Invincible Appreciation Thread 5 5

[mikerb2223]

Its been a while guys... whats up?

[simplyrob]

Mike, how about a Tartakovsky style cartoon?

[The First Avenger]

 

Robert Kirkman on the End of INVINCIBLE

 

http://www.skybound.com/robert-kirkman-on-the-end-of-invincible/

 

“My greatest hope in life is to one day, when I’m much older, be reading an INVINCIBLE comic book by younger creators I haven’t met, who are doing a book that I hate.”

 

I’ve been asked many times over the thirteen years of writing INVINCIBLE how long I think this book will go. Some form of that statement has always been my answer. I always thought it would be a great honor to see Invincible rise to the level of Superman or Spider-Man in the pantheon of comic book superheroes. Characters who far outlived their original stories and eventually transformed into story engines that sort of tell the same story (to a certain extent) in perpetuity for generation after generation.

 

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that goes against everything INVINCIBLE, as a series, has stood for since the very beginning. When Cory Walker and I created him, and with Ryan Ottley, since he joined the team with issue 8, the point of this series has always been to celebrate what we love about superhero comics, but always put our own spin on it. To play with the tropes of the genre, but twist them into something new, at all times, no matter what.

 

That is why villains sometimes win, and heroes give up… and eventually stop being heroes altogether… and change happens, and sticks, and characters die, and never come back… no matter how popular they are (we maybe should have kept Conquest alive).

 

So then, it stands to reason, that if most superhero comics continue forever with no end in sight and over their runs do not, in any way, tell a cohesive story that holds together to form a singular narrative… shouldn’t INVINCIBLE do the exact opposite?

 

It’s been many years now that Ryan Ottley and myself, with occasional help from co-creator Cory Walker (issue 130 in stores soon!) have been chronicling the adventures of Mark Grayson and the many characters that orbit his life. As I began plotting out the issues that lay ahead of us over this next year, I started to realize I was reaching a… conclusion. The big Viltrumite epic, which began with Nolan Grayson going to Earth and fathering Mark, and kicked off with their confrontation all those years ago in issue 11… was coming to an end. Everything was converging in this one story, and looking back, I realized I’d been working toward this the whole time. In talking it over with Ryan I learned, much to my surprise, that the idea of drawing something other than INVINCIBLE someday… and not being stuck in this monthly grind we’ve been in for well over a decade… appealed to him. So it wasclear, I was writing to a conclusion and Ryan was also drawing to one.

 

So that led to the question of what comes next?

 

I briefly considered bringing on another team, starting that eventual march to that book I’d read in my old age and throw across the room saying, “This isn’t INVINCIBLE!” And while I did consider some really cool options that would have led to some really cool issues of INVINCIBLE… more and more as I thought about it, I realized ending the series was the right thing to do.

 

So that’s what we’re doing! Issue 144, the conclusion of the 12-part epic THE END OF ALL THINGS, will be the final issue of Invincible. I’m sure when it’s all said and done, I’ll be sad, and I know I will miss these characters, but for the time being, I’m excited. Ryan will be coming back to the book with issue 133 in November, and we’re going to hit the ground running. We’ve got a wild ride in store for the fans where we’re going to touch every corner of the Invincible Universe, and in the end, tie things up in a really cool and unexpected way.

 

So we’ve got a little over a year to go, and it’s going to be one hell of a year! So please join us for our swan song, thirteen years in the making! We couldn’t have done it without you, the fans, so lets all cross the finish line together!

 

Robert Kirkman

Backwoods, CA

2016

 

I've never read the book but I've been wanting to pick up the trades and see if I'd enjoy it. Sorry to those that enjoy it and hate to see it end.

Edited August 17, 2016 by The First Avenger

[Tuff Ghost]

Wow, can't believe it. I am ok as long as it ends on a high note. I much rather this end on a high then it go on for too long and Ryan and Kirkman not have their heart in it 100%. I would not like if another creative team took over.

[cbalroman]

Sad to hear the news but know that the last year of issues will be awesome! Then the re-read journey from issue 1 to 144.

[ThoseBackPages]

i wonder if 'Vince #144 will mirror Dead #144

Edited August 17, 2016 by ThoseBackPages

[the authority]

Before Kirkman was KIRKMAN, I read both The Walking Dead and Invincible as they came out from issue #1 of each. At the time, it seemed to me that Invincible was going to be the primary hit while TWD was be a cult book. So I stopped reading TWD around issue #20 thinking at that time, " how much more could these people go through before this starts getting old ? ". I read TWD in TPB form for years. It never occurred to me at issue #20, that he would expand so much from the original group or that humans would eventually be the greatest threat/enemy in the book. My mistake on where would they go...

 

...still, Invincible was incredible. Lots and lots of interesting characters that drew us in and literally a shocking moment at every corner. Characters that reminded me of friends and family filled the story. One could argue that TWD was the better book...or that Invincible was the best. You wouldn't be wrong either way. What is difficult to argue is that readers no longer drive the market. If this book is selling 60,000 copies a month, there is little doubt it would continue on. At 12,000 copies or so, its being outsold by Black Mask books on occasion. Absolutely nuts in a market where the top 100 books are almost all superhero stories.

 

There was also no doubt in my mind that this was going to happen sooner rather than later. The secondary market is being smashed by variant covers and short term relaunches and without a secondary market, comics are just too expensive in their current forms for most people to read...at least in bulk.

