Invincible, Vol. 14: The Viltrumite War

Invincible

by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley (Artist)

Collecting Invincible #71-78, chronicling the Viltrumite War in its entirety, with Invincible and his strongest allies pitted against the entire Viltrumite race. Spanning across the universe, no planet, species, or hero is safe from this epic battle

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Science Fiction

212 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2011

About the author

Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.

Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.

In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is it, death, honour, glory and lashings and lashings of blood and gore as the hyper violence returns with the Viltrumite War, where numerous characters across the Image Comics universe come together working in tandem, or supporting the Coalition taking on the Viltrumite race! As ever the use of hyper violent imagery and explicit blood, gristle and gore underlines the damage that can be caused by super powered beings, and to be honest, is a key part of the Invincible brand! Smashing, great, super! Fighting Four Star read - 8.5 out of 12.

2017 and 2012 read

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good.

The total blowout war, the Coalition versus the Viltrumites. Bloody, nasty, and satisfying.

What more can be said?

Who won?

Well now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?

[Paz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay! Second time reading this volume and second time doing this in my re-read: I'm changing the rating! This is now a 4.75 ☆ read! Listen, I still have the same complaint as always. I hate how Kirkman 'kills' characters but actually 95% of the time they are not really dead. You have the most gruesome panel taking over a whole page of said kill, and then hey! Actually they can survive that so we're all okay! And well, because I knew that this time around I wasn't sooooo disappointed. Still annoying, but okay. I knew it was going to happen.
Anyway, WHAT A GREAT VOLUME! The artwork for all these issues was immaculate. You feel the gore, you feel the action, you see the emotional conflict going through Mark's head. It's just wonderful, really. And this book might be full of action-packed goodness, but there's also so much to further develop our characters! There's a wonderful issue focused on building Nolan and Oliver's father and son relationship. There's also a few pages at the end with Nolan and Debbie. Man, if I could feel a tenth of what I feel about them two with Mark and Eve. Truly, the SHIP of the series. Debbie is the mvp.
Anyway, I don't wanna spoil too much, but what a great time. This volume feels like when you were a kid watching Dragon Ball Z. So epic.
(EDIT: after reading my original review, this time I had zero issues with the pacing. I found myself enjoying every issue and every page. I thought, for such an important arc, it was well-constructed and narrated.)


Original review from 2016:
4 stars.

Invincible, Vol 14: The Viltrumite War is, like the title indicates, the moment we all have been waiting. This is it. Our heroes and the Coalition of Planets against the Viltrum Empire. It is bloody and violent, but it is also exciting, emotional and funny.

Without spoiling much, this volume is a game changer in the story. Aside from the obvious, the war takes a long time and a lot of things happen and change comes with them. Mark experiences tragic and intense moments and he still doesn't know what Eve is suffering on earth. Oliver and Nolan finally have time to bond and it's actually such a great move for the narrative of the story because not only the readers get to see Nolan being a father, caring for others, but the characters too. Especially his family. Mark, Oliver and Debbie can rely on him again. Allen has now a new responsibility and a terrifying choice to make and, of course, the ending of the war is quite unexpected and it opens new and exciting opportunities for the future of the story. That's the greatness this time, but... that being said, this volume it's not my favorite in the collection.

There are some things that are starting to bother me, for example Kirkman's recurrent choice of almost killing a character, but actually having it surviving these impossible injuries... it's quite an annoying gimmick. It takes away so much of the emotion. This isn't the first time this happens, but this time around he does it with three characters and it's just too much. It feels cheap having these moments of death and the emotional response of both the characters and the reader and then saying... ''well, he wasn't really dead, even though his whole guts and intestines are spread around him...it was just an injury :)''

This volume also was especially long, it collects issues #71-78 and at times it felt slow. There are a few pacing problems here and there and the side characters weren't as developed as I'd wish they were. I also keep hating how Kirkman writes Eve. I really tried, but I just can't with her.

On a much more positive side, I have to say that the creative team of Ottley and Plascencia once again deliver and the artwork is spectacular. Even though the battles are so gory and violent, I often find myself contemplating the panels and the beauty of Ottley's and Plascencia's work. A huge part of my love for this series is because of the artwork, I can't emphasize that enough.

