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    The Invisibles #1

    The Invisibles » The Invisibles #1 - Dead Beatles released by DC Comics on September 1994.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    Dead Beatles last edited by gravenraven on 05/27/23 05:15AM View full history

    From the mind of acclaimed writer Grant Morrison! Join disaffected British teen Dan McGowan as he encounters the clandestine group known as the Invisibles and discovers the strange underside of the world in this mind-bending series!

    In the shadows of the Egyptian pyramids, King Mob sits talking to Elfayed. King Mob is a man with a shaved bald head and lots of piercings, while Elfayed is an Arabic man dressed in a white suit and a black tie. Elfayed holds a mummified scarab in his hand and talks to KM about beginnings and cycles.

    Meanwhile, young Dane McGowan and his friends are getting their kicks by throwing molotov cocktails through the school library's windows. They hear the whine of the police sirens and set off running and jumping through the streets. They go to an abandoned building and drink beer to celebrate their night's exploits. One of the boys asks Dane if he's ever seen the "King Mob" graffiti that's been appearing all over town, including the empty room they're in now. Dane replies that it's strange, because he feels like he's seen it before even though he hasn't.

    King Mob is now in Paris talking to an elderly woman named Edith Manning. She evidently knows Gideon from 1924, and laments the fact that while she is now old, King Mob is still the same. She tells him that she heard about what happened to John-a-Dreams and presumes that King Mob's Invisible cell will be looking for a new recruit. KM tells her that they need her to get in touch with Tom; the two of them have some sort of link.

    The next day, Dane and his friends are in school. Their teacher, Mr. Malkie, asks Dane a question. Dane plays dumb like he doesn't know and suggests the answer was Molotov. Mr. Malkie becomes angry, but is stopped by the ringing of the bell. He catches Dane on his way out of class and talks to him. He tells Dane that he just wants to help, and that he knows that Dane is not like the rest of his friends. Dane replies with a simple "sir", and walks out the door.

    That night, Dane asks his mom for the video card because he doesn't want to go out that night. His mom refuses, and verbally abuses him. She has a boyfriend coming over, and orders her son out of the house. As Dane leaves his apartment building, he walks past some more "King Mob" graffiti.

    Dane goes and sits by the river; smoking a cigarette. He has a vision of a young John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe walking by; conversing about Stuart's departure from the Beatles. As they go walking off, a demonic creature appears behind Dane and whispers in his ear. Dane tells the creature to screw off and that he's not listening. Dane repeatedly states that he doesn't care about anything.

    Dane meets up with his friends, one of them bets Dane that he can't pick and hotwire a nearby car. Dane succeeds, and he and his friends go for a joyride in the car. After a wild ride in the car, they park it in an alley near the school. His friends ask him what they're doing at the school. Dane replies that they have nothing better to do tonight... he wants to blow up the whole F%#*ing school.

    Somewhere else, King Mob is having a psychedelic meeting with John Lennon...

    Dane and his friends are now in the school building setting their fires. His friends are frightened, but Dane doesn't care. They're suddenly interrupted by Mr. Malkie, who asks them what they're doing. They attack the teacher and he is savagely beaten, especially by Dane who in a rage tells the bloodied man that he will NEVER understand him.

    Sometime later, Dane and his friends are being sentenced in court. The judge states that if Dane were older, he would gladly sentence the youth to prison. Unfortunately, he must follow the law, but he intends to give Dane the most severe punishment possible. Dane McGowan is going to Harmony House.

    Dane rides to Harmony House with his parole officer, Miss Dwyer. Miss Dwyer wears a pair of dark sunglasses. She informs Dane that though he might have thought he got off easy by going to some comfortable detention facility out in the country; Harmony House has an "experimental" approach to dealing with young thugs.

