I is for Invisibles

The Invisibles #1 is written by Grant Morrison with art by Steve Yeowell.

The Invisibles is the brainchild of comics superstar Grant Morrison.  This issue tells the story of Dane McGowan, a bored, intelligent youth with the desire to cause trouble.  After an attempt to burn down his school, Dane is sentenced to The Harmony House, an institution that teaches young people to conform.

We learn that the Headmaster, Mr. Gelt, is the servant of some dark being.  Meanwhile, King Mob, who is the leader of the secret society called The Invisibles, summons John Lennon from the dead and seeks advice from the popular musician.  After a very trippy sequence with the former Beatle, King Mob breaks into the Harmony House and frees Dane just as Mr. Gelt is preparing him to "conform".  As they arrive in London, King Mob begins to tell Dane about The Invisibles and asks Dane to join them.

King Mob converses with John Lennon

 I'm most familiar with Grant Morrison through his work on JLA, Batman, and now Action Comics, but he made a name for himself on Vertigo titles like Doom Patrol and The Invisibles.  This was an oversized 40-page comic and it was very much needed.  Though hard to follow in the beginning, the issue revealed just enough to gain a basic understanding of what was going on without giving up any of the overall reveals that Morrison obviously wanted to make down the road.  I've never paid much attention to the Vertigo titles, the surreal and metaphysical aspects of the stories never really interested me.  This was an entertaining read, but not enough to inspire me to read more.  This series lasted 25 issues, with Morrison returning for two other volumes, leading to 59 Invisibles issues altogether.

Big fan of Grant Morrison or Vertigo?  Love or Hate The Invisibles?  Leave your comment below.