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INVINCIBLE #117
February 2015
The Invincible series tells the story of a young superhero, Mark, who grows into his Superman-like powers inherited from his father who leads a league of superheroes on Earth. This issue began with the casual discussion between Mark and a comics store clerk about the nature of the comics industry. As a clear reference to the contemporary status of comics, they go on to resent the large corporate companies that kill off and revive characters so nonchallantly as a means of engaging their readers for publicity. Their discussion serves as a service to the smaller publishers who support comics that have real characters that don't cater to social reaction. This encounter between Mark and the store clerk has no implications on the story line of Invincible throughout the remainder of the text. It is used as a commentary from the writers as a way of reaching out to their readers.
Mark's leave from the store is met with an explosion of monstrous chaos errupting from under the streets, which is rapidly extinguished by a team of fighters who see Mark and attempt to recruit him to their team. He seems apprehensive about the idea, and moves on before being solicited once again by another man who tries recruiting him against the first guy. The implications of these encounters suggest that a war between superheroes is gaining friction in the universe of Image Comics - the publisher of Invincible. Either way, Mark seems to be utterly disinterested in the idea of joining any side of over-aggressive old-timers in some meaningless battle. So far, Mark's personality comes off as mellow and unimpressed. He's tall and muscular, but wears normal street clothes and keeps the self-indulgent dialogue to a scarce minimum. He doesn't radiate the typical egotistic or morally superior characteristics of your everyday superhero.
This sense of distaste over the world of superheroes displayed by Mark is reinforced in a discussion with his father, who comes off as the type of superhero that fits the melodramatic image of the emotionally overbearing protagonist. Mark subtly suggests to his father that he has no intention of being a part in the upcoming war between superheroes. His father calls him a coward, and waves him off as Mark ventures with his supernaturally gifted wife, Eve, and their baby daugther, Terra, out into space.
The most striking aspect of this issue, my first exposure to the series that has been on-going for over a decade, is the total lack of action and violence compared to other comics series. Batman, Superman, and all other familiar superheroes of the previous generation demonstrate an array of violent interactions between protagonists and evil villains. They seem to thrive on emotional attachment of their readers to the sensational appeal of pure violence. The contrast of this series to the typical comics plot sparks intrigue in the way that the superhero genre has changed. Characters from the beginning of the genre, like Batman and Superman, were debuted with little depth to their personalities. They were loved for their superpowers and abilities to fight crime, not for being sensitive and emotionally intellectual. Perhaps readers of these comics are longing for a hero who can relate to the emotional challenges of everyday life. Mark Grayson may be the answer to that longing.
Invincible #118
March 2015
I am almost certain that the constant theme of this series is nested in the emotional make up of its characters. This issue of Invincible was free to its readers in order for the publisher to reach a greater audience than it has reached in the last 117 issues. The marketing scheme behind this offer was shown as a statement from the writers explaining that they truly believe that superhero comics readers will enjoy this series. It is clear from this move that the publishers do not have the amount of traction that they had hoped to achieve with this series. I am not surprised, however, since there is absolutely no action in the panels of the last two issues. The focus, as mentioned in the post from last month, is settled on the emotions of the characters. Robert Kirkman, the primary writer of this series, is the writer of The Walking Dead, which has been selling comics successfully since 2003 under the same publisher (Image Comics). Although I have never read the comics form of The Walking Dead, I have been following the popular television adaptation since the first season. I can attest from the TV series that the real pull comes from the depth of character development in each episode. While the story is based on a group of survivors in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, the majority of screen time is spent on showcasing the psychological journies of the multiple protagonists of the show. The result of this plot scheme, from my own perspective as a watcher, eases the audience into an attachment to the characters as they continue to grow and decay emotionally.
