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[Corpsepyre]

I just got done with a re-read of one of my favourite comic books of all time, The Invisibles, by Grant Morrison. When I first read it, I was young and couldn't comprehend what was on display as much as I could now. It's a wholehearted recommendation to those looking for some incredibly challenging storytelling.

It's highly philosophical, littered with pop-culture references, time travel, voodoo, sigil magick, gnosticism and a lot more that you should discover for yourself. Just know that it's super abstract in places, endlessly trippy and mindbending, with otherworldly ideas tossed at you throughout. It also has a LOT of heart and characters that you'd come to love.

The Matrix took quite a bit from the series as well, both on a surface level and beyond, minus the super-weird. Morrison contends that The Wachowskis asked him to draw a comic for them back in the day, and that he knows a guy who worked on the film who said that there were Invisibles comics strewn all over. Once you've read it, you'll see a number of similarities. It's just that The Invisibles takes everything several notches further than The Matrix ever did, in terms of both the characters and plot.

Give this a read. The series has four deluxe edition hardcovers, 59 issues in total.

Brief synopsis:

'The series loosely follows the doings of a single cell of The Invisible College, a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, meditation, and physical violence'.

For most of the series, the team includes leader King Mob; Lord Fanny, a transgender Brazilian shaman; Boy, a former member of the NYPD; Ragged Robin, a telepath with a mysterious past; and Jack Frost, a young hooligan from Liverpool who may be the next Buddha. Their enemies are the Archons of the Outer Church, inter-dimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without their knowledge'.

Some covers:

 

[A-V-B]

Yup, one hell of a trip. Morrison even tried to get people to use onanistic magic to support the series.

 

[caliph95]

Warning Grant Morrison book may need drugs and occult rituals to appreciate

 

[Lord Frieza]

The Matrix took quite a bit from the series as well, both on a surface level and beyond, minus the super-weird. Morrison contends that The Wachowskis asked him to draw a comic for them back in the day, and that he knows a guy who worked on the film who said that there were Invisibles comics strewn all over. Once you've read it, you'll see a number of similarities. It's just that The Invisibles takes everything several notches further than The Matrix ever did, in terms of both the characters and plot.

Eh, Grant Morrison also claims that he got to see a secret notebook that almost no else has seen by the creator of Wonder Woman that just happened to be locked away in a WB vault somewhere that no other writer or creator had ever seen or heard of. So, I take a lot of that with a grain of salt. I mean...I don't know, I can kind of see the similarities in some ways, but I feel don't know if I buy that The Wachowskis took that much from The Invisibles, especially since you can trace a lot of the other influences of the film back a lot easier to other sources they took from.

 

[Corpsepyre]

Warning Grant Morrison book may need drugs and occult rituals to appreciate

Haha, well it IS VERY VERY challenging, but if you have read about the guy extensively, like I have, and have understood that mystical 'experience' of his in Kathmandu, an experience that shaped the entire comic, then it gets much easier without the drugs.

 

[Corpsepyre]

Eh, Grant Morrison also claims that he got to see a secret notebook that almost no else has seen by the creator of Wonder Woman that just happened to be locked away in a WB vault somewhere that no other writer or creator had ever seen or heard of. So, I take a lot of that with a grain of salt. I mean...I don't know, I can kind of see the similarities in some ways, but I feel don't know if I buy that The Wachowskis took that much from The Invisibles, especially since you can trace a lot of the other influences of the film back a lot easier to other sources they took from.

There's a link I can provide that has a side by side between both series, but there are heavy spoilers in there, and it's not something you should read about right now. Not until you've read this. The Matrix sure is inspired by a lot of different mediums, but the over-arching plot of the first film has a lot in common with this.

 

[Lord Frieza]

There's a link I can provide that has a side by side between both series, but there are heavy spoilers in there, and it's not something you should read about right now. Not until you've read this. The Matrix sure is inspired by a lot of different mediums, but the over-arching plot of the first film has a lot in common with this.

I've already read The Invisibles lol. That's why I think what I do. I mean, there's common elements, and maybe The Wachowskis took some influence, but I don't think it's nearly as great as Grant often paints. I mean, hell, like a year or two before The Matrix there was a movie called Dark City that had almost the same basic plot as The Matrix. A lot of stuff about simulated realities and counter culture as being the true 'woke' culture was in a lot of stuff around that time.

 

[Frozenprince]

Warning Grant Morrison book may need drugs and occult rituals to appreciate

May need?

 

[Screaming Meat]

One of my favourite of Morrison's books; right up there under The Filth and Pax Americana. Got the collected edition. It pretty much holds up my bookshelf.

 

[Afrodium]

I love Morrison but this book has always intimidated me. Seven Soldiers of Victory is probably the most out there work of his I've read, and I found that it got too hard to follow to be enjoyable. The Multiversity on the other hand is one of my favorite comics so maybe I just don't dig Seven Soldiers that much.

