Collateral Damage
Mark has to carry the weight of the tragic events that occurred in Las Vegas and as if that wasn't enough Powerplex renews his crusade against Invincible.
The Good
One of the best things about this series is how Kirkman intricately explores aspects of superhero comics which are usually outright ignored or glossed over. In this issue we see the emotional toll that the destruction of Vegas has had upon Mark . This story could've quickly gone emo, but Kirkman expertly avoids this common trap. We get a good feel about how much heavily each and every life lost hits Mark, but he doesn't allow his failures to define him. He questions his mission this issue, but he soldiers on because he knows he has the power to help those who can't help themselves.
There's a nice little Easter egg featuring two very familiar looking sheriffs.
We get some followup on what's been going on with Chris AKA The Gravitator from last issue. He took Marks' advice and sold his tech, but unfortunately he sold it to a bank robber. When Mark goes to confront him there's some really humorous dialog between the two. Chris brings up a great point, there isn't exactly a hotline for blue collar, genius inventors to peddle their wares to the government agencies or scientific community.
Mark's grown a lot over the years and there's a great conversation between he and Cecil that show's this maturity and how it's altered his once black and white world view. It's nice to see Mark grow a bit more realistic but without violating his deeply held moral principles.
The fight between Mark and Powerplex was both visually impressive and emotionally resonant.
This book features one of the best art teams in the business and now that I've adjusted to Nikos Koutsis' colors I must say he's a very nice addition.
The Bad
I've got no complaints about this issue.
The Verdict
Buy This Comic!!!
Kirkman and co. turn out another great issue of Invincible. After spending a few issues dealing with the aftermath of the Viltrumite war it's good to see Mark and the others returning back to a state of relative normalcy and this title getting back to business.