Even though I was a bit underwhelmed with this volume, the building and the expectations were too high, I still enjoyed my time and I'm ready for what's to come.

[Michael (Mai) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume would be considered a milestone in the Invincible universe. The war with the Viltrumites is finally happening and it doesn’t end how you would expect. While I was taken aback with the ending I wasn’t all that surprised. Robert Kirkman was going to have to do something like this or else this would be the ending of Mark Grayson’s story and you could tell that there was so much more to tell with his personal life that his professional life needed to grow.

Through his relationship with Oliver, Nolan (Omni-man) was able to become more likeable. I know his return to the non-bad guy realm was starting when we first met Oliver but it’s really starting to resonate with the other characters now and I’m pretty happy about it despite my initial mixed feelings. I was just so betrayed by Omni-man in the beginning…

Let’s talk about Ryan Ottley. How amazing is he? If it weren’t for him I doubt I would have made it this far with all the gore. His drawings are so clean and so beautiful but at times so utterly brutal. How can someone make guts beautiful? I don’t know but it’s only him.

Back to Nolan and Oliver’s relationship: through Ryan Ottley’s art we see these amazing panels of father-son bonding time right next to it a panel of some sort of war preparation. It was so interesting to see them paired top to bottom down the pages.

Amazing story. Amazing Art.

[Aldo Haegemans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best issue So far

[Maria Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gang goes into battle versus the last surviving pure-blooded Viltrumites. Not to clickbait you - but the way this combat ends will surprise you. On the home front Atom Eve is very pregnant at this point, and Mark just thinks she got fat while he was away. What a total idiot. I really look forward to seeing where this is going - next month, when my ebook checkout limit resets.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great volume as it brings the big war that we have been building towards, Mark fights Conquest and is injured or in a come or something and is out for 2 months and then we have bonding moments between Nolan and Oliver which was cute and then the final war with General Thragg and the things that happen are brutal and some panels are so beautifully drawn and then there is the thing with people dying, heavy costs incurred, emotions running rampant and then the fall of Empires and a planet destroyed but the way the war ultimately ended is fascinating and then what Allen gets in the end..just wow! The highlight point of the series easily! Really well done by Kirkman and Ottley!

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Ottley’s art is so fucking gooooood broooo😭 and the story stays goated as hell. peak fr

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War is on mofos, who's ready!?!?

So this is it. The big moment. It all comes down to this. Mark's very first obsticale? FUCKING Conquest!!! While this fight isn't AS good as volume 12 fight it's still very very good. It's shorter but just as bloody (maybe more so) and the end result is tragic and fucked up.

There feels like a little bit of "Oh really? They did this because...training?" DBZ type moment. I thought that was a little to silly. I also didn't feel the final issue was as emotional as it should have been after the previous events.

Saying that the war itself was insanely entertaining. We get all these characters from previous volumes coming together including Tiger Warrior, Tech Jacket, Allen the Alien and so many more. THe fight is amazing, really well drawn, filled with a lot of gasps and "holy shit" moments.

Overall the war lives up to the hype and the ending to the volume makes you want to grab the next one right away. Twist and turns never stop!

[Dr Rashmit Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well God DAMN!

Wow. Absolutely awesome issue.

Remember the term Action- Packed ? This was action packed . And that's an understatement

Mark joins his super powered family in space to join the coalition for the decisive war against Viltrumite . And lots of punching , eye gouging & bloody mess ensues . It was terrific page after page it was action packed and I enjoyed the hell out of it . This was comic book fanservice done right and I couldn't stop myself from swiping to the next page. (yes I read digitally)

But it's not just action , there was enough murk to thicken the plot .Questionable Decisions were made , characters bonded , Tech Jacket was made to feel useless , and so much happened .

Can't wait for the next issue , and this is yet another stellar issue in the Invincible title

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invincible Vol. 14 The Viltrumite War collects issues 71-78 of the series by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley.

At long last we have Mark, Nolan, Olliver, and Allen versus the Viltrumites! It is a bloody, hard hitting affair!

