the Mauler Twins or Allen the Alien battling enemies in a brutal, bloody battle in space. But he also does effective work on the very frequent talking heads moments, with a nice range of expressions for the characters, be they regular humans or, just as often, one-eyed aliens or inhuman robots. In addition, there are a number of story points that call for subtlety, such as when Mark is moving his stuff into the room at hyper-speed or the alien infiltrating NASA is feeling the heat of keeping his cover, and Ottley is great at this stuff as well. The extras in this book include a variety of cool sketches from Ottley and original artist Cory Walker, who apparently still helps out in the designs for some of the characters, and its an interesting insight into the artistic side of the Invincible equation.
Speaking of artists and extras... while the main story and "Science Dog" backups from issue #25 will wait until the next trade, the origins of some members of Invincible's supporting cast do pop up at the end of this trade. Original Invincible artist Cory Walker, joined by some notable guest artists, illustrates a number of short flashback tales. The Monster Girl origin (drawn by Todd Nauck) is my favorite, but the one-page Immortal story is a good one as well, and the story of Dupli-Kate, starting out in what is basically the midst of a Chinese martial arts movie, is also very enjoyable, with great art from Joshua Luna.
Invincible is a solo superhero book, focused on our lead character, but because of Kirkman's style, it's really an expansive ensemble book, a crossover, a team book and a solo superhero book all rolled into one. On very rare occasions, it feels like he's bitten off more than he can chew, but in general, this is like getting a well-realized and very alive superhero universe on a regular basis, and that freshness and inter-connectedness reminds me a lot of the '80s superhero comics of Marvel and DC, which is probably as good as superhero comics have been since the very early days of Kirby and Lee.
