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Invincible
Invincible, Vol. 1: Family Matters
Back in print! Mark Grayson is just like most everyone else his age. The only major difference being that his dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet! And, Mark seems to be inheriting his father's powers! See Mark thwart super-villains, alien invasions and all sorts of craziness, as he gets the hang of all this super-heroing stuff.
124 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2003
1130 people are currently reading
4059 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,736 books6,934 followersRobert 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 806 reviews
June 2, 2023
When Robert Kirkman wasn't busy creating and writing The Walking Dead, he was just as hard at work creating and writing this slightly sinister super powered being universe as seen from a 'young adult' perspective. Son of Omni Man, Mark Grayson finally gets his own super powers, his inherited super powers, and as he starts to learn how to use them he gets to hear is family's story, meets other powered teens, fights crime, teams-up with his dad and deals with an alien (Flaxan) invasion!
With a definite 'young adult' feel, this is an interesting take on the science fiction superhero genre, with a lot of potential. I love the subtitle on the first issue -"girls, acne, homework, super villains". These volumes are very short though! 5 out of 12, Two Stars.
2011 and 2007 read
With a definite 'young adult' feel, this is an interesting take on the science fiction superhero genre, with a lot of potential. I love the subtitle on the first issue -"girls, acne, homework, super villains". These volumes are very short though! 5 out of 12, Two Stars.
2011 and 2007 read
August 27, 2024
I got this in Forbidden Planet when I went down to sign a ton of stock for the release of The Girl and the Moon (you can still get dirt-cheap signed copies there.)
I was inspired to pick it up by having watched the show on Amazon, which I really enjoyed.
The problem for me here was simply that the artwork in the graphic novel is essentially the same as that in the show. The story was essentially the same too, though covering considerably less ground than season 1).
If I hadn't seen the show, I'd probably be waxing lyrical about how fun this was and how it combines effective art with tight storytelling and manages to work at several levels.
So, my only complaint here is that I *have* seen the show and don't feel that this added anything.
If you're coming to it cold, then dive in because it's really good stuff. Nothing earth-shattering, but an intelligent, funny, modern take on superheroing. With some shocks to come later in the series.
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I was inspired to pick it up by having watched the show on Amazon, which I really enjoyed.
The problem for me here was simply that the artwork in the graphic novel is essentially the same as that in the show. The story was essentially the same too, though covering considerably less ground than season 1).
If I hadn't seen the show, I'd probably be waxing lyrical about how fun this was and how it combines effective art with tight storytelling and manages to work at several levels.
So, my only complaint here is that I *have* seen the show and don't feel that this added anything.
If you're coming to it cold, then dive in because it's really good stuff. Nothing earth-shattering, but an intelligent, funny, modern take on superheroing. With some shocks to come later in the series.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
May 31, 2013
I’ve seen Invincible on the shelves for a few years now but never felt the need to pick it up, even to skim the pages - it looks like a generic superhero book even if the Walking Dead guy wrote it and it’s published by Image. It just looks too much like every superhero book out there - good looking kid in a superhero outfit flying with super strength. Really - is that it? Well I decided to find out for myself today and so I picked it up hoping to be pleasantly surprised - maybe it’s a smart satire on superhero stories, maybe it’s a Superman analogue that takes a different tack to the concept of superheroism, maybe anything! I was prepared to read something subversive and cool, especially after reading Kurt Busiek’s intro where he gushes about the originality of the book.
And then I read the book.
Nope!
Mark Grayson/Invincible is our superhero main character, son of an ordinary woman and a man who happens to be this world’s “Superman”. Mark is your average teen going to an average high school in a nondescript American town, who one day finds out he’s developed superpowers. He can fly, he has super strength, so he follows in his dad’s footsteps and becomes a superhero too.
Mark gets his superhero outfit thanks to his dad’s superhero tailor connection, fights baddies, teams up with another group of young superheroes, goes on an adventure with his dad, fights more baddies, and moons over the pretty redhead who’s seeing someone else and of course wears a super-revealing outfit.
If all of this seems like something you’ve read a hundred times before, it’s because you have. Invincible isn’t a generic superhero comic, it’s THE generic superhero comic. Everything in this book has been done before by Marvel and DC several thousand times already - Robert Kirkman doesn’t add any nuance to it, he just repeats the commercially successful formula but with a character who’s not a brand name (and is instead a bland name).
Kirkman has read a lot of superhero comics and so goes over the same tropes but with a far more breezy attitude. Mark accepts his superpowers and figures out how to use them really quickly, before fighting a supervillain really quickly, meeting up with and accepting other superheroes his age who exist and fight crime in their sleepy little burg (which suddenly seems teeming with bad guys!) really quickly, and solving the crime of missing kids at his high school and the creep behind the local mall bombings really quickly. I appreciate that Kirkman doesn’t feel like dwelling on the mundane character-conflicts that these tropes throw up, especially as we - like him - have read them all before and can do without another rehash, but everything that happens feels so tossed off as to have no impact on the reader.
I mean, if Kirkman doesn’t care about any of these story elements, why should we? If every obstacle Invincible comes across can be overcome so easily, where’s the conflict? The kid’s called Invincible and seems it - so why care? There’s a scene at the end of the book that basically sums up this book’s attitude really well. Mark’s dad “Superman” (I forget the forgettable name he’s given in this book - oh by the way he’s from another planet too, etc. etc.) shows up for dinner after battling aliens from another dimension, an abduction that took place in the background of a panel in the penultimate issue (or chapter, given this is the trade paperback), and he shows up to the dinner table looking disheveled, explaining he had to lead a fight against aliens and only just managed to escape, and so on. All of this stuff that happened to him happens off of the page - we see none of it. And granted, he’s not the main character, but if “Superman” fighting back against alien overlords in another dimension is considered so passé as to not even be worth showing, then it basically reveals Kirkman as not really caring a fig for superhero comics to start with. Seriously, if you care so little about superhero stories that you’d rather tell a generic story within a block of exposition that your superhero character just mutters, then why bother writing a superhero comic if you’re so jaded with what they are?
