Invincible #101 Review

The contents of Invincible #101 aren't nearly as tragic as the cover would have you believe. But readers could probably guess as much from the way issue #100 played out. The Death of Everyone didn't actually end with the death of everyone. If anything, that arc wrapped up on a fairly upbeat note as Mark Grayson once again saved the world and was given a bit of good news for a change. Invincible #101 is mostly your standard post-disaster transition issue. Characters rebuild, recoup, and generally react to having the real Invincible back in action. Nothing out of the ordinary, but enjoyable enough regardless.

Naturally, much of Robert Kirkman's attention is focused on the interaction between Mark and Eve as they deal with Eve's pregnancy. One of the major benefits of this series is that we've been able to watch the characters grow and age from being shaky teenagers to full-fledged adults capable of starting a family, and all without the usual rapid aging workarounds that mainstream superhero comics typically employ. Also interesting is the tension between Mark and the rest of Earth's heroes, many of whom hold him accountable for Dinosaurus' attack. That conflict is a welcome one, although an odd quality of this issue is that Mark's inner turmoil is only briefly touched upon, and Kirkman relies more on allies like Eve and Zandale to convey that struggle.

Most of the main cast are present in this issue, and Kirkman explores their story threads to varying effect. At times scenes are bogged down by an excess of unnecessary dialogue, particularly those pages focused on the city cleanup efforts. But the highlight of issue #101 involves the Viltrumites, of all things. Kirkman includes a scenes wherein General Thragg is stupefied by his soldiers and their newfound adoration of Earth culture. Aside from being humorous, this sequence indicates where the Viltrumite conflict is headed and suggests that this road might not be as dark as it once seemed.

As always, it doesn't matter whether Kirkman's scripts are crammed with action or, as in the case of this installment, are more dialogue-driven. Ryan Ottley handles it all with ease. His dynamic figures and facial work keep the story humming along as Kirkman transitions into the next phase of the Invincible saga.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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