Invincible (comics)
Invincible is an American comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, and published by Image Comics. Set in the Image Universe,[1] Invincible follows the coming of age of superhero Mark Grayson / Invincible, a Viltrumite and first-born son of Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on Earth. The series began publication on January 22, 2003, concluding on February 14, 2018, with 144 issues. An animated television adaptation began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 25, 2021.[2]
Invincible | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Skybound Entertainment (Image Comics) |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | |
Publication date | January 2003 – February 2018 |
No. of issues | 144 |
Main character(s) | |
Creative team | |
Created by | Robert Kirkman |
Written by | Robert Kirkman |
Artist(s) | Cory Walker Ryan Ottley |
Letterer(s) | Russ Wooton |
Colorist(s) | Bill Crabtree |
Editor(s) | Robert Kirkman |
Collected editions | |
Family Matters | ISBN 1-5824-0320-1 |
Eight is Enough | ISBN 1-5824-0347-3 |
Perfect Strangers | ISBN 1-5824-0391-0 |
Head of the Class | ISBN 1-5824-0440-2 |
The Facts of Life | ISBN 1-5824-0554-9 |
A Different World | ISBN 1-5824-0579-4 |
Three's Company | ISBN 1-5824-0656-1 |
My Favorite Martian | ISBN 1-5824-0683-9 |
Out of This World | ISBN 1-5824-0827-0 |
Who's the Boss? | ISBN 1-6070-6013-2 |
Happy Days | ISBN 1-6070-6062-0 |
Still Standing | ISBN 1-6070-6166-X |
Growing Pains | ISBN 1-6070-6251-8 |
The Viltrumite War | ISBN 1-6070-6367-0 |
Get Smart | ISBN 1-6070-6498-7 |
Plot synopsis
Mark Grayson is a normal high school senior with a normal part-time job whose father, Nolan Grayson, is the alien (but human-appearing) Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. At age 17, Mark begins to display superpowers, which come from his father being a member of the Viltrumite race, who, according to Nolan, pioneer the galaxy on a mission of benevolence and enlightenment.
Initially the first three volumes focuses on Mark as Invincible, who begins working as a superhero with his father acting as his mentor, and meeting other heroes (including Robot, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate and Atom Eve). His exploits range from discovering that his physics teacher has been turning his students into human bombs, to foiling a plan by the Mauler Twins to make an army of robots. Meanwhile, Omni-Man is kidnapped by aliens and taken to another dimension. He returns after what seems to be only a few days but was actually eight months to him.
The story explores various arcs such as when Mark travels to alternate dimensions, and fights Thragg to determine Earth's fate.
Publication history
While Robert Kirkman has been the sole writer of the series, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley have contributed the art. Cory Walker co-created the book and provided art from #1 to #7 as well as #127–132. Ryan Ottley assumed art duties with issue #8 and drew all other issues. Kirkman has provided back-up space for a few aspiring comic creators, most notably Benito Cereno and Nate Bellegarde. The series is known for its extreme graphic violence despite its colorful nature and visuals.[3]
The series ended with issue #144, with Ryan Ottley "coming back to the book" for the final twelve-issue sequence.[4] The double-sized final issue was released on February 14, 2018.[5] In April 2022, it was announced that a Battle Beast story would be published in Skybound X #25 with Kirkman and Ottley reuniting for the story; it was published on July 20, 2022.[6] In October 2022, it was announced that, in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary in 2023, the series' first issue would be getting a reprinted facsimile edition reprint, a deluxe edition reprint of issue one, a comic shop exclusive hardcover compendium of Volume 1, a reprint of the series in a new 6"x9" graphic novel format with new covers from Cory Walker and Dave McCaig, an Invincible Universe compendium, and a secret announcement in January 2023 (which was later revealed to be a teaser for season two of the animated show).[7]
Characters
Grayson family
- Mark Grayson: A 17-year-old high school student and a Viltrumite/human hybrid who becomes the superhero Invincible.
- Nolan Grayson: Mark's father, Debbie's husband, and formerly the greatest superhero of Earth known as Omni-Man.
- Debbie Grayson: Mark's mother, Nolan's wife, and stepmother of Oliver Grayson.
- Lord Argall: The former emperor of the Viltrumites prior to his death and the father of Omni-Man and grandfather of Invincible and Oliver Grayson.
- Oliver Grayson: Mark's alien half-brother. The result of a relationship between Nolan and a member of an alien race called the Thraxans, who have short life spans, growing at a rapidly increased rate compared to humans, though his father's DNA is slowing his aging over time. Although his mother is an insect-like humanoid, he resembles a Viltrumite/human with purple skin (later fades to pink). His mother tells his brother to take him to Earth, so that he can have a life with the people there, because their lifespan is longer than her people's, and he gets adopted by Debbie. He first takes the sobriquet of Kid Omni-Man and then Young Omni-Man as he attempts to rehabilitate the memory of Omni-Man in the general public.
- Terra Grayson: The daughter of Atom Eve and Mark Grayson who would go on to become the third Invincible.
- Markus Murphy: Also known as Marky, he is the son of Mark and Anissa after the latter raped the former. He would go on to become Kid Invincible.
Superheroes
- Atom Eve: Samantha Eve Wilkins is a former classmate of Mark's and member of the Teen Team. Eve was created as a result of a government experiment to create super-beings. She can manipulate all matter, although a mental block has previously stopped her from creating and manipulating living things. Eventually, she and Mark realize their true feelings for each other and the pair start dating, fall in love, and get married after Eve gives birth to their daughter Terra. Eventually, she breaks her previous mental limits and her powers are bolstered to nigh-omnipotent levels, but retains the discipline to not utilize it on other beings, but allows her to mimic Mark's Viltrumite powers, namely heat vision (which Kirkman and Ottley describe as 1000x more powerful than Superman's).
- Allen the Alien: Previously a Champion Evaluation Officer who worked for the Coalition of Planets, he traveled on a tight schedule and tested the skills of various powered heroes on each planet in order to determine if there is a suitable "champion" to defend that planet. He was later promoted to leader of the Coalition of Planets.
- The Guardians of the Globe: A superhero team. Most of the original incarnation was brutally killed by Omni-Man causing another incarnation to be formed.
- The Immortal: Apparently unkillable leader of the Guardians of the Globe and currently married to Dupli-Kate. It is suggested in flashbacks that one of his past identities was in fact Abraham Lincoln. In the present storyline, he is alive and was briefly beheaded by Omni-Man. The Mauler Twins dug up his body and reattached his head causing Immortal to live again. Revealed to rule the world as a tyrant in the far alternate future, where he is finally killed by Invincible at his own behest. Invincible prevents this in his own timeline by giving The Immortal the assistance of Robot's brain to rule with suggestive guidance.
- Darkwing: A member of the original Guardians of the Globe. Killed by Omni-Man.
- War Woman: A member of the original Guardians of the Globe. Killed by Omni-Man.
- Aquarus: A fish-like member of the original Guardians of the Globe with aquakinesis. Killed by Omni-Man.
- Red Rush: A super-fast member of the original Guardians of the Globe. Killed by Omni-Man.
- Green Ghost: A ghost-themed member of the original Guardians of the Globe. Killed by Omni-Man.
- Martian Man: A shapeshifting member of the original Guardians of the Globe from Mars. Killed by Omni-Man.
- Black Samson: An original member of the Guardians of the Globe with super-strength. Lost his powers (and with them, his Guardian status) for a while before recovering them very abruptly. When Robot went rogue and started conquering the world, Black Samson is among the superheroes killed.
- Rex Splode: Former member of the Teen Team and the Guardians of the Globe who can make objects explode by charging kinetic energy. He sacrificed himself to kill a hostile alternate-dimension Invincible.
- Dupli-Kate: Former Member of the Teen Team and the Guardians of the Globe, creates an army of duplicates of herself.
- Bulletproof: Initially turned down of membership in the Guardians of the Globe, Bulletproof did later join the team and is currently a member. In a related note, Bulletproof was one of the proposed names for the title character before the series saw print. Bulletproof later becomes the second Invincible after Mark temporarily loses his powers.
- Shrinking Ray: Former member of the Guardians of the Globe, now dead.
- Monster Girl: A girl who was cursed by a gypsy, now able to shapeshift into a large ogre-like creature with superhuman strength. A side effect is that with each change into Monster Girl, her normal self becomes younger physically. Her boyfriend, Robot, however found a cure for the curse, allowing her to develop normally.
- The Shapesmith: A Martian, disguised as human astronaut Rus Livingston, who uses his metamorphic powers to change his shape.
- Darkwing II: Formerly Night Boy, the original Darkwing's sidekick, he continued Darkwing's legacy but snapped and started killing criminals until Invincible apprehended him. A reformed Darkwing joined the Guardians of the Globe. He can teleport himself and others via the Shadow-verse using any shadow large enough to envelop him. Dragged by one of the extra-dimensional Invincibles into the Shadow-verse, this new Darkwing is later revealed to be alive and aged from the experience.
- Fightmaster and Drop Kick: Two time-travelling martial arts masters who stole the Declaration of Independence, he is from the same era as the future insane Immortal.
Allies
- Amber Justine Bennett: Mark's ex-girlfriend.
- William Francis Clockwell: Mark's roommate and best friend. He initially dates Eve, though Eve admitted she only did it to get close to Mark. He is revealed to be homosexual and begins dating Rick.
- Global Defense Agency: A government organization that the Guardians of the Globe and other superheroes work for.
- Cecil Stedman: Government liaison and head of the clandestine Global Defense Agency.
- Donald Ferguson: Cecil's assistant, the Guardians of the Globe contact, and android.
- Damien Darkblood: A demon detective.
- Art Rosenbaum: Tailor of superhero costumes and family friend of the Graysons.
- Rick Sheridan: Mark and William's classmate at Upstate University, turned into one of the Reanimen. After he recovers from the ordeal, he begins dating William.
- B. N. Winslow: Mark and William's principal at Reginald Vel Johnson High School, and later dean at Upstate College.
- Coalition of Planets: A group of aliens who came together to prevent the Viltrumites from taking over the universe.
- Thaedus: A peaceful member of the Viltrumites and founder of the Coalition of Planets. He was responsible for killing Emperor Argall enough to plunge Viltrum in a civil war where the weaker Viltrumites were killed. Afterwards, Thaedus went on to establish the Coalition of Planets.. Thaedus is later killed by Thragg during the Viltrumite War.
- Allen the Alien: A one-eyed Unopan and member of the Coalition of Planets.
- Space Racer: A technopathic member of the Coalition of Planets whose gun has blasts that can harm Viltrumites and rides a hover-cycle.
- D.A. Sinclair: A young and reclusive scientist at Upstate University, is the creator of the "Reanimen", who is hired by Cecil to build Reanimen out of the corpses of extra-dimensional Invincibles.
- Reanimen - A group of robotic zombies intended to be "the soldiers of the future".
Enemies
- David Hiles: A weapons engineer for a military-sanctioned research firm. His son committed suicide which also resulted in him getting divorced from his wife and also shortly thereafter lost his job. David joined the staff of "Reginald Vel Johnson High School", where one of his students was Mark Grayson, the teenage superhero called Invincible.
- Robot: Former leader of the Teen Team and leader of the Guardians of the Globe until replaced by the Immortal. Not an actual robot, but a drone body controlled by a malformed human living in a life-support tank, he cloned a new human body for himself using Rex Splode's DNA with the help of the Mauler Twins. Afterward, Robot would become romantically involved with Monster Girl. In Issue #71, he and Monster Girl disappear into a Flaxan portal and return several issues later. Changed from the time he spent in the Flaxan dimension, he becomes an antagonist to Invincible and other heroes who oppose him.
- Mauler Twins: An evil super-strong blue-skinned scientist and his clone who both continuously argue as to which is the original. After the original was definitely killed, making them both clones, they switched to arguing which is the original clone. During a fight against the Guardians of the Globe, both Mauler Twins were killed by Kid Omni-Man. They come back in a later issue with one of them explaining that they have countermeasures in case both of them die.
- Sanford: The former butler of Black Samson who wanted revenge on the Guardians of the Globe for firing Black Samson only to be denied when they were killed. He went on a rampage after that.
- Angstrom Levy: A genius with the ability to leap across dimensions and is one of Invicible's archenemies. After being disfigured by one of his inventions, he blames Invincible and swears revenge.
- The Viltrumites: Invincible and Omni-Man's species who are known conquerors of different planets.
- Conquest: An elderly, battle-scarred member of the Viltrum Empire. He is a psychopath who relishes in fighting and killing those who oppose the empire.
- Thragg: The Grand Regent of the Viltrum Empire. He would later go rogue after being deposed and now seeks vengeance on Omni-Man and his family. He later fathers an entire army of half-Viltrumite children in order to attack Earth. He is Invincible's archenemy and the main antagonist of the series.
- Anissa: A Viltrumite who was infatuated with Invincible to the point that she raped him and gave birth to their son, Marky.
- Ursaal: A daughter of Thragg and one of his many children.
- Onnan: One of Thragg's sons who was killed by Invincible.
- General Kregg: A member of the Viltrumites who possesses a cybernetic right eye.
- Thula: A member of the Viltrumites who uses her long hair as a weapon.
- Lucan: A member of the Viltrumites.
- Alternative Mark Graysons: Evil versions of Mark Grayson from parallel universes.
- Titan: Titan can encase his body in super-strong, nearly invulnerable rock. Titan first appeared in Capes. Titan was a member of the organized crime group the Order until Mister Liu revoked his membership.
- Battle Beast: First appearing as one of Machine Head's several henchmen, a white lion-like alien. He is later released from imprisonment on the Viltrumite Prison Warship where Allen the Alien and Omni-Man were held, and Allen the Alien used his insatiable lust for battles to coax him into helping in their jailbreak.
- The Flaxans: Aliens from another dimension, in which time passes at a dramatically faster pace.
- Machine Head: A crime boss with a robotic head. He later appeared as a member of the Order.
- Doc Seismic: A villain with special gauntlets that enable him to induce earthquakes, also controls an army of lava men and other subterranean monsters.
- The Sequids: A group of psychic aliens that invaded Mars causing it to be quarantined.
- Rus Livingston: An astronaut accidentally left behind on Mars, he's been attacked and made a host of the psychic Sequids.
- The Lizard League: A group of lizard-themed terrorists, they are parodies of fictional reptile-based villain groups The Serpent Society, HYDRA and Cobra. The Lizard League consisted of lizard-named agents along with an army of human followers. Their secret headquarters lies in the Florida Everglades and bears a striking resemblance to a Cobra Terrordrome.
- King Lizard: The leader of the Lizard League who is an expert strategist and an expert at hand-to-hand combat. King Lizard is the only member of the Lizard League to currently be alive.
- Komodo Dragon: A member of the Lizard League with super-strength. He was killed when he bit off Rex Sloan's explosive hand.
- Komodo Dragon II: The successor of the original Komodo Dragon.
- Salamander: A member of the Lizard League with toxic abilities.
- Iguana: A female member of the Lizard League with claws
- Furnace: A villain with a massive steam-powered iron suit armed with dual flame-throwers and jets. He is actually a man made entirely of liquid heat from which the suit earns its power. Furnace later appeared as a member of the Order.
- Magnattack: A villain for hire with the ability to apparently push metal objects away from him, hence his massive armor plated suit.
- Kursk: A Russian villain for hire who can electrify single targets at a time. He was hired by Machine Head to deal with Titan, but was quickly defeated by the Guardians of the Globe.
- Tether Tyrant: A freelance villain with a vest which houses elastic appendages which can pull and throw victims around. Later merged with the sentient alien vest.
- Magmaniac: A freelance villain who is part lava.
- Master Mind: A criminal with the ability to mentally control the bodies of large groups of people. He was previously seen in the pages of Brit.
- Bi-Plane: An age-old villain who believes in using old-fashioned technology for his attacks.
- The Elephant: A small-time elephant-themed supervillain that has been described in-story as a "lame Rhino rip-off".
- Isotope: A teleporting criminal, Titan's lieutenant.
- Giant: An eight-year-old boy who was pulled into another dimension where he transformed by a sorcerer into gigantic orange-red cyclops. He became a king in the other dimension until he was teleported back by one of his enemies.
- The Order: A criminal organization.
- Mister Liu: An elderly Asian cyborg and leader of the Order. He can project his soul out of his body, taking the form of a giant Chinese dragon.
- Embrace: A female supervillain and member of the Order.
- Face: A supervillain and member of the Order whose head sports three eyes, two mouths, two noses, and a dual brain.
- Insomniac: A supervillain and member of the Order who has insomnia.
- Isotope: A teleporting supervillain and member of the Order.
- Multi-Paul: Dupli-Kate's brother and a member of the criminal organization called the Order. He shares Kate's self-duplicating power.
- Octoboss: An octopus-like supervillain and member of the Order.
- Red Eye: A supervillain and member of the Order whose eyes glow red whenever he is about to use his heat vision.
- Slaying Mantis: A mantis-armored supervillain and member of the Order who has expert swordsmanship.
- Walking Dread: An electrokinetic supervillain and member of the Order with a monstrous appearance.
- War Woman II: A member of the Order. She was the former lover of the original War Woman until she was killed by Omni-Man which led to her taking over Amazonia and planning revenge on the men of the world.
- Dinosaurus: A mutant dinosaur humanoid who transforms when he feels indifferent. As Dinosaurus, he is highly intelligent and develops various plans to improve the world, but they are usually destructive and result in many lives being lost.
In 2003 and 2004, Image and Robert Kirkman published several other superhero series: Tech Jacket pencilled in a manga style by E. J. Su (cancelled at #6), the 3-issue Capes Inc. series drawn by Mark Englert and three oneshots starring Brit, the first two with artwork from Tony Moore and the third with artwork by Cliff Rathburn.
In 2007, Brit was launched as an ongoing full-color series written by Bruce Brown, with artwork by Cliff Rathburn. The series was overseen and edited by Robert Kirkman. In late 2007, a two issue mini-series starring Atom Eve was released.
Tech Jacket was first collected as a digest-sized, black and white graphic novel and later reissued in regular sized, full color and a cover scheme similar to Kirkman's other trade paper backs. Capes was collected as a trade paperback in summer 2007, and the three Brit one-shots were colored by Val Staples and published as a collection in 2007, as well.
At first shown to barely coexist in the same universe, the characters have since been integrated into Invincible's book. Tech Jacket was an ongoing series that tied into Invincible #27, and the character has been seen in the background of various battles during the series. The characters from Capes have also been supporting characters seen mainly in large superhero battles Invincible participates in, and the series ran as a back-up in the Invincible book starting with #27. Brit has had an even less substantial role, appearing a couple of times in the aforementioned brawls (understandable considering that after the last book Brit was somewhat-retired). Brit later went on to become the leader of the Guardians of the Globe and was featured heavily in comic spin-offs Guarding the Globe and Invincible Universe. In The Astounding Wolf-Man, Art, Invincible's tailor, appeared, designing the title character's costume. Wolf-man has also appeared in Invincible #48 & 49.
Collected editions
Trade paperbacks
With the exception of volumes 14, 18, 22, 24, and 25, every volume of the Invincible trade paperbacks is named after a television sitcom:
Title | ISBN | Release Date | Collected Material |
---|---|---|---|
Invincible Vol. 1: Family Matters | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-320-1 | 2003-11-02 | Invincible #1–4 |
Invincible Vol. 2: Eight Is Enough | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-347-3 | 2004-04-28 | Invincible #5–8 |
Invincible Vol. 3: Perfect Strangers | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-391-0 | 2004-12-01 | Invincible #9–13 |
Invincible Vol. 4: Head of the Class | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-440-2 | 2005-04-20 | Invincible #14–19; Image Comics Summer Special |
Invincible Vol. 5: The Facts of Life | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-554-9 | 2005-11-16 | Invincible #0, 20–24, 25 (origin stories from the back only). |
Invincible Vol. 6: A Different World | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-579-4 | 2006-06-05 | Invincible #25–30 |
Invincible Vol. 7: Three's Company | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-656-1 | 2006-12-20 | Invincible #31–35; The Pact #4 |
Invincible Vol. 8: My Favorite Martian | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-683-9 | 2007-07-19 | Invincible #36–41 |
Invincible Vol. 9: Out of This World | Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-827-0 | 2008-06-18 | Invincible #42–47 |
Invincible Vol. 10: Who's the Boss? | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-013-2 | 2009-05-20 | Invincible #48–53 |
Invincible Vol. 11: Happy Days | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-062-0 | 2009-08-24 | Invincible #54–59; The Astounding Wolf-Man #11 |
Invincible Vol. 12: Still Standing | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-166-X | 2010-05-26 | Invincible #60–65 |
Invincible Vol. 13: Growing Pains | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-251-8 | 2010-08-25 | Invincible #66–70; Invincible Returns #1 |
Invincible Vol. 14: The Viltrumite War | Paperback: ISBN 1607063670 | 2011-04-25 | Invincible #71–78 |
Invincible Vol. 15: Get Smart | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-498-7 | 2012-01-11 | Invincible #79–84 |
Invincible Vol. 16: Family Ties | Paperback: ISBN 9781607065791 | 2012-07-05 | Invincible #85–90 |
Invincible Vol. 17: What's Happening? | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-662-9 | 2013-01-23 | Invincible #91–96 |
Invincible Vol. 18: The Death of Everyone | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-762-5 | 2013-08-13 | Invincible #97–102 |
Invincible Vol. 19: The War at Home | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-856-7 | 2014-03-11 | Invincible #103–108 |
Invincible Vol. 20: Friends | Paperback: ISBN 1632150433 | 2014-11-12 | Invincible #109–114 |
Invincible Vol. 21: Modern Family | Paperback: ISBN 1-63215-318-1 | 2015-06-24 | Invincible #115–120 |
Invincible Vol. 22: Reboot? | Paperback: ISBN 1-63215-626-1 | 2016-02-25 | Invincible #121–126 |
Invincible Vol. 23: Full House | Paperback: ISBN 1-63215-888-4 | 2017-04-04 | Invincible #127–132 |
Invincible Vol. 24: The End of All Things, Part 1 | Paperback: ISBN 1534303227 | 2017-09-26 | Invincible #133–138 |
Invincible Vol. 25: The End of All Things, Part 2 | Paperback: ISBN 1534305033 | 2018-03-27 | Invincible #139–144 |
Invincible Compendium Vol. 1 | ISBN 1-60706-411-1 | 2011-08-17 | Collects #1–47, #0, Invincible story from the Image Comics Summer Special, The Pact #4. |
Invincible Compendium Vol. 2 | ISBN 1-60706-772-2 | 2013-08-27 | Collects #48–96, Invincible Returns #1, Astounding Wolf-Man #11. |
Invincible Compendium Vol. 3 | ISBN 1-53430-686-2 | 2018-07-24 | Collects #97–144 |
Invincible Universe Compendium Vol. 1 | ISBN 978-1534399969 | 2023-06-13 | Collects Invincible Presents: Atom Eve #1–2; Invincible Presents: Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1–3, Guarding the Globe (Vol. 1) #1-6, Guarding the Globe (Vol. 2) #1-6, and Invincible Universe #1-12. |
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve & Rex Splode, Vol. 1 | Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-255-0 | 2010-06-14 | Invincible Presents: Atom Eve #1–2; Invincible Presents: Atom Eve & Rex Splode #1–3 |
Hardcovers
Title | ISBN | Release Date | Collected Material |
---|---|---|---|
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 1 | ISBN 1-58240-500-X | 2005-08-03 | Collects #1–13, plus extras. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 2 | ISBN 1-58240-594-8 | 2006-06-20 | Collects #14–24, #0, Free Comic Book Day 2004 story, parts of #25, plus extras. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 3 | ISBN 1-58240-763-0 | 2007-11-07 | Collects #25–35, The Pact #4, plus extras. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 4 | ISBN 1-58240-989-7 | 2009-04-29 | Collects #36–47, plus extras. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 5 | ISBN 1-60706-116-3 | 2010-01-13 | Collects #48–59, The Astounding Wolf-Man #11. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 6 | ISBN 1-60706-360-3 | 2011-04-05 | Collects #60–70, Invincible Returns #1. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 7 | ISBN 1-60706-509-6 | 2012-02-15 | Collects #71–84. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 8 | ISBN 1-60706-680-7 | 2013-05-01 | Collects #85–96. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 9 | ISBN 1-63215-032-8 | 2014-08-19 | Collects #97–108. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 10 | ISBN 1-63215-494-3 | 2015-12-10 | Collects #109–120. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 11 | ISBN 1-53430-045-7 | 2017-05-23 | Collects #121–132. |
Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 12 | ISBN 1-53430-658-7 | 2018-05-22 | Collects #133–144. |
The Complete Invincible Library Vol.1 | ISBN 1-58240-718-5 | 2007-03-28 | Collects #1–24, #0, Free Comic Book Day 2004 story, parts of #25, plus extras. |
The Complete Invincible Library Vol.2 | ISBN 1-60706-112-0 | 2009-11-25 | Collects #25–47, The Pact #4, plus extras. |
The Complete Invincible Library Vol.3 | ISBN 1-60706-421-9 | 2011-11-30 | Collects #48–70, The Astounding Wolf-Man #11, Invincible Returns #1, plus extras. |
Other collections
- Invincible also appeared in Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3 #14, which was collected in Marvel Team-Up Volume 3: League of Losers ISBN 0-7851-1946-9. This story occurs "between the pages" of Invincible #33.
- In November 2006, the Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe was released. This two-issue series told the origins of all of the characters seen in the series so far, and was done in the style of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, including similar covers. The series was collected into a trade paperback in November 2007.
In other media
Motion comics
The comic has been turned into a motion comic by Gain Enterprises using the Bomb-xx process, and is broadcast on MTV2[8] and downloadable to mobile phones, from iTunes,[9][10] and Amazon.[11]
Cast
- Patrick Cavanaugh as Invincible
- Mark Fountain as Nolan Grayson
- Victoria Kelleher as Debbie Grayson
- Wendy Allyn as Atom Eve
- Stan Kirsch as Robot
- Jeff Shuter as William Clockwell
- J. Anthony McCarthy as Criminal
- Tom Ohmer as Cecil Stedman
- Hosea Chanchez as Mauler Twins
- Daniel Kirschner as Criminals
- Eric Wolfgang Nelson as Rex Splode
- Keith Stone as Allen the Alien
- Mike Connel as Derek
- Bill Garnet as Art Rosenbaum
- Leslie-Anne Huff as Dupli-Kate
- Paul Kresge as Teen Bomb
- Cynthia Sophiea as Mrs. Thatcher
Film
Point Grey Pictures and Skybound Entertainment were set to produce a live-action adaptation of Invincible with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg attached as writers and directors and Universal Pictures distributing it. Series creator Robert Kirkman was also set to produce the film, along with Rogen, Goldberg, David Alpert, Bryan Furst, and Sean Furst.[12] In January 2021, Kirkman reaffirmed that the film is still in development despite the release of a streaming television adaptation, and that Rogen and Goldberg are still involved with the project.[13]
Television series
On March 25, 2021, Amazon Studios released an adult animated adaptation of the comic series on Amazon Prime Video, executive produced by comic creator Robert Kirkman.[14] The cast features Steven Yeun as Invincible, Sandra Oh as Debbie Grayson, and J. K. Simmons as Omni-Man.[15] Rogen ending up being involved as a part of the cast, he and Goldberg were not set to direct/write/produce the series.[16] Kirkman, along with Yeun, confirmed the series was coming back for a second and third season; as to when those are releasing, there is no further information.[17]
The Amazon adaptation is very similar to the comics but has a few minor differences. As of the current 1st season of Invincible, some of the biggest differences include Amber's race as well as design and the chronological order of events, as well as the amount of blood and gore shown.
