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Invincible
Invincible, Vol. 8: My Favorite Martian
Having your father be the most powerful superhero on the planet makes life interesting for Mark Grayson, but the typical high school senior's life really starts to heat up when he finds himself inheriting his father's powers. Collects issues #36-41.
156 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2007
130 people are currently reading
632 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,943 books6,923 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 170 reviews
February 18, 2024
Hold on to your hats the Sequids are coming and everyone needs to stand together! More importantly for some, there's some difficult developments in regards to Mark's love life, and when I say difficult, I mean, bad! In addition the Guardians of the Globe might be out of their depth, yet again! 7.5 out of 12 strong Three Star read. The series is sort of just ambling along in this volume.
2017 and 2011 read
2017 and 2011 read
August 18, 2019
After being missing for months and multiple volumes, Mark finally goes looking for his friend Rick. It's both fun and a bit disturbing. Plus the Sequids threaten earth. I dug this story quite a bit. The Sequids crawling all over the astronaut they'd taken over gave off some creepy visuals. Plus, it's always nice to see Mark team up with the Guardians. Meanwhile, Mark and Amber's relationship finally comes to a head.
April 3, 2023
Not the best volume, not all that bad either. It's just that every volume that doesn't focus in the Viltrumites and have yet so many scenes of Mark's love triangle is going to feel quite underwhelming.
Original review from 2016:
3.5 Stars.
Invincible: My favorite Martian is a solid installment, which personally wasn't my favorite. It's a volume full of action, humor and drama. But, my main problem is the culmination of two main story arcs, both introduced volumes ago. They didn't have the emotional impact nor were they the threats I was expecting them to be. It felt rushed having both of them happening in the same collection and I wasn't invested at all in the action or outcome.
We have the return of the Reanimen...which left me quite disappointed at the end. I guess, the only interesting part in the whole arc is Cecil's involvement. Also, a ship from Mars is coming to Earth after being hijacked by the Sequids. Apart from the Martian character that becomes Shapesmith, I never really liked the story, so, because of that, I was very underwhelmed. I felt that, as opposed to other battles and fights, there weren't really any stakes, it was very obvious how it was going to end and what's annoying is that the astronaut coming back means that the story is not done yet.
What I did love and I was surprised and shocked at was that, as this really big battle was happening in space, our three remaining members of the Guardians of the Globe had to face the Lizard League. That scene was the highlight of this volume, it was unexpected, exciting and emotional and I couldn't believeI mean is Kirkman I should have expected this what happened to Dupli-Kate, Shrinking Ray and Rex.
Another highlight was the short moment we had with Allen, who is actually my favorite alien, and the little information we got about the leader of The Coalition of Planets. That's the story I want to come back to. Hopefully, we'll see more of that and the Viltrumites next time.
In my previous review I talked about Mark's love triangle and how I was very satisfied and happy with how it turned out. Well... guess it doesn't matter anymore. My problem here isn't the breakup, but the fact that it took so many issues to get there. At some point it became obvious what was going to happen and I'm not really thrilled with the prospect of Eve becoming the love interest... give her a more decent arc, please.
Aaaaaaand lastly, give me more Oliver and Mama Grayson.
Still, I'm 8 volumes in. I love the story and the characters and every time I start a new volume is an exciting thing because I know I'm going to like it. The artwork is such a familiar thing now, a welcoming sight, and the dialogues never disappoint.
Original review from 2016:
3.5 Stars.
Invincible: My favorite Martian is a solid installment, which personally wasn't my favorite. It's a volume full of action, humor and drama. But, my main problem is the culmination of two main story arcs, both introduced volumes ago. They didn't have the emotional impact nor were they the threats I was expecting them to be. It felt rushed having both of them happening in the same collection and I wasn't invested at all in the action or outcome.