And if Kirkman is so familiar with the genre, as he clearly is, why doesn’t he do anything different with it? He just retells the same stories again. It’s such a wasted opportunity and baffling that it’s as popular as it is - have the book’s fans not read other superhero books?
Anyways, my instincts were right and reading this book justified them - Invincible is a bland, generic superhero comic, exactly like it looks.
And then I read the book.
Nope!
Mark Grayson/Invincible is our superhero main character, son of an ordinary woman and a man who happens to be this world’s “Superman”. Mark is your average teen going to an average high school in a nondescript American town, who one day finds out he’s developed superpowers. He can fly, he has super strength, so he follows in his dad’s footsteps and becomes a superhero too.
Mark gets his superhero outfit thanks to his dad’s superhero tailor connection, fights baddies, teams up with another group of young superheroes, goes on an adventure with his dad, fights more baddies, and moons over the pretty redhead who’s seeing someone else and of course wears a super-revealing outfit.
If all of this seems like something you’ve read a hundred times before, it’s because you have. Invincible isn’t a generic superhero comic, it’s THE generic superhero comic. Everything in this book has been done before by Marvel and DC several thousand times already - Robert Kirkman doesn’t add any nuance to it, he just repeats the commercially successful formula but with a character who’s not a brand name (and is instead a bland name).
Kirkman has read a lot of superhero comics and so goes over the same tropes but with a far more breezy attitude. Mark accepts his superpowers and figures out how to use them really quickly, before fighting a supervillain really quickly, meeting up with and accepting other superheroes his age who exist and fight crime in their sleepy little burg (which suddenly seems teeming with bad guys!) really quickly, and solving the crime of missing kids at his high school and the creep behind the local mall bombings really quickly. I appreciate that Kirkman doesn’t feel like dwelling on the mundane character-conflicts that these tropes throw up, especially as we - like him - have read them all before and can do without another rehash, but everything that happens feels so tossed off as to have no impact on the reader.
I mean, if Kirkman doesn’t care about any of these story elements, why should we? If every obstacle Invincible comes across can be overcome so easily, where’s the conflict? The kid’s called Invincible and seems it - so why care? There’s a scene at the end of the book that basically sums up this book’s attitude really well. Mark’s dad “Superman” (I forget the forgettable name he’s given in this book - oh by the way he’s from another planet too, etc. etc.) shows up for dinner after battling aliens from another dimension, an abduction that took place in the background of a panel in the penultimate issue (or chapter, given this is the trade paperback), and he shows up to the dinner table looking disheveled, explaining he had to lead a fight against aliens and only just managed to escape, and so on. All of this stuff that happened to him happens off of the page - we see none of it. And granted, he’s not the main character, but if “Superman” fighting back against alien overlords in another dimension is considered so passé as to not even be worth showing, then it basically reveals Kirkman as not really caring a fig for superhero comics to start with. Seriously, if you care so little about superhero stories that you’d rather tell a generic story within a block of exposition that your superhero character just mutters, then why bother writing a superhero comic if you’re so jaded with what they are?
And if Kirkman is so familiar with the genre, as he clearly is, why doesn’t he do anything different with it? He just retells the same stories again. It’s such a wasted opportunity and baffling that it’s as popular as it is - have the book’s fans not read other superhero books?
Anyways, my instincts were right and reading this book justified them - Invincible is a bland, generic superhero comic, exactly like it looks.
May 29, 2019
These shorter collections that were originally released in the first year don't really do this series justice, especially this first one. You're better off reading the first year of stories all at once in one of the larger collections like Invincible: Ultimate Edition Vol. 1. The ultimate edition collects the first 13 issues or the first 3 smaller softcover collections. If you read just these first 4 issues, Invincible may just read like a generic teenage superhero. I encourage you to read on, because there are a couple of moments in the first year of Invincible where you can hear a record scratch in your head as the series takes a hard right from where you thought things were headed. This is my third time reading through the entire series. I think it's worth stumbling through the beginning of this series to get to the good stuff.
All that being said, I like these first 4 issues. I enjoy Kirkman's sense of humor in the series, especially Mark's family sitting around the dinner table when your dad is a super hero and you're a fledgling super hero yourself.
Cory Smith is the artist on the first 7 issues. His art is minimalistic and definitely not for everyone. Ryan Ottley takes over with issue 8 and draws the rest of the series.
All that being said, I like these first 4 issues. I enjoy Kirkman's sense of humor in the series, especially Mark's family sitting around the dinner table when your dad is a super hero and you're a fledgling super hero yourself.
Cory Smith is the artist on the first 7 issues. His art is minimalistic and definitely not for everyone. Ryan Ottley takes over with issue 8 and draws the rest of the series.
September 22, 2016
I got this comic from a friend (thanks again, Dave), otherwise I would have probably never even known about it. It's about a boy called Mark Grayson who is the son of an alien living on Earth (actually, he is half-human). He is a teenager, going to school, working in a diner ... and developing his powers. The art is minimalistic and I'm not yet sure if that appeals to me, but what struck me was the subtle way Kirkman & Co. told another story between the lines - the story of the boy (up to a certain age) and human mother staying at home while the father saves the planet on a daily basis; the story of how the ones staying behind worry but don't want to show it in order not to make the hero feel bad about being gone so often and risking his/her life constantly. Smooth, Mr. Kirkman!
Overall, despite the minimalistic artwork and the fact that this was not the kind of superhero story I'm used to from all the Marvel and DC movies, I liked this quite a bit!
Overall, despite the minimalistic artwork and the fact that this was not the kind of superhero story I'm used to from all the Marvel and DC movies, I liked this quite a bit!
December 3, 2021
This collection is about a teenage boy who discovers his super powers and decides to be a force of good. This is written by the author of The Walking Dead and his take on the superhero genre.