    Inside Harmony House, Dane and the inmates attend a speech by the head of Harmony House, Mr. Gelt. Mr. Gelt is a heavy-set bald man wearing the same dark glasses as Miss Dwyer. Essentially his speech to the boys tells them that he will make them conform to society, and that they will think him for it. Later, Dane sits talking with his friends about how all the other boys seem like zombies. Mr. Gelt approaches their table and tells Dane's friend Gaz that it's time for his medical. Gaz goes off with a doctor, while Mr. Gelt goes for a walk with young Dane.

    King Mob is busy getting prepared for the night's escapade, while Ragged Robin reads the tarot cards. They talk about the beetle syncronicities, which is why KM decided to summon John Lennon. Lennon told him that they're going to have to "put the boy through the wringer". KM pulls a green apple from his jacket pocket and gives it to Robin, saying that Lennon also told him to give it to her. He tells her to call the others; they can't afford to lose the kid. As King Mob grabs his headdress, he remarks on how much he's been looking forward to visiting Harmony House. He reminisces about how it's funny that he used to want to be in a '60s spy series, and look at him now.

    At Harmony House, Dane and Mr. Gelt are walking through the halls. We see a poster hanging with three faces. One happy and one sad, with the word "bad" written underneath each, and one blank face with the word "good" written beneath it. Dane looks into a room and sees a boy hooked up to some sort of machine. Dane asks if it's virtual reality, because if so he wants to try. Mr. Gelt tells him that he will soon get his chance. He sends Dane back to his room and tells the youth that he will have a busy day tomorrow. Dane smirks and secretly gives him the "two-fingered salute".

    Mr. Gent enters his office. A tall, monstrous creature draped in robes and chains is awaiting him. The creature tells Mr. Gelt that they need Dane tonight. They cannot afford to have him fall to the other side. The creature orders Gelt to disrobe and unveil himself. Gelt does so, and begins licking the filth from between the creature's fingers.

    In his room, Dane awakes from a nightmare to hear an alarm going off. He sneaks out to go see Gaz, but Gaz is in a bad state. He lays in his bed; a vegetable able to only say two words: bad and good. Frightened, Dane leaves and goes running down some stairs. He finds himself in a room full of globs in glass jars. Mr. Gelt walks up from behind, and tells Dane that's what remains of the youths after Harmony House has done it's work. Gelt and a doctor approach Dane, but suddenly the doctor's face is shot off. Gelt looks behind him, and sees King Mob in his headdress. KM knocks Gelt with his gun, and orders Dane to stay behind him. They work their way through Harmony House; King Mob blasting any guards who try to stop them. One guard after being shot in the face mutters that this can't be happening. King Mob coldly tells him that it IS happening before pulling his trigger on the guard for a final time. They run into Mr. Gelt again on their way out. Gelt pulls his glasses off and tells KM to look into his new eyes. King Mob shoots him through the head and tells Gelt that if he can find them; he'll look at them.

    Outside, Dane asks his rescuer for his name. The man spray paints the "King Mob" graffiti over the Harmony House sign and tells Dane that he knows his name. He tells the youth that he is part of a secret group called "the Invisibles". As they walk away, KM explains to Dane that the enemy will probably try to find a new body for Mr. Gelt, and until then his consciousness will probably reside in a small organism like an insect. Dane unknowingly steps on a glowing green bug.

    King Mob takes Dane to the streets of London. Dane tells KM that it's probably time for him to split. After all, he can take care of himself. King Mob scoffs, while Dane gets distracted by a nice showcar. He absently asks King Mob his group call themselves the Invisibles, but doesn't receive an answer. Dane look around, and notices that he is alone. He breathes a muted expletive.

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    Pure Morrison 0

    Morrison's trademark is present right from the start. The first issue of this series has a cover that screams absolutely nothing at the top of its lungs. An Andy Warhol-esque picture of a hand grenade. It dares you, nay, challenges you to deduce its meaning. A task which is likely impossible upon the first issue alone. But it's odd artistic simplicity sets it apart from the rest of the comics out there. This is a cover that really grabs the eye with its unique style.  Steve Yeowell's art is kind...

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