Invincible (
Mark Grayson) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
, an
Image ComicsImage Comics is an American comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties...
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
. Created by writer
Robert KirkmanRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible and Marvel Zombies.-Biography:Kirkman's first comic book work was self published, through the publisher Funk-O-Tron...
and artist
Cory WalkerCory Black Mr. Duarte Walker is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for work on Image Comics' Invincible a series and character he co-created with writer Robert Kirkman...
, the character first appeared in
Tech JacketTech Jacket was a six issue American comic book created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist E.J. Su, published monthly by Image Comics in November 2002 to April 2003. The book is a part of Kirkman's overarcing Image Universe, which is anchored by Invincible, but also includes such heroes as Savage...
#1 (November
2002-January:* January 4: Kurt Schaffenberger dies at age 81.* January 10: John Buscema dies at age 74.-May:* May 3: Tom Sutton dies at age 65.* May 7: Robert Kanigher dies at age 86.-First issues by title:Strange Killings...
).
Invincible is the teenaged son of
Omni-ManOmni-Man is the former premier superhero of the fictional world depicted in Image Comics' Invincible. He is derived from Superman of DC Comics. Omni-Man is a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength, super speed, virtual immortality,...
, an
extraterrestrialIn popular cultures, life forms —especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin, i.e. not coming from the Earth are referred to collectively as aliens....
superhero of the Viltrumite race, recently revealed to be more than he seems. Invincible inherited his father’s superhuman strength and ability to fly and he has sworn to protect the
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
. He has had trouble adjusting to his newfound powers and coping with the reality of his origins.
Invincible
began in 2003-November:* November 12: John Tartaglione dies at age 81.* November 30: Kin Platt dies at age 92.-First issues by title:Opus...
, and was a debut title in Image's new superhero line, one reminiscent of the GoldenThe Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s...
and Silver AgesThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and the interregnum the Atomic Age, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from...
of comics, as opposed to the more modernThe Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
and dark comics, such as SpawnSpawn is a fictional comic book character, an undead superhero created by Todd McFarlane. Spawn primarily appears in a comic of the same name, published by Image Comics, and his first appearance was in Spawn #1 .-Overview:...
and Savage DragonSavage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character first appeared in Megaton #3 ....
,
which Image is known for.
After several months of attention from the comics media, Invincible
became the most popular and best-selling title in the Image Comics line since Spawn.
Wizard: The Comics Magazine
has given the book its coveted Book of the Month award for best monthly comic.
While Robert Kirkman has been the sole writer of the series, Cory Walker and
Ryan OttleyRyan Ottley, aka Uncle WYA, is an American comic book artist. He is best known for work on Image Comics' Invincible.-Biography:Ottley is the artist and co-creator of the webcomic strip "Ted Noodleman: Bicycle Delivery Boy", and it was through this webstrip that Robert Kirkman first encountered...
have contributed the art.
Invincible (
Mark Grayson) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
, an
Image ComicsImage Comics is an American comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by seven high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties...
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
. Created by writer
Robert KirkmanRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible and Marvel Zombies.-Biography:Kirkman's first comic book work was self published, through the publisher Funk-O-Tron...
and artist
Cory WalkerCory Black Mr. Duarte Walker is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for work on Image Comics' Invincible a series and character he co-created with writer Robert Kirkman...
, the character first appeared in
Tech JacketTech Jacket was a six issue American comic book created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist E.J. Su, published monthly by Image Comics in November 2002 to April 2003. The book is a part of Kirkman's overarcing Image Universe, which is anchored by Invincible, but also includes such heroes as Savage...
#1 (November
2002-January:* January 4: Kurt Schaffenberger dies at age 81.* January 10: John Buscema dies at age 74.-May:* May 3: Tom Sutton dies at age 65.* May 7: Robert Kanigher dies at age 86.-First issues by title:Strange Killings...
).
Invincible is the teenaged son of
Omni-ManOmni-Man is the former premier superhero of the fictional world depicted in Image Comics' Invincible. He is derived from Superman of DC Comics. Omni-Man is a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength, super speed, virtual immortality,...
, an
extraterrestrialIn popular cultures, life forms —especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin, i.e. not coming from the Earth are referred to collectively as aliens....
superhero of the Viltrumite race, recently revealed to be more than he seems. Invincible inherited his father’s superhuman strength and ability to fly and he has sworn to protect the
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
. He has had trouble adjusting to his newfound powers and coping with the reality of his origins.
