Howdy Bookworms,

I hope you’re having a good week. Mine’s not too shabby. Since grad school is now officially over for the year, things have slowed down a bit and I’m enjoying every minute of it!

Speaking of enjoyment, I’m back with another graphic novel review!

This time I read Invincible: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman.

Being a comic book geek, I’ve been a HUGE fan of Invincible since the show premiered on Amazon Prime. I just loved how well-rounded it is, and also how dark and gritty it can get. So once I saw a chance to get my hands on some of the comics at my library, I took it.

Now, I do have to point out that this is a compendium, meaning it is much bigger than a simple graphic novel. This baby was over 1000 pages and covers comics #0-47. Due to this, I’m going to have to sum up a lot in my review below.

Alright, you ready for this? On to the review!

Links

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

Now this is how you tell a superhero story!

I’ve been a fan of this comic book series since the show came out, and I’m happy to say that I absolutely loved the first compendium.

We follow the life of Mark Grayson, a senior at high school who has been waiting for his powers to activate. His dad is the famous Omni-Man, and he can’t wait to fight alongside him to protect planet Earth. Mark soon comes into his powers and loves being a superhero, but discovers that being one is not all sunshine and roses. The survival of humankind is constantly in jeopardy, and if he is to rise to the occasion he could very well die trying.

There is so much to love with this comic book series. The first thing I noticed was the art. It’s well executed and consistent. It’s not overly ornate, but not overly simplified either. There’s a lot of color and action. It’s all very eye-catching.

The characters really make this whole thing shine. Mark is your typical good guy. He wants to do the right thing because that’s who he was raised to be. He starts off in the series like this and we see a lot of character growth from him. He discovers just how difficult it is to handle certain situations when right and wrong isn’t so black and white, and also how dangerous his powers and emotions can be. I can’t wait to see more of Mark’s journey.

There are a lot of other great characters: Mark’s Mom, Oliver, Atom Eve, the horde of superheroes around the globe. They’re all great in their own way and they grow just like Mark does as events unfold. These other characters have a lot of smaller plotlines, but rather than detract from the main story, they build upon it, creating an immersive universe and experience.

The plot was freaking fantastic! Fair warning. If you are looking for a happy go lucky superhero story, this isn’t your comic series. Invincible is a well-rounded experience, but it doesn’t hold back any punches. There are some scenes that are downright brutal, that rip your superhero-loving heart out and stomp on it a bit. To me that made it more realistic (and yes, a bit dark) and I appreciated it even more, though I did have to take the occasional break from disbelief at the craziness that was happening.

I really can’t say enough good things about this comic book series. If you love great superheroes with depth and aren’t squeamish at some hardcore superhero beat downs, this is the series to read!

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this graphic novel review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this graphic novels? Are there similar ones you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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