Just when it was safe to think that Robert Kirkman had a nice, comfortable, coming of age superhero story in him with “Invincible,†he turns it into a dramatic, sometimes brutal tale that will forever change the father-son relationship between Omni-Man and Invincible.
Not that it’s a bad thing- quite the contrary actually. With the fruits of his labor set from the first trade, the second trade, “Eight is Enough†introduces The Guardians of the Globe, Kirkman’s Justice League-esque group into the fold and changes the dynamics of the trade entirely. In a shocking turn of events, the comic is forever changed.
Well not exactly. Sure, it’s a heart-breaking moment and one that will ultimately create a conflict later on that the reader will salivate about, but for the most part, Mark Grayson’s life pretty much stays the same. Because of this, the comic has a beautiful duality. Like a skittle, it’s got this cute, colorful outside that everyone can see, but once inside, it’s sour, sugary and action-packed. Because of this, anyone who enjoyed the first trade will totally be on-board for the second, eagerly ready for the next batch of issues.
While the writing in this trade is its strongest selling point, this trade is important because of the changes in the artistic team. Cory Walker, who helped create the series, was unable to keep up the pace on pencils and was replaced by Ryan Ottley, who in spite of being a relative newcomer at the time, turns in an effort that is completely comparable to Walker. At the same time, Walker is able to go out with a bang, penciling the most brutal scene the series has ever seen. This is the exact moment where the series goes from logical and warm to dramatic and bizarre.
It’s like watching an episode of the Brady Bunch and having the TV station accidentally splice in the last 20 minutes of Dexter.
What an amazing feeling.
Through this, “Invincible†essentially experiences no growing pains in its sophomore trade release and makes the transition from charming super hero tale to deep, thought-provoking comic book look relatively easy.
What else would you expect from Kirkman?
It’s crazy to think how many comic shops passed on these issues when they were first released and how many readers never gave them an opportunity because they wanted more of the same from Kirkman, which meant zombies and blood.
Through excellent writing, Kirkman proves once again that whatever he produces, whether it be tales of a small town sheriff fighting zombies or a coming of age story featuring a teenage super hero, it’ll be enjoyable and deep.
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