Invincible

[The NZA]

 

Robert Kirkman is an up & coming writer for Image comics who's recently taken on some big Marvel projects; he did all the recent 2099 one-shots, if im not mistaken, and he's follwoing Bendis' run on Ultiamte Marvel Team-Up. I'm doing this, and another thread, on his finest image work ive come across, as this writer deserves more attention.

 

Invincible - without outright spoiling it, you should know the book has really made some moves in its first year of publication. Initially, this book was very much like Ultimate Spider-Man: a coming-of-age tale of a boy realizing his superpowers, all while living the life of an american highschooler. However, young Mark is the equivalent of Superman's son, and also feels a responsibility to protect his home city.

 

I debated putting this out there before, but its a given in the series now, and it just might be the bit that gets others interested:

[bIG FREAKIN SPOILER WARNINGS]

 

 

 

 

About six issues in, the world's Justice League is brutally murdered, and the killer is revealed to be Omin-Man, mark's father (!) The book then gets into the history of his pseudo-Kryptonian warrior/colonizing race, and where Omin-Man's true agenda lies. Mark must then decide who he owes loyalty to: the planet on which he was raised & made friends, or his home...?[/spoilers]

 

I throw the plot out there to show how a great writer like Kirkman can balance lighthearted teen stuff with some more epic plotlines such as this father vs son one. However, nothing sells like a demo, so here's a few pages from issue # 5:

 

 

..interested? The first trade is here at Amazon for $9.70, and if you wanna see more previews, here's issues here's Image's page where you can check out 6-9.

[The NZA]

..tho not as fun as The Walking Dead, its still a cool book, and you should really get to know Kirkman's name, he's one of the great new writers out there.

 

Newsarama...

 

 

ROBERT KIRKMAN: STILL INVINCIBLE

 

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

 

Even though writer Robert Kirkman is still exclusive to Marvel for Comics, he’s still happy doing creator-owned work at Image Comics. And his fan base seems to be growing day by day.

 

Could he be really… invincible?

 

After nineteen issues and a story in last year’s Image Summer Special which was part of the Free Comic Book Day initiative, Invincible has proven to its fans that it is not Spider-Man, and the main character, Mark Grayson, is definitely not Clark Kent from Smallville. As the series’ loyal fans enthuse, Invincible is a much-needed breath of fresh air when it comes to superheroes.

 

Invincible was launched as part of a new super-hero line from Image Comics, a line that included Firebreather by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn, Venture by Jay Faerber and Jamal Igle, Dominion by Keith Giffen and The Clockmaker by Jim Krueger and Matt Smith. All others have fallen by the wayside except…well, maybe the series is invincible.

 

April sees the release of Invincible #0, a bargain-priced zero issue aimed at being a jumping-on point for new readers. The 50-cent issue promises to bring new readers up to speed on Mark’s origin, while laying down the groundwork for upcoming storylines.

 

We caught up with Kirkman for a chat about Mark Grayson and more.

 

issue #20Newsarama: Why put out an origin issue now, more than two years after it first debuted and after three trade paperback collections (with Volume 4: Head of The Class scheduled for March)?

 

Robert Kirkman: I'm just trying to give potential new readers as many opportunities as I can to give this book a shot. Also, this isn't a straight origin issue with no bearing on what's going on in the series. This is a vital part of the story running through the book, it just happens to bring new readers up to speed. It'll lead right into issue #23 and hopefully bring a lot of people into the Invincible fold. It's half a buck, how can you pass that up?!

 

NRAMA: Other than a new Firebreather one-shot that was published recently, the super-hero line that was launched a while back seems, well, non-existent. Except for Invincible, of course. Thoughts? Survivor’s guilt?

 

RK: Doing new comics in this industry is tough. Nobody is denying that. More new books fail than catch on. There's a full graveyard of new characters out there. For every Ex Machina, there's an Automatic Kafka, a Sentinel, a H.E.R.O., a Bloodhound and a Tech Jacket. It's almost impossible to debut a new book these days. I don't even really think it has much to do with quality as much as it has to do with luck. Good books, books I love just aren't catching on. But y'know, you've gotta pat Jim Valentino on the back for being bold enough to give it a shot despite all that. I mean... I certainly have to thank him for it. The industry needs new books, it's going to have to realize that sooner or later.

 

 

other event

 

[MyLeakyBucket]

Actually got given a free 1st issue of this when I bought Walking Dead TPB #1, which was cool. I enjoyed it, not enough to make me think about buying any TPB's yet or anything, but a fun twist on superheroes.

 

IC, you should recommend it to Jax. It's sorta like Zits meets Incredibles.

[The NZA]

 

Yeah, glad you got to see it, MLB - again, gets really intersting after a massive plot twist, around issue six or so...goes from lighthearted to quite a bit more intersting, if you get a chane to read it.

 

Got opted for a movie recnetly too, accordin to Newsarama...

 

KIRKMAN ON INVINCIBLE'S MOVIE NEWS

 

by Chris Arrant

 

Invincible: (adj.) Incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable.

 

For fans of the comic series Invincible, that description is more than apt for not only the hero of the series, but also the series itself. According to ICV2.com's statistics on direct market sales, Invincible has steadily increased in sales over the course of the series. Truly a testament to the hard work and creativity that the Invincible team have put into the title, Image has seen over a 50% increase in sales since the inaugural issue. But that's not the only good news.

 

Comic websites worldwide were ablaze with the news last week that Paramount Pictures has picked up the Image series, with creator/writer Robert Kirkman attached as screenwriter. According to Variety, the studio plans to turn the property into a franchise of its own. Co-produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Constantine, Doom) and Circle of Confusion, this Eisner-nominated title looks to be heading into theatres worldwide. Newsarama had a chance speak with series creator & writer Robert Kirkman about the announcement, and what he's excited about.

 

Newsarama: First off, nothing in Hollywood is sudden, so how long has this deal been in the works?

 

Robert Kirkman: I’ve been working with David Alpert at Circle of Confusion for a long time on doing something with Invincible. At times we were talking to people about it being an animated show, a live-action sitcom, and eventually, it happened as a feature. Things went far enough last year for David to actually fly to Korea to meet with an animation studio. It just goes to show how fickle things can be out in Hollywood.

 

NRAMA: Speaking of that, how did you hook up with David and Circle of Confusion?

 

RK: I met David at the Wizard World: Chicago convention in 2001. He was representing Dreamwave at the time and had gotten in with a Dreamwave badge. He came by my booth while I was hawking Battle Pope and I asked him what he did for Dreamwave. When he said "I'm thier representation in Hollywood" I latched onto him and haven't let go. It really was a chance meeting, thank you Dreamwave.

 

NRAMA: Is this movie intended to be live action or animated?

 

RK: Live action, at least that’s how I understand it now. What I have planned in the screenplay would really work better as live-action.

 

NRAMA: Do you foresee any obvious changes in adapting your story for the big screen?

 

RK: There will certainly be tweaks here and there. Nothing I’d really want to go into too much detail about. There will be much less superheroes in this movie than in the comic. The focus will be more firmly on Mark/Invincible and his father Nolan/Omni-Man. There won’t be any of the side characters featured in the comics.

 

NRAMA: The producer attached to the project is Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who recently producted the movie Constantine (based on DC/Vertigo's Hellblazer). What’s your feel for him?

 

RK: I’d give Lorenzo a kidney if he asked for it. Not two, but I’d be happy to give him one. Lorenzo’s a swell guy. He’s really got his act together and is out there making things happen. I doubt Invincible could be in better hands.

 

NRAMA: In the press release, it states that you’ve been tapped to write the screenplay for this movie. How close are you going to adhere to the comic series?

 

RK: It’s going to be a large section of the series, with stuff cut out and what’s left will be streamlined and expanded upon. I’m really excited to be doing this. I get to really explore some things I glossed over in the series and cut out stuff I didn’t like or thought could play out better. Anyone who’s read the series isn’t going to be sitting there saying “I know what’s going to happen next” if this thing gets made. There’s some more twists and turns added in.

 

NRAMA: Does this open doors for movies/tv series based on some of your other creations like The Walking Dead, Cloudfall, or dare I say… a Battle Pope live action movie?

 

RK:That remains to be seen. I’ve been working with Circle of Confusion for some time now with a mind towards optioning all my creator-owned books. We’ll see how things turn out. What I would like to come out of this is more eyes on the Invincible comic series. Ryan Ottley, Bill Crabtree, Rus Wooton, and I are really busting our humps month after month to put out what we think are some swell superhero yarns. Our readership is going up every month but I won’t be satisfied until the book is at least close to the top 50.

 

Invincible is an ongoing monthly series published by Image Comics, and features the creative team of writer Robert Kirkman, artist Ryan Ottney, colorist Bill Crabtree and letterer Rus Wooton. For more information on this title, check out our interview with Robert Kirkman about the past, present and future of this series.

 

In addition to the coming #0 issue, Image will be soliciting a hardcover Invincible edition in June, collecting the first thirteen issues of the Eisner-nominated book. Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1, will clock in at 400 pages and will retail for $34.95. The volume will also contain a plethora of bonus material, as well as an introduction by superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis.

[Mr. Exclusive]

This book doesn't get enough love! SHOW LOVE, PEOPLE!!

[The NZA]

yeah...thanks again for the TPBs on this one, panch!

 

The villians are cool, im finally caring about the supporting cast, this is an overall fun and creative book, kirkman's having a great time in between the usual cliche's youd see in such a book, spoofing marvel and dc both while still creating whats clearly his own universe.

 

I'm most interested in seeing Mark progressing towards being a true Viltrimite (sp?) like his father, however reluctantly.

[The NZA]

If anyone still hasnt checked out this book, this month's issue, # 42, was built around being the "new reader jump-on" issue. There's a great catchup in the back that reminds you why this series is really something special, and therye clearly gearing up for some crazy shit in # 50 down the road.

 

Cant recommend this one enough if you dig superheroics.

[Da Cap'n]

I'm kinda bummed cause I can't find the 2nd issue of the Invincible source book! Did you see those, Nick? Man, they made 'em just like the ol school Marvel Handbooks! Awesome!

[The NZA]

haha no i musta missed that, but its an awesome idea....Kirkamn's clearly got a lotta passion for his works, you know? This catchup issue pushes the series hard, and sourebooks are nothing but fun.

 

man, i hope Kirkman's getting the love he deserves on this one; every issue of Anita fucking Blake that sells and this doesnt is a crime.

[Jables]

Ever since he called Liefeld an unsung hero I've had trouble swallowing any pill with this cunts name on it.

[The NZA]

im gonna wait till you read the book. then im gonna file that along with "morrison's shite cause beast is a cat bollocks" and whatever else from hondo's time capsule i can dig up on you and pogs.

[Jables]

He's an okay writer, but I dropped Walking dead long ago 'cause it suffered from decompression(to wit: it was a drooling veggie with bed sores when I quit) and apparently that changed like, the next ish, and this was a solid read, but marvel zombies wasn't even fun in that 'pushing kids with downs syndrome into traffic' kinda way. Invincible's a great book from what I've read, Kirkman's a wanker though, playing too hard off his underdog status like a kid just discovered the vacuum cleaner.

[The NZA]

he might be, but how many image books you read these days? that's right. I know he tries harder than panch, but i mean, he's gotta. you couldnt pay me to read savage fucking dragon right now, and that book could very well be knocking my socks off or something.

 

i dunno that i agree with your complaints of his pacing in Walking Dead, but then again, i read a lot of Ellis. You really didnt enjoy Marvel Zombies? Man, i never have my finger on your pulse.

[Jables]

Indeed. Y'know, Alana the other day turned to me and said 'You're not trying to be nick are you? You two seem to like a lot of the same god-awful shit.' I just wanna be loved. Is that a crime?

[The NZA]

no, its not, sir. and alana....god bless 'er. why does she hate firefly so?!

[Jables]

She has a thing against Joss Whedon proper. Nothing he writes meets her standard. I told her about drive, and then it's subsequent demise, she put a matchbox car on the floor, urinated on it and then said 'good'. And see, that didn't even have any connection to Whedon other than Nathan Fillion, is how deep her hate runs.

[Newtype]

Just got done reading Invincible 63 and Holy shit.

 

Is anybody even reading this?

[The NZA]

...done.

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, KIRKMAN.

 

 

are you trying to one-up Vaughn? that shit wasnt right!

 

[Newtype]

...done.

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, KIRKMAN.

 

 

are you trying to one-up Vaughn? that shit wasnt right!

 

No shit

[Jables]

She has a thing against Joss Whedon proper. Nothing he writes meets her standard. I told her about drive, and then it's subsequent demise, she put a matchbox car on the floor, urinated on it and then said 'good'. And see, that didn't even have any connection to Whedon other than Nathan Fillion, is how deep her hate runs.

 

And of course, now she's waving that Dollhouse flag like her life depended on it, and the best I can do is ask her to lemme know when Eliza Dushku gets her kit off. Regarding all your Invincible Hype, I may just get around to catching up TPB style.

[The NZA]

 

OH SHIT

OH SHIT

 

 

OH SHIT

 

[Jables]

Fuck, since I'm doggedly sticking to my Omnibii collections for these(Newt- 3 & 4 would be greatly appreciated in this endeavour), I'ma have to torrent the rest of this tonight.

[The NZA]

MOAR

 

Mark Grayson is no stranger to warfare. After all, he led the charge against a hostile army of alternate versions of himself not too long ago, but his upcoming battle may be his greatest yet. If nothing else, it will be one heck of a built-up release for Robert Kirkman and fans of his long-running Image Comics series.

 

Beginning with this month's "Invincible Returns" #1 and kicking into full gear in "Invincible" #71, Kirkman and artist Ryan Ottley are finally delving into "The Viltrumite War," an eight-issue story-arc with roots going back to the very first issue of the superhero series. In an exclusive interview with CBR News, Kirkman revealed that while he's excited to tackle this crucial chapter in the "Invincible" saga, there's an equally great amount of stress that comes with the storytelling.

 

"It's really just a tremendous amount of pressure," Kirkman said with a laugh. "It seems like a fun thing to build up a story over seventy issues, but when it comes time to actually doing some kind of a pay off from that, expectations are running pretty high. About a year ago, I sat down and said, 'Okay, I really have to plan this out, map out exactly what's going to happen and make sure that it's cool enough.' I think that Ryan and I are going to blow the door off of this thing. We have some pretty insane things planned. It's going to be the biggest storyline that's been in 'Invincible' so far."

 

It certainly should be, given the fact that the Viltrumites have populated "Invincible" since the very beginning. Mark himself is half Viltrumite thanks to the lineage of his father Nolan, also known as Omni-Man, the world's greatest superhero turned supervillain turned hero again. While the number of pureblooded Viltrumites in the universe has dwindled to a nearly negligible figure, the fierce alien race nonetheless has the resources of an intergalactic empire at its disposal - and the warmongering race is hungering for even more power, presenting a threat that Mark can't abide.

 

"We're going to be away from Earth and not seeing the main cast from 'Invincible' for quite some time," Kirkman said. "It's a big intergalactic war. Invincible has a lot to go up against with the Viltrumite threat. Even though their numbers are somewhat diminished, they do have an empire with a lot of different alien races working for them, so the scale will be no less grand. But the main reason that Invincible is throwing himself headfirst into this effort is to make sure that [the conflict] doesn't reach Earth. That's the key plot point for him."

 

 

Luckily for him, Mark won't be alone in his war against the Viltrumites. Kirkman identified Omni-Man and Allen the Alien as two of the story-arc's most actively involved characters, though there's another old Kirkman favorite joining the battle as well. "I'm bringing back Tech Jacket from my first creator-owned Image Comics series," he revealed. "He's showed up in the 'Invincible' universe from time to time, so he'll be somewhat of a key player in the war."

 

On the villains' side of things, Kirkman promised both new and old faces will appear to present a threat to Mark and his allies. "Pretty much everyone that we've seen in association with the Viltrumites is going to return," he said. "There have been a few different Viltrumites that have appeared over the course of the series, and we're going to finally learn a lot more about them and who they are. We haven't even seen who the leader of the Viltrumites is, and that's going to be revealed soon. Be on the lookout for that."

 

When both sides of the "Viltrumite War" finally collide, Kirkman assures fans that the action won't disappoint. "This has the biggest fight scenes we've ever had in 'Invincible,' believe it or not," said the writer. "Some of the stuff that I'm throwing at Ryan during this story-arc is going to take his full attention. There are issues that will take more than a full month to complete because they're so complex. In order to keep up with the schedule, he'll have to focus his effort solely on this book."

 

With the promise of grand battles, it's virtually guaranteed that certain characters won't make it out of "The Viltrumite War" alive, a theory that Kirkman confirmed. "There will be some deaths along the way. I hope people aren't too fond of Allen the Alien," Kirkman laughed. "Oh, he might live, don't get your panties in a bunch. Remember that stuff about Atom Eve? I would definitely think that Allen is not going to die because I said that! Or maybe I'm saying that to throw you off the trail. Who knows, man? Who knows what's going to happen? Invincible is probably going to die and we'll get a new series called 'Debbie Grayson, Invincible Mom.'"

 

Even if Invincible does die, at least he'll have comfortable clothes to wear at his own funeral. In "Invincible Returns" #1, the preamble to "The Viltrumite War," Mark returns to his original yellow-and-black costume. Additionally, the one-shot sets the stage for the following issues of the main series. "It's kind of the 'Let's take a breath and see where all of the pieces are before the war starts' type of issue," said Kirkman. "If you're a new reader wanting to get up to speed without reading seventy issues, 'Invincible Returns' is a good place to start. There isn't a boring text recap or anything, but a lot of things are discussed and done in the issue that will bring a new reader up to speed without spoiling too much, so if they want to go back and buy the 75 different trade paperbacks from this series, they can do that and still enjoy it. But for people who have been reading the 75 plus trade paperbacks in this long running series, 'Invincible Returns' is a definite shining moment. It's very important with a lot of cool stuff going on, like the return of Invincible to his original costume, among other things."

 

"Invincible Returns" also brings some of the series' last earthbound moments before embarking upon "The Viltrumite War's" space setting. "This is by far the biggest arc we've ever done," said Kirkman of the eight-issue arc. "We've had things last for six issues, but other things have been going on. This is the first [arc] with a truly dedicated beginning, middle and an end where this is the story that we're focusing on. The 'Conquest' story was only four issues, for instance, so this is twice as long as that arc."

 

The Viltrumites have played such an integral role throughout the events of "Invincible," it's lead many fans to identify the upcoming arc as the climax of the series. As a result, some readers are understandably curious about where "Invincible" goes next. "Anyone that's concerned that the whole crux of the series has been leading up to this event and once it's over, the series will be kind of directionless...that happens to long running [books], and I've experienced it as a reader myself, so I'm very mindful of that," Kirkman said. "The Viltrumite War will end and there will be plenty of other stuff for Invincible to deal with, and that may or may not involve other Viltrumites. We'll have to see. This may be the be-all end-all of the conflict, and it could also be the beginning and the set-up for something even bigger."

 

Whatever the future holds, Kirkman promises readers one thing - "Invincible" will never be the same after "The Viltrumite War" concludes. "There will be multiple characters within the 'Invincible' series that will be radically changed by the events of this story-arc," he teased. "There will be lasting changes coming out of this. When we're talking about 'Invincible,' we mean it when we say that kind of stuff. I hope that people realize that when I say something is going to happen that will affect the series long term, you can take that to the bank. You can put that in your savings account."

 

"Invincible Returns" #1, the special one-shot where Mark Grayson returns to his original costume, hits comic book stores on February 17, 2010. "The Viltrumite War" begins in "Invincible" #71 on March 17, 2010.

 

 

 

 

[alive she cried]

I read the first tpb of this and have rarely been as bored in my life, it was just so unoriginal.

Now form reading the thread it seems to turn around so I might give ti a try but did you guys like it form day 1?

[The NZA]

i enjoyed it, didnt really get into it until either TPB 2 or 3 when things got...interesting.

...did you like Ultimate Spider-Man?