When last we saw Mark and Terra Grayson, he was under attack and she was falling to what is almost certainly inevitable doom. You… You don’t think they’d kill a little girl, do you?
Oh, right. Kirkman. Your Major Spoilers review of Invincible #132 awaits!
INVINCIBLE #132
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Cory Walker
Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Editor: Sean Mackiwicz
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Invincible: Thragg has been rebuilding the Viltrumite race by cross-breeding with the Flaxan people, making an army of purple-skinned superhumans, and has now targeted the Grayson family for death…
THAT COVER DOESN’T INSPIRE CONFIDENCE
The level of violence in Invincible has always been dialed up to eleven, ever since the first battle between Invincible and his father Omni-Man left our hero lying in a literal ocean of his own spilled blood, so I have been worried for the last month or so that we are going to see a young girl beaten to death in these pages. Of course, the creative team knows that, and so this issue embarks on a series of teases, with Terra suddenly discovering her own flying abilities as she falls, followed by Oliver Grayson turning on Thragg to save his niece’s life. The rest of the issue is a desperate ongoing fight scene, with Thragg’s two children, Invincible, Atom Eve, Thragg and Oliver beating the living heck out of one another. There are three shocking moments that I’m not willing to spoiler, but suffice to say that this issue is a pretty satisfying one, even with the blood, guts and intentional feints towards child murder.
SWERVE!
This issue looks phenomenal from cover to cover, with Eve’s power constructs looking particularly amazing, and the moment where Mark reveals that he’s less hero than protective father (another bloody one) also standing out. If there is a complaint about this issue, it’s how quickly everything is wrapped up so that we can embark on the final 12-issue arc of the book starting next time. After what happens this issue, I’m now of the belief that Thragg has to die, and frankly I hope it’s a painful Kirkman bloodbath, something I haven’t wanted for anyone this much since I quit reading ‘The Walking Dead’ because of Negan. Given the loss of cast members this time, the conflict between the Graysons and the Thraggs has become personal in ways that really up the ante for our cast…
THE BOTTOM LINE: A BIT ABRUPT
I don’t want to make it seem like this isn’t a satisfying comic book issue, because there are a lot of excellent moments to be had. The speed with which this issue wraps is a little bit awkward, but Invincible #132 is a solid read full of action, conflict and oh god, so very much blood, earning an impressive 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up, and I’m sad that there’s only one year worth of Mark’s world left to read…
[taq_review]Dear Spoilerite,
At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.