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Invincible: “My Favorite Martian” and “Out of This World” (Image Comics, 2003; #36-47)

Invincible’s still good.

  • Mark’s life starts to get back to normal after the betrayal and attack a couple of volumes ago.
  • So, he goes to space to fight Starro Squids that want to conquer Earth.
  • And he rationally talks through conflict.
  • He also punches bad guys.
  • Not everything resolves, which is part of the charm of the series; it’s long-form storytelling, so ideas are introduced and go on the back-burner to come back later.
  • But Kirkman’s good about circling back to ideas here; if anything, I’m not reading these trades frequently enough to not need a reminder about certain things that happened awhile ago.
  • Ottley and Crabtree’s art looks great, as always; their scenes in space and against the Martian parasites are stunning.

Collected in

  • Invincible, Vol. 8: My Favorite Martian (#36-41)
  • Invincible, Vol. 9: Out of This World (#42-47)
  • Invincible Ultimate Collection, Vol. 4 (#36-47)
  • Invincible Compendium, Vol. 1 (#0-47)

Credits

Writer: Robert Kirkman | Artist: Ryan Ottley | Colorist: Bill Crabtree | Letterer: Russ Wooton

Sandman: “Dream Country” (Vertigo, 1989; #17-20)

Kill Shakespeare: “A Sea of Troubles” (IDW Publishing, 2010; #1-6)