Invincible Universe, Volume 1: On Deadly Ground [ Invincible Universe, Volume 1: On Deadly Ground by Hester, Phil ( Author ) Paperback Nov- 2013 ] Paperback Nov- 19- 2013

Invincible Universe #1

by Phil Hester

In the aftermath of The Death of Everyone, Dinosaurus has left his mark on the world. Can heroes from across the universe - Invincible, the Guardians of the Globe, Tech Jacket, the Astounding Wolf-Man, and more - contain the damage? Or are the end times of the Invincible Universe ahead?

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

Paperback

First published November 6, 2013

About the author

This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa. His pencilling credits include Swamp Thing, Brave New World, Flinch, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Clerks: The Lost Scene, The Crow: Waking Nightmares, The Wretch (nominated for the 1997 Eisner Award for Best New Series), Aliens: Purge, and Green Arrow.

Since graduating from the University of Iowa, he has been in the comics industry for over 15 years.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I dipped my toes into Invincible, so I figured I might have a hard time going back and reading this.
Not the case! This was fairly easy to pick up and jump into. Yeah, some of it feels disjointed, but I think that's the way it should feel because it's mostly one-shots of these heroes that don't have any real backstory in the main title.



This isn't a jumping-off point for newbies. This is simply for fans of the title who wanted an extra peek at some of the secondary (third-ary?) characters in this universe.
My personal favorite was Best Tiger. This guy needs his own book.
Recommened for hardcore Invincible fans.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice focus on the Guardians of the Globe and the rest of the cast of characters supporting the Invincible universe. Todd Nauck's art fits in perfectly with Ryan Ottley's over on Invincible. This takes place after issue #100 of Invincible.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cool book to read as it’s nice to get an insight into supporting characters from invincible. This follows the guardians of the globe and is essentially a collection of short stories which I enjoyed.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Invincible Universe Vol. 1 On Deadly Ground collects issues 1-6 written by Phil Hester with art by Todd Nauck.

The events in this book occur after Invincible issue 100 (The battle with Dinosaurus). The series focuses on members of the Guardians of the Globe including Cecil, El Chupacabra, and Best Tiger.

These were some fun issues that are largely stand alone. I especially like the issue with Best Tiger. At first the tone of the book felt more serious than the Invincible title but eventually got to a more even tone. The art is also really strong. Nauck does a great job of showcasing action with a lot of characters on the pages

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SCORE: 75 | B+
TRIGGERS: graphic violence, animal cruelty
REVIEW: I love the Invincible universe, and it was super fun to dive back into it after finishing the main series. This volume contains some fun one shots with background and supporting characters from the main series. Is this an essential read? No. Should you read it if you enjoyed Invincible? Absolutely.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book features some standalone character backstories that I found very fun to read, but I’ve also been wishing there was a big bad that the heroes of the Invincible Universe would struggle with. With only one more volume of the team books, it doesn’t look like I’ll get that, but hopefully the last volume will at least remain as fun as others have been.

[Alyssa Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid collection of shortish stories

[Matthew Sargent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never really thought about it while reading Invincible, but the title character pretty frequently leaves fights after doing his part, often leaving the details of how it started and the cleanup vague. It's interesting to have a series dealing with the untold parts of those stories and the background superheroes. The stories are pretty decent, and the artwork is very nicely-rendered, although I found myself distracted by a bunch of recurring anatomy issues.

[Anchorpete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaboomarang
Best Tiger
Outrun
Knockout
Kid Thor
El Chubacabra

I couldn't tell you the name of any of those six characters, on the cover of the Invincible Universe trade, nor did I give a you-know-what about any of them.... Until I read this trade.

Here comes my second helping of Kirkman bashing in less than one week. Kirkman has created most of the characters in the Invincible Universe (if not all of them) and for the most part, a ton of them seem silly, or weak attempts as fill ins for heroes from the big two. This book takes those silly heroes and makes them shine. Now, I want to read an entire book about Chubacabra. I want to see what Happens to Kid Thor, when someone steals his hammer. I think Best Tiger is one of the best new characters I have seen in a while.

Great book. Great Artwork. Great Job, Phil Hester. Eagerly waiting for the next trade.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of taking some of the side characters from the invincible book, and really letting them shine. And while they do go into their backstories a tiny bit, it really shines in dealing with who they are now, and how they operate. And Hester does a great job of taking the seeds that Kirkman has planted, and really letting them grow.

The art is good. Nauck is a solid artist that turns in good work on a regular basis. Glad to see him working on an invincible book.

Check this out if you ever wondered about the characters that revolve around Invincible in the main book.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good side mini series to the Main Invincible storyline. Recommended

[alternBRUNO°° · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only redeemable issue is the one with Best Tiger. He is a very interesting character, although it is played through a very orientalist lens.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Invincible Universe #1-6 (April 2013-September 2013). Following Dinosaurus’s attack on Earth, the Guardians of the Globe realize they have a lot of work to do to stabilize the fractured world. Under Cecil, the new team of Guardians must come together and start solving problems that they may have helped create. Unfortunately, even all the powers of the Guardians of the Globe might not be able to stop the danger facing the world.

Written by Phil Hester, Invincible Universe Volume 1: On Deadly Ground is an Image superhero comic book collection released under the Skybound imprint. A spin-off of the popular Invincible series, the collection features art by Todd Nauck.