This is the arc we have been waiting for since almost the beginning of the series and it has been a long journey. Ottley is great at showing the brutality of war. When you see the bright colors of the superhero costumes on the cover you aren't expecting how brutal this series can be. But the violence perfectly fits the series and the power levels the heroes and villains fight at it. This right over the halfway point of the book and I am curious to see where else the story goes.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm tempted to deduct points for breaking with tradition and not using a cheesy sitcom name for this volume, but I can't bring myself to do it cos it's just TOO DAMNED GOOD.

We finally get to know the Big Bad of all Viltrumite Big Bads, and though he is definitely down with a bit of the old ultraviolence he's also perhaps not quite what we expected.



As always, I love how Kirkman deals with the real world emotional consequences of characters like Invincible buggering off on Galaxy-saving missions that last almost a year on those left behind, and also does well to address the larger questions like what "victory" in an existential conflict like the Viltrumite war actually looks like.

Oh yeah, and RIP Conquest, you were a great guy on the inside I'm sure.

OK, maybe not.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect turning point for the main story.
The viltrumite war is what we have all been waiting for since the earlier volumes. And I have not been disappointed. The idea behind the planet viltrum and the way they used it in the war is so awesome. This volume had so many epic moments and I love the relationships that formed due to the circumstances. The way the war is wrapped up is very creative and leaves you wanting to read more. The twist at the end has potential to lead into a great storyline. Thragg as the new antagonist works great. As always the artstyle is amazing and the fights look really cool.
Honestly it comes close to volume 12 in terms of greatness but I don’t want to talk too much about it to avoid any form of spoilers.

Invincible is the best superhero comic book in the universe.

[Raghav Bhatia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phenomenal morsels sticking to creative decisions that were unwanton for me.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Invincible series finally gets to the Viltrumite War, and Kirkman refuses to let it happen the way you are expecting it to. It starts prematurely, we miss most of it, and right up to the ending it keeps throwing curveballs at you. I wish it didn't get as needlessly bloody - one issue has Mark imagining what the Viltrumites would do to Earth, complete with multiple pages of all the characters being brutally and bloodily murdered - but hey that's what Invincible does I guess. Lots of blood and gore and over-the-top hyperviolence.

I give it credit for not being what I expected, but it also means we miss most of the interesting parts. There's some good content between Nolan and Oliver, who are sorely in need of some bonding time, and even Mark gets his great moments. I also like that Kirkman doesn't hand-wave this plotline away in two issues, like he does with so many other plots throughout the series. But after so much build-up I was hoping to see more strategy, more politics, more intense character-building. Instead we get a lot of timeskips where most of the battles happen in the background.

[Pat the Book Goblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this volume was crazy good!! I could not believe how action packed it was...well I could, but it was even better! A few times I was surprised how things went down but in the end everything was put to rights...well...sort of. This was a great volume.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A veces las conveniencias son interesantes, suman a la trama y quizá este es un caso, aunque es demasiado evidente que lo hace para generar más dramatismo a la trama. Mark pelea contra Conquest, y no hay problema, es una buena pelea, nuevamente, y termina con Mark muy mal herido y Conquest muerto. El problema no erradica en eso, sino en el tiempo que debe recuperarse Mark, que es más de 9 meses, ¿por qué más de 9 meses? Porque Eve está embarazada, así que nos deja la duda si nació o no el bebé de ellos dos.

Mientras tanto, mientras avanzamos en la trama principal nos hacen la introducción de Tech Jacket, y sinceramente, me importa poco y nada. Es entretenido, un poco, pero me rompe toda la onda mientras veo o veré una pelea épica para tener la historia de este personaje. Comprendo que es parte de la estrategia de unir el universo de Image Comics, como ya pasó en otro volumen con Wolf-man, pero sinceramente me resta más que otra cosa, sin ir más lejos de Science Dog me patió el hígado.

