Invincible #83

Mark learns of the Reanible's existence. Tether Tyrant and Magmaniac aim to send a message to the underworld. And Robot/Rex is a very sad panda.

The Good

Ottley's art is sharp as always I'm continually impressed by how he's handling the weightier character moments that have permeated the last couple of issues. Some particular stand out moments include Tether Tyrant's reactions to what goes down later in the story and Rex's total listlessness throughout the issue. It really nice to see this other side of his talent being put to such prominent use.

I like the course of development Mark and Cecil's relationship is taking and how he's been maturing in his world view. One of the unique things about this series is Mark aging (more or less) in real time so we get to witness the kind of character growth that's very rare in superhero comics.

Reading Mark and Eve interact is always a good time. I'm continually impressed with how natural and accurately Kirkman writes their relationship (and relationships/character interaction in general). The way she teases Mark about his lil' bed phobia was a really nice and fun moment.

The Bad

I'm usually a big fan of Rauch's color work but here it looked a bit off and much more rushed than last issue.

There just wasn't enough focus on Mark. Too many pages and panels focused on the other characters and this issue left me feeling like this was another comic with some random appearances of Mark thrown in.

The stuff with Magmaniac and Tether Tyrant really didn't need to happen in this issue and despite some emotional impact and impressive art felt like filler.

Some of the dialog in this issue was way to expository and didn't feel nearly as organic as I'm used to when it comes to kirkman's writing.

The Verdict

Last review I applauded Kirkman for his world building, but here he takes it a bit too far and the story loses focus on it's protagonist. This really felt like an Issue of Guarding the Globe featuring Invincible. It would really behoove Kirkman to buckle down and readjust the focus of this book. I'm all for exploring the greater world of Invincible, but I need to see it through Mark's eyes. The subplot with Rex/Monster girl really could and should be handled in Guarding the Globe. As a fan of the series I recommend it to fellow readers. But to new comers looking to get into the series, this issue isn't what invincible's all about.