Hardly ‘Invisible’

“Big Brother is watching you. Learn to become Invisible,” are words to live by in comic giant Grant Morrison’s highly personal and prolific saga, “The Invisibles.”

As of 1994, the world has, for generations, been dominated by two opposing forces – the Invisibles, a group who fights for mankind’s liberty, and an unnamed syndicate, who seeks to control the world’s occupants.

Each Invisibles cell must contain five persons to represent the five respective elements – earth, fire, air, water and spirit. Only the identities of the people within each faction are known to its members, as Invisibles often have to play double and triple agents, often forgetting which side they joined in the first place.

In obtaining the requisite and highly symbolic blank badge, however, a member must forget all previous associations and learn to live within the magic rules of the world as it truly is, not as it was seen prior to his initiation.

And to simply say that the “real” world is a different place would be the equivalent of calling Galactus “big.”
There is a sub-world beyond the illusion of what the average person sees. It is only accessible to those who know how to use it. However, once aware of the coveted knowledge, the practitioner can travel through time and space at all. After all, what we see is not real.

Sound familiar?

It should, but Morrison’s epic was written nearly six years before “The Matrix,” so the copying certainly did not come from him. According to an interview with Morrison on http://suicidegirls.com, the Wachowski brothers are huge fans of the series and were even told to make the movies look like world inside “The Invisibles” by the design staff.

The Scotland native holds no grudges, though, and even appreciates the attempt as a fan of the first movie,but not the latter two. “They should have kept on stealing from me and maybe they would have wound up with something to really be proud of – a movie that could change minds and hearts and worlds,” he said.

He’s right.

Aside from the surreal feel, however, Morrison’s fictional world also holds many secrets.

For instance, connecting the sites of all the McDonald’s restaurants in London on a map would form the sigil of the Dark Emperor “Mammon,” according to Invisible Tom O’Bedlam, a seemingly neurotic homeless man in one of London’s shadier quarters.

The first trade paperback of Morrison’s somewhat autobiographical, spiritual journey, “Say You Want a Revolution” collects the first eight issues. It follows the early life and recruitment of Dane McGowan, a young hooligan on the streets of London.

Disillusioned and aimlessly rebellious, Dane froze his heart and seeks fulfillment through violent acts, while his thoroughly irresponsible mother keeps him out of her home and out of the way of her many dates.
Unfortunately, the hoodlum is the perfect candidate for the fifth member of the King Mob’s branch of the Invisibles, as he possesses frightening psychic potential.

King Mob, a dead ringer for Morrison, is the leader of this particular branch. Competent but kind, he still manages to effectively guide his team in and out of trouble. Although his portrayal can easily be considered self-indulgent, since he is at one point even compared to Gandhi, the effect was heartily desired. Morrison wrote King Mob with himself in mind, and often claimed that King Mob’s actions were linked to his own. كيف تفوز في روليت Rather, the actions of the fictional character would dictate his moments of happenstance in the future.

Other members include Boy, Lord Fanny and Ragged Robin, though little has been revealed about the characters so far.

Some of the more fascinating scenes within “Say You Want a Revolution” cover history – including cameos of Invisible members past. Lord Byron and both Shelleys make prominent appearances, as does the Marquis de Sade, scenes from whose notorious “The 120 Days of Sodom” are drawn on the novel’s vivid pages, providing some of the its more disturbing visuals. كيف يلعب البوكر Even this is done for the sake of learning Morrison’s complex philosophy, however, as one must not underestimate the Ontic Sphere, a zone between the physical and astral plane, which must be respected, as it preys on the occupants’ thoughts. مراهنات التنس The good Marquis just happened to be along for the ride.

Incidentally, the already alarming visuals are heavily watered down, as the original “120 Days of Sod All,” the issue in which they’re held, was partially censored.

The art, produced by the triple team of Steve Yeowell, Jill Thompson and Dennis Cramer, is highly expressive. When Dane is happy, he’s thrilled. When he’s sad, he’s miserable. When he’s terrified, he has seen Robin’s Golden Age costume.

Colors, by Clem Robins, are vibrant, even persistently adding hue to characters’ eyes.

Although slow and troubling at times, the sheer philosophy within “Say You Want a Revolution” bursts though nearly every scene, often cleverly veiled through violence and creative cussing.

Morrison created a world of thought-provoking drama though storytelling accessible to the philosophy aficionado and entertainment seeker alike, as one only needs to control how hard he looks. More than worth your attention, “Say You Want a Revolution” can change your literary world — at least if you’re a Wachowski.