Invincible #29

The Obligatory Warning: #29 is amazing, but it’s not for kids. It has what I call “The Smucker’s Effect,” where things get so messy it looks like a jelly warehouse blew up. Remember those Calvin & Hobbes strips where Calvin would read hilariously over-violent comics? There’re moments like that, only not funny.

The showdown in #29 pits Mark and his father, Nolan, against three Viltrumite warriors sent to bring Nolan home. For those unfamiliar with Invincible, Viltrumites are vastly powerful, stoic conquerors with a collective short fuse. Imagine Clark Kent as an ill-tempered Romulan, and you’ve got a Viltrumite. What makes this issue interesting is Nolan’s transformation from an unemotional Viltrumite to a very depressed, all-too-human character. It’s character development in the midst of Beowulf-ian violence: sweet and straightforward.

Worth the money? Yes. Remarkable work from a team that meshes so well it’s scary.