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It seems like once or twice a year we get a new Invincible thread that is updated only a handful of times before falling off the face of the planet forever and so, since the book is one of my favorite on-goings, I'm going to personally make sure this one gets updated as frequently as possible until every single one of you are reading the title.
Two new covers were revealed today for upcoming collections of the series:
Invincible TPB Volume 11
Spoiler:
Invincible HC Volume 5
Spoiler:
Also, Nate Bellegarde recently revealed that he's currently working on a Rex Splode mini-series! Here's a teaser image:
I mean, that's what I'm struggling with about him. His explanation (in the trade; I don't follow the individual issues) makes sense in that all of his biological imperatives come either from his purely communitarian mother's lineage or his apparently communitarian/fascist father's, so it makes sense that he doesn't share the same selfish biological urges than humans have. So, I'm not at all upset with that.
But I mean, I could think up a lot of horrible, unpleasant characters that would make sense but that I wouldn't want to read about. Right now, I can't make myself want to care about Oliver. All I want is for him to die with as small a body count as possible. He already killed the Mauler clones (hopefully there was a backup), and I'm sure he's killed people in the issues not yet put in a trade.
If there's someone who likes him - not just 'gets' him, but actually likes the character, and finds him fun, etc. - can they explain why? I really like Kirkman, and I'm struggling to enjoy this character, but between him and the stuff with Cecil I'm sorta frustrated.
I think it'll be more interesting as he gets older. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Oliver around the same age as Mark by the time issue 100 hits. And I think he'll have a change of attitude once someone close to him (perhaps Nolan or Debbie) bites it.
That's the frustrating part to me, actually, Robos: I like the idea of a kid that kills. I think there's a tremendous amount of potential there. But Oliver isn't portrayed as sympathetic, just sociopathic. He is full-on fascist (thinking he gets to decide who lives and who dies, etc.) as opposed to the communitarian he describes himself as. Granted, that sort of dissonance could totally lead to good stories in concept, but this particular depiction of a contradiction like that just results in a villain living with Mark. He lies without question or reservation after killing the Maulers, which means he is clearly aware of the fact that he cannot admit his true reasoning to anyone. This reads to me as a sociopath, not a misguided youth or whatnot.
Don't get me wrong; I love Invincible and I'm not dropping it as a series. I just wish they'd get Oliver to at least a mildly tolerable level.
That's the frustrating part to me, actually, Robos: I like the idea of a kid that kills. I think there's a tremendous amount of potential there. But Oliver isn't portrayed as sympathetic, just sociopathic. He is full-on fascist (thinking he gets to decide who lives and who dies, etc.) as opposed to the communitarian he describes himself as. Granted, that sort of dissonance could totally lead to good stories in concept, but this particular depiction of a contradiction like that just results in a villain living with Mark. He lies without question or reservation after killing the Maulers, which means he is clearly aware of the fact that he cannot admit his true reasoning to anyone. This reads to me as a sociopath, not a misguided youth or whatnot.
Don't get me wrong; I love Invincible and I'm not dropping it as a series. I just wish they'd get Oliver to at least a mildly tolerable level.
A character doesn't have to be sympathetic to interesting though. In fact a character doesn't even have to be sympathetic to be good.
I like Oliver because he's interesting both as a character and a plot device.
That's the frustrating part to me, actually, Robos: I like the idea of a kid that kills. I think there's a tremendous amount of potential there. But Oliver isn't portrayed as sympathetic, just sociopathic. He is full-on fascist (thinking he gets to decide who lives and who dies, etc.) as opposed to the communitarian he describes himself as. Granted, that sort of dissonance could totally lead to good stories in concept, but this particular depiction of a contradiction like that just results in a villain living with Mark. He lies without question or reservation after killing the Maulers, which means he is clearly aware of the fact that he cannot admit his true reasoning to anyone. This reads to me as a sociopath, not a misguided youth or whatnot.