I am beginning to see this strategy in Invincible. Mark Grayson has the traits of a teenager with adult responsibilities including a wife, child, and dramatic familial relationships. In the last issue, Mark decided to move with his wife and daughter to a new planet away from his father. He was gaining attention of other superpowered individuals who wanted him to fight for them. In this issue, he has just arrived to the new planet where he finds his brother, another superhero family member. As Mark and Eve, his wife, settle into their new home, Mark retracts every time Eve tries to be sexual with him. Finally, he breaks down in tears as he admits to Eve that he was raped by a female acquaintance from a previous issue. He tells her that he is still coping with the psychological damage from that horrifying encounter. Just before this issue concludes, Eve panics when she finds out that her daughter is not breathing.
Not only does this superhero comic strongly contrast from the common superhero formula of tough, insensitive strongmen, but it seems to consciously defy the superhero stereotype on all levels. The most evident way in which this comic does so is by avoiding dramatized action scenes. Mark actively refuses to engage in violence and even leaves the planet for that purpose. I think that this particular action on behalf of the protagonist is explicitly describing the pressure in the comics industry to create violent superheroes with bloody action. Maybe this is why this superhero comic is adapting desperate marketing techniques, like free issues, to keep the story alive. The other opposition to the typical superhero personality is Mark's acceptance of being emotionally susceptible to past events, like being raped by a woman. This part of the issue definitely casts Mark's image as someone who is weak. I think that Kirkman and company are deliberately associating Mark as a weak character so that he can prove to the world his strength in later issues.
Invincible #119
April 2015
In this month's issue of Invincible Mark Grayson's ultra masculine personality revealed itself as he panicked for the life of his newborn daughter. The previous issue ended with Eve and Mark standing over Terra's crib and noticing that she was no longer breathing. This time, Mark flies his family to the hospital and waits outside the emergency room while the doctor tries to save the baby. Mark's brother and his alien wife enter the room to console Mark, who aggressively blames his brother's alien wife for causing his baby to stop breathing with her cooking from last night. In this scene, Mark finally loses his cool. Up until this point he was a mild-mannered and emotionally secure man who consciously sought to abandon his superhero personality to live a normal life. In the comics from previous lessons, superheroes with alter-egos only suspend their super egos while living in their secret identities. Mark, however, tries to abandon his super ego completely. He has been successful until this issue came out.
After the confusion with his daughter, Mark realizes that he must start providing and caring for his family during their stay on this alien planet. He seeks out a job with the military general who was responsible for setting up Mark and his family with a place to live in safety. The general offers Mark a non-violent job as a spy, which Mark accepts without much hesitation. Later, though, the general approaches Mark at home to inform him that he must fight in an epic intergalactic battle of superheroes. The issue ends with Mark's baffled face in search for a response to this request.
At this point, it is evident that this comic is heading toward the familiar direction of the hero being unable to escape his duty to fight. This convention of the superhero genre has been seen most popularly in Batman. In the famous Dark Knight by Chris Nolan, Bruce Wayne wants Harvey Dent to replace Batman as a true face of justice in Gotham City. He has no real desire to be Batman any longer. This attempt, though, is futile as the Joker transforms Harvey Dent into Two Face. Without Dent serving justice in a legal and judicial way, there is no way that Gotham can survive without Batman protecting the innocent. The superhero can never abandon his super ego for the sake of his alter ego. There is an inevitable retraction that keeps such individuals eternally attached to their superhero identity.
This is beginning to occur in Invincible with Mark Grayson. Mark has almost completely abandoned his superhero identity by living a life on another planet with his family. The General affirmed the aforementioned superhero convention plot by desperately seeking Mark's services as a superhero to defend the galaxy in a battle of extra terrestrial super beings. My first impression of this comic was that it was transcending the genre on an emotional and psychological level with the hero. Now, it is clear to me that it is starting to fall back into place in the genre while only slightly tweaking its elements like many other publications. The only way to establish this, though, is by reading the upcoming issues and finding out what happens to Mark as he becomes entrapped by his superhero identity once again. How will he handle it? Find out next time on Invincible!