Invincible
began in 2003-November:* November 12: John Tartaglione dies at age 81.* November 30: Kin Platt dies at age 92.-First issues by title:Opus...
, and was a debut title in Image's new superhero line, one reminiscent of the GoldenThe Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s...
and Silver AgesThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and the interregnum the Atomic Age, the Silver Age is considered to cover the period from...
of comics, as opposed to the more modernThe Modern Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the period in the history of mainstream American comic books generally considered to last from the mid-1980s until present day...
and dark comics, such as SpawnSpawn is a fictional comic book character, an undead superhero created by Todd McFarlane. Spawn primarily appears in a comic of the same name, published by Image Comics, and his first appearance was in Spawn #1 .-Overview:...
and Savage DragonSavage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character first appeared in Megaton #3 ....
,
which Image is known for.
After several months of attention from the comics media, Invincible
became the most popular and best-selling title in the Image Comics line since Spawn.
Wizard: The Comics Magazine
has given the book its coveted Book of the Month award for best monthly comic.
Creators
While Robert Kirkman has been the sole writer of the series, Cory Walker and
Ryan OttleyRyan Ottley, aka Uncle WYA, is an American comic book artist. He is best known for work on Image Comics' Invincible.-Biography:Ottley is the artist and co-creator of the webcomic strip "Ted Noodleman: Bicycle Delivery Boy", and it was through this webstrip that Robert Kirkman first encountered...
have contributed the art. Cory Walker co-created the book and provided art from #1 to #7. Ryan Ottley assumed art duties with issue #8 and has been pencilling since. Kirkman has provided back-up space for a few aspiring comic creators, most notably
Benito CerenoFor the short story by Herman Melville, see Benito Cereno.Benito Cereno is the pseudonym of Jamie Groover. He is a writer of comic books. To date, his only full-length work is 2004's Tales From the Bully Pulpit, but he is also known for his strips in early issues of Robert Kirkman's comic book...
and Nate Bellegarde.
Family Matters (Issues 1-4)
Markus Sebastian "Mark" Grayson is a teenage superhero who calls himself
Invincible. He was a normal
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
senior with a normal part-time job and otherwise normal life, except his father Nolan is the
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
Omni-ManOmni-Man is the former premier superhero of the fictional world depicted in Image Comics' Invincible. He is derived from Superman of DC Comics. Omni-Man is a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength, super speed, virtual immortality,...
, the most powerful superhero on the planet. At the age of 17, Mark begins to display superpowers, which come from his father being a member of the Viltrumite race, who, according to Nolan, pioneer the
galaxyA galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The name is from the Greek root galaxias [γαλαξίας], meaning "milky," a reference...
on a mission of benevolence and enlightenment. As Invincible, Mark begins working as a
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
, with his father acting as his mentor, and meeting other heroes. Mark worked occasionally with a superhero team called the
Teen TeamTeen Team is a team of teen-age superheroes in the world of Invincible. The group is loosely based on DC Comics's Teen Titans or Legion of Super Heroes. The group was introduced in issue #2. Tensions flare in the team when Rex Splode is revealed to be cheating on Atom Eve with Dupli-Kate...
(consisting of Robot, Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Atom Eve), from there discovering that his physics teacher has been turning his students into human bombs. He stops his teacher with the help of the heroine, Atom Eve. He also foils a plan to make an army of robots, created by the Mauler Twins. Meanwhile Omni-Man is kidnapped by aliens, taken to another dimension, but returns after what seems to be only a few days, but was actually eight months to him.
Eight Is Enough (Issues 5-8)
Invincible goes into space to fight Allen the Alien. After an initially hostile encounter, Mark discovers that Allen has actually been employed to test the strength of superheroes. Allen realizes he is on the wrong planet and leaves. Mark goes to college with his friend William, where he is attacked by a mysterious robot zombie (later revealed to be one of DA Sinclair's 'Reanimen') and in the process, William learns of his secret identity. Mark begins dating his classmate, Amber Bennet and Eve's boyfriend Rex Splode has an affair with Dupli-Kate. Meanwhile, Earth's premier superhero team, The Guardians Of The Globe, are brutally murdered by Omni-Man. Only the de-powered Black Sampson survives. At the funeral, Sampson's butler destroys the graves, jealous that somebody killed the Guardians before he did. Nobody knows that Omni-Man killed the heroes, but an investigation is launched. After the funeral, the Mauler Twins dig up the body of the Immortal.