Don't get me wrong; I love Invincible and I'm not dropping it as a series. I just wish they'd get Oliver to at least a mildly tolerable level.
A character doesn't have to be sympathetic to interesting though. In fact a character doesn't even have to be sympathetic to be good.
I like Oliver because he's interesting both as a character and a plot device.
I think I was unclear here: I didn't mean to say that Oliver had to be sympathetic, but rather was picking an arbitrary 'good' characteristic to counter the 'sociopathic' characteristic. I could just as well have said that he's not funny, just sociopathic (compare: Deadpool, who is both).
He's certainly interesting as a plot device. I just...I dunno, I feel like I'm waiting too long for Mark to realize what he really is. This is the amazing thing about Kirkman, his willingness to draw stories out for such a long period of time in Invincible (Willingham does a similar thing in Fables), and so I guess it's here to stay, and usually a good thing. Maybe it's that Oliver seems so obvious to me as a reader that I don't get Mark's reactions.
I've got to be honest, I love the book but the gore is moving beyond gratuitous. I'm starting to feel that people might see me reading this and wonder what the hell is wrong with me.
I know what you mean; it's sort of weird to look back at the first issues, e.g. Omni Man's slaughter of his team, and realize how understated they were by comparison.
I assume that Omni Man and Allen show up at the last minute, those two (especially Allen now) could probably deal with Conquest.
So, correct me if I'm wrong (and remember I'm trade-waiting), but couldn't they reach virtually unlimited power levels by just fighting constantly? Omni Man would get to push himself further and further, while Allen would keep getting stronger every time he regenerates, right?
So, correct me if I'm wrong (and remember I'm trade-waiting), but couldn't they reach virtually unlimited power levels by just fighting constantly? Omni Man would get to push himself further and further, while Allen would keep getting stronger every time he regenerates, right?
Isn't that how it worked for the saiyen's in DBZ? i always saw that as a lame excuse to keep on taking the musclebulging the rediculous levels.
think i'll be doing an invincible reread marathon after i finish my college work in a day or two.. I'll see if it gets mentioned...
So, correct me if I'm wrong (and remember I'm trade-waiting), but couldn't they reach virtually unlimited power levels by just fighting constantly? Omni Man would get to push himself further and further, while Allen would keep getting stronger every time he regenerates, right?
Isn't that how it worked for the saiyen's in DBZ? i always saw that as a lame excuse to keep on taking the musclebulging the rediculous levels.
think i'll be doing an invincible reread marathon after i finish my college work in a day or two.. I'll see if it gets mentioned...
Yeah, they're each half of a saiyan. In DBZ, Saiyans could just train, or they could get beaten within an inch of their life. In Invincible, I think the beating to near-death only helps Allen, right?
I know what you mean; it's sort of weird to look back at the first issues, e.g. Omni Man's slaughter of his team, and realize how understated they were by comparison.
So a friend of mine had me read the first trade and it was alright. Does it get significantly better? Is there any difference besides the gore? I haven't decided if I really care about the characters. Same with Walking Dead. I didn't find anything necessarily bad about it, but I wasn't dying to get a hold of the next trade/hardcover.
I think Alan Moore has ruined my ability to enjoy most comics.
I know what you mean; it's sort of weird to look back at the first issues, e.g. Omni Man's slaughter of his team, and realize how understated they were by comparison.
So a friend of mine had me read the first trade and it was alright. Does it get significantly better? Is there any difference besides the gore? I haven't decided if I really care about the characters. Same with Walking Dead. I didn't find anything necessarily bad about it, but I wasn't dying to get a hold of the next trade/hardcover.
I think Alan Moore has ruined my ability to enjoy most comics.
Oh it's a wonderful comic, and I highly recommend sticking it out. Part of its greatness is that, as it's wholly creator-owned, and there's one writer across the whole thing, storylines organically emerge and develop over a much more reasonable stretch of time.
For example, without spoiling anything, the current plotline regarding a major villain involves a character from the first trade, if I remember correctly.
INVINCIBLE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 5 HC
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover by RYAN OTTLEY & FCO PLASCENCIA
SEPTEMBER 23
336 PAGES / FC
$34.99
Witness Invincible's transition from new hero just starting out to an established superhero! This volume collects Invincible's confrontation with Cecil Steadman, the return of the Reanimen and the beginning of a bold new era for Invincible!
Collects INVINCIBLE #49-60
INVINCIBLE #66
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover by CORY WALKER & FCO PLASCENCIA
SEPTEMBER 23
32 PAGES / FC
$2.99
"PREPARATIONS FOR WAR," Part One
Artist CORY WALKER returns to the series he co-created! After escaping from a Viltrumite Prison, Nolan Grayson and Allen the Alien must use what they've learned to gather the powers of the universe and unite them against the Viltumites. It all starts here, folks: The Viltrumite War looms large on the horizon!
About those hardcovers, I've heard some complaints about the paper quality. Too thin is what I always hear. And if I'm honest I think 35 bucks is a bit much since the trades are around 15 each, give or take a few dollars.
The paper is a bit thin but Ottley's art looks great over-sized. Plus, since issues 50 and 60 had twice the page count, it's actually more like 35 bucks for fifteen comics instead of twelve. And there is usually a really good amount of fun, bonus content in the back.
I was a bit torn about getting the trades over the hardcovers due to reading the first 5 volumes in Absolute format but I'm used to the size difference now. And thankfully all the awesome extra content is in the trades as well.
Oh I know about all the good deals I can get on Amazon but my comic shop gives me a 20% discount on anything I buy so I usually remain loyal to them. I actually got into Invincible due to the very cool owner charging me only $90 for the Absolute edition.
shit, that stuff looks brutal.. Just compare it to the invincible in your sig
but still, the preview looked descent enough, can't wait for the next issue to come out...
NEW ISSUE OF INVINCIBLE TO BE SUPER POPULAR AND BELOVED FOR VAGUE, CRYPTIC REASONS!
Something might be happening in INVINCIBLE #63 and whatever it is will quite possibly be rather amazing!
16 June 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - In an unprecedented move, writer Robert Kirkman and illustrator Ryan Ottley have made a cryptic, semi-confident promise that INVINCIBLE #63 might be kind of a big deal for reasons they wouldn't say and plan to back it up with a special Wednesday shipment direct to comic shops!
"All I'm saying is INVINCIBLE #63 reorders should be double or triple over all retailer's orders combined plus fifty thousand," Kirkman stated. "I even heard President Barack Obama might call a press conference to discuss the contents of this very special issue, because there may be something of national interest in there. Also, every newspaper ever could possibly make it a front page story. Who knows?! All I can say for sure is every single human being on the planet, regardless of whether they read comics or even know what they are, will definitely be extremely interested in this issue, maybe even enough to buy a copy!"
INVINCIBLE #63 might even possibly be the biggest comic book event of all time, up there with The Death of Superman, The Death of Captain America, The Entirety of the Early Nineties and Action Comics #1! The only certainty is everyone must place a ridiculously massive order for a non-returnable product they may or may not make a profit on sometime in the near future. Or never. Don't ask - just buy it! You trust us, right?
Added Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson, "There's a chance this could very possibly an event of undetermined importance, both for comics fans and people of all walks of life, with only the most passing familiarity with comic books, or even books, period. We can't really say what happens in this issue, but trust, something does happen. And it might even be something interesting. Best not to jinx it, though, so let's just go with, 'Something happens.' It's somewhat likely a number of people we have yet to identify will want one. "
INVINCIBLE #63 (APR090384), a 32-page full color comic book easily worth around $500, but costing only $2.99, will be in stores June 17th, 2009.
I like that Kirkman's not content with just burning bridges with Marvel. No, the dude tracks down the guy who built the bridge, kills him, and then burns his house down.
Is it just me, or was anyone else sort of turned off by the way Cecil was acting in the last trade (he reminded me of Mack from Indy IV with the attitude/mood swings)? o_O I mean, I know Kirkman's shadowed things in the previous trades (Reanimen), but it just seeemed... off. I've got to admit, it took Kirkman 10 + trades to get me to that "Eh, maybe things have run their course" feeling with Invincible. I was once super enthusiastic about the series, and would/will still buy more trades, but the last one did leave me with a tad bit of trepidation of where the title is headed. The Invincible War certainly sounds interesting so I'll stick around for that.
Also, Tom Selleck totally should be Nolan if they ever make an Invincible movie.
Problem with an Invincible movie is the universe it exists in, you couldn't "dark it up" ala X-men by losing the costumes, they are a big part of the story, there are far too many heroes for them all to be in black. It seem pretty campy at times and that works well in the context of a comic, an animated series ala JLU would be good though.
Problem with an Invincible movie is the universe it exists in, you couldn't "dark it up" ala X-men by losing the costumes, they are a big part of the story, there are far too many heroes for them all to be in black. It seem pretty campy at times and that works well in the context of a comic, an animated series ala JLU would be good though.
I think if (if) they pulled the right threads together an Invincible movie could work, but you're right about an animated series being quite a bit easier to pull off.
Problem with an Invincible movie is the universe it exists in, you couldn't "dark it up" ala X-men by losing the costumes, they are a big part of the story, there are far too many heroes for them all to be in black. It seem pretty campy at times and that works well in the context of a comic, an animated series ala JLU would be good though.
I think that an Invincible movie would work if you started with the light and campy stuff with Mark fighting crime with Eve and the gang and then making the world progressively darker, starting with the murder of the Guardians of the Globe and building up to Marks fight with his dad as the climax of the film.
Kirkman knows how to really kill a character. It broke my heart to see Eve so brutalized. And, really, I'm somewhat disappointed that he went the route of, once again, murdering the hero's girlfriend.
Wow. I'm actually sort of depressed after this issue. I usually think the violence in this book is needlessly over the top way too often, but it was used effectively here. That really is how a fight would go down between Eve and someone like Conquest--pathetically quick and shockingly brutal. Someone who can dominate Mark like that would completely pulp Eve's face in one punch, and that's exactly what happened. There was none of the convenient durability that all superheroes, even non-invulnerable ones, always seem to manifest when hit by someone infinitely stronger than them. Two hits and just like that, one of my favorite characters is gone.
When someone dies in DC or Marvel, I'm at most mildly annoyed because I know it's just a matter of time till they're revived. But here, being a creator-owned property, the death seems much more likely to stick. And even if Eve is brought back, I'd be conflicted, because it was such an effective death, and I'd hate for that to be trivialized.
Ugh. A comic hasn't made me felt like this since the end of the prison storyline in Walking Dead. Goddamn Kirkman.
Wow. I'm actually sort of depressed after this issue. I usually think the violence in this book is needlessly over the top way too often, but it was used effectively here. That really is how a fight would go down between Eve and someone like Conquest--pathetically quick and shockingly brutal. Someone who can dominate Mark like that would completely pulp Eve's face in one punch, and that's exactly what happened. There was none of the convenient durability that all superheroes, even non-invulnerable ones, always seem to manifest when hit by someone infinitely stronger than them. Two hits and just like that, one of my favorite characters is gone.
When someone dies in DC or Marvel, I'm at most mildly annoyed because I know it's just a matter of time till they're revived. But here, being a creator-owned property, the death seems much more likely to stick. And even if Eve is brought back, I'd be conflicted, because it was such an effective death, and I'd hate for that to be trivialized.
Ugh. A comic hasn't made me felt like this since the end of the prison storyline in Walking Dead. Goddamn Kirkman.
Spoiler:
I have not seen it yet, but isn't the nature of Eve's powers so that she could turn him into a puppy if she wanted? she can make Africa green so she can manipulate organic matter...
EDIT:
Spoiler:
scratch that:
Powers and abilities
Atom Eve is able to manipulate matter at the sub-atomic level by sheer will power. Organic (not animal life, however) and inorganic matter can be changed into anything she desires.
Dr. Chaos"You smell...different"Registered Userregular
Spoiler:
Eve still has a limiter/lock on her abilities to stop her from becoming something of a god, I believe according to her mini.
She was able to unlock them in a fit of rage after seeing her real parents killed but she didn't seem certain she could do it again after musing about how she chose revenge instead of bringing them back.
Posts
Anyway, the kid pretty much is a sociopath.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
But I mean, I could think up a lot of horrible, unpleasant characters that would make sense but that I wouldn't want to read about. Right now, I can't make myself want to care about Oliver. All I want is for him to die with as small a body count as possible. He already killed the Mauler clones (hopefully there was a backup), and I'm sure he's killed people in the issues not yet put in a trade.
If there's someone who likes him - not just 'gets' him, but actually likes the character, and finds him fun, etc. - can they explain why? I really like Kirkman, and I'm struggling to enjoy this character, but between him and the stuff with Cecil I'm sorta frustrated.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Don't get me wrong; I love Invincible and I'm not dropping it as a series. I just wish they'd get Oliver to at least a mildly tolerable level.
A character doesn't have to be sympathetic to interesting though. In fact a character doesn't even have to be sympathetic to be good.
I like Oliver because he's interesting both as a character and a plot device.
He's certainly interesting as a plot device. I just...I dunno, I feel like I'm waiting too long for Mark to realize what he really is. This is the amazing thing about Kirkman, his willingness to draw stories out for such a long period of time in Invincible (Willingham does a similar thing in Fables), and so I guess it's here to stay, and usually a good thing. Maybe it's that Oliver seems so obvious to me as a reader that I don't get Mark's reactions.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
So, correct me if I'm wrong (and remember I'm trade-waiting), but couldn't they reach virtually unlimited power levels by just fighting constantly? Omni Man would get to push himself further and further, while Allen would keep getting stronger every time he regenerates, right?
Isn't that how it worked for the saiyen's in DBZ? i always saw that as a lame excuse to keep on taking the musclebulging the rediculous levels.
think i'll be doing an invincible reread marathon after i finish my college work in a day or two.. I'll see if it gets mentioned...
Yeah, they're each half of a saiyan. In DBZ, Saiyans could just train, or they could get beaten within an inch of their life. In Invincible, I think the beating to near-death only helps Allen, right?
What's all this seeing the future Jazz? I've only read up to Ultimate Collection 4, but i'm too impatient to not read spoilers.
So a friend of mine had me read the first trade and it was alright. Does it get significantly better? Is there any difference besides the gore? I haven't decided if I really care about the characters. Same with Walking Dead. I didn't find anything necessarily bad about it, but I wasn't dying to get a hold of the next trade/hardcover.
I think Alan Moore has ruined my ability to enjoy most comics.
Oh it's a wonderful comic, and I highly recommend sticking it out. Part of its greatness is that, as it's wholly creator-owned, and there's one writer across the whole thing, storylines organically emerge and develop over a much more reasonable stretch of time.
For example, without spoiling anything, the current plotline regarding a major villain involves a character from the first trade, if I remember correctly.
INVINCIBLE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 5 HC
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover by RYAN OTTLEY & FCO PLASCENCIA
SEPTEMBER 23
336 PAGES / FC
$34.99
Witness Invincible's transition from new hero just starting out to an established superhero! This volume collects Invincible's confrontation with Cecil Steadman, the return of the Reanimen and the beginning of a bold new era for Invincible!
Collects INVINCIBLE #49-60
INVINCIBLE #66
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover by CORY WALKER & FCO PLASCENCIA
SEPTEMBER 23
32 PAGES / FC
$2.99
"PREPARATIONS FOR WAR," Part One
Artist CORY WALKER returns to the series he co-created! After escaping from a Viltrumite Prison, Nolan Grayson and Allen the Alien must use what they've learned to gather the powers of the universe and unite them against the Viltumites. It all starts here, folks: The Viltrumite War looms large on the horizon!
Oh yeah is there a street date for volume 11 yet?
As far as the volume 11 trade goes, Kirkmania says it's solicited for the month of July.
but still, the preview looked descent enough, can't wait for the next issue to come out...
NEW ISSUE OF INVINCIBLE TO BE SUPER POPULAR AND BELOVED FOR VAGUE, CRYPTIC REASONS!
Something might be happening in INVINCIBLE #63 and whatever it is will quite possibly be rather amazing!
16 June 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - In an unprecedented move, writer Robert Kirkman and illustrator Ryan Ottley have made a cryptic, semi-confident promise that INVINCIBLE #63 might be kind of a big deal for reasons they wouldn't say and plan to back it up with a special Wednesday shipment direct to comic shops!
"All I'm saying is INVINCIBLE #63 reorders should be double or triple over all retailer's orders combined plus fifty thousand," Kirkman stated. "I even heard President Barack Obama might call a press conference to discuss the contents of this very special issue, because there may be something of national interest in there. Also, every newspaper ever could possibly make it a front page story. Who knows?! All I can say for sure is every single human being on the planet, regardless of whether they read comics or even know what they are, will definitely be extremely interested in this issue, maybe even enough to buy a copy!"
INVINCIBLE #63 might even possibly be the biggest comic book event of all time, up there with The Death of Superman, The Death of Captain America, The Entirety of the Early Nineties and Action Comics #1! The only certainty is everyone must place a ridiculously massive order for a non-returnable product they may or may not make a profit on sometime in the near future. Or never. Don't ask - just buy it! You trust us, right?
Added Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson, "There's a chance this could very possibly an event of undetermined importance, both for comics fans and people of all walks of life, with only the most passing familiarity with comic books, or even books, period. We can't really say what happens in this issue, but trust, something does happen. And it might even be something interesting. Best not to jinx it, though, so let's just go with, 'Something happens.' It's somewhat likely a number of people we have yet to identify will want one. "
INVINCIBLE #63 (APR090384), a 32-page full color comic book easily worth around $500, but costing only $2.99, will be in stores June 17th, 2009.
I like that Kirkman's not content with just burning bridges with Marvel. No, the dude tracks down the guy who built the bridge, kills him, and then burns his house down.
Tumblr Twitter
Also, Tom Selleck totally should be Nolan if they ever make an Invincible movie.
If he kills off
I think if (if) they pulled the right threads together an Invincible movie could work, but you're right about an animated series being quite a bit easier to pull off.
That was one of my first thoughts, although I am curious about
I think that an Invincible movie would work if you started with the light and campy stuff with Mark fighting crime with Eve and the gang and then making the world progressively darker, starting with the murder of the Guardians of the Globe and building up to Marks fight with his dad as the climax of the film.
Big spoiler.
Kind of whack. Still good though, I guess.
I bet 5$ that next issue
When someone dies in DC or Marvel, I'm at most mildly annoyed because I know it's just a matter of time till they're revived. But here, being a creator-owned property, the death seems much more likely to stick. And even if Eve is brought back, I'd be conflicted, because it was such an effective death, and I'd hate for that to be trivialized.
Ugh. A comic hasn't made me felt like this since the end of the prison storyline in Walking Dead. Goddamn Kirkman.
EDIT:
Powers and abilities
Atom Eve is able to manipulate matter at the sub-atomic level by sheer will power. Organic (not animal life, however) and inorganic matter can be changed into anything she desires.
She was able to unlock them in a fit of rage after seeing her real parents killed but she didn't seem certain she could do it again after musing about how she chose revenge instead of bringing them back.
BW2-FC: 0562-4613-0146