Review: Invincible Volumes 10-12

And here we go again! The cover art is getting darker. Should I be worried?

Invincible Vol. 10: Who’s The Boss?
Robert Kirkman (writer)
Ryan Ottley (penciler, inker)
Cliff Rathburn (inker)
Bill Crabtree (colorist)
FCO Plascenia (colorist)
Rus Wooton (letterer)

In a nutshell, Mark got comfortable. And then his innate idealism slammed face-first into start reality. Alliances within the superhero community are shifting, but we don’t know yet whether it will be for the better or worse. At least Mark and Eve are officially together now? I’d be happier for them, but it was inevitable from the first volume, so instead my response is just “FINALLY.”

The interlude to show Cecil Stedman’s backstory was well-crafted, but it did little to humanize him. The journey and outcome were too obvious.

Oliver is starting to be the star of the show for me. What an adorable little maniac! He’s got some great insights that ring a bit too true when reading these stories in 2018. But something deeper is occurring — Proof that looking at the artwork in panels is just as important as reading the dialogue in these stories.

And finally, an old enemy returns, with no reason or explanation. It better be a good one. At the same time, some of my favorite recurring villains might be gone for good, which saddens me perhaps more than it should have.

Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.

Invincible Vol. 11: Happy Days
Robert Kirkman (writer)
Ryan Ottley (penciler, inker)
Jason Howard (penciler)
Cliff Rathburn (inker)
FCO Plascencia (colorist)
Rus Wooton (letterer)

This trade starts with a timey-whimey bang, which made my heart happy. Yeah, yeah, Mark and Eve are adorable, but I’m glad Kirkman managed to shove some plot into this story while the lovebirds enjoy their honeymoon phase. Also, Mark’s new costume is growing on me.

Speaking of awesome couples, Nolan + Allen the Alien is a fantastic team-up. Also, Battle Beast is ridiculous and I adore him. At least some characters are sticking to the main plot while Mark angsts around back on Earth.

Mark definitely needs to start learning from his mistakes if he’s ever going to grow into the hero he knows he should be. For example — stop going into the white room! Though I’m not sure what the point of the Wolf-Man crossover was, I guess it was fun. I do appreciate how often this story reminds us how things exist in shades of gray. Heroes are sometimes not so heroic, and not all villains are the same.

Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.

Invincible Vol. 12: Still Standing
Robert Kirkman (writer)
Ryan Ottley (penciler)
Cliff Rathburn (inker)
FCO Plascencia (colorist)
Rus Wooton (letterer)

We’re at the midpoint of the series and this might be my favorite volume so far. The epic-ness shines off every page, and this is definitely a time to appreciate the intricate (and often gory) detail that Ottley includes in his illustrations.

On the other hand, and this might be an unpopular opinion, but a certain villain still being alive feels like a cop-out for Mark’s character development (even if he appears to learn his lesson later). I did, however, adore all the alternate Invincibles. I wonder what their stories are?

Speaking of villains, Viltrumites have terrible timing along with being assholes. My husband kept gushing how much he liked this particular character. He was brutal, but didn’t have much depth. We can still count on Cecil to be a crazy person, at least.

But I have a new favorite plot arc to watch for. I have the feeling that Eve’s evolution is going to be EPIC.

Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.