We have the return of the Reanimen...which left me quite disappointed at the end. I guess, the only interesting part in the whole arc is Cecil's involvement. Also, a ship from Mars is coming to Earth after being hijacked by the Sequids. Apart from the Martian character that becomes Shapesmith, I never really liked the story, so, because of that, I was very underwhelmed. I felt that, as opposed to other battles and fights, there weren't really any stakes, it was very obvious how it was going to end and what's annoying is that the astronaut coming back means that the story is not done yet.
What I did love and I was surprised and shocked at was that, as this really big battle was happening in space, our three remaining members of the Guardians of the Globe had to face the Lizard League. That scene was the highlight of this volume, it was unexpected, exciting and emotional and I couldn't believe
Another highlight was the short moment we had with Allen, who is actually my favorite alien, and the little information we got about the leader of The Coalition of Planets. That's the story I want to come back to. Hopefully, we'll see more of that and the Viltrumites next time.
In my previous review I talked about Mark's love triangle and how I was very satisfied and happy with how it turned out. Well... guess it doesn't matter anymore. My problem here isn't the breakup, but the fact that it took so many issues to get there. At some point it became obvious what was going to happen and I'm not really thrilled with the prospect of Eve becoming the love interest... give her a more decent arc, please.
Aaaaaaand lastly, give me more Oliver and Mama Grayson.
Still, I'm 8 volumes in. I love the story and the characters and every time I start a new volume is an exciting thing because I know I'm going to like it. The artwork is such a familiar thing now, a welcoming sight, and the dialogues never disappoint.
January 31, 2021
This was a pretty cool volume, focusing on Mark and his struggles with everyday life. First he has to team up with the Guardians to stop the Sequid invasion, they are parasitic creatures and its an epic one, the way they travel to space and then stop them while everything is at stake, then the whole thing with Rex Splode and them fighting the Lizard League at heavy costs. And big stuff for the sequids towards the end. Then there's the love life of Mark and it reached a pretty neat conclusion and we can have our favorite pairings soon and a lot of stuff happens as we start to explore this universe and other characters more, meanwhile buildling the epicness of Mark! Good volume and solid art and loved every moment in it!
March 5, 2019
Wow this was a brutal book.
World: The art is great once again and with what happens in the story this time around the art is way more jarring and it really allows the reader to feel the brutal nature of what’s happening on page, powerful. The world building is good, it’s a lot bigger this time around with all things happening at once and there is a sense of the world being overrun and that’s the whole point. At the same time we get intimate small world building pieces that have been at play for a while and are character based. I really liked that the Sephids came home to roost after so many issues of building towards it.
Story: This story is heavy, the start felt like any Invincible book but much like some arcs every now and again the heavy stuff comes and it really punches hard, really hard. The threats we see this time around have been brewing for a while and I love that about the series, they are never sudden they are always telegraphed and yet we still forget about them as readers and when the chickens come home to roost, it’s insane. The emotion were high this time and the consequences also wow this was a heavy arc. That being said there was still time for the small stuff, the bread and butter slice of life of a superhero stuff that this book does so well and we get Mark growth which is amazing.
Characters: Mark really comes into his own this arc and follow what happened last arc and the growth we see it’s really nice to read. We also see the relationship status having forward movement and it’s done well, it’s not biased it’s real and it’s fair and I like that about the series. The characters we see this time with the Lizard League and also the Sephids was pretty amazing, it felt really comic book this time around and even in those moments characters were important.
A very heavy but well written arc.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is great once again and with what happens in the story this time around the art is way more jarring and it really allows the reader to feel the brutal nature of what’s happening on page, powerful. The world building is good, it’s a lot bigger this time around with all things happening at once and there is a sense of the world being overrun and that’s the whole point. At the same time we get intimate small world building pieces that have been at play for a while and are character based. I really liked that the Sephids came home to roost after so many issues of building towards it.
Story: This story is heavy, the start felt like any Invincible book but much like some arcs every now and again the heavy stuff comes and it really punches hard, really hard. The threats we see this time around have been brewing for a while and I love that about the series, they are never sudden they are always telegraphed and yet we still forget about them as readers and when the chickens come home to roost, it’s insane. The emotion were high this time and the consequences also wow this was a heavy arc. That being said there was still time for the small stuff, the bread and butter slice of life of a superhero stuff that this book does so well and we get Mark growth which is amazing.
Characters: Mark really comes into his own this arc and follow what happened last arc and the growth we see it’s really nice to read. We also see the relationship status having forward movement and it’s done well, it’s not biased it’s real and it’s fair and I like that about the series. The characters we see this time with the Lizard League and also the Sephids was pretty amazing, it felt really comic book this time around and even in those moments characters were important.
A very heavy but well written arc.
Onward to the next book!
May 2, 2018
This series just goes from strength to strength.
Too bad Kirkman will be remembered for all thatzombie walker business, I can easily state that I've enjoyed this superhero title considerably more than I ever did watching that dirge of a TV series (yes, I know there are comics, too, but I haven't read them and there's like 8000 volumes so I probably won't, OK?).
This time around the tensions in Mark and Amber's relationship come to a head, there is cataclysmic conflict both at home and out in space, the matter of the Reanimen comes to an unsavoury conclusion and there's even space for Allen the Alien to make a worldbuilding cameo.
Oh yeah, and this...
Too bad Kirkman will be remembered for all that
This time around the tensions in Mark and Amber's relationship come to a head, there is cataclysmic conflict both at home and out in space, the matter of the Reanimen comes to an unsavoury conclusion and there's even space for Allen the Alien to make a worldbuilding cameo.
Oh yeah, and this...
November 23, 2016
This is another solid volume though not as good as previous volumes.
The highlights are mostly coming from the relationship status with Mark. I loved a lot of what they dealt with and felt very "real" I also enjoyed the fight on planet earth when all our heroes are far away. The beginning was so/so, with Mark and William. But it had some very funny moments so that's always a plus.
The Squid monsters really come off lame. I get the making fun of Aliens thing but it's not all that interesting. The whole "OH NO" moment at the end didn't stick because obviously these guys aren't a big threat. I just never felt anything for that portion of the story.
Still, fun and exciting with the shit about to get ramped up this is a good slow down.
The highlights are mostly coming from the relationship status with Mark. I loved a lot of what they dealt with and felt very "real" I also enjoyed the fight on planet earth when all our heroes are far away. The beginning was so/so, with Mark and William. But it had some very funny moments so that's always a plus.
The Squid monsters really come off lame. I get the making fun of Aliens thing but it's not all that interesting. The whole "OH NO" moment at the end didn't stick because obviously these guys aren't a big threat. I just never felt anything for that portion of the story.
Still, fun and exciting with the shit about to get ramped up this is a good slow down.
January 11, 2019
Another fun volume , I am still awaiting a mediocre book from the title , forget about bad books , even a mediocre book would raise my eyebrows at this point .
However compared to the previous books this was a drop in quality , the big villains felt weaker and the main focus of the story was on various relationship , Eve and Mark , Mark and Alice , Rex and Kate etc Robot and Monster Girl etc . There also was the issue of the missing friend of Mark .
Overall it was still a very very entertaining story arc , however in comparison maybe this was a slight lesser entertaining
However compared to the previous books this was a drop in quality , the big villains felt weaker and the main focus of the story was on various relationship , Eve and Mark , Mark and Alice , Rex and Kate etc Robot and Monster Girl etc . There also was the issue of the missing friend of Mark .
Overall it was still a very very entertaining story arc , however in comparison maybe this was a slight lesser entertaining
June 29, 2013
While I was really glad to see these two stories, specifically, come to their inevitable conclusions, the whole thing felt extremely predictable. The reanimen story was one that's been building since like the first volume and the mars arc started ages ago as well. Maybe that's why it was so easy to see the endings coming.
Regardless, the dialogue was well done and there were some pretty good situations that came up. There's some nice development among Mark, Amber, and Eve too that, again, felt like we had been waiting ages to see.
It's just nothing that felt particularly new. I think the whole reason was because EVERYTHING in the book felt inevitable. If it had only been one or two things, maybe that would have felt less obvious. Again, I liked how the stories played out, there was just no twist or anything that felt especially creative. The end of the Reanimen arc was pretty satisfying, and there was a side story involving Rex and some of the other Guardians of the Globe that was epic and emotional an heavy. That, above everything else, added an element of wtf to the story that was definitely lacking. Plus it saw the resurgence of the Lizard League. That's what bumped this from 3 to 4 stars.
There's also a quick peek at what Allen the Alien has been up to, which is always welcome, that started to set up some more of what will happen with the big Viltrumite storyline.
The art continues to be as good as you'd expect. It's such a signature look and I can't imagine anyone else ever drawing these characters. The ones at the big two are drawn by different people and in different styles that I like seeing it, but without Ottley, Invincible just wouldn't be Invincible.
It's a solid installment, but nothing crazy good.
Regardless, the dialogue was well done and there were some pretty good situations that came up. There's some nice development among Mark, Amber, and Eve too that, again, felt like we had been waiting ages to see.
It's just nothing that felt particularly new. I think the whole reason was because EVERYTHING in the book felt inevitable. If it had only been one or two things, maybe that would have felt less obvious. Again, I liked how the stories played out, there was just no twist or anything that felt especially creative. The end of the Reanimen arc was pretty satisfying, and there was a side story involving Rex and some of the other Guardians of the Globe that was epic and emotional an heavy. That, above everything else, added an element of wtf to the story that was definitely lacking. Plus it saw the resurgence of the Lizard League. That's what bumped this from 3 to 4 stars.
There's also a quick peek at what Allen the Alien has been up to, which is always welcome, that started to set up some more of what will happen with the big Viltrumite storyline.
The art continues to be as good as you'd expect. It's such a signature look and I can't imagine anyone else ever drawing these characters. The ones at the big two are drawn by different people and in different styles that I like seeing it, but without Ottley, Invincible just wouldn't be Invincible.
It's a solid installment, but nothing crazy good.
May 4, 2023
Der perfekte Artstyle für einen Superhelden Comic.
Auch wenn der Artstyle später noch besser wird ist er in diesem Band schon perfekt für einen Superhelden Comic. Auch die Panels in diesem Band sind wirklich perfekt. Viel Abwechslung und sehr kreativ.
Auch wenn dieser Band nicht die Main Story vorantreibt war ich überrascht wie gut die side Storys hier waren. Also wirklich hier haben side villains und side heroes ihre time to shine. Gerade die sequids auf villain Seite und rex splode auf hero Seite haben hier viel Spaß gemacht.
Außerdem werden meine beiden Lieblings couples im gesamten Comic hier etabliert und es ist besser als ich in Erinnerung habe.
Zudem haben wir viel Charakter Development bei Invincible nach der ersten Begegnung mit seinem Archvillain im letzten Band.
Invincible is the best superhero comic book in the universe.
Auch wenn der Artstyle später noch besser wird ist er in diesem Band schon perfekt für einen Superhelden Comic. Auch die Panels in diesem Band sind wirklich perfekt. Viel Abwechslung und sehr kreativ.
Auch wenn dieser Band nicht die Main Story vorantreibt war ich überrascht wie gut die side Storys hier waren. Also wirklich hier haben side villains und side heroes ihre time to shine. Gerade die sequids auf villain Seite und rex splode auf hero Seite haben hier viel Spaß gemacht.
Außerdem werden meine beiden Lieblings couples im gesamten Comic hier etabliert und es ist besser als ich in Erinnerung habe.
Zudem haben wir viel Charakter Development bei Invincible nach der ersten Begegnung mit seinem Archvillain im letzten Band.
Invincible is the best superhero comic book in the universe.
March 13, 2024
What an inSANE volume 😅 lots of development for the characters, though. I'm really glad we're getting so much of the other supers.
March 15, 2017
I'm really enjoying the Invincible series by Robert Kirkman - the characters are interesting, and Kirkman throws in plenty of inside jokes for those who have been reading comic books for a long time. He does a nice job of playing up the best parts of comic books, while subverting some of the tropes so often found in DC and Marvel books.
October 6, 2021
Imagine how stressful it must be to be Mark. The superpowers seem nice and all, but the responsibility is a no-go for me. He kinda has to do everything.
May 24, 2021
Getting right down to business with the Martians. I admit, I'm a sucker for this Martian Manhunter alt storyline, and the way we introduce this geeky loser version is a real treat, especially since he's so... troublesome.
But best of all, strangely enough, has to be Mark's relationship troubles... or rather, how he's solving them. I'm pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. I get so tired of stupid angst sometimes. This is a treat.
And yes, I'm still loving the series! :)
But best of all, strangely enough, has to be Mark's relationship troubles... or rather, how he's solving them. I'm pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. I get so tired of stupid angst sometimes. This is a treat.
And yes, I'm still loving the series! :)
February 5, 2021
Invincible Vol. 8 My Favorite Martian collects issues 36-41 of the series by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley.
A mind controlling parasite is on its way to Earth and it is up to Invincible and the Guardians of the Globe to save the Earth from being enslaved.
Another fun arc with a major threat to Earth. Mark also makes a huge decision for his civilian life. There is some really great full cover and splash pages in this collection that showcases Ottley's fantastic art.
A mind controlling parasite is on its way to Earth and it is up to Invincible and the Guardians of the Globe to save the Earth from being enslaved.
Another fun arc with a major threat to Earth. Mark also makes a huge decision for his civilian life. There is some really great full cover and splash pages in this collection that showcases Ottley's fantastic art.
June 6, 2021
Nothing great happens in this volume. We finally get the conclusion of the Reamimen arc, which is remarkably anticlimactic. Without the prestablished relationship between Rick and William, the emotional stakes are much lower than the tv show. William is perfectly content after they "save" Rick and Rick does get most of his life back afterwards. No emotional centre of the brain removed or risk of permanent damage. There is actually a nice scene between Rick and Donald where they talk about how alienating it is to be part robot against their wishes. It's not a particularly unique concept, as that was the majority of Victor Stone's character back at DC, but I liked how Rick and Donald handled it, and if Rick sticks around he might grow to be one of my favourite characters.
We also revisit Mars in this chapter which was somewhat interesting. I did enjoy learning more about the sequids and Shapeshifter, who may also become one of my favourite characters. There's a bit of a condundrum with Eve's powers in this one though. She creates a barrier to protect the team from the sequids and needs to actively use energy to do this, but when it comes to creating an impenetrable suit for herself, or changing any other matter, she can use her energy once and then be done with it. I guess theoretically the issue with the forcefield could be that the sequids are breaking it down and she's rebuilding it but it feels more like a plot hole.
Meanwhile, the more physically vulnerable members of the Guardians face the Lizard League on Earth is astrangely epic battle. I think this is the kind of thing that will play better on screen (with better writing) because it just seemed strange for the consequences of this battle to be so dire.
We also revisit Mars in this chapter which was somewhat interesting. I did enjoy learning more about the sequids and Shapeshifter, who may also become one of my favourite characters. There's a bit of a condundrum with Eve's powers in this one though. She creates a barrier to protect the team from the sequids and needs to actively use energy to do this, but when it comes to creating an impenetrable suit for herself, or changing any other matter, she can use her energy once and then be done with it. I guess theoretically the issue with the forcefield could be that the sequids are breaking it down and she's rebuilding it but it feels more like a plot hole.
Meanwhile, the more physically vulnerable members of the Guardians face the Lizard League on Earth is astrangely epic battle. I think this is the kind of thing that will play better on screen (with better writing) because it just seemed strange for the consequences of this battle to be so dire.
July 13, 2023
Great volume. One of the best things about Invincible is how Kirkman manages to juggle a plethora of plotlines effortlessly, without it taking a toll on the flow of the story or the reader's immersion. The beginning was a bit rough for sure but it seems that it's improving at a very steady rate and I like that.