I was a big Invincible fan, but always felt the Invincible “universe” was under explored. Kirkman created a lot of characters intentionally as throwaway of thinly veiled versions of DC and Marvel, but they never got their own stories. Here, the Guardians of the Globe have their shot at some solo action, and it is a fun little run.

The book kind of reads like an 1970s/1980s comic book. Each issue is largely independent (except the last two issues which are more of a two-parter), and feature different characters with continuing themes that fill in the gaps in action/adventure. It is a novel approach now, but it was common place in books like Avengers or Justice League where the characters personal lives were shoehorned in with things like alien attacks and worldwide threats. Now, series go for bigger and longer story arcs that can be collected easily. While this collection does feel “complete” (or at least halfway complete), it also feels like you can pick it up or put it down much easier.

I do like some of the characters who get “solo” acts in this book. Both Best Tiger and El Chupacabre show that there is a potential for a lot of range in Invincible. Invincible (and the stand-in Invincible) are part of this collection, but I like the solo action and the action that is completely untied to the Invincible storyline. Other expansions like the Atom-Eve issues are still too close to Invincible and it is nice to see other portions of the world.

Invincible was/is a rather defined storyline, and since its ending there hasn’t really been much done with it. Reading Invincible Universe after finishing Invincible, it would be nice to maybe have some more series or specials revisit Invincible…especially if it isn’t Invincible being explored. With the Amazon series and a long timespan covered, more Invincible Universe stories are possible…even stories before Invincible during Earth’s Omni-Man period. Invincible Universe 1: On Deadly Ground is followed by Invincible Universe 2: Above the Law.

[Adam Rodgers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chiefly following the Guardians of the Globe, this volume is effectively a collection of one-shots that deals with the side-character superheroes, introduced in Invincible, as they deal with various global threats.

By their nature the stories here are self-contained and so lack the thrilling cliff-hanger aspects of Invincible, and while Hester is a decent writer he never quite reaches the tension and shocks that Kirkman does in the main series. That being said there are still some interesting concepts and events presented here to keep you reading. Todd Nauk's artwork is an excellent choice too, proving a good match for Ottley - and a surprisingly violent departure from much of his previous work (though very much fitting for this series of course!).

There is a lot to like here, and hopefully future volumes will amp up the tension for this assortment of costumed heroes.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the next chapter of Invincible but without Mark. After the events of Invincible 18 this story, or at least most of it, needed to be told. I'm glad Kirkman and Hester didn't gloss over it. There are simply too many Guardians, still. A little more exposition would always help but that's not how Kirkman rolls. Todd Nauck's work is very energetic and could easily fit in the main title. Overall, a good read for a necessary story.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. The first volume (of 2) in a loosely connected anthology of stories in the aftermath of Invincible, Vol. 18: The Death of Everyone. Mostly forgettable, but there is that moment when Super Dear Leader takes over the General Assembly.

Recommended for completionists only. (Like me, apparently.)

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't lie to you. This one didn't impress. But then again, I'm not sure it was supposed to. This is a few stand-alone stories and a two-issue tale that seems to be spinning into something more.

I'm reading the second volume because there are only two volumes, but this one just feels weird in the pacing for me.

[Rajit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly unconnected adventures, involving a new team of Guardians. I didn't recognize all of the characters. I guess that's because I still haven't read Guarding the Globe.
Not as good as the main series. I probably won't continue this one

[kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

its alright, basically just a bunch of stories about the guardians of the globe, and their villains. cant say im all that interested, there was basically little to no invincible here. best tigers issue was fire tho, i cant lie

[Victor · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...#

[Will Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun look at the specific Guardians of the Globe.

[Alexandra Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta buenísimo, definitivamente Best Tiger se lució en este volumen!

[eric hunemuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

It's good. Reading it was easy because I can read things. I use my eyes to read them. I'm thinking of more words to add.

[Filmkiller Zoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is awesome. It also has it's own homage to Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sic Semper Tyrannis

[Des Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect with this volume, but what I got was a delightful collection of short stories in the Invincible universe. Each story was self-contained, focusing on different characters and scenarios outside of Invincible's solo book. The book is well written, with lots of off-beat ideas, and Nauck's pencils are fun even if he is unfortunately placed right in Ottley's shadow by working on an Invincible spinoff series. Overall I'm thankful for the limelight being shone on some of the lesser characters of the Invincible U, Best Tiger's story being one of my favorites.

[Alex Sarll]

Slightly superfluous brand extension which really feels the absence of the series proper's creators, not least in Cecil's oddly round face. It's not that I especially need to read about Mark himself, because when Kirkman and co take extended detours into the supporting cast's stories, they're at least as good as the core tale; it's more the sense that this is very much someone borrowing the keys and having to drive extra-carefully. Certainly not bad, mind.

[Alex Memus · Rating 2 out of 5]

A. This book is not needed for Invincible run. Just skip it.
B. It also shows how Kirkman's approach to writing can become annoying really fast. All the exposition is done in lengthy monologues (instead of just showing the events). The drama is cheesy and works only for teenage heroes (like Invincible himself). The characters have no moral codes of their own: so they switch sides on a writer's whim like they have some kind of mental disorder.

[Ben Brackett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters in this universe now, and every situation has to be way too dramatic end of the world.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK.