Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Invincible #100
Image Comics
Kirkman, Ottley, Rathburn & Rauch
The big anniversary issue and conclusion to the "The Death of Everyone" arc is a solid read that seems to be new reader friendly. The book is oversized but still provides excellent value for four bucks. The book is more of a character driven book as the plot and action are definitely just side bars in this comic book. Overall this was a good read.
I will try not to spoil which character dies, but despite the title of the arc, everyone does not die. Kirkman pulls a good misdirection trick and in the fallout the lead character gains closure on some problems, while new directions and problems arise. The book relies heavily on the theme of what a hero should do when they fail. It's an interesting topic and Kirkman lets the idea play out in the comic.
If a hero causes the deaths of a lot of people does it undo all the good they've done? Are they still a hero if they fail once in a while? Does their public persona matter if they are truly a hero? Can they still be a hero and be universally disliked or distrusted? I like how Kirkman explores these questions in this issue. There are no easy answers.
The aspect of the book that I wasn't that into was the relationships and interactions between the characters. Not following this series I found myself having a hard time understanding what these characters were about and why they would lean one way or another on a given issue. I just couldn't understand the motivations for the actions in the book.
The artwork was good. It didn't feel like a super hero comic because of the cartoon nature of many of the images. However, the book is bright and vibrant which is right in the super hero wheelhouse. The book opens with two gruesome images but the book eases off after the opening in terms of blood and gore. I found the double page spread in the beginning of the book of all the various faces to be very clever and intelligently put together. The artwork in the comic book is quite good.
Invincible is a popular and successful book. It's easy to see why when I pick up a random issue. It's well written and draws the reader in with the problems of the lead characters. This comic seems to be a turning point in the direction of the key characters. I enjoyed the exploration of what some of the super heroes might face in a real life situation when presented with failure and death. I liked the comic book and I am sure fans of the series will love it. It's worth checking out.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