 

The next time you hear about the can't miss hot cover, think of this book and about the fact that there is one less good story to read....yeah, I'm a little bitter over the direction of the modern market and how it impacts my reading. Am I being selfish after supporting these creators over 40 years ? Nope, just want a good book at a fair price.

[dpiercy]

Love this book, bummed to hear this news.

[GLCBrad]

This is the kind of book that will have a second life...ultimately it will have a media presence whether movie or TV. Better to do it this way than to have it flounder for another 200 issues

[simplyrob]

Sad day. At least there are still 15 more issues, well, 18.

[AnthaiHERO]

[SquareChaos]

No other way to say it - modern comics just got that much worse... or at least they will in a bit over a year's time.

 

This is the only superhero book I read anymore, I'll be capeless once it goes.

 

 

[followtheleader]

This actually infuriates me.

The reality is that it's likely more motivated about the lack of incoming revenue or potential of it seeing the big screen. Topped with Walking Dead and Outcast expectations.

What a disappointing day.

 

Patrick

[SquareChaos]

Before Kirkman was KIRKMAN, I read both The Walking Dead and Invincible as they came out from issue #1 of each. At the time, it seemed to me that Invincible was going to be the primary hit while TWD was be a cult book. So I stopped reading TWD around issue #20 thinking at that time, " how much more could these people go through before this starts getting old ? ". I read TWD in TPB form for years. It never occurred to me at issue #20, that he would expand so much from the original group or that humans would eventually be the greatest threat/enemy in the book. My mistake on where would they go...

 

...still, Invincible was incredible. Lots and lots of interesting characters that drew us in and literally a shocking moment at every corner. Characters that reminded me of friends and family filled the story. One could argue that TWD was the better book...or that Invincible was the best. You wouldn't be wrong either way. What is difficult to argue is that readers no longer drive the market. If this book is selling 60,000 copies a month, there is little doubt it would continue on. At 12,000 copies or so, its being outsold by Black Mask books on occasion. Absolutely nuts in a market where the top 100 books are almost all superhero stories.

 

There was also no doubt in my mind that this was going to happen sooner rather than later. The secondary market is being smashed by variant covers and short term relaunches and without a secondary market, comics are just too expensive in their current forms for most people to read...at least in bulk.

 

The next time you hear about the can't miss hot cover, think of this book and about the fact that there is one less good story to read....yeah, I'm a little bitter over the direction of the modern market and how it impacts my reading. Am I being selfish after supporting these creators over 40 years ? Nope, just want a good book at a fair price.

 

I always got the impression that this book did some pretty solid trade sells, I figured that was why they kept doing it. Not to mention the very strong cult following.

[400yrs]

This sucks. His explanation, of course, makes sense, but I can't believe he'd end it. I was hoping this would continue on forever as he has said, as his labor of love. There has to be other artists willing to work on it, so in the end, this is Kirkman ending it because he isn't making money on it.

 

My monthly pull used to be full of capes, image and vertigo. Today, it's only Invincible, Saga and Twd and the only reason I still get any singles is Invincible. After it ends, I'm done with buying any monthlies. Spiderman has always been my favorite character until the Invincible universe came along. I've always explained Invincible as Spidey done right. There's still so much story to tell and so many hanging plots..... I love TWD, but story-wise, that is the title that should logically end before Invincible. Not money-wise though.

 

Kirkman has been my favorite creator since he came around. Ultimate x-men, Ant-Man, marvel team-up, were all books that spoke to me even though he didn't create them. Destroyer and mutant 2009 were amazing. But none of those could top his creator owned stuff. I'm extremely disappointed in him for ending his best creator owned super hero world.

 

I honestly had to stop and make sure today wasn't April 1. Wow. Super bummed. One more reason (a really big one) for me to stop comics altogether, follow Saga in hardcovers and consolidate the mess out of my collection.

 

Dramatic? Yeah, but this is the only book that always kept me into comics when no others could. Love Kirkman, abhor this decision.

Edited August 18, 2016 by 400yrs

[SaucyRossy]

I really am pissed at this decision as well. It's his book and his creation but invincible should continue. I have every single issue and looked forward to handing those down to my son or daughter some day and having them collect the issues that are still coming out. Sort of my superman/spider-man. This book came out right when I was coming of age. Seriously it helped so much.

[Ecranu]

I did find solace in Kirkman’s video interview. It’s fitting that this great title finds an ending, rather than be regurgitated over and over, again, like the rest of the industry (including TWD). Invincible was my last and only subscription for the last decade. Time to say farewell to this medium. I hope to see it on the big screen some day.

[Mickey7]

Sad to hear Invincible is ending. I stopped reading comics for about 20 years, and Invincible was the book the piqued my interest and got me reading again. I've been following the title since issue 14 came out, and of course I then read the back issues I missed.

 

[fastballspecial]

It does suck Invincible is really a book that you can just enjoy for what it is.

 

Man when the book was hitting on all cylinders it was just brilliant. The first 50 or so issues were just a great build up. The reveals early on were fantastic and as the kid grew up it was just wonder writing.

 

For this one title Kirkman gets much more credit from me. I liked this book so much better then WD just because it was a super hero book. I really hope some young writer reads this title and goes "Yeah I can do this too"......

 

[SquareChaos]

I mean... I'm upset too, I like the book at lot... but it's hard to be mad at a guy for giving up after nearly 150 issues. I can't fault Kirkman, as has been said, he ran it way longer than most others would have. It's almost Larsenesque.

 

I appreciate it... but yeah, I'd love to see him change his mind.