Potential. That is the word I would use to describe this collection. My review might be a little skewed because I have watched the first season of the television show. I do know where the first story arc is going. That is why I said "potential" because this first collection doesn't really give us anything. It is an introduction to the characters and the universe. That is really it though. You do get a sense of it being more of a mature take on this genre but there really isn't much drama in this collection. You also get a sense of the drama is going to happen but it doesn't here. As for the artwork it is fine. It fits in with my feelings about this whole collection. Nothing stands out.
I believe this collection was too short. There isn't anything to pull the reader in besides the hint of greater things to come. I loved the little easter eggs of characters from other universes hidden in the background. That was fun to spot them. Truthfully, if I did not watch the television show, I don't think I would have liked this as much as I did. If this follows the show I know there are terrfic things ahead and I look forward to reading about them.
Potential. That is the word I would use to describe this collection. My review might be a little skewed because I have watched the first season of the television show. I do know where the first story arc is going. That is why I said "potential" because this first collection doesn't really give us anything. It is an introduction to the characters and the universe. That is really it though. You do get a sense of it being more of a mature take on this genre but there really isn't much drama in this collection. You also get a sense of the drama is going to happen but it doesn't here. As for the artwork it is fine. It fits in with my feelings about this whole collection. Nothing stands out.
I believe this collection was too short. There isn't anything to pull the reader in besides the hint of greater things to come. I loved the little easter eggs of characters from other universes hidden in the background. That was fun to spot them. Truthfully, if I did not watch the television show, I don't think I would have liked this as much as I did. If this follows the show I know there are terrfic things ahead and I look forward to reading about them.
May 23, 2021
So I'm re-reading this from over a decade ago and kicking myself for not continuing on much further than this -- back then.
Of course, now that I've seen the Amazon version of this and LOVED it, freaked out by it, and even cried over it, I find myself in the position to give the opening sequence of the comic a LOT more leeway than I had.
And it still just gives us the standard YA treatment with superpowers, with just a few tiny, tiny hints that something really -- interesting -- is going on in the backgroud. But really, it's all just intro. And that's fine. The setup is key to really socking it to us later.
And so I'm quite happy so far. :)
Of course, now that I've seen the Amazon version of this and LOVED it, freaked out by it, and even cried over it, I find myself in the position to give the opening sequence of the comic a LOT more leeway than I had.
And it still just gives us the standard YA treatment with superpowers, with just a few tiny, tiny hints that something really -- interesting -- is going on in the backgroud. But really, it's all just intro. And that's fine. The setup is key to really socking it to us later.
And so I'm quite happy so far. :)
October 12, 2018
The ‘nerdschatting’ podcast guys always speak highly of Invincible, so I gave the first issue a try.
I was drawn in as the hook was pretty simple, Mark Grayson dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet.
It was great to follow Mark as he attends school and also gaining he’s own powers.
I’m not a big comic book reader, but like the simplicity of the introduction. I’d quite happily continue on with the series...
I was drawn in as the hook was pretty simple, Mark Grayson dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet.
It was great to follow Mark as he attends school and also gaining he’s own powers.
I’m not a big comic book reader, but like the simplicity of the introduction. I’d quite happily continue on with the series...
October 28, 2016
I've read Invincible all on my Honeymoon. Well least to volume 18. So I love this series already. However, I'm starting over. Not everything is perfect, and the start is a little slow but let's talk about what works.
Real characters - Mark is awesome main character. He's normal, he gets his powers, and he slowly becomes a hero. His father is a perfect "follow in my footsteps" and his mother is so awesome I love her. Also his relationship with his new friends is beginning to bloom and it's nice to see.
I also enjoyed the ending as it kills tropes in most superhero origin stories. Your teacher is a psycho who is killing people for revenge of his kid being killed? Holy shit what is this twisted shit.
However the story is pretty basic at the start, as is the art. It's a good start to get you into the world but nothing amazing yet. However, more is to come.
So for the start it's a solid 3/5 start.
Real characters - Mark is awesome main character. He's normal, he gets his powers, and he slowly becomes a hero. His father is a perfect "follow in my footsteps" and his mother is so awesome I love her. Also his relationship with his new friends is beginning to bloom and it's nice to see.
I also enjoyed the ending as it kills tropes in most superhero origin stories. Your teacher is a psycho who is killing people for revenge of his kid being killed? Holy shit what is this twisted shit.
However the story is pretty basic at the start, as is the art. It's a good start to get you into the world but nothing amazing yet. However, more is to come.
So for the start it's a solid 3/5 start.
June 9, 2021
Not great but a good start to the series, laying a nice groundwork for a bigger story. What I especially like are the characters themselves who seem genuinely real.
March 11, 2021
Review originally posted here: https://sammythecritic.blogspot.com/2...
Synopsis: The first volume of Robert Kirkman’s superhero series focuses on teen Mark Grayson who is just discovering his superpowers and learning to exert them while balancing everyday life.
My Thoughts: Judging from my description of the plot alone might make one wheeze at all the cliché cylinders fired. A hormonal adolescent with cool abilities? Check. Parent of alien origins. Check. Random villains appearing to wreak havoc just because – duality? You’ve guessed it folks, double-check!
This should be the point where I usually dispel your preconceptions to show you how this is all a facade for a grander epic that goes against the grain in nearly every other department. However, there isn’t much for me to dispel that would outweigh the derivative aspects of this comic. The volume was entertaining enough to keep me reading through as I did find the backstory behind Mark’s dad (who was supposedly sent from a utopian planet as a protector of the Earth) intriguing in concept and Mark’s quotidian trials were somewhat down-to-earth and believable. Alas, even those qualities felt tropey to some extent and have been dealt with in other works in far superior ways. All that being said, I’ll still continue reading the series since I’ve heard it becomes notoriously dark and deconstructive in later issues. If that is the case, I might reevaluate the volume as some sort of clever backdrop to whatever supposed mindfuckery coming forward.
Final Thoughts: Invincible Vol. 1 is a pretty generic beginning aggregating most of the tropes you would expect of a superhero comic. I can’t say whether I’d recommend it until I finish enough issues to give a fairer appraisal.
Synopsis: The first volume of Robert Kirkman’s superhero series focuses on teen Mark Grayson who is just discovering his superpowers and learning to exert them while balancing everyday life.
My Thoughts: Judging from my description of the plot alone might make one wheeze at all the cliché cylinders fired. A hormonal adolescent with cool abilities? Check. Parent of alien origins. Check. Random villains appearing to wreak havoc just because – duality? You’ve guessed it folks, double-check!
This should be the point where I usually dispel your preconceptions to show you how this is all a facade for a grander epic that goes against the grain in nearly every other department. However, there isn’t much for me to dispel that would outweigh the derivative aspects of this comic. The volume was entertaining enough to keep me reading through as I did find the backstory behind Mark’s dad (who was supposedly sent from a utopian planet as a protector of the Earth) intriguing in concept and Mark’s quotidian trials were somewhat down-to-earth and believable. Alas, even those qualities felt tropey to some extent and have been dealt with in other works in far superior ways. All that being said, I’ll still continue reading the series since I’ve heard it becomes notoriously dark and deconstructive in later issues. If that is the case, I might reevaluate the volume as some sort of clever backdrop to whatever supposed mindfuckery coming forward.
Final Thoughts: Invincible Vol. 1 is a pretty generic beginning aggregating most of the tropes you would expect of a superhero comic. I can’t say whether I’d recommend it until I finish enough issues to give a fairer appraisal.
May 27, 2024
Un ottimo inizio, un narrazione calzante, veloce e immediata. Tavole stupende e leggere.
April 20, 2018
I’m so disappointed. So many people recommended this series to me but man, I don’t know why...
What’s it about?
Mark is the son of a famous superhero and discovers he has superpowers.
Pros:
The story is fairly interesting. I like these kinds of stories and there is more to it than what I said (I just didn’t want to give spoilers).
The characters are pretty cool. At first I thought they were kind of bland but as I kept reading the more interested in them I got. That’s a good thing for sure.
This book wasn’t too predictable.
The world building is pretty well done.
Cons:
The art was pretty bad TBH. I really didn’t dig the art style. I’ll put it this way, I probably could’ve drawn this book... there’s a reason I want to write comics, not draw them.
I noticed a lot of repeating panels. What I mean by this is throughout the entire book there’s a lot of times where you get a panel and then the same panel again, sometimes with different speech bubbles. If it was only a few times and/or for comedic effect, it would make sense but it wasn’t anything like that. It seemed kinda lazy IMO.
I normally think superhero comics are exciting which is why I read them, this is not an exciting one. This one is pretty boring except for a few action scenes and even then, those action scenes are a bit bland. Maybe part of why I’m disappointed is I heard people talk about this being super exciting and gory... I was not excited and I’ve seen more gore in a lot of Spider-Man comics, I don’t know what the hell people are on about with that.
This book often tries to be funny but it’s not.
Overall:
An interesting story with cool characters but it has so many flaws that I can’t be bothered to read anymore of this series. Pretty much, it’s not horrible but if you read superhero comics, it’s pretty much just a repeat of things you have seen many, many times. There’s nothing particularly unique, it’s not funny, it’s not exciting and it’s poorly drawn. Like I said, it’s not horrible and I know a lot of people love this series but to me it is quite overrated and bland.
2/5
What’s it about?
Mark is the son of a famous superhero and discovers he has superpowers.
Pros:
The story is fairly interesting. I like these kinds of stories and there is more to it than what I said (I just didn’t want to give spoilers).
The characters are pretty cool. At first I thought they were kind of bland but as I kept reading the more interested in them I got. That’s a good thing for sure.
This book wasn’t too predictable.
The world building is pretty well done.
Cons:
The art was pretty bad TBH. I really didn’t dig the art style. I’ll put it this way, I probably could’ve drawn this book... there’s a reason I want to write comics, not draw them.
I noticed a lot of repeating panels. What I mean by this is throughout the entire book there’s a lot of times where you get a panel and then the same panel again, sometimes with different speech bubbles. If it was only a few times and/or for comedic effect, it would make sense but it wasn’t anything like that. It seemed kinda lazy IMO.
I normally think superhero comics are exciting which is why I read them, this is not an exciting one. This one is pretty boring except for a few action scenes and even then, those action scenes are a bit bland. Maybe part of why I’m disappointed is I heard people talk about this being super exciting and gory... I was not excited and I’ve seen more gore in a lot of Spider-Man comics, I don’t know what the hell people are on about with that.
This book often tries to be funny but it’s not.
Overall:
An interesting story with cool characters but it has so many flaws that I can’t be bothered to read anymore of this series. Pretty much, it’s not horrible but if you read superhero comics, it’s pretty much just a repeat of things you have seen many, many times. There’s nothing particularly unique, it’s not funny, it’s not exciting and it’s poorly drawn. Like I said, it’s not horrible and I know a lot of people love this series but to me it is quite overrated and bland.
2/5
June 2, 2014
It's ok. No great shakes. Probably won't go out of my way to continue the series.
July 1, 2018
Simple story about a kid from a superhero father. Art is solid but I felt the story was just too simple and safe. Didn't do enough for me.
February 28, 2024
This was a great first entry into the series, and I'm stoked to dive in! The art is crisp, the characters are interesting, it's well written, snappy and witty. What more could you want from a more grown-up, modern take on a superhero?
I'm reading Compendium One, which contains the first 9 volumes, but I'll try to keep track of each volume as I go along.
I'm reading Compendium One, which contains the first 9 volumes, but I'll try to keep track of each volume as I go along.
April 13, 2021
This comic is Matt Gaetz-approved.
The general comment is that the series picks up significantly beyond this volume. That is good; this is decent on its own but not groundbreaking.