Perfect Strangers (Issues 9-13)
The Guardians Of The Globe hold auditions for a new team. All of the Teen Team (except Atom Eve) are hired into the new team (led by Robot) by Cecil Steadman, head of the Global Defence Agency. Monster Girl and Shrinking Ray are also hired. Mark and Eve stop a team of criminals called the Lizard League from poisoning the water supply. The Mauler Twins reanimate The Immortal, the leader of the old Guardians, who fights Omni-Man. Invincible arrives to see his father rip the Immortal in half. Omni-Man then explains that the Viltrumites are actually a race of alien invaders, and he was sent to initiate a hostile takeover of Earth. His father describes everyone on the planet as meaningless and insignificant. Mark fights his father and the ensuing battle results in thousands of deaths. Just as Omni-Man is about to kill his son, he flies off into space. After Mark recovers, he is hired by Cecil Steadman as a professional super hero. Eve and Mark's friend William embark on a relationship. Mark's mother is left into a state of shock. Invincible flies into space to find that Allen the Alien has returned, warning him that his father is a Viltrumite. Mark replies that Allen is too late and that he knows and he has turned against his father. Mark says that all that is left is to finish high school.
Further
Angstrom LevyAngstrom Levy is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Image Comics series Invincible. His first appearance was in Invincible #16...
is introduced as a man who has the power to teleport between dimensions. He has a plan to assemble every version of himself from other dimensions in order to absorb all of their knowledge, seemingly to help benefit mankind. He is aided by the Mauler Twins to build the device. Just as the machine starts up, Invincible intervenes to arrest the Mauler Twins. During the ensuing fight, Angstrom, aware that Invincible's life is in peril, removes himself from the machine which causes it to explode. Only one Mauler survives, along with Invincible and Angstrom Levy. Levy, now mad, claims that the process was a success although it left him hideously disfigured. He escapes to another dimension to recuperate.
Later, when meeting his father on another world, Mark learns he has a little paternal half-brother . When a contingent of Viltrumites arrives on the planet, Mark and Nolan fight them. They lose, and Nolan is taken prisoner. As he is taken away Nolan tells Mark to read his books. The Viltrumites who take Nolan give Mark the assignment that his father had, albeit with a 100 year deadline, believing he will fulfill it due to his heritage. Mark brings his half-brother to Earth and Mark's mum agrees to raise him.
While on holiday in Africa with a smitten Eve and Amber, Mark receives a threatening phone call and rushes home to find his mother and half-brother in the clutches of Angstrom Levy. Levy uses his powers to plunge Mark through a series of dangerous alternate realities to try to kill him (it is at this point during the storyline where Invincible is teleported to the Marvel Universe and meets Spider-Man and the New Avengers in Marvel Team-Up #14). Mark is so angry that he brutally assaults Levy as they fall through various dimensions, ending with Levy in massive trauma and Mark distressed, believing himself a murderer.
Stranded in a dimension, Mark is shortly thereafter discovered by a version of the Guardians of the Globe from 15 years in the future. Atom Eve reveals that she always loved him, and tells Mark to let her present-day self know how he feels about her. Mark, now returned to present time, kisses Eve before the Guardians, Eve and Mark embark on a mission to fight more alien lifeforms, this time Martians under Sequid leadership.
Returning from space Atom Eve confronts Mark about their relationship. Mark is also assaulted by a female Viltrumite, who reminds him that he is to secure the planet. As the Viltrumite returns to her home, she "captures" a deliberately submissive Allen the Alien. His plan is to meet with Nolan. Allen soon crosses paths with Nolan and a bond is formed between them.
After a fight with Doc Seismic and his minions, Mark learns that Cecil Steadman offered D.A Sinclair a job working for the government to create reanimen soldiers. Mark confronts Cecil at the Pentagon, which predictably ends in a brawl. Mark has to engage the Guardians of the Globe for assistance, as a device planted by Cecil in Mark's ear has Mark at a disadvantage. At the end of the pow-wow, Cecil promises to leave Mark alone, and the Guardians of the Globe suffer some resignations.
