Customer Reviews

Invincible Vol. 4: Head of the Class

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The fallout from the whole super alien thing continues. Mark has problems because he has to keep his identity secret from his girlfriend.

His mother is becoming a drunk, and then there is the hero team problem and the working for the secret government organisation problem. All in all, a lot to deal with for a kid.

After ending the father and son story of Volume 3 Robert Kirkman really starts to expand the world of his comic 'Invincible' with 'Head of the Class'. This volume is really many small self contained stories each either filling in the gaps from the previous thirteen issues or setting up plotlines to come.

Kirkman's style of writing coupled with Ryan Ottley's brillant art make this read like any of your favorite silver age comics with tons of humor and references that any long time comic fan should find irresistable.

Writer Robert Kirkman has said that when he wasn't sure how long the Invincible series would last, he was hesitant to start too many plot threads. But now that he feels safe he's really starting too build up the fictional world in which Invincible lives. Some of the stories in this volume stand alone, some stories are fallout from previous volumes, and some are obviously precursors of stories yet to come.

The Flaxans return (although we didn't know their name last time, so you're probably thinking "who?"). The knew Guardians of the Globe aren't quite on par with the old team, and the government intervenes, adding a couple new members. The death of Aquarus has left a unique power vacuum in Atlantis that only Mark can fill. Mark's mother, like many misguided people, is finding solace in a bottle. Mark secretly accompanies the first manned mission to Mars, and has to secretly rescue them from the Martians. There's a shake-up in the super-hero underworld. We meet Angstrom Levy, though we don't learn yet why he matters. And Amber wonders where Mark keeps disappearing to.

Kirkman writes entertaining charactors and Ryan Ottley draws a dynamic story. And don't forget Bill Crabtree's sharp colors, which keep the story much more clear than the "painterly" monochromatic colors some of the big guys use that make everything blur together.

This volume is as entertaining as the previous volumes, and like a good parent, Kirkman loves all his characters equally, giving them all face-time, and letting us fans find our favorites.

But this book definately doesn't exist on its own. Before you read this you're going to want to the previous volumes, and after reading this you're definately going to want to read the one's that follow.