Todo esto que cuento es mientras ocurre una batalla épica de la Coalición de Planetas vs el Imperio Viltrumita, y que realmente es muy buena, tienen momentos épicos, pero que dentro de todo, no asusta. Por ejemplo, cuando Thragg destripa a Oliver es brutal, pero sabes que va a sobrevivir, no crees que vaya a morir, más todavía como Mark se le salieron las tripas e igual sobrevivió. Otra situación increíble es cuando Mark, Nolan y Thaedus destruyen Viltrum.

Y bueno, el volumen termina de manera genial, mostrándonos que Thragg fue muy inteligente, y pensó que la mejor idea era ir a la Tierra y confundirse entre su gente, momento espectacular. Tanto como el reencuentro de Mark con Eve, porque las historias son así en la vida real, existe ansiedad, depresión y muestra las cosas tal cual como son, me gusta mucho que hayan dado ese viaje personal a Eve, que es durísimo, pero que debe tratarse.

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un capolavoro. Punto. Questo volume segna il climax di tutta la storia fino ad ora e finalmente assistiamo (o per meglio dire, prendiamo parte) alla tanto attesa guerra viltrumita. Sangue e scontri violentissimi, colpi di scena a go-go e morti inaspettate.
Le pagine di questo volume trasudano drama, pathos ed epicità.

Leggete Invincible. Leggete Invincible. Leggete Invincible. Leggete Invincible. Leggete Invincible. Leggete etc.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just as surprised as you. Yep, giving it a 5-star. Your experience may vary. For me, though, there was something early on that hit me from an angle I wasn't expecting. And that conclusion was NOT on my list of things to expect. Maybe it should have been. Maybe all the clues were there I'm am as dense as a fog of pea soup, but when it happened I was stunned.

[Isaac Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exclaimed multiple times during this volume. Insane. I don’t even see how they’ll put all of this into season 4 of the show but man it’ll be incredible. Genuinely don’t know how the series will top this. Maybe it won’t? I’m still stoked to see where the rest of the series goes, although I suspect there might be a slump or two as we gear up for the next big thing.

[Faisal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate this one 6 if I could...

[camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

mark, eve. you know i love you but....

[Parker J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well...

hot damn.

[aaroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit this was awesome. I'd put it above Vol.12 if it wasn't for the Invincible vs Conquest fight. Quite unexpected what they did with the remaining Viltrumites staying on Earth and I'm interested to see where that goes. Loving this series so far.

[thi · Rating 4 out of 5]

in volume 13 they revealed the extinction plotline and in my review I was like why didn’t nolan just do *exactly what happened in this volume*

[Etain · Rating 5 out of 5]

When they say "war" they mean war
It's basically 200 pages of dudes punching each other and pays off basically everything from the last 13 volumes in one way or another.

[elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

i see no problem with what thragg offered tbh just chilling and hiding among humans and like making babies and stuff that shit makes so much sense

[T.R. Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic. Keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The second fight with Conquest was pretty quick, but it ended in such a cool way that I can't be mad.

[Jessy Goat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 95

Holy fucking shit!! I love everything about this volume. The fighting scenes were gory and epic! Kirkman has never backed down on the violence in this series and this volume takes the cake. I felt the emotions man.. also, the humor was on point.
At first I was confused by the Viltrumites leaving Mark and Nolan alive, but the resolution is really cool.

Ps I also really love that the Viltrumite overlord looks like Freddy Mercury.

[Ryan Trepanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that we're only just past halfway of this Invincible run, 14 volumes in. Even though I reviewed the previous volume (I think?), this one deserves a mention. So, going into this one, with the title explicit as it is, I felt I knew what to expect - brutal war, probably some casualties, etc and so on. For that reason, I wasn't actually looking forward to this volume because that's not what I've come to love about this series. While the action sequences are necessary, it's what Kirkman does outside them, or how he uses them that I really appreciate it.

In reading this volume, I'm happy to say that it's more of Kirkman's brilliance. Yes, there's a lot more fighting, but at the end of the day, the way he subverts expectations and uses this war to advance a narrative that frankly, feels endangered by this war, is incredible.

Still loving every second, and now I feel like we've reached the climax and we get to wind down (though I'm sure I'll be proven wrong in later volumes). I am happy this is not the end, and now I want to see, with only 11 volumes left, how Kirkman is going to progress toward a conclusion to this.