In popular culture
- In the King of the Hill episode "Behind Closed Doors", Bobby is seen reading a comic entitled Unvincible, whose title and cover art is similar to the first issue of Invincible. Also, in the 13th-season episode "Earthly Girls are Easy", Buck Strickland plays with an Invincible action figure when planning his entrance at the benefit concert.
- In the film Paul, Simon Pegg can be seen wearing an Invincible shirt, and issues of the comic appear in a comic book shop. According to Robert Kirkman, he, along with Invincible co-creator Cory Walker and current Invincible artist Ryan Ottley, had a cameo in the film as The Big Guy's henchmen.[18]
- On the eighth episode of Season 6 of The Walking Dead, during the first scene, four Minimates action figures of the characters Invincible, Allen the Alien, Atom Eve, and Omni-Man are shown in Sam Anderson's room. Carl and the other kids in Alexandria periodically read Invincible comic books as well.[19] In Season 11, episode 18, RJ is seen reading Invincible Vol. 12: Still Standing. Robert Kirkman, co-creator of Invincible, is the co-creator of The Walking Dead comic book series that originated the TV series, also acting as executive producer for the show.
- Invincible and Atom Eve make cameos as audience members in the 2023 video game WrestleQuest.
Notes
- "One Fan's Opinion: Issue #14". Comic Book Resources. November 10, 2005. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
- Petski, Denise (January 22, 2021). "Robert Kirkman's Animated Series 'Invincible' Gets Premiere Date On Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- Kabir, Kaisar (June 14, 2021). "A truly 'Invincible' comic book series". The Daily Star. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- Kirkman, Robert (August 17, 2016). "Robert Kirkman Brings Invincible To An End". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
- "This Week's Comics: Invincible #144 & Slots #5 - Skybound". Skybound. February 13, 2018. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ""Skybound X" #25 to Preview Four New Series". Multiversity Comics. April 20, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- "Skybound Announces Massive Plans for Invincible's 20th Anniversary (Exclusive)". Comics. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- mtv (August 27, 2008). "Episode 1". MTV. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- George Gene Gustines (July 14, 2008). "A Comic Book Superhero Is Headed to Small Screens – NYTimes.com". NYTimes/com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- Archived November 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- "Amazon.com: Invincible Season 1". www.amazon.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- "Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg to Adapt Robert Kirkman Comic 'Invincible' for Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- "'Invincible' live-action movie will exist separate from Amazon's animated series". EW.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (June 19, 2018). "Amazon Greenlights 'Invincible' Superhero Animated Series From Robert Kirkman". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
- "Invincible". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- "Clip: 'Invincible' Takes Flight on Amazon March 26". January 24, 2021. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- Otterson, Joe (April 29, 2021). "'Invincible' Renewed for Seasons 2 and 3 at Amazon". Variety. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- Kirkman, Robert [@RobertKirkman] (August 9, 2009). "Flying out tomorrow to New Mexico..." (Tweet). Retrieved July 25, 2010 – via Twitter.
- Pehanick, Maggie (November 30, 2015). "If You Blinked, You Missed This Easter Egg From The Walking Dead's Winter Finale". Popsugar. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
References
- Invincible at the Grand Comics Database
- Invincible at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)