Mark begins to train Oliver, whose powers grow at an accelerated rate, granting him power almost on par with Mark's. After Oliver kills the Mauler Twins in a brutal display, Cecil begins to a conversation with Oliver. Invincible intervenes, and reminds Cecil not to bother his family. While Mark tries to convince Oliver of the inherent problems of murder, it is revealed that Mark also somewhat agrees with the violent philosophy of Oliver and their father, Nolan.
Multi-Paul, Dupli-Kate's brother, is freed from prison at this stage by his old boss. Further discussions between Mark and Oliver indicate that Oliver's acquiescence to Mark's requests for more peaceful actions may only be attempts to placate Mark.
On Earth Eve finally pushes Mark into consummating their relation, while in space Omni-Man is due for his execution. Allen the Alien initiates a jailbreak that empties the prison, freeing Nolan. Nolan reveals the secret that Viltrumites are near-extinct, with the pure-blooded population reduced to less than fifty individuals.
By now quite insane, Angstrom Levy plans revenge on Mark, the person he blames for his disfigurement. After having spied on Mark for a number of months, Levy initiates his plan to gather evil versions of Mark from other dimensions, and unleash them upon Mark's world. The plan fails, although Rex Splode dies, along with several of the evil Invincibles. Levy escapes to another dimension and is informed that he is now a prisoner by some of the populace of said dimension. Why he doesn't just teleport away isn't fully explained.
Mark is then meets another Viltrumite improbably called "Conquest". In a surprising twist, the two end up fighting, with the longest battle of the series so far, spanning four issues. Eve is nearly killed and it is revealed that Cecil and D.A Sinclaire are attempting to extrapolate the reanimen concept to the dead Viltrumites from Levy's attack. Eve manages to regenerate herself and aids Mark in defeating Conquest.
It is then revealed that Eve's self-regeneration seems to have damaged her control of her powers - and that Conquest was not killed, but is held prisoner, to be interrogated by Cecil.
Non-superpowered
- Debbie Grayson
Debbie Grayson is a fictional character, a supporting character in the Image Comics title Invincible. She is the mother of Mark Grayson and the wife of Omni-Man.-Character Biography:...
: Mark's mother.
- Amber Justine Bennett: Mark's ex-girlfriend.
- William Francis Clockwell: Mark's roommate and best friend.
- Cecil Stedman: Government liaison and head of the clandestine Global Defense Agency.
- Donald Ferguson: Cecil's assistant, Guardian of the Globe contact, and android.
- Art Rosenbaum: Superhero tailor and family friend.
- Rick Sheridan: Mark and William's classmate at Upstate University, turned into one of the Reanimen.
Superheroes
- Omni-Man
Omni-Man is the former premier superhero of the fictional world depicted in Image Comics' Invincible. He is derived from Superman of DC Comics. Omni-Man is a member of Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess superhuman strength, super speed, virtual immortality,...
: Mark's father Nolan, former greatest super-hero of Earth.
- Oliver Grayson: Mark's alien half-brother. The result of a relationship between Nolan and a member of an alien race who have short life spans, growing at a rapidly increased rate compared to humans. Taking the sobriquet of Kid Omni-Man, he attempts to rehabilitate Omni-Man memories in the general public.
- Atom Eve
Atom Eve is a fictional superhero, who appears in the comic book Invincible, published by Image Comics. Her first appearance was in Invincible #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
: Former classmate of Mark's and member of the Teen TeamTeen Team is a team of teen-age superheroes in the world of Invincible. The group is loosely based on DC Comics's Teen Titans or Legion of Super Heroes. The group was introduced in issue #2. Tensions flare in the team when Rex Splode is revealed to be cheating on Atom Eve with Dupli-Kate...
. Eve was created as a result of a government experiment to create super-beings. Can manipulate all matter, although a mental block has previously stopped her from creating and manipulating living things.
- Allen the Alien
Allen the Alien is an Image Comics character who first appeared in the Invincible series as an apparent alien aggressor, who Invincible's father, Omni-Man had fought several times in the past, all without talking with him...
: A Champion Evaluation Officer who works for the Coalition of Planets. He travels on a tight schedule and tests the skills of various powered heroes on each planet in order to determine if there is a suitable "champion" to defend that planet.
- The Guardians of the Globe
The Guardians of the Globe are the world's premiere superhero team in the Image Comics title Invincible. The original team were based on DC Comics' Justice League of America, and the name is possibly derived from the Global Guardians....
- The Immortal
The Immortal is a comic book superhero character from the Image Comics series Invincible.-Character History:The Immortal has been around for many, many years. He is older than the legend of King Arthur, serving as one of his legendary knights. He discovered North America, and fought in the...
: Apparently unkillable leader of the Guardians of the Globe. Currently is married to Dupli-Kate. Revealed to rule the world in the far future. Is finally killed by Invincible at his own behest. It's suggested in flashbacks that one of his past identities was in fact Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
. In the present storyline is alive.
- Black Samson
Black Samson is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Image Comics series Invincible. His first appearance was in Invincible #6.-Character History:...
: Lost his powers (and with them, his Guardian status) for a while before recovering them very abruptly.
- Robot
Robot is a fictional superhero appearing in the comic book Invincible, which is published by Image Comics.-History:Prior to the first issue of Invincible, Robot was the leader of the Teen Team....
: Former leader of the Teen TeamTeen Team is a team of teen-age superheroes in the world of Invincible. The group is loosely based on DC Comics's Teen Titans or Legion of Super Heroes. The group was introduced in issue #2. Tensions flare in the team when Rex Splode is revealed to be cheating on Atom Eve with Dupli-Kate...
and leader of the Guardians of the Globe until replaced by the Immortal. Not an actual robot, but a malformed human, living in life-support tank, he cloned a new human body for himself using Rex Splode's DNA with the help of the Mauler twins. Recently became romantically involved with Monster Girl.
- Rex Splode
Rex Splode is a fictional superhero in the Image Comics series Invincible, gifted with the ability to make inanimate objects explode. He first appeared in Invincible #2 .-Fictional character biography:...
: Former member of the Teen Team and the Guardians of the Globe. Sacrificed himself to kill a hostile alternate-dimension Invincible.
- Dupli-Kate
Dupli-Kate is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Image Comics title Invincible. She was previously a member of the Teen Team and is now one of the Guardians of the Globe.-Character History:...
: Former Member of the Teen Team and the Guardians of the Globe.
- Bulletproof
Bulletproof is a fictional character a comic book superhero from the Image Comics series Invincible. His first appearance was in Invincible #9, but before the name Invincible was settled on, Bulletproof was one of the proposed names of the main character of the series...
: 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.)
- Shrinking Ray: Former member of the Guardians of the Globe, now dead.
- Monster Girl
Monster Girl is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Image Comics title Invincible.-Fictional character biography:As the result of a curse, Monster Girl has the power to transform into a large, powerful monster; however, every time she does this she is physically younger than before...
: A girl who was cursed by a gypsy, now able to turn into a large troll like being with super-strength. A side effect is that with each change into Monster-girl, her normal self becomes younger physically.
- The Shapesmith
Shapesmith is a fictional character a comic book superhero from the Image Comics series Invincible.-Character History:Shapesmith is a Martian, using his metamorphic abilities to disguise himself as astronaut Rus Livingston and fight crime...
: A Martian, disguised as human Rus Livingston, who uses his metamorphic powers to change his shape. Currently a fugitive of Mars for allowing the Sequid fiasco to occur.
- 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 one of the extra-dimensional Invincibles into the Shadow-verse and his destiny is still unclear. Presumed dead.
- Fightmaster and Drop Kick: Two time-travelling martial arts masters who stole the Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. From the same era as the future insane Immortal.
Enemies
- Mauler Twins: An evil scientist and his clone, whom both continuously argue as to which is the original, though secretly neither of them are sure. Recently both Mauler twins were killed by Kid Omni-Man; with no one alive to clone them it is uncertain if they will come back.
- Angstrom Levy
Angstrom Levy is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Image Comics series Invincible. His first appearance was in Invincible #16...
: A disfigured genius with the ability to leap across dimensions
- The Viltrumite Empire: Invincible and Omni-Man's people. Prone to extreme violence, much like the comic of late.
- Titan: Titan can encase his body in super-strong, nearly invulnerable rock. Titan first appeared in Capes. Titan was a member of the Order until Mister Liu revoked his membership.
- Battle Beast: One of Machine Head's several henchman. 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 Flaxians: Aliens from another dimension, in which time passes at a dramatically slower pace.
- Machine Head: A crime boss with a robotic head.
