All New Invaders #12 - A Review

Fans of James Robinson's Times Past stories from his classic Starman series would do well to pick up this issue of All New Invaders.  In truth this issue isn't about The Invaders, instead centering upon another classic hero team of yesteryear - Freedom's Five.  The WWI equivalent of The Invaders, this flashback issue is all about four of The Five teaming with the Iron Fist of that era against an even greater menace than The Central Powers - Martians!


This sort of story is Robinson's bread and butter and he weaves new details into the history of the Marvel Universe even as he delivers a ripping yarn.  One nice touch is that The Crimson Cavalier - a French hero who was never given an official history - is retconned as being an ancestor of the mercenary Batroc The Leaper.  Similar development is given to the equally obscure Sir Steel - a British hero whom Robinson reveals was a blacksmith rewarded with the legendary magic armor of England's greatest knight!


The artwork of this issue is something to behold.  Marc Laming teams with Barry Kitson on the pencils for the flashback scenes that take up most of the issue, their usual styles subverted into something that more closely resembles the comics of The Golden Age than their usual solo work.  P. Craig Russell lends a hand with the inks, crafting a finished project that is truly amazing!

Invaders #7 - A Review

There are two things James Robinson does better than any writer I can think of.  The first is provide seamless exposition, which is fast becoming a lost art.  This is particularly true at Marvel Comics, where more writers seem to be emulating the Brian Michael Bendis style of decompressed storytelling while ignoring the Stan Lee dictum that every story should be written as if it were somebody's first issue.  Miraculously, despite being the second part of a story and a tie-in to the Original Sin crossover event, you can pick up Invaders #7 and read the story without the need of any other supporting material!


The other thing James Robinson does better than anyone is utilize the obscure superheroes of yesteryear.  The centerpiece of this issue is a flashback in which we see The Kid Commandos (created by Roy Thomas for his own 1970s' Invaders book) take on their mentors in a battle over the morality of The Invaders plan to stop the fighting in The Pacific by creating a tidal wave that will hurt innocent civilians as well as the Japanese navy!


I may dote on Robinson's writing, but the artwork of Mark Laming proves the equal of Robinson's script.  Lanning's style emulates the Marvel Comics of old, with figures aiming their attacks at the reader in the grand Jack Kirby tradition.  The final product is an impressive fusion of great writing and amazing artwork.

Invaders #6 - A Review

James Robinson is one of the best idea men in comics history.  He can build whole scenes around musings about what life would really be like in a world where superpowers were a reality.  And while that often leads - to give an example from Robinson's Starman - into serious discussions about why super-scientists who develop amazing technologies in the name of fighting evil never use those same technologies to improve the lives of humanity in general, this issue of Invaders offers a scene which explores the difficulties in psychoanalyzing a mechanical man whose existence defies all the standard tropes of modern psychiatry, in a comedic fashion.


Thankfully - for those unlike me who don't find such examinations of the reality of a super-powered world interesting or amusing - the book does a bit more than wax philosophical.  And for those - like me - who care little about the Original Sin event running through several Marvel Comics books at the moment, this book can be enjoyed without any outside reading being required.

The focus of this issue is a young heroine named Radiance, who - thanks to the events of Original Sin - has learned a dark secret involving her grandmother (the Japanese heroine Golden Girl), the original Invaders team and something they did (or didn't) do during the Second World War.  Raiding a SHIELD base looking for confirmation of what she knows she demands to speak to some of the heroes involved.  And in goes newbie SHIELD agent and long-time superhero Jim Hammond a.k.a. The Human Torch...


The artwork by Mark Laming proves the equal of Robinson's excellent script.  The clarity of the action and the character design is not lost among the intricate details of Laming's pencils.  And as befits a comic featuring to characters whose powers are based around light and heat, there is a bright and vibrant aspect to every moment thanks to the coloring team at Guru-eFX.