I wonder about Atom Girl's costume choice; it's not clear at this point quite what her powers are, but she can transform her clothing into her costume at will, and presumably she can choose what that costume will be. So why is the bottom half of her ass hanging out of it? I'm not slut-shaming, but given that the book was written and drawn by adult men, I have to ask: was this really the best choice for an under-18 character? She's in high school. She is a child. Not good!
The general comment is that the series picks up significantly beyond this volume. That is good; this is decent on its own but not groundbreaking.
I wonder about Atom Girl's costume choice; it's not clear at this point quite what her powers are, but she can transform her clothing into her costume at will, and presumably she can choose what that costume will be. So why is the bottom half of her ass hanging out of it? I'm not slut-shaming, but given that the book was written and drawn by adult men, I have to ask: was this really the best choice for an under-18 character? She's in high school. She is a child. Not good!
October 4, 2016
It's the usual super hero stuff, but I quite liked it.
January 21, 2018
Book Info: This collection contains
Invincible
issues #1-4.
Other Useful Reviews: Gavin's review and Sam Quixote's review
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
Family Matters opens with Invincible (i.e. a kid named Mark Grayson) averting disaster by throwing a suicide bomber into the air over Antarctica the before his bomb detonates. Rewinding four months prior, we learn that Mark is the son of extraterrestrial superhero Omni-Man (i.e. successful novelist Nolan Grayson) and stay-at-home wife Deborah Grayson. One afternoon, while on the job as a fast food employee, Mark suddenly realizes that he has inherited his father's superpowers (including enhanced strength, speed, and flight). Giddy with excitement, Mark dons his new costume and makes his official debut as Invincible by foiling an armed robbery in his city.
As a comic, Invincible struck me as one of a kind; I, personally, haven't before read a comic quite this... simple. In fact, it seemed almost *too* simple to intensely scrutinize in this review – kind of like I didn't have enough tangible material at my disposal to tear up. After finishing this book, I thought it strange that I used to think Daniel Way's Deadpool was shallow. Now I see I clearly had no idea of what was out there.
Kirkman's Invincible is a very pedestrian take on the superhero genre, and both his plot and characters are rather generic and two-dimensional. For instance, Mark is a typical teenage boy, Deborah is a loving mom, Nolan is a tough and competent dad, and Eve is a pretty girl. In that short sentence, I must have covered something like 80% of Kirkman's characterization right there. Plotwise, things move extremely fast and without buildup (at something like 2x the speed of the average comic I've read), and all conflicts seem as if they're resolved almost before they appear. Nearly all of the "challenges" confronted by the hero are punched in the face and taken down within 1-3 pages.
[The next page has this crook knocked out cold, and Mark only had to hit him once.]
[Say I'm feeling generous and grant Kirkman that first one. What would you think if I told you the guy Mark hit on this page is also rendered unconscious after one punch? The initial encounter between the two occurred only three pages before!]
And when Mark's in school or at home, I can't say it's any different, really. None of his actions appear to have meaningful consequences, and he's casually let off the hook by his parents. Furthermore, there seems to be no struggle within Mark to come to terms with his powers or his responsibility as a superhero other than losing a couple hours of sleep or getting home too late to eat dinner with his mother. His life looks pretty much perfect, so where's the fun in that?
Interestingly enough though, I did find myself pulled in a bit during the first 1/3 of the second issue. This portion of the book dealt with Omni-Man's alien history on the planet Viltrum. It's easy to tell the tale borrows heavily from Superman , but in some ways, the writer makes it his own. Objectively speaking, it's fairly well done for a origin story so brief, but much of my disproportionate enjoyment can probably be attributed to the fact that it was a welcome change of pace following the previous issue.
When we're not jumping from bland action sequence to yet another bland action sequence, Kirkman's weak sense of humor does nothing to offer reprieve from the emptiness. You know how it could be a compliment to say that a comic book doesn't take itself too seriously? Well in this case, the comic doesn't take itself seriously *at all*. So rather than being funny, Invincible reads like a mockery of itself. There are oh so many instances I can choose from to demonstrate this point, but I'll just include two. Take a look and you ought to get the point.
[Kinda funny? Maybe?]
[By now, I think I get the idea; Mark's Mom is unimpressed with her son and husband's superheroics. No need to go on and on about it. But as redundant as it might seem to you already, would you believe me if I told you Kirkman makes this *exact* same joke (in the exact same setting) in the final two pages of the book?]
Like an extreme version of The Walking Dead (the writer's most successful comic series to date), this book doesn't call for very much effort on the part of the reader at all, and will likely seem like one of the most casual comic reads you are likely to experience. But in spite of everything, Invincible is an oddly pleasant read, and plays things so safe (i.e. dodging the major missteps like plot holes or issues with suspension of disbelief) that it narrowly escapes the 2 stars that it almost appears to logically deserve. But to those of you who have read multiple volumes of this tripe, life is too short to waste any more of it here. It's time to graduate to a more mature young adult superhero comic, and I suggest picking up Ultimate Spider-Man instead. It's sort of like this, except it's got ten times the soul, excitement, and humor. And if that's still too mature for you, again, there's always Deadpool.
Postscript:
You know, I'm almost too ashamed to admit this, but the end of the last issue did have me snickering a bit, which is an unexpected turn of events considering how generally unfunny the book was. It must have had something to do with the conclusion of the arc, and the ridiculous discovery made right before the resolution.
Other Useful Reviews: Gavin's review and Sam Quixote's review
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
Family Matters opens with Invincible (i.e. a kid named Mark Grayson) averting disaster by throwing a suicide bomber into the air over Antarctica the before his bomb detonates. Rewinding four months prior, we learn that Mark is the son of extraterrestrial superhero Omni-Man (i.e. successful novelist Nolan Grayson) and stay-at-home wife Deborah Grayson. One afternoon, while on the job as a fast food employee, Mark suddenly realizes that he has inherited his father's superpowers (including enhanced strength, speed, and flight). Giddy with excitement, Mark dons his new costume and makes his official debut as Invincible by foiling an armed robbery in his city.
