Customer Reviews

The Invisibles Vol. 2: Apocalipstick

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A few years ago I read a bunch of Invisibles books, but somehow always missed this one. I might have stayed away because of the femme cover/title, and the inside art is all over the place quality-wise.

I'm wishing that I had picked it up sooner, though, because the storylines here are among the best in the series, and maybe in comicdom. One story I loved: yuppies at a pharmaceutical company distribute a crack that kills the bodies of users and leaves them as empty vessels for the yuppies to "joy ride." Another: the back story of Lord Fanny and her psychosexual "spirit quest" to become a transsexual witch.

For those who haven't been exposed to The Invisibles, you need to check this series out. I find it more twisted, more compelling, and more fringe than any of the other series I've read, including Transmetropolitan and Preacher. In fact, this is light-years beyond anything published in drab-text "Literature."

Book 2 of the Invisibles picks right up from Book 1's cliffhanger ending: Dane, one of his fingers chopped off by the sadistic (and demonic) Orlando, has taken flight, and the Invisibles have to find him. Unfortunately, heavily-armed "Myrmidons" have surrounded them, and what follows is the first all-out action scene since the very beginning of Book 1.

After this, things slow down a little, as creator/writer Grant Morrison "opens up" the world of the Invisibles. Even though we still don't know much about our main characters (King Mob, Boy, Ragged Robin, Lord Fanny), Morrison introduces new people to the fold, and we see how the exploits of the Invisibles affect the rest of the world.

First we are introduced to one of the more monstrous creatures ever witnessed in mass media entertainment, something that just might be the next king of England. Then we meet Jim Crow, an Invisible witch doctor who's both a world-famous rapper and a host for sacrifice-hungry voodoo spirits. And finally we are given one of the best single-issue stories in the series, "Best Man Fall," which, despite its seeming insignificance to the larger story, possesses more heart and emotion than any other in the series' history. A nonlinear narrative, this story shows how the "other side" works, and for once we see how our "heroes" (King Mob in particular) could just as easily be seen as "the bad guys." This is a great story, and worth the price of Book 2 alone.

The book closes out with a story arc that revolves around transvestite shaman Lord Fanny, in which we see his/her initiation as a young boy into the world of the supernatural. At the same time, the forces of darkness close in on the Invisibles in the present, and the two storylines merge into a narrative that defies the laws of the time/space continuum.

This arc is the first glimmerings of Morrison's grander scheme with the series; whereas before the Invisibles worked on an us-versus-them mentality, now we slowly begin to see that there are larger ideas at play. The volume ends with a story showing where Jack went, after his escape in the book's opening story, and finalizes his character arc from defiant loner to full-fledged Invisible.

The artwork is again split among various artists, with my favorite being Chris Weston in the Jim Crow story (Weston later became the regular artist, after Phil Jimenez's run on the title). Jill Thompson turns in the first story, capping off her run that began in Book 1, and she returns with the Lord Fanny arc, with a few one-off artists filling in on the other stories. Again, the artwork is nowhere near the level of Morrison's writing, but it's not terrible. In fact, the art takes second place to the writing in the Invisibles, because this isn't "just" a comic book: the Invisibles is subversive literature of the highest order.

Apocalipstick, oh so cleverly named, is the second book of Grant Morrison's Invisibles series. After the drearily necessary Acadia story arc, these short stories are really what this series needed.

There are some real great single issues, particularly the Best Man's Fall, a story told through the eyes of a military peon.

The main arc, Apocalipstick, centers on Lord Fanny, the transvestite member of the Invisibles. I have to say, this is great stuff, all of the craziness seems rooted in reality, and makes the comic much more human and reasonable.

Morrison's characters are fleshed out in these stories, and these stories show a real desire on his part to get on track and tell some great stories. One of Morrison's weaknesses is to get too lost in the details, but that doesn't happen here.

A real enjoyable read, highly recommended.

I didn't find this book to be as mind-blowingly delightful as "Say You Want a Revolution," but it's still darned good reading -- plenty of madcap ideas from the mind of Grant Morrison. (If you haven't read "Revolution," you really should before you read this book, since "Apocalipstick" is the second collection of the first volume of the comic series.) There are a couple of standalone stories that do a great job to set up the larger world in which the main characters operate. They may seem like interludes or digressions, but they're really the heart and soul of this book. The longer arc that returns to the main plot -- inasmuch as The Invisibles can be said to have a main plot -- is good, but I think it suffers in comparison to the 'Arcadia' arc from "Revolution." It does do a good job of exploring the background of one of the main characters, though. The book also has a lot of different artists, and as a result it shifts in tone and style a number of times. More consistency might have been a benefit, but it does increase the chance you'll find something you like.

The Invisibles hits an early peak with this collection, which features issues 9-16 of the series' first volume. It kicks off in slightly arbitrary fashion with 23: Things Fall Apart, which surely would have been more comfortable nestling up at the end of Say You Want A Revolution as a coda to the Arcadia story-arc reprinted there.

Still, beginnings as endings is a recurring theme throughout the series so it's just possible that the editors in charge of the Invisibles' release in graphic novel format are less incompetant and insane than the books' slapdash release schedule would seem to indicate.

Even this early in the title's run Grant Morrison is already going out of his way to shade our perception of the story and its protagonists, sowing seeds that will only grow to full bloom a year or more down the road. This can be seen first in the characters' varying reactions to the bloodbath of the opening issue, but it's telling that Morrison is willing to take (almost) an entire issue away from his main characters to continue the process, resulting in one of the best, most innovative stories of the entire series - the elegant, borderline-heartbreaking Best Man Fall.

