During my sophomore year of high school, I discovered that my school library had a comic book section. And, throughout the rest of my high school education, I would end up reading almost every comic book in that library. This was my introduction to the world of comics. I read Geoff Johns’ Teen Titans, the majority of Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man and Brian K. Vaughn’s The Runaways. But there was one book that I always came back to: one large hardcover book sat on the shelf, containing the greatest superhero comic in the universe.
Invincible.
Beginning with its first issue in January 2003, Invincible tells the story of teenaged superhero, Mark Grayson. Plagued with acne, girls, part-time jobs and the other ailments of teenagedom, Mark navigates these trials while also coming into his own as a superhero, honoring the path his father, Omni-Man, set before him. Within the first volume we are introduced to a world that seems familiar: heroes that feel like DC properties or Marvel-like characters sharing a stage. But with the flexibility of being a brand-new world and unrelated story, these familiar characters then go places Superman and Spider-Man couldn’t. We get to see a world where Superman turns evil and the ramifications it presents. We see a community of teenage superheroes actually act like teenagers, hormones and all.
What started out as a mirror to my favorite comics, eventually grew beyond this template and explored everything from cliched comic ideas to operatic moments of sci-fi. Robert Kirkman (the man behind The Walking Dead) would take the series and change it over the following years. Invincible would eventually encounter a cavalcade of interesting and unique experiences including – alien armies, multiple dimensions, evil clones, less evil clones, an evil genius dinosaur, a robot named … Robot, a tailor for superheroes and A FIGHT IN THE ACTUAL SUN.
Invincible is the most fun you can have while reading a comic, but can also be sometimes devastating. Although the series would explore these fun crazy stories, it also showcased topics like loss of family, sexual assault and heritage. The colorful costumes and designs were juxtaposed by these heavy stories and gore-filled action sequences. Within its 15-year run, Invincible would go to some dark places, never losing sight of its heart and continuing to entertain, while asking thought-provoking questions.
Invincible truly felt like a place where Robert Kirkman could play around in. Working on his other properties, there were rules and overarching story that he’d have to follow and think about. In Invincible, however, he could explore superhero and sci-fi stories in strange new ways, always coming back to Mark as he tries to live up to his superhero persona.
As is with all great things, the story must come to an end. And, after 144 issues, Invincible will finally conclude. From Issue 1 to Issue 143, Invincible has always been consistent. In a world filled with rebirths and Issue 1s, Invincible never changed. And there is something uniquely wonderful about that. Now, with a concrete conclusion, Invincible will remain the same without fear of a reboot.
At least until they adapt it into a TV show.
The final issue of Invincible, #144, releases today, February 14, 2018.