September 14, 2007
Somehow the Best Superhero Comic in the World just gets better and better. There is nothing really new to say, but if you liked the first seven volumes, you've probably already bought volume eight. Kirkman continues to add complexity and nuance to his world, his characters, and their personal/super-villain conflicts.
July 1, 2008
This volume kicks everything up yet another notch. I'm amazed that this series can continue to get better and better over such a prolonged period. Even the artwork seems to have grown to a whole new level of excellence in this book. This truly is the best superhero comic out there.
February 28, 2013
This series just continues to grow and get better with every volume. It really is nice to have a superhero book that isn't restricted by many of the guidelines that Marvel and DC follow. Kirkman love this character and it is eveident in his writting. Otley continues to amaze with his artwork.
March 23, 2017
A very exciting volume, full of action. The Lizard League takes advantage of the heavyweights' absence (they're in space, of course) to make a move, and this almost costs the rest of the team their lives.
Read
January 9, 2024A few plotlines in this one. First Mark and William finally look for their friend Rick. Then the sequids from Mars are heading to Earth, so Mark, Eve, and most of the Guardians go on the defensive. Meanwhile, the three Guardians who stay behind thwart the Lizard League from overtaking a nuclear facility, with gory results. The gore and violence is in this series is shocking mainly because it’s contrasted by lighthearted teen drama and an otherwise bright, fun superhero tone.
The last thread concerns Mark and Amber’s relationship. Their conversation in the last issue is actually really well done; they’re both such sweethearts about the whole thing. I’d be happy if Amber’s story ends here, but I have a sneaking suspicion she’s going to be dragged through the mud again.
The last thread concerns Mark and Amber’s relationship. Their conversation in the last issue is actually really well done; they’re both such sweethearts about the whole thing. I’d be happy if Amber’s story ends here, but I have a sneaking suspicion she’s going to be dragged through the mud again.
December 29, 2018
Another excellent installment. Even though Invisible and The Walking Dead are two completely different books they remind me so much of each other in the sense that they're excellence sneaks up on you. Both titles start out (in my opinion) just pretty good, nothing mind blowing or anything, but here's the thing, both titles get incrementally better with each story arc, and by the time you're half a dozen volumes into the series, you realize, wow this is getting kinda awesome. So yeah, Invisible's getting kinda awesome and from what I've seen of the future volumes it looks like it's gonna get a whole lot more awesome before it's over. Highly recommend!
January 8, 2021
Het blijft gewoon een van de beste superhelden strips. De sequids (kleine, parasitaire inltvis-aliens) vallen weer aan en brengen Mark (Invincible) tot een wanhoopsdaad, een keerpunt in zijn handelen. Marks relatie met Stom Eve komt tot bloei terwijl zij worstelt met haar onbetrouwbare superkrachten en Marks blauwe halfbroertje groeit hard op en wordt misschien nog wel sterker dan Invincible zelf! Een hoog tempo, en heerlijke plotwendingen. En een duidelijke vooruitgang in de kwaliteit van de tekeningen, meer details, meer dynamische poses en meer gebruik van perspectief.
Genieten!
Genieten!
February 3, 2019
Zase davam pet hvezd, Invincible je pro uz takovou jistotou ze vzdy dostanu kvalitni ctivo a budu se u toho neskutecne bavit. Tohle volumko je plne zvratu a snad ani na chvilku si nevydechnete, Kirkman furt hazi nove sub-ploty a zvraty ze z toho jde hlava kolem. I kdyz porad se v tom da skvele orientovat.
Bylo to super, hlavne porad to skvele kombinuje komedii o zivote pubertaka a docela silne a brutalni drama.
Bylo to super, hlavne porad to skvele kombinuje komedii o zivote pubertaka a docela silne a brutalni drama.
May 22, 2021
This is absolutely one of my favorites!!
June 14, 2021
interesting, interesting
July 8, 2021
:( r.i.p
April 24, 2022
Pretty "epic".
October 12, 2022
I absolutely love this series and which more people knew about it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews