In a nutshell:
Mark attends the funeral of the Guardians of the Globe.
Synopsis:
Rumors and investigations spread about the mysterious death of the Guardians of the Globe. Eve visits Invincible, upset that Rex has cheated on her with Dupli-Kate. At school, a girl named Amber gives Mark her number. The Guardians’ funeral is interrupted by Black Samson’s butler Sanford, who stole a super-suit from Art to get revenge on the Guardians. The other heroes at the funeral stop Sanford and once they clear out, the Mauler Twins proceed to uncover the body of the Immortal.
Firsts:
First appearance of Damien Darkblood, a detective who’s appeared in other Image comics. He’s investigating the Guardians’ deaths, but his plot here doesn’t really go anywhere. I believe his role is expanded in the show.
Amber makes her first appearance, giving Mark her number. Minor villain The Elephant makes his first appearance.
We also get our first cameos of other Image heroes. I’m not as well-versed in Image lore, but I recognize Savage Dragon and the heroes from Capes. There’s plenty others if anyone wants to shout them out in the comments.
Notes:
Black Samson’s super-suit, reported stolen by Art in issue #6, is revealed to be worn by the butler Sanford. Sanford will make one more appearance, but his suit will be used again by other heroes.
Recurring Gag:
The joke of flying your friend around in this position being gay starts here.
Review:
This issue deals with the fallout of the Guardians of the Globe’s death, showing what a superhero funeral is like (and commenting that they frequently get interrupted). This funeral helps connects the characters of Invincible with other Image heroes, who will begin to cameo more frequently as Invincible comes into his own as a superhero. We get a little expansion on our current characters, with the loss of Eve’s relationship and the start of Mark’s new one with Amber.
This issue is probably more well-known for being the series’ debut of artist Ryan Ottley. I’m not much of an art commentator, I more like to review the story portion of comics, but there’s no denying that Ottley propels this title into something new and iconic. I said before I liked Cory Walker’s simplistic style to suit the more innocent and simpler days of Mark Grayson’s life, but as Mark’s story and life evolve, so does the art. I can’t say much about Ottley’s art except this: I notice something new each time I read through this series. Whether it’s small cameos or little details in the backgrounds of the major fights, I always find something new to draw my eyes when I’m admiring Ottley’s art. I’ll try to pick these out and comment on them as I go, but it’s incredible how the guy can draw something as simple as a family dinner to then drawing an epic space battle with seeming ease. I’m excited to start posting more screenshots of the guy’s incredible output.