Invincible vol. 14: The Viltrumite War

Oh man!   “The Viltrumite War!”  I remember that sitcom!  BEST!  COMEDY!  EVER!  Even if it was moved around for fourteen different timeslots in the three months during the summer of 1987 that it was on.

Alright, so while the series’ naming trend of its collected editions is effectively broken with this volume, it still delivers one of its most satisfying efforts to date.

Building on plot threads that have been around since “Invincible’s” earliest days, the conflict that has been brewing between the decimated Viltrumite Empire and the Galactic Coalition finally blows up.  Leading the charge for the good of the galaxy is Mark, his brother Oliver, and their dad Nolan, with Allen the Alien and Tech Jacket bringing their own formidable skills, and the combined might of the entire Coalition.  Against them are nearly fifty of the deadliest and most powerful beings the galaxy has ever seen.

While the galaxy survives, and writer Robert Kirkman leaves himself with plenty of material for future volumes, I like the way that “Evil” managed to outsmart “Good” in the end.  Also great is the two-pronged bit of dramatic irony that Kirkman hits you with in the final issue.  However, it’s the epically brutal fights between the two sides that’s the real main attraction here.  Mark’s rematch against Conquest.  The showdown on the Coalition’s home planet.  The catastrophe at the Viltrumite homeworld.  All of these are spectacular action sequences that put what’s seen in most other superhero comics to shame.  Yes, the pace does flag while Mark regenerates after the Conquest fight, and I’m kinda disappointed to see that Viltrumites effectively have “Wolverine” levels of invulnerability.  You wouldn’t think that the “gut punches” seen here would be survivable, but apparently they were — with a little first aid.

Artist Ryan Ottley is also more than up to the task of depicting the intergalactic carnage seen here.  The fights in space have a real sense of scale to them, seen best when a ship descends upon our heroes in combat in the second chapter.  Then there’s the series of four double-page spreads in the fifth chapter, which depict something I can’t tell you about, but were definitely worth the havoc they played with the series’ schedule while it was being serialized.

Overall, this volume has all the strengths of the previous ones, only amped up to ridiculous levels.  While there may be a lot of Marvel and DC superhero titles that I like, none really capture the thrill and “What’s going to happen next?” anxiety like this one does.  Still one of the most purely entertaining titles on the market right now.