- D.A. Sinclair: A young and reclusive scientist at Upstate University, is the creator of the "Reanimen", robotic zombies intended to be "the soldiers of the future". Was last seen working on into building reanimen using the corpses of the extra-dimensional Invincibles.
- Doc Seismic: A villain with special gauntlets that enable him to induce earthquakes.
- Rus Livingston: An astronaut accidentally left 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
The Serpent Society is a fictional organization of snake-themed supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The group was initially formed from the membership of a previous supervillain team, the Serpent Squad. The group, like its predecessor, has been made up of longtime antagonists of Captain...
, HYDRAHYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe. The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #135. In its original continuity, it was headed by nondescript businessman Arnold Brown, who was killed as S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently crushed the organization...
and CobraCobra is the fictional nemesis of the G.I. Joe team in the Hasbro action figure toylines G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, as well as their related media....
. The Lizard League consisted of King Lizard, Komodo Dragon, Salamander, and Iguana; their secret headquarters lies in the Florida Everglades and bares a striking resemblance to a Cobra Terrordrome. King Lizard is the only member of the Lizard League to currently be alive.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bi-Plane: An age-old villain who believes in using old-fashioned technology for his attacks. Dead.
- The Elephant: A "lame Rhino
The Rhino is a supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He is also a frequent adversary of Spider-Man and occasionally the Hulk. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 .As part of a Soviet super soldier program, a superstrong polymer...
rip-off".
- Isotope: A character modeled after real life comic book store owner James Sime of Isotope Comics in San Francisco.
- 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.
- Multi-Paul
Multi-Paul is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Image Comics series Invincible.Multi-Paul is the twin brother of Dupli-Kate. Very little is known about him as he was only mentioned in the 3 page Dupli-Kate origin story...
: Dupli-Kate's Brother and a member of the criminal organization called the Order.
- Mister Liu: Miter Liu is an elderly Asian cyborg
A cyborg is a cybernetic organism . The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
and high ranking member of the criminal organization called the Order. He can project his soul out of his body; which takes the form of giant oriental dragon.
- Conquest: Conquest is an elderly, battle-scarred member of the Viltrumite Empire. Currently believed to be dead, actually held as a prisoner by Cecil Steadman.
In 2003 and 2004, Image and Robert Kirkman published several other superhero series:
Tech JacketTech Jacket was a six issue American comic book created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist E.J. Su, published monthly by Image Comics in November 2002 to April 2003. The book is a part of Kirkman's overarcing Image Universe, which is anchored by Invincible, but also includes such heroes as Savage...
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
BritBrit is a fictional superhero published by Image Comics. He first appeared in "Brit" , and was created by Robert Kirkman.-Publication history:...
, 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 is 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 JacketTech Jacket was a six issue American comic book created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist E.J. Su, published monthly by Image Comics in November 2002 to April 2003. The book is a part of Kirkman's overarcing Image Universe, which is anchored by Invincible, but also includes such heroes as Savage...
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). In The Astounding Wolf-ManThe Astounding Wolf-Man is a comic book ongoing series launched by Image Comics on May 5, 2007. The series was created and is written by Robert Kirkman with art by Jason Howard. The first issue of The Astounding Wolf-Man was given away for free as part of Free Comic Book Day...
, Art, Invincible's tailor, appeared, designing the title character's costume. Wolf-man has also appeared in Invincible
#48 & 49.
Connection to Image's superhero universe
Invincible, along with Firebreather and other new Image superhero characters, debuted in an issue of The
Savage DragonSavage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen and published by Image Comics. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon. The character first appeared in Megaton #3 ....
, and has since appeared with several of the characters in The Pact
mini-series. Robert Kirkman has written a Savage Dragon: God War
mini-series and two SuperpatriotSuperPatriot is an Image Comics superhero created by Erik Larsen in 1992. SuperPatriot has had regular appearances in Erik Larsen's titles, whether in his own mini-series or as a supporting character and is currently a member of the Liberty League....
mini-series, establishing the friendship between Superpatriot's wife Claire and Invincible's mother in the pages of Invincible
#13 and later. The Savage Dragon
connection is mostly downplayed and Invincible
follows its own continuity, tied mainly with previously mentioned satellite Kirkman characters. Invincible also appeared in the fourth issue of Jay Faerber's Noble CausesNoble Causes is an American comic book series created and written by Jay Faerber, illustrated by a variety of artists and published by Image Comics....
, and was seen at the funeral for Captain Dynamo, father of the characters in Faerber's Dynamo 5Dynamo 5 is a fictional comic book superhero team appearing in their self-titled monthly series by Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
. Similarly, Invincible #48 features cameo appearances from several Savage Dragon characters, as well as both Dynamo 5, and many of Kirkman's own creations, while an earlier issue featured a funeral for the Guardians of the Globe, at which many Image characters, including Savage Dragon and
Jack StaffJack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines....
, were in attendance.
Invincible #60 is a "done-in-one crossover event" with characters such as
SpawnSpawn is a fictional comic book character, an undead superhero created by Todd McFarlane. Spawn primarily appears in a comic of the same name, published by Image Comics, and his first appearance was in Spawn #1 .-Overview:...
and
WitchbladeWitchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows the lives...
making appearances. During the invasion of Invincible's evil counterparts from
alternate dimensionsParallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a multiverse, although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute physical reality...
we saw all Image heroes, like Spawn, Savage Dragon, Witchblade,
DarknessThe Darkness is a series of American comic books produced by Top Cow Productions. The comic first appeared in 1996 and enjoyed an initial period of relative success during the Top Cow/Image Comics boom of the late 1990s. However, Top Cow was forced to "re-launch" the comic in 2002 after sales...
,
FirebreatherFirebreather is a comic book created by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn and published by Image Comics. The series focuses on the life of a teenage half-dragon. The story has been told in a mini-series and a one-shot...
or
PittPitt is a fictional character who appears in a comics series by American publisher Full Bleed Studios. Created by Dale Keown, he first appeared in Pitt #1 . Pitt is a human/alien hybrid, created by an alien race known as the Creed, genetically engineered to serve as a killing machine...
fighting invaders alongside Invincible, the Guardians of the Globe, Brit and Wolf-Man.
Trade paperbacks
Each volume of Invincible trade paperback is named after a popular sitcom.
| Title | ISBN | Release Date | Collected Material |
|---|
Invincible Vol. 1: Family MattersFamily Matters is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom about an African-American middle-class family living in Chicago. The series was spun-off from Perfect Strangers and revolves around the Winslow family. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslow's nerdy neighbor Steve...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0320-1 |
11/2/03 |
Invincible #1-4 |
Invincible Vol. 2: Eight is EnoughEight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series which ran on ABC from March 15, 1977 until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled after syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life father with eight children, who wrote a book with the same name...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0347-3 |
4/28/04 |
Invincible #5-8 |
Invincible Vol. 3: Perfect StrangersPerfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986 to August 6, 1993 on the ABC television network. It chronicles the rocky coexistence of Larry Appleton and his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0391-0 |
12/1/04 |
Invincible #9-13 |
Invincible Vol. 4: Head of the ClassHead of the Class was an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. It followed a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0440-2 |
4/20/05 |
Invincible #14-19; Image Comics Summer Special |
Invincible Vol. 5: The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to September 10, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' original premise focused on the character, Edna Garrett , as she becomes housemother to seven girls at the...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0554-9 |
11/16/05 |
Invincible #0, 20-24, 25 (origin stories from the back only) |
Invincible Vol. 6: A Different WorldA Different World is an American television sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC . It was a spin-off series from The Cosby Show originally centered on Denise Huxtable and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in the state of Virginia...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0579-4 |
6/5/06 |
Invincible #25-30 |
Invincible Vol. 7: Three's CompanyThree's Company is an American sitcom that aired from 1977 to 1984 on ABC. It is a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House....
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-5824-0656-1 |
12/20/06 |
Invincible #31-35; The Pact (comics) The Pact was a superhero team released in two limited series by Image Comics.-Vol.I:The members were Handgunn, Blacklight, Slam and Cutlass. The mini-series was three issues.-Synopsis:...
#4 |
Invincible Vol. 8: My Favorite MartianMy Favorite Martian is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963 to May 1, 1966 for 107 episodes...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-683-9 |
7/19/07 |
Invincible #36-41 |
Invincible Vol. 9: Out of This WorldOut Of This World is an American sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in U.S. syndication on September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-58240-827-0 |
6/18/08 |
Invincible #42-47 |
Invincible Vol. 10: Who's the Boss?Who's the Boss? is an American television sitcom starring Tony Danza, Judith Light, Alyssa Milano, Danny Pintauro, and Katherine Helmond...
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-013-2 |
5/20/09 |
Invincible #48-53 |
Invincible Vol. 11: Happy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. The show presents an idealized vision of life in mid 1950s to mid 1960s America....
|
Paperback: ISBN 1-60706-062-0 |
8/24/09 |
Invincible #54-59; The Astounding Wolf-ManThe Astounding Wolf-Man is a comic book ongoing series launched by Image Comics on May 5, 2007. The series was created and is written by Robert Kirkman with art by Jason Howard. The first issue of The Astounding Wolf-Man was given away for free as part of Free Comic Book Day...
#11 |
Hardcovers
| Title |
ISBN |
Release Date |
Collected Material |
| Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 1 |
ISBN 1-58240-500-X |
8/3/05 |
Collects #1-13, plus extras |
| Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 2 |
ISBN 1-58240-594-8 |
6/20/06 |
Collects #14-24, #1/2, #0, parts of #25, plus extras |
| Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 3 |
ISBN 1-58240-763-0 |
11/7/07 |
Collects #25-35, The Pact #4, plus extras |
| Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 4 |
ISBN 1-58240-989-7 |
4/29/09 |
Collects #36-47, plus extras |
| Invincible Ultimate Collection Hardcover Vol. 5 |
ISBN 1-60706-116-3 |
11/29/09 |
Currently listed as paperback. |
| The Complete Invincible Library Vol.1 |
ISBN 1-58240-718-5 |
3/28/07 |
Collects #1-24, #1/2, #0, parts of #25, plus extras |
| The Complete Invincible Library Vol.2 |
ISBN 1-60706-112-0 |
1/29/09 |
TBA |
Other collections
- Invincible also appeared in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The original series consisted of 150 issues, published from March 1972 through February 1985. The series featured Spider-Man in most of its...
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 to 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
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
, including similar covers. The series was collected into a trade paperback in November, 2007.
Adaptations
The comic has been turned into an audiovisual story by Gain Enterprises using the Bomb-xx process, and is broadcast on
MTV2MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to basic cable lineups across the nation...
and downloadable to mobile phones and from iTunes.
Cast
- Patrick Cavanaugh
Patrick Cavanaugh is an American television actor. He is best known as one of the leads in National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2, portraying the half of the goofy stoner duo of Pete and Wang . He also appeared in the original movie...
... Invincible
- Mark Fountain
Mark Fountain is an Australian middle distance runner.Fountain currently lives and trains in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the US where he is married to former University of Arkansas All-America runner, Erica Sigmont. He is currently sponsored by Adidas, making him a full time athlete...
... Nolan Grayson
- Victoria Kelleher ... Debbie Grayson
- Wendy Allyn ... Atom Eve
- Stan Kirsch
Stanley Benjamin Kirsch is an American actor, screenwriter and director.His first acting job was at the age of 4 when he appeared in some Campbell's soup television commercials...
... Robot
- Jeff Shuter ... William
- J. Anthony McCarthy ... Criminal
- Tom Ohmer ... Cecil Steadman
- Hosea Chanchez
Hosea Chanchez , also credited as Hosea, is an American actor of African-American and Dominican decent. He is perhaps best known for his role as professional football player Malik Wright on the CW comedy-drama TV series The Game.-Biography:Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Chanchez spent most of his...
... Mauler Twins
- Daniel Kirschner ... Criminals
- Eric Wolfgang Nelson ... Rex Splode
- Keith Stone ... Allen the Alien
- Mike Connel ... Derek
- Bill Garnet ... Art Rosenbaum
- Leslie-Anne Huff ... Dupli-Kate
- Paul Kresge ... Teen Bomb
- Cynthia Sophiea ... Mrs. Thatcher
In popular culture
- In the King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997 to September 13, 2009 on Fox. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Arlen, Texas...
episode "Behind Closed Doors", BobbyRobert Jeffrey "Bobby" Hill is a character on the animated series King of the Hill and is voiced by Pamela Adlon. Born September 29, he is the 13-year old only child of Hank and Peggy Hill.- Character biography :...
is seen reading a comic entitled Unvincible, whose title and cover art is similar to the first issue of Invincible. Also on King Of The Hill, 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.
External links