As a comic, Invincible struck me as one of a kind; I, personally, haven't before read a comic quite this... simple. In fact, it seemed almost *too* simple to intensely scrutinize in this review – kind of like I didn't have enough tangible material at my disposal to tear up. After finishing this book, I thought it strange that I used to think Daniel Way's Deadpool was shallow. Now I see I clearly had no idea of what was out there.
Kirkman's Invincible is a very pedestrian take on the superhero genre, and both his plot and characters are rather generic and two-dimensional. For instance, Mark is a typical teenage boy, Deborah is a loving mom, Nolan is a tough and competent dad, and Eve is a pretty girl. In that short sentence, I must have covered something like 80% of Kirkman's characterization right there. Plotwise, things move extremely fast and without buildup (at something like 2x the speed of the average comic I've read), and all conflicts seem as if they're resolved almost before they appear. Nearly all of the "challenges" confronted by the hero are punched in the face and taken down within 1-3 pages.
[The next page has this crook knocked out cold, and Mark only had to hit him once.]
[Say I'm feeling generous and grant Kirkman that first one. What would you think if I told you the guy Mark hit on this page is also rendered unconscious after one punch? The initial encounter between the two occurred only three pages before!]
And when Mark's in school or at home, I can't say it's any different, really. None of his actions appear to have meaningful consequences, and he's casually let off the hook by his parents. Furthermore, there seems to be no struggle within Mark to come to terms with his powers or his responsibility as a superhero other than losing a couple hours of sleep or getting home too late to eat dinner with his mother. His life looks pretty much perfect, so where's the fun in that?
Interestingly enough though, I did find myself pulled in a bit during the first 1/3 of the second issue. This portion of the book dealt with Omni-Man's alien history on the planet Viltrum. It's easy to tell the tale borrows heavily from Superman , but in some ways, the writer makes it his own. Objectively speaking, it's fairly well done for a origin story so brief, but much of my disproportionate enjoyment can probably be attributed to the fact that it was a welcome change of pace following the previous issue.
When we're not jumping from bland action sequence to yet another bland action sequence, Kirkman's weak sense of humor does nothing to offer reprieve from the emptiness. You know how it could be a compliment to say that a comic book doesn't take itself too seriously? Well in this case, the comic doesn't take itself seriously *at all*. So rather than being funny, Invincible reads like a mockery of itself. There are oh so many instances I can choose from to demonstrate this point, but I'll just include two. Take a look and you ought to get the point.
[Kinda funny? Maybe?]
[By now, I think I get the idea; Mark's Mom is unimpressed with her son and husband's superheroics. No need to go on and on about it. But as redundant as it might seem to you already, would you believe me if I told you Kirkman makes this *exact* same joke (in the exact same setting) in the final two pages of the book?]
Like an extreme version of The Walking Dead (the writer's most successful comic series to date), this book doesn't call for very much effort on the part of the reader at all, and will likely seem like one of the most casual comic reads you are likely to experience. But in spite of everything, Invincible is an oddly pleasant read, and plays things so safe (i.e. dodging the major missteps like plot holes or issues with suspension of disbelief) that it narrowly escapes the 2 stars that it almost appears to logically deserve. But to those of you who have read multiple volumes of this tripe, life is too short to waste any more of it here. It's time to graduate to a more mature young adult superhero comic, and I suggest picking up Ultimate Spider-Man instead. It's sort of like this, except it's got ten times the soul, excitement, and humor. And if that's still too mature for you, again, there's always Deadpool.
Postscript:
You know, I'm almost too ashamed to admit this, but the end of the last issue did have me snickering a bit, which is an unexpected turn of events considering how generally unfunny the book was. It must have had something to do with the conclusion of the arc, and the ridiculous discovery made right before the resolution.
July 4, 2022
This was not as amazing as I thought it would be. The premise was a tried and tested one: if you've seen it once, you've seen it a million times before, that kind of thing. Half-human, half-alien teenager gets superpowers, dons a spandex suit, joins a team of teenagers (aptly named Teen Team), and saves the world... or just one guy, for now.
I suppose there's nothing wrong with having a superhero comic that follows the general conventions; I mean, if it ain't broke, right? The issues lay elsewhere than the many cliches.
The dialogue was unnecessarily wordy throughout and came across as amateur-ish which was something I was really surprised by. On top of that, the comic served best as an introduction to the characters but even then half of the "Teen Team" (I seriously hate that name) was present for about three panels and said nothing but hello and goodbye. You could cite limited pages as the reason for skimping on their intros, but I noticed there were many consecutive panels where the characters stayed in the exact same position and sometimes not even saying anything. Sure it was good for dramatic effect the first time, but after that technique was employed multiple times it came across as lazy and wasting valuable panels that could have been used more effectively.
Another issue was a complete lack of complexity. Everything was told to the reader through the dialogue which was a serious mistake. It made the heroes seem less heroic and the villain seem less villainous. There was also a lack of logic throughout the comic. Like why was the physics teacher talking about fables from the Mayan civilisation? At one point Mark isn't fast enough at flying to keep up with his dad, but then at another point he can fly from America to Antarctica in 13 seconds? And he's called Invincible but invincibility is not actually one of his powers? I get it, this is superhero territory, but things still have to make sense at a basic level.
Although I wasn't wowed by this I did recognise that there was potential. After all, a good superhero story doesn't have to have a great start, it can do well enough without one, and from what I've heard it's possible the story gets better. Maybe I'll read more and find that out for myself, or maybe I'll just watch the show and get straight to the good stuff.
(Recommended by Peter (on instagram))
I suppose there's nothing wrong with having a superhero comic that follows the general conventions; I mean, if it ain't broke, right? The issues lay elsewhere than the many cliches.
