Review: Invincible #66

Maybe not so invincible after all

Mark Grayson has been run through the wringer more than enough times these last couple of months, so it’s about time the team of Kirkman and Walker gave Invincible a break as the duo kick off the next big Invincible event – Viltrumite War!

The last time we saw Mark Grayson’s father, he and Allen had been captured, and were being held prisoner.  As this issue kicks off, we find the two have escaped and have been using this time to have a real heart to heart.  Over the duration of this series, Kirkman has slowly revealed bits and pieces of the Viltrumite history.  Some of it has been outright lies, some of it appears to be truth, but the revelation made in this issue is a real jaw dropper – only 50 pure blood Viltrumites are alive in the universe.

Omni-Man reveals that a virus was created by those who wanted to bring the Viltrumites down, and it worked like a charm, almost wiping out the entire race.  Those it did not kill, were temporarily weakened, leaving them susceptible to major damage.  This completely explains why Conquest looked so ragged when he and Mark were going at it.

Omni-Man agrees to go to Allen’s homeworld and report to the Coalition of Planets that he’s willing to join their side to bring down the remaining Viltrumites.  It’s then revealed why Earth is such a prime target for the Viltrumites, and believe me, all the revelations made in this book are game changers.  Allen and Omni-Man then proceed to track down all the weapons and resources that can take a Viltrumite down, and it leads the two to an old Omni-Man foe.

While this is a build up to the next big smash-bang battle, the information revealed in this issue, is a huge, and had my jaw on the floor.  While seeing Mark grow and change, and begin to figure out what direction he wants to go in his life, the return of his father, and the revelations made, are really going to mess him up big time down the road.

I was certainly worried that Robert Kirkman was going to figure out a way to stall the story following the return of Atom Eve, but instead he cranks it up another notch, and keeps the action going.  And I think this is why I like this series so much; Kirkman continues to tell a compelling and interesting story that has only dragged one or two times over the course of its 66 issue run.  There are few writers who have stuck with a series for this long, and I’m hoping before it is said and done, Kirkman is able to break all standing records for writing continuously in a single series.

While I am really digging what happens in this issue, it did take me a few moments to reorient myself to what was going on, as Kirkman drops the reader right in the middle of the action, with no reminder what went on before.

Cory Walker has been away from Invincible for such a long time, that I’m still getting used to his art.  Originally, it was one of the biggest draws to the series.  When Ryan Ottley took over, I was saddened to see Walker go, and now that he’s back I’ve become torn.  I really like Ottley and Walker’s work, but the two can never do the art for the same issue – or can they?  Walker’s pencils are stellar here, and I can’t wait to see what kind of bloody action he’ll bring to picture when the Viltrumite war gets underway.

The Good

• Gun in the sofa
• There’s a traitor somewhere
• More than one Viltrumite has turned against their own race
• Revelations about the virus
• Alien love
• Space Racer can live for a long time without food

The Bad

• A bit of a rough start getting into the story
• This issue could have been longer
• Why do Allen’s recent actions bother me so?

If you are having a really horrible day, and when you’re alone and life is making you lonely, don’t go downtown, instead pick up a copy of Invincible #66.  The revelations made, the way the action plays out on the page, and Kirkman’s tight writing, once again earns Invincible #66 4.5 out of 5 Stars.