Invincible #135 Review

Invincible has kicked off its final year’s worth of comic book issues incredibly hot with the war between the Coalition and Viltrum Empire. Now with Invincible and Atom Eve joining the fight, along with Omni-Man, the Coalition have some real power to fight against Thragg’s forces. The question now is if these three joining the Coalition will be enough to defeat Thragg’s new Viltrum Empire. It won’t be an easy task given how powerful Thragg’s kids are and how much of a challenge they have been for Invincible and Atom Eve. With that said, let see what happens next with Invincible #135.

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Ryan Ottley

Colorist: Nathan Fairbairn

Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: Ursaal and one of her brothers kills a bunch of soldiers from the latest planet they are conquering. Ursaal meets her father Thragg to inform him that the central government on the planet has been dismantled and the Coalition will not be able to receive their help. Thragg shows pleasure in seeing his new Viltrum Empire thriving.

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Elsewhere, Invincible is fighting members of Thragg’s Viltrum Empire on another planet. Invincible informs Atom Eve that the path is clear and she is able to save some pilots from an explosion.

Invinicible tells the Coalition troops that the Viltrum Empire’s shields are down and leads them in an attack. While Invincible attacks one of Thragg’s kids Atom Eve joins Thresha. Atom Eve tries to stop Thresha from killing people but Thresha responds by saying the soldiers they are fighting turned their back on the Coalition.

A little later Omni-Man finds Invincible has pinned Thragg’s kid on the ground and asks if Invincible needs help. Invincible says he’ll take him to the flagship. Thragg’s kid says he won’t reveal anything though Omni-Man says he will.

Inside the Coalition flagship the leader of the planet they were fighting on explains that his people had no choice in following Thragg as they can’t stand up to his power, especially since the Coalition didn’t give them a lot of help. Allen tells the planet’s leader that they have no plans of abandoning them again. Invincible then says that the planet does not have to fight and to trust them.

Elsewhere, Space Racer is tailing one of Thragg’s kids through space.

Back at the Coalition’s flagship, Allen questions Invincible on his plan. Atom Eve and Invincible say that they do things right they’ll be saving a lot of lives. Allen is surprised by their way of thinking.

On Battle Beast’s former planet King Wrokk welcomes Thragg and the Viltrum Empire. One of Ambassador Mokk is surprised to see the king welcome the man who killed Battle Beast and seeks to enslave them. King Wrokk has one of his guards kill Mokk.

Thragg comments to Ursaal that this latest conquest was much easier than he thought it would be.

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In space, Space Racer contacts the Coalition that he has located Thragg’s central base.

Elsewhere, Debbie is hanging out with Terra, who express concern about forgetting her dad and possibly losing both her parents. Debbie says that Terra is too strong to be scarred. Terra then acts like she is powering up so she isn’t scarred anymore.

On the Viltrum Empire’s home base Thragg is presented with a gift from one of his kids. Thragg swats the gift and kid away.

Ursaal takes off on her own and goes to her house where she proceeds to punch a wall in anger. She then suddenly hears a loud explosion.

On another part of the Viltrum Empire’s home base, Invincible, Atom Eve, Allen, Omni-Man and Space Racer has destroyed a building. Thragg watches Invincible fight his children with great pleasure. End of issue.

The Good: With each passing issue it has become clear that Robert Kirkman is not messing around anymore. There is a great sense of purpose to every issue thus far with Invincible #135 continuing the momentum created by the last few issues of the series. It’s that sense of progression that has made “The End Of All Things” possibly the best story arc Invincible has had in it’s history.

One of the most impressive things about Invincible #135 is Kirkman’s display in understanding how to properly escalate his story. There are plenty of instances where we get to see how massive this war between the Coalition and Thragg’s Viltrum Empire is through this issue. From Ursaal leading the takeover of a planet to the Coalition saving another, there is never a moment that feels small. At the same time, Kirkman gets across how things have yet to escalate to its highest point. Rather, everything that continues to develop just feels like an appetizer for whatever endgame Kirkman has in mind for Invincible.

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Kirkman also does an impressive job in highlighting how stretched thin the Coalition are. Even with having Invincible, Atom Eve and Omni-Man now on their side it does not mean the tides have turned. The simple fact is that Thragg has been able to grow his new Viltrum Empire to the point that he just has too much power right now. Kirkman makes that clear with the king of the world the Coalition saved throwing it in Allen and the others face that just because they saved his planet during this battle the war is not won.

In many ways the Coalition are in the same spot that the Rebel Alliance was during the war with the Empire in Star Wars. Because like the Rebel Alliance, while the characters we do see on screen are united against Thragg’s forces it’s everyone else that we don’t see that’s part of the Coalition that is behind what is going on. As much as they hate Thragg, characters like the king we saw in Invincible #135 understands that going against Thragg is not as easy as attacking.

Which is why Invincible leading an attack on Thragg’s Viltrum Empire homeworld an effective rally cry. Even if Invincible is not successful in defeating Thragg he is now showing the universe that they can punch Thragg’s forces and still bounce back. It’s much like Jyn Erso leading Rogue One on a successful suicide mission that helped the Rebel Alliance finally realize they had to put politics aside to fight on a united front. As long as Invincible can put some sort of dent on Thragg’s forces that this suicide attack can be a successful one for the Coalition.

It was interesting to also see how Thragg smiled about Invincible leading such an attack on his home world. Thragg’s excitement over the attack just further highlights how frightening of a villain he is. That smile that Thragg had is an eye opener as to what his attitude has been up to this point is boredom. Because at this point Thragg has shown that there is no one that can touch him in power and he has been on the attack at every turn. But now that he sees someone like Invincible launching an attack on him Thragg seemed to get that sense of excitement back.

Kirkman also spent some time to show that Thragg’s grip on power is showing very small cracks in them in the form of Ursaal. With each issue that we see the character the more it seems like Kirkman is going to make Ursaal the wildcard. She may begin to be the character that represents the rebellion within Thragg’s forces as people within his empire start becoming infuriated with his way of ruiling. It definitely seems like her brother dying was an eye opener for Ursaal and she is not taking kindly to how Thragg is treating her brothers and sisters.

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Ryan Ottley once again delivered fantastic artwork throughout Invincible #135. Ottley’s ability to display the impact of the galactic war is having on each planet is just amazing. There is a great sense of energy to every battle and he does a great job showing the injuries different characters are sustaining in each fight. As the war between the Coalition and Viltrum Empire intensifies I only expect Ottley to have even more opportunities to deliver impressive artwork.

The Bad: Nothing.

Overall: Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley delivered on all fronts with Invincible #135. Throughout this issue Kirkman showcased the severity the war between the Coalition and Viltrum Empire. The impact of the war has only helped to further highlight the growth Invincible and company continue to have with each passing issue of this series. With how things ended in Invincible #135 I am even more excited to see how Kirkman and Ottley end their run with “The End Of All Things.”