From that high (or possibly low) we're immediately picked up and pitched straight into another. The She-Man arc is an example of that rarest of comic-book beasts - a back-story that actually serves to make the character involved more interesting. It helps of course that the character in question is the dazzling Lord Fanny ("I'm an international freedom fighter AND a photogenic witch, darling. I'm the most glamerous creature you'll ever meet!") and helps even more that the immensely talented Jill Thompson is on pencilling duty, but the net result is a story of initiation that's both brutal and - no pun intended - magical. Oh, and for good measure it concludes with the biggest, sheerest cliffhanger of the series so far, one that'll have any sane person scrabbling to get hold of Entropy In The UK, the collection that concludes Volume 1.

Throw in the always-fun Jim Crow making his scholck-horror debut, Jack/Dane trying (and mostly failing) to come to terms with his new place in the world, and a couple of absolutely belting covers and all in all you've got what is, despite strong competition, probably my favourite Invisibles graphic novel.

Plus it's got the best title of anything, ever. This isn't even open for debate.

At the end of the first volume of The Invisibles, Jack Frost, the next messiah and the Invisibles' newest recruit, threatened to leave the team after being attacked by a demonic agent of the Outer Church, the Invisibles' polar opposites and mortal enemies. In this volume, true to his word, Jack deserts the team, but not before being forced to kill a soldier of the Outer Church. Taking a life has a profound effect on Jack--he breaks down immediately afterwards and is haunted by the action for the rest of the series. Right here, you know that The Invisibles is something different... killing isn't something one does callously and creator Grant Morrison's willingness to show the psychological effects of committing such an act is both unexpected and inspired.

"Apocalipstick" just gets better from there. First, we are introduced to Jim Crow, a voodoo expert/hip hop superstar, as he investigates a series of bizarre murders in Chicago. Then we meet the Moonchild, a horrifying monster kept in a magic mirror by the Outer Church, and Bobby Murray, a soldier killed by King Mob, the Invisibles' chief assassin, in the previous volume. The latter story is perhaps the volume's best issue as it unflinchingly shows the destruction a cold-blooded killer like King Mob leaves behind.

From there, the main story picks up again as the rest of the Invisibles search for Jack Frost. While Lord Fanny, the Invisibles' resident transvestite shaman, searches within the gay community, we are treated to a time-bending look at her past as an orphan and a prostitute in Rio. Morrison's inventive perspective on the nature of time is this volume's most interesting, and its most challenging, aspect.

The volume closes with a look at Jack as he hides out in London. He begins to recall bits and pieces of the alien abduction he experienced in Vol. 1., finally remembering that his abductors told him that he is the next messiah. This revelation only adds to his troubles. After escaping one of the chief agents of the Outer Church, Jack decides to hitchhike back home to Liverpool, ending the volume on a softer note.

"Apocalipstick" is one of the most entertaining Invisibles volumes. Its quick shifts between location and time may be disorienting at first, but multiple reads prove rewarding. Grant Morrison's The Invisibles is a challenging read, but it's worth it!

This is the second collcetion of the Invisibles - and it helps to have read the first a couple of times, as the story and dimensions twist and turn even more in this second outing of Jack Frost, King Mob and the rest of the crew.

As you can judge from the cover - there is a darker undertone in this volume, death in his various incarnations plays a more central role as we are given a broader glimpse into the world of the Invisibles.

Does contain some strong passages, as this is not a mainstream comic book with caped heroes - but a dark tale in the spirit of Alan Moore (Watchmen and V for Vendetta)

...it begins with some one shots, some of them incredibly realistic and humane, and continues into Lord Fanny origin, which is Castaneda meets Morrison. The trade is coherent and not so psychodelic like rest of series is.

If you like this, get Say You Want A Revolution

Thank the great god Ganesh for removing the barriers that have held back the publication of trades pertaining to volume one of the Invisibles series (those of you in the know will see the secret references in this statement easily...and I didn't even have to resort to the 64-letter alphabet)! Now us latecomers that found volume two can get the backstory on one of the most influential comic series EVER! We have waited too long for this! Grant, you are NOT a wanker, don't let them tell you otherwise! I read volume one in fits and starts, and now I can fill in the gaps! People, pick this one up, and the first one in the series, Say You Want A Revolution. And later this year, get "Entropy in the UK", which I think will include the remainder of volume one! YEEEHAW!

I bought Invisibles book one (Say You Wanna Revolution) because I am fan of Mr. Morrison's work. By the end of the title, I was quite confused.
No point, generic kooky characters, mind-boggling powers with zero explanation or reason, fighting the corrupt system because its what all good unrealized geniuses talk about. This couldn't be the Grant Morrison I knew. His stories have points and, you know, don't suck.
Something had to not be right. It had to be me. I just didn't get it. That's what it was. I didn't get it. I didn't have enough to sink my teeth into to find my place.
Easy solution: get book two. With more of this incredible story, I'll realize what Mr. Morrison is up too and I'll enjoy it like I was told I would.
So I got book two. It sucks, too, but then a sudden realization came over me. It wasn't that I didn't get something. I got it: rage against the machine, wear leather and be a sex god. It's that it was bad. It's slow and dull and goes out of its way to claim that black is white and white is black and if you don't know then you'll never know. It's as deep as the average middle schooler.
I give it two stars instead of one because its my own fault for haveing bought the second book.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...