just finished the last G.N in this(I know a bit behind the times), now did I miss something but WTF happened at the end? It all seems to be making sort of sense till that last book. was it all some kind of game, a future written book by the Robin character or just a complete mental trip/flip out by Dane/Jackfrost. I like it I just dont get it, what are other peoples thoughts Deep and meaningful or just too many Drugs for Morrison?
CU Radbacker
spoilers
The theme is reality as fiction. "Our sentence is up" has a double meaning.
Throughout the whole series, the story carries hints that everything around the characters is bullshit - not least because they include "real world" elements, like King Mob being an aspect of Grant Morrison. It picks up themes presented less subtly in Animal Man.
Also, the ending reveals both sides are the same, questioning the traditional view of what is "good" and "evil" and encouraging us to think for ourselves and make our own moral judgements.
There's a lot more to it than that but, in my opinion, that's the gist of it. Doubtless deeper thinks can add a great deal more!
- Trout
Been a while since I read it, but I also think that a major part of the ending is the conflict between chaos and order. If the ending is confusing and offputting to us, it's because that's the nature of anarchy.
As I said, it's been a while since I read it.
bink, penny just dropped into place, what Trout said makes perfect sense sort of.
CU Radbaker
I should also own up that I've read Anarchy For The Masses, which is a big book of Invisibles annotations.
It's pretty good, although the authors waste a lot of space complaining that Brian Bolland's covers don't reflect the content exactly. "Ragged Robin is wearing different shoes in the story" is a genuine complaint.
- Trout
Ok then smarty-Trout, explain the end of The Mystery Play to me ;)
The other major component I got from this was Morrison's (possibly *then*) quasi-religious ideas, not least the concept that everything is one, and the current state of things is that of a chrysalis, waiting to be born (after which point, all conscious things end up having their "dreams"รข??note that this means everyone "wins" in The Invisibles).
From memory, I think there's a scene in the very first issue where King Mob is watching an Indonesian puppet theatre and his mate says something like: "We think we see a great battle between good and evil, but there is only the puppet master." If you fancied, you could see the whole series as a journey towards that realisation and how to overcome it (although I reckon Dane figures it all out at the end of the first volume.)
And remember you can play a can three times. Well worth it, in my opinion.
My thoughts on the series overall are that the enforced change of tone in volume 2 left Morrison floundering to try and tie things up the way he wanted to in The Invisible Kingdom, but it's still cracking stuff. And Ragged Robin's the only "real" character.
Haven't read the Invisibles yet, but I am currently reading Flex Mentallo on my laptop (Frank Quitely art, strangely out-of-print 4 issue DC mini-series). And its pretty nuts, but in a very good way.
He seems to have a weird thing for cats (see also Greg Feely's cat obsession in The Filth).
Yeah, Morrison's really into cats. He often wrote about them in the Invisibles letter columns.
Cosh - that first issue is a cracker. It's great to re-read it just after reading everything else. It's mind-blowing.
Dane's attack on the library is symbolic of the whole series' reality-is-fiction-and-we-must-break-free theme.
I agree there's a break in the flow of the comic in series two, but I think it's a small price to pay. The whole thing was getting a bit impenetrable and bit of excitement was just what it needed, IMO.
As for the Mystery Play, the end was this:
Grant proves religion is a pile of shite and gets a big cheque for doing it. he spends the money on drugs.
- Trout
There are very few Morrison comics that don't feature cats. They usually help to identify the goodies.
I agree there's a break in the flow of the comic in series two, but I think it's a small price to pay. The whole thing was getting a bit impenetrable and bit of excitement was just what it needed, IMO.
I really don't see that. I can understand people being slightly put off by the wordiness of the Shelley/de Sade story and the weirdness of the UFO one but the last nine or ten issues of the first volume (King Mob gets captured and the rest have to rescue him) is just a cracking adventure yarn (with added Morrison, to be fair) which is far better than Black Science or any of that stuff.
Cosh - that first issue is a cracker. It's great to re-read it just after reading everything else. It's mind-blowing.
"So we return and begin again."
Starting again after you've finished it just feels so natural, doesn't it? I'm going to re-read it now, I can feel it coming on :)
once I've read the wonderful Omnivistascopes I've just recieved from Mr Scott I'll be going back to book 1(I've got the GN's not originals),which I really need to do as I had about a year break between Kissing Mr Quimper and Invisable Kingdom which no doubt made it harder to read. my confusion at the end aside it is a good read.
As for MOrrison and cats, I guess thats the reason the cat saves the day in WE3. Damn comic nearly made me cry.
CU Radbacker
Ah, we'll have to agree to disagree, Cosh. I liked the second series better than the end of the first, which seemed to be a long time coming.
- Trout
Bloody troublemakers. Inspired by this thread, I thought I'd just dig out the first story and give it the once over and now I'm halfway through a full reread. Looks like those tiles are just going to have to wait a few more days to get grouted.
Yeah cos of this thread I've started to reread these as well. Wonder if I'll enjoy them as much when I'm not out my box?
Finished my reread a week or so ago. Enjoyed the second volume more this time round, particularly Phil Jiminez's stunning art and paid more attention to the ridiculously convoluted way everything fits together.
Great, great stuff.
Now a question. I was reading a few bits and pieces on the net after finishing it and I learned that, for the TPB, they had Cameron Stewart redraw some of Ashley Wood's bits. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?
Oh yes, and here's an insight: a major part of the work is concerned with notions of what constitutes personal identity and how we can free ourselves from the shackles of linear thought and live out an endless permutation of possible selves for different situations. Like the "You are not your job" bit from Fight Club times a million.
Another question. For the hard of thinking: is the Hand of Glory Beryl's, Danes or just something Dane makes in the future?
Stupid thread!! Bought the first trade. Picked up the first issue when it came out and decided it was crap, but that was over a decade ago and I guess my tastes have changed. Wasn't that bad at all. Maybe it was a knee jerk reaction to the kid burning the library.
Thematically, is it me or is Invisibles Morrison's version of Nemesis?
"Now a question. I was reading a few bits and pieces on the net after finishing it and I learned that, for the TPB, they had Cameron Stewart redraw some of Ashley Wood's bits. WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?"
Because Wood totally ignored the script, and thereby made the point of the entire series incomprehensible. (Frankly, Stewart's art wasn't great either, but at least it more or less got the point across.)
"Oh yes, and here's an insight: a major part of the work is concerned with notions of what constitutes personal identity and how we can free ourselves from the shackles of linear thought and live out an endless permutation of possible selves for different situations. Like the "You are not your job" bit from Fight Club times a million."
Or: we are one/we are all.
I was sucked into a re-read too, and loved it a lot.
In volume 1, How I Became Invisible (the "origin" of Boy) is a real highlight.
- Trout