The dialogue was unnecessarily wordy throughout and came across as amateur-ish which was something I was really surprised by. On top of that, the comic served best as an introduction to the characters but even then half of the "Teen Team" (I seriously hate that name) was present for about three panels and said nothing but hello and goodbye. You could cite limited pages as the reason for skimping on their intros, but I noticed there were many consecutive panels where the characters stayed in the exact same position and sometimes not even saying anything. Sure it was good for dramatic effect the first time, but after that technique was employed multiple times it came across as lazy and wasting valuable panels that could have been used more effectively.
Another issue was a complete lack of complexity. Everything was told to the reader through the dialogue which was a serious mistake. It made the heroes seem less heroic and the villain seem less villainous. There was also a lack of logic throughout the comic. Like why was the physics teacher talking about fables from the Mayan civilisation? At one point Mark isn't fast enough at flying to keep up with his dad, but then at another point he can fly from America to Antarctica in 13 seconds? And he's called Invincible but invincibility is not actually one of his powers? I get it, this is superhero territory, but things still have to make sense at a basic level.
Although I wasn't wowed by this I did recognise that there was potential. After all, a good superhero story doesn't have to have a great start, it can do well enough without one, and from what I've heard it's possible the story gets better. Maybe I'll read more and find that out for myself, or maybe I'll just watch the show and get straight to the good stuff.
(Recommended by Peter (on instagram))
March 26, 2023
Oh, it's good to be back in this world!~
Nothing new to add to my original review:
3.25 stars!
So, Invincible is a title that's been around for years. Years. This volume collects issues 1-4, first published in 2003. Right now, Kirkman has written 127 issues. Man, that's a long run. I've heard really great comments about this series from people I really trust so I decided to give this a chance. And I liked it, it was a nice introduction to the series.
The story is quite by- the- numbers. It's, so far, nothing new in the super-hero genre, our main character Mark Grayson is the son of the most powerful superhero in the world, Omni-Man (Think of Superman, after all, he's from another planet and has the same powers as Kal-El). Now Mark's reaching puberty so it's time for his own powers to arrive! This volume is the origin story of Invincible a.k.a our likable protagonist. He has to learn how to become a superhero, while balancing his high school and family life. Along the way he runs into a teen superhero group too, has his first battles and meet his first villain.
The fact is, told that way, it isn't original, but I really enjoyed this volume. The familiarity and simplicity of these 4 issues blend in with likable characters, a charming family dynamic and some good laughs and chuckles coming of Mark's awkward teenager years made this a really pleasant read. He's pretty much a mix of Spidey and a young Superman and it was so fun to read Family Matters in-between long, boring, books.
I'm pretty sure the story will go to new interesting places and if Kirkman success of his other title, The Walking Dead, is any indication that he's an amazing graphic novel author, I'm sure Invincible will be a great ride.
Like I said before, it is a fun volume where the superhero genre meets teenage humor, soap opera elements and it's lead by a great fun and charismatic cast of characters.
Nothing new to add to my original review:
3.25 stars!
So, Invincible is a title that's been around for years. Years. This volume collects issues 1-4, first published in 2003. Right now, Kirkman has written 127 issues. Man, that's a long run. I've heard really great comments about this series from people I really trust so I decided to give this a chance. And I liked it, it was a nice introduction to the series.
The story is quite by- the- numbers. It's, so far, nothing new in the super-hero genre, our main character Mark Grayson is the son of the most powerful superhero in the world, Omni-Man (Think of Superman, after all, he's from another planet and has the same powers as Kal-El). Now Mark's reaching puberty so it's time for his own powers to arrive! This volume is the origin story of Invincible a.k.a our likable protagonist. He has to learn how to become a superhero, while balancing his high school and family life. Along the way he runs into a teen superhero group too, has his first battles and meet his first villain.
The fact is, told that way, it isn't original, but I really enjoyed this volume. The familiarity and simplicity of these 4 issues blend in with likable characters, a charming family dynamic and some good laughs and chuckles coming of Mark's awkward teenager years made this a really pleasant read. He's pretty much a mix of Spidey and a young Superman and it was so fun to read Family Matters in-between long, boring, books.
I'm pretty sure the story will go to new interesting places and if Kirkman success of his other title, The Walking Dead, is any indication that he's an amazing graphic novel author, I'm sure Invincible will be a great ride.
Like I said before, it is a fun volume where the superhero genre meets teenage humor, soap opera elements and it's lead by a great fun and charismatic cast of characters.
May 8, 2022
I decided to check out the graphic novel after binging the tv show during my Prime free trial. I actually really liked the show, but so far the graphic novels are just s0-so. This is one of the rare cases where the tv show is actually better than the source material, so far. I'm hoping it picks up as the series goes on; this collection is the first four comics in the series, so it's just getting started.
My first complaint is that I'm not a fan of the artwork style. At all. I'm not sure why "bad" art has become so popular for graphic novels and cartoons, but it's a trend I hope goes away very soon. This is supposed to be professional work and it my opinion it looks like something drawn by a high school kid getting a C+ in his art class. I thought about leaving the art critique out of my review and rating, but it's a graphic novel; the graphic part is pretty important.
My second gripe is that the comics feel more like an outline than a complete story. I appreciate that we're just focusing on the highlights of the story, but it feels like we're skipping way too much. Some back story, a training montage, some focus on the day to day or more time on the side characters would be nice. The first season of the show has done a great job of fixing all of that and filling in a lot of the gaps of the source material.
While I've not been super impressed with the first volume, I'll probably keep reading. The show loosely follows the comic and most of the changes have been an improvement, but I'm still curious to see where the comic goes.
My first complaint is that I'm not a fan of the artwork style. At all. I'm not sure why "bad" art has become so popular for graphic novels and cartoons, but it's a trend I hope goes away very soon. This is supposed to be professional work and it my opinion it looks like something drawn by a high school kid getting a C+ in his art class. I thought about leaving the art critique out of my review and rating, but it's a graphic novel; the graphic part is pretty important.
