The Invisibles is a comic book written by Grant Morrison and published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. The Invisibles is a psychedelic epic that details the adventures of a group of superheroes/terrorists/freedom fighters who battle against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, martial arts, guns and transcendental meditation. Its influence on The Matrix trilogy of films can be inferred from thematic and aesthetic similarities.
Morrison says that he distilled 1990s conspiracy culture and just about every fringe notion he could find into the book, whether or not he believed in it, creating a hypersigil with the intention of jumpstarting the culture in a more positive direction. He predicts that the comic book will, in the long run, be as influential as the Sex Pistols. It is too early to say whether or not this prediction will prove true, but the comic does contain a lot of provocative ideas.
The leader of the Invisibles is King Mob, a character based on author Grant Morrison. His followers are Lord Fanny, a Brazilian shaman and transvestite; Boy, a former NYPD officer; Ragged Robin, a telepathic time-traveller, and Jack Frost, a young street punk from Liverpool who could very well be the next Buddha.
Their enemies in this struggle are the archons of the Outer Church, a group of interdimensional aliens who plan to enslave the human race. Villains such as Ms. Dwyer, Sir Miles and Mr. Quimper do the bidding of these beings.
The Invisibles was originally published as three separate comic book series. All of the series have been collected in a set of trade paperbacks:
- Say You Want a Revolution (vol 1, #1-8)
- Apocalipstick (vol 1, #9-16)
- Entropy in the UK (vol 1, #17-25)
- Bloody Hell in America (vol 2, #1-4)
- Counting to None (vol 2, #5-13)
- Kissing Mr. Quimper (vol 2, #14-22)
- The Invisible Kingdom (vol 3, #12-1 - the series was numbered backwards)
Summaries
Say You Want a Revolution
In this first volume, we are introduced to Jack Frost, the Invisibles' newest member as he is educated in the nature of the universe by Tom O' Bedlam. After joining the Invisibles, he joins the group on a mission to France during the Revolution in order to recruit the Marquis de Sade for their war of psychic liberation.
Apocalipstick
During the Apocalipstick storyline, the Invisibles escape from a demon known as Orlando. The next storyline reveals some of Lord Fanny's backstory, and introduces the characters of the Moonchild and Jim Crow. The volume ends with King Mob and Lord Fanny in the clutches of the enemy.
Entropy in the UK
King Mob undergoes torture and we go with him on a non-linear tour of his history as Sir Miles attempts to interrogate and break him. We experience both flashbacks to earlier events in his life and glimpses of the hallucinatory adventures of his alter-ego Gideon Stargrave. As befits the overall title of entropy, an atmosphere of decay, dissolution and pain predominate here, making this the most grim and harrowing installment of the series. After this segment Morrison decided to lighten up the mood quite a lot.
