Invincible #100

10 years and 100 issues has lead to this, the DEATH OF EVERYONE, the CONCLUSION! It’s all been building to this. Mark Grayson’s entire life as a superhero, all he’s learned, all he’s endured, it’s all been leading to this one moment. Will he become the hero he was meant to or will he choose… a DIFFERENT path?

This issue tends to have a higher hurdle to leap over, because it’s such a monumental issue. You just expect more from a 100th issue. This wraps up the storyline where Dinosaurus, loose and under the watch of Invincible, has killed 100’s of thousands of individuals for the better of the world. This lead to a massive fight between the two and the apparent death of Invincible in issue #99. Of course that wasn’t the case and this issue picks up.

How far will Invincible go to stop his nemesis? Yeah, I’m not going to tell you that.

Also, what’s that different path he’ll take? I’m not going to tell you that either.

The issue is solid as a comic, but doesn’t quite seem like a big anniversary issue. It does have a lot of moments that’ll drive the next 100 issues, so it’s key if you’re into or want to start reading this series.

Overall, the 100th issue is a fun read and more than enough to get your jaw to drop. As usual Invincible is up there with some of the best super hero comics on the market today.

Story: Robert Kirkman Art: Ryan Ottley & John Rauch Cover: Ryan Ottley Variant Cover: Cory Walker, Marc Silvestri, Bryan Hitch, Arthur Adams, Charlie Adlard, Ryan Ottley

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

The Activity #11

There is a bomb in Minneapolis, and Team Omaha finds themselves poised to stop it – while back at the ISA headquarters, a grave revelation is about to come to light. That description alone should get you interested in this issue.

As a whole The Activity has felt like a military video game in comic form, that’s not a bad thing. As a fan of those types of games, I’m entertained by what’s come before. This issue blows those issues out of the way, giving a tense story as well as wrapping up plot points that have been building to this issue.

The comic is just intense as the team races to find bombers in a city, not knowing who or why as the time ticks down. Will they save the day? Will the bomb go off? It’s intense, a great thriller that builds up intensity towards it’s conclusion, but… that’s not all!

On top of that we have the story line of who the leak is! Yes, on top of having a thrilling storyline preventing a terrorist bombing, the comic moves forward in who is revealing secrets. And that resolution will surprise you.

This comic is amazing and while all of it might not be perfect for new readers, if it doesn’t get people interested in previous issues, I’d be shocked. Pure awesome and one of my favorite comics this week.

Story: Nathan Edmondson Art: Mitch Gerads

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Mara #2

As superstar athlete Mara Prince’s superpower manifestation is caught on live TV, her life rapidly starts to spiral out of control. The media descends like vultures. Her handlers go into spin mode. The footage is seen around the world, and this young woman, who only hours ago was the darling of pop culture, is now being slammed and ridiculed for being a fraud and a liar. But the more she tries to fight back, the only thing she’s doing is escalating the problem.

Brian Wood is an amazing writer and in this series he seems to be deconstructing corporations, media and superheroes all at the same time. By moving the idea of capes and tights to the sports field, he brings classic archetypes into a familiar world we can understand.

This second issue though really focuses on the media frenzy and spin control, but at the same time reveals a little bit more of the mystery surrounding Mara, while at the same time giving us even more to scratch our heads about.

The series is deep and so layered, a brilliant take on modern media and icons in a futuristic setting. The story, art, everything is fantastic. Sadly, it’s a limited series right now, but hopefully we’ll luck out and get more once these initial six issues are up.

Story: Brian Wood Art: Ming Doyle & Jordie Bellaire Cover: Ming Doyle

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE comics for review