Invincible #131 Review: Parents Are The Deadliest Warriors

The penultimate arc of Invincible is in full swing. When general Thragg launches an attack on the Grayson family, can all three survive?

Invincible #131

Writer/Co-Creator: Robert Kirkman

Artist/Co-Creator: Cory Walker

Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn

Cover Artist: Ryan Ottley

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Ever since its inception in 2003, Invincible has proven to be a ground breaking and original work. It features all of the appeal and tropes of a mainstream superhero comic with all of the creativity of an independent title. Truly anything can happen here, and often does. As the series winds down to its last baker’s dozen issues, the stakes have never been higher. While Invincible has had spin offs, this is one series which doesn’t need a crossover to feel important or add weight.

Image by Image Comics

The titular Mark Grayson is the son of a human and a Viltrumite. They are a race of super-humans from the planet Viltrum who once ruled the cosmos with an iron fist. Their warrior culture destroyed or enslaved countless worlds. Along with his repentant father Nolan and half brother Oliver, the Viltrumite empire was defeated. Reduced to less than three dozen Viltrumites, their general Thragg ordered a retreat. It had seemed like an era of peace could begin again.

How Often Does Peace Really Last in Superhero Comics?

Now, it seems that this was merely a regrouping strategy. The Viltrumites are all about “genetic purity,” often considering hybrids as weak and inferior. Seeing that mating with humans produced “pure” offspring like Mark, Earth became particularly important. Nolan had also discovered a race of “Mantis people” whose hybrid young aged rapidly. Thragg has used this knowledge to produce hundreds of heirs, and many of his remaining warriors have also begun a new generation.

Image by Image Comics

Even worse, during the five years that Mark spent in a time paradox, his half brother Oliver grew up and turned to Thragg. More accustomed to space than Earth, it’s possible he wanted to side with his true heritage. Confident in his replenished ranks, Thragg is now acting out against all enemies. This includes sending two of his ruthless teenage children to kill Mark, his wife Eve (formerly Atom Eve), and their daughter Terra. Their teaching robot “Eddy” is the first casualty.

Image by Image Comics

What follows is a tense, desperate struggle. Mark and Eve can’t just defend themselves, they have a toddler to protect. This increases the urgency of their strategy, and also forces them to think differently. Mark can’t just stand his ground, he has to get Terra to safety. Eve, who’s already lost a leg in their war, has to think of buying them time. We are also exposed to how ruthless Thragg’s son Onann truly is. Yet it is possible that his sister has some regret, or at least a hint of mercy?

Invincible Is Back at Its Peak!

There were years worth of Invincible stories where it seemed like Robert Kirkman was throwing ideas at a wall to see what stuck. Now that he’s plotted the franchise’s endgame, that era is over. There is a clear vision and suspenseful path to the proceedings akin to the series’ heyday. The space war arcs have often been its strong suit, and Kirkman’s embraced those elements with all his vigor. Mark and Eve have grown from teenagers to adults, and their responsibilities have changed.

Image by Image Comics

Series co-creator Cory Walker’s actually drawn relatively few issues of the run overall. Most times, his rare issues or arcs focused on other characters like Allen or Robot. Not only is this his best arc in terms of his growth as an artist, but it’s easily one of his most important in terms of scale since the first in 2003. From facial reactions to details of robots and clothing, to epic air chases and fights, Walker covers it all. Fairbairn’s colors add to the richness of the art.

Image by Image Comics

Terra continues to steal nearly every scene she is in. The game of catch seems to be a reoccurring theme in the Grayson family. Nolan played it with Mark, and both he and Mark played it with Oliver. As precocious as she is, her vulnerability is also played up here. It would be a terrible tragedy if she turns out to not survive this arc (or next). It would be quite shocking, and Kirkman’s rarely been shy about shock value deaths in this series. He often decimated his cast with them.

A Mustache Is the Mark of the Viltrumite Empire!

Arguably the only real criticism of the arc as a whole is how it plays to Thragg’s last battle with Mark and Nolan years ago. Although he’d lost the war, he had both Mark and Nolan at his mercy. His choice to spare them seemed bizarre. Did he not want to kill more Viltrumites at that time? An act of grace for leading them to Earth to breed? Plot convenience? Thragg’s decision to strike against the Graysons now, years later, seems wonky in that context. Maybe it was all about ranks.

Image by Image Comics

Next: See how things led to this in #130

Rather than make life “too easy” (as many Marvel and DC Comics editors would say), a healthy romantic life and a daughter has only made Mark and Eve’s saga more dramatic. No issue demonstrates that fact better than this one. Space empires and the fate of galaxies pale in comparison to two parents wanting to save their child from a threat. Now has never been a better time to catch up on Invincible. 2017 looks like it will be a fantastic final year for this Image series.