REVIEW: Invincible #94

Something big is about to happen in the Invincible Universe, but before we can get to it, a few issues need to be resolved between Robot and Monster Girl. Image Comics serves up the latest issue, and Major Spoilers couldn’t wait to take a look inside.

INVINCIBLE #94
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker
Inkers: Cory Walker and Cliff Rathburn
Colorist: John Rauch
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Editor: Sina Grace
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Invincible: Trapped for centuries in the Flaxan dimension, Robot and Monster Girl learned to fight and adapt to an environment where time moves much faster than back on their home world. Spending hundreds of years together has got to have an effect on the couple.

HI MOM. HI DAD. PREPARE TO DIE

With the latest Flaxan invasion happening all over the planet, the resources of the Guardians of the Globe, and every other hero team is stretched thin. Part of me feels sorry that Mark has to sit on the sidelines watching everything play out, but since we’ve been reading the adventures of Monster Girl and Robot, I found myself more interested in their story than the mass destruction on Earth. Robert Kirkman realizes this as well, and in heat of battle, when Robot thinks Monster Girl has fallen, he proclaims his love for her.

For centuries the two kept their feelings in check, but each and every time Monster Girl transformed, she aged just a little bit, until the two were the same age. And the last time I checked, when two heroes with raging hormones find themselves together, there’s going to be some sexy sexy going on. Mr. Kirkman keeps all the love in check as Robot is spending more and more of his time trying to train the rebels to fight their supreme overlords, and it is only on the eve of the final battle between the peasants and the royal forces that the two are able to express their true feelings for one another.

Mr. Kirkman keep the issue moving by flipping back and forth between the time in the Flaxan dimension, and the current battle on Earth, and even with all the emphasis placed on feelings (something many comic book readers don’t seem to appreciate), there is still plenty of action, and when the big bad shows up and his origin is revealed, I can’t help but be amazed that Mr. Kirkman has been able to keep this series as fresh as it has. There were plenty of times where this issue could have gone off the rails, but the writer keeps everything moving in a direction that allows for the big reveal without it seeming too forced. Now how all the biology works out is something that still needs an answer, and I’m sure we’ll get it before Mr. Kirkman kills everyone.

TWO ARTISTS USED CORRECTLY THIS TIME

Lately, I’ve been raising concerns when I see an issue with multiple artists. The ones that have had a negative reaction from me seem to have no rhyme or reason as to why the art changes, but in Invincible, the tag team of Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker works perfectly. For the portion of the story taking place in the present, Ryan Ottley delivers the blood and guts we expect in big epic battles involving bug creatures, lava men, and other horrors from beyond, while Cory Walker gets to deal with the softer moments. Each do their job wonderfully, and the jump isn’t jarring as we really only see Robot and Monster Girl in their human forms while on Flaxan. I find each of the artists’ work wonderful, and I’ve seen them both for so long on this series, that it is hard to decide which style I like better.

BOTTOM LINE: A GOOD CLIFFHANGER

Invincible has been a series that I pick up and read occasionally to keep up with what is going on with Mark Grayson, and though this issue has some big character developments and a good cliffhanger, there’s nothing here that is out of this world, or scraping the bottom of the barrel. This is an issue that simply is – a good story of love in the time of war, and the creative team brings it together effectively. I like the Viltrumite twist, the expression of love between two characters, and appreciate the frustration Mark is going through as he sits on the sidelines. Invincible #94 is worth checking out, earning 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

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