My second gripe is that the comics feel more like an outline than a complete story. I appreciate that we're just focusing on the highlights of the story, but it feels like we're skipping way too much. Some back story, a training montage, some focus on the day to day or more time on the side characters would be nice. The first season of the show has done a great job of fixing all of that and filling in a lot of the gaps of the source material.
While I've not been super impressed with the first volume, I'll probably keep reading. The show loosely follows the comic and most of the changes have been an improvement, but I'm still curious to see where the comic goes.
December 4, 2017
"I can sit here and watch him battle hundred-foot dragons on TV all day long, but for some reason...every time he's in another dimension...I can't help but assume the worst."
-Actual dialogue from an actual panel. Brilliant.
Well, that was charming and unexpected...I liked the heightened reality, the pastel colour palette, and the father-son interactions.
Mom sitting at home worrying, on the other hand, was a little trite and the was telegraphed a bit too much.
I will continue to read this series, though, for sure. Thanks for the recommendation, Chad!
-Actual dialogue from an actual panel. Brilliant.
Well, that was charming and unexpected...I liked the heightened reality, the pastel colour palette, and the father-son interactions.
Mom sitting at home worrying, on the other hand, was a little trite and the was telegraphed a bit too much.
I will continue to read this series, though, for sure. Thanks for the recommendation, Chad!
September 11, 2017
I Just love it for it's simpelness. It's not complicated or hard to understand What is going on. So far it already made me laugh.
July 28, 2021
four stars! ❀ i watched the amazon tv show for this comic series a few months ago and quite literally fell in love with the story. i’ve been dying to read this series since but have only been able to find the huge collective volumes that are like $70 a piece, so i was really happy to find this first volume at barnes and noble the other day!!! this was pretty much exactly like the tv series, and i loved being back in this world. i’m hoping that i can find the other volumes somewhere soon!
September 7, 2021
This series is bloody great. But it only gets good at around Issue #10. The first 7 issues are especially awful.
This beginning is staggeringly bad. But stay with it. You'll be glad you did. The show adaptation blows the comic completely out of the water when it comes to these first issues. It's not even a fair comparison. I'm interested to see how season 2 handles the later stuff, though, as things get much much better in the comic.
Robert Kirkman is a treasure who must be protected. Power through this shite beginning and find out why.
This beginning is staggeringly bad. But stay with it. You'll be glad you did. The show adaptation blows the comic completely out of the water when it comes to these first issues. It's not even a fair comparison. I'm interested to see how season 2 handles the later stuff, though, as things get much much better in the comic.
Robert Kirkman is a treasure who must be protected. Power through this shite beginning and find out why.
September 4, 2015
Not much is happening in this volume, and the story so far is decidedly mediocre. I know this series is supposed to get much better in later volumes, but the beginning is really nothing special. Like, at all.
Read
February 1, 2023Randomly picked this up tonight, it was fun!
October 12, 2024
It's... basically, it's Superman & Son.
So a more domestic take on the genre. Even more so than Spider-Man ever was - all the same stuff about powers and responsibility and how it affects one's life and relationships, but putting even more focus on them and leaving all the supervillain fights and alien invasions and such things firmly in the background. Just another day at the office. You just hear your dad sum up his day over dinner, and even then only if his workmates did something mildly intersting that day. It's pretty funny. A lot of potential there that the comic pulls off well.
I just don't know if you can do that sort of a thing with supers, at all. It is still alien invasions, explosions, people's lives at stake. Imagine doing the domestic life of a government special agent that needs to pop off and do a quick anti-terrorist run before lunch. All that shooting, bloodshed, racial tensions... you couldn't do anything like that, could you? Well, all that supervillain stuff should be just as serious within the world it happens, and it feels weird to be so flippant about it just because we at home have had a century to get used to this stuff and deconstruct it to hell and back.
That's probably why it took me so long to pick up this comic in the first place. I haven't seen the series either, though I still might. The writing's still pretty good, the art serves, it does what it can even when the incongruity of the premise and genre is weighing it down. It got popular for a reason: I can see it already and I'm going to keep up with it to see where it goes.
So a more domestic take on the genre. Even more so than Spider-Man ever was - all the same stuff about powers and responsibility and how it affects one's life and relationships, but putting even more focus on them and leaving all the supervillain fights and alien invasions and such things firmly in the background. Just another day at the office. You just hear your dad sum up his day over dinner, and even then only if his workmates did something mildly intersting that day. It's pretty funny. A lot of potential there that the comic pulls off well.
I just don't know if you can do that sort of a thing with supers, at all. It is still alien invasions, explosions, people's lives at stake. Imagine doing the domestic life of a government special agent that needs to pop off and do a quick anti-terrorist run before lunch. All that shooting, bloodshed, racial tensions... you couldn't do anything like that, could you? Well, all that supervillain stuff should be just as serious within the world it happens, and it feels weird to be so flippant about it just because we at home have had a century to get used to this stuff and deconstruct it to hell and back.
That's probably why it took me so long to pick up this comic in the first place. I haven't seen the series either, though I still might. The writing's still pretty good, the art serves, it does what it can even when the incongruity of the premise and genre is weighing it down. It got popular for a reason: I can see it already and I'm going to keep up with it to see where it goes.
May 17, 2021
Původně jsem měl představu, že si teď od supráků chvíli odpočinu ale hajp kolem animáku Invincible mě donutil si trochu načíst, a je to boží. Kirkman píše krásný superhero příběh který pracuje s klasickýma tropama, nebere se vážně a celkově se snaží pracovat hodně s odlehčenou stránkou a já mu to žeru. Trošku mě vysírá kresba ale na pár částech si neumím představit lepší ztvárnění než to které tu bylo.
Bavil mě hodně Rebirth Superman se vztahem Clark se synem, tady je to ještě víc cute.
Bavil mě hodně Rebirth Superman se vztahem Clark se synem, tady je to ještě víc cute.
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