 

[Corpsepyre]

I love Morrison but this book has always intimidated me. Seven Soldiers of Victory is probably the most out there work of his I've read, and I found that it got too hard to follow to be enjoyable. The Multiversity on the other hand is one of my favorite comics so maybe I just don't dig Seven Soldiers that much.

The Invisibles is a tough read, for sure, but once you get into the thick of it, it's incredibly rewarding. It's basically Grant's entire worldview condensed into those 59 issues.

 

[Blader]

I tried reading The Invisibles back when I was going on a huge comic splurge in college, but had a tough time just getting through the first couple issues. Maybe I should give it another chance now.

 

[Obscura]

"Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the weight of oceans and the turning stars. Whole universes fit in there! But what do we choose to keep in this miraculous cabinet? Little broken things, sad trinkets that we play with over and over. The world turns our key and we play the same little tune again and again and we think that tune's all we are."

I've been reading The Incal recently but this thread has inspired me to run through The Invisibles again. Synchronicities incoming.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I love Morrison but this book has always intimidated me. Seven Soldiers of Victory is probably the most out there work of his I've read, and I found that it got too hard to follow to be enjoyable. The Multiversity on the other hand is one of my favorite comics so maybe I just don't dig Seven Soldiers that much.

Seven Soldiers is probably one of his harder reads just because of how fractured the story is. The Invisibles really isn't that hard to follow until you get to volume 3, and a lot of that is because it's only 12 issues and there's a ton of stuff going on.

 

[Corpsepyre]

I tried reading The Invisibles back when I was going on a huge comic splurge in college, but had a tough time just getting through the first couple issues. Maybe I should give it another chance now.

The first series (first 25 issues) are like that. Even Morrison agrees that he introduced the Arcadia arc way too soon, and it lost him a lot of readers. Was utterly mindbending and crazy. It gets easier to follow during the main big arc of the series, Entropy in the UK, and presents some really, really wild ideas too in the process.

 

[Corpsepyre]

"Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the weight of oceans and the turning stars. Whole universes fit in there! But what do we choose to keep in this miraculous cabinet? Little broken things, sad trinkets that we play with over and over. The world turns our key and we play the same little tune again and again and we think that tune's all we are."

I've been reading The Incal recently but this thread has inspired me to run through The Invisibles again. Synchronicities incoming.

That's one of my favourite quotes from the series.

 

[butzopower]

Was just thinking about The Filth yesterday and realized I still haven't read The Invisibles. What's the best way to read it digitally?

 

[Corpsepyre]

Was just thinking about The Filth yesterday and realized I still haven't read The Invisibles. What's the best way to read it digitally?

https://www.comixology.com/The-Invisibles/comics-series/3493

 

[Lafazar]

I've already read The Invisibles lol. That's why I think what I do. I mean, there's common elements, and maybe The Wachowskis took some influence, but I don't think it's nearly as great as Grant often paints. I mean, hell, like a year or two before The Matrix there was a movie called Dark City that had almost the same basic plot as The Matrix. A lot of stuff about simulated realities and counter culture as being the true 'woke' culture was in a lot of stuff around that time.

Not to mention that The Matrix used actual sets from Dark City (mainly the rooftop chase).

 

[UnemployedVillain]

Haha, well it IS VERY VERY challenging, but if you have read about the guy extensively, like I have, and have understood that mystical 'experience' of his in Kathmandu, an experience that shaped the entire comic, then it gets much easier without the drugs.

Haha, the Kathmandu story from "Super Gods" has stuck to me to this day since I read it

 

[Corpsepyre]

Haha, the Kathmandu story from "Super Gods" has stuck to me to this day since I read it

I think it's really fascinating. Lots of other people have mentioned similar experiences, such as Robert Anton Wilson, Philip K. Dick, Terrence McKenna and more. Even Alan Moore supposedly had an enlightened experience later in his career that mimics Morrison's and the rest. I wonder if it's the drugs talking, even though Morrison said he spent most of 90's trying to re-create that experience with every drug in the world, but couldn't.

It's called Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel, by Crowley, I think.

 

[MC_Hify]

I picked this up in floppies on the cheap a while ago. Looking forward to reading it.

 

[newdayrocks]

Yeah, baby. Invisibles among the GOAT.

Love my giant phonebook of the series.

 

[Lord Frieza]

Yeah, baby. Invisibles among the GOAT.

Love my giant phonebook of the series.

God, is that thing even readable lol

 

[Corpsepyre]

Yeah, baby. Invisibles among the GOAT.

Love my giant phonebook of the series.

I've heard the omnibus is pretty tough to manage. True? I have the four deluxe hardcovers myself, and they're great. How's the binding?

 

[newdayrocks]

God, is that thing even readable lol

I mean, it's a bit more challenging to handle than a 32-page floppy, but it's held up well through five years of twice-annual reading.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I've heard the omnibus is pretty tough to manage. True? I have the four deluxe hardcovers myself, and they're great. How's the binding?

It's pretty sturdy.

 

[lightskintwin]

I've already read The Invisibles lol. That's why I think what I do. I mean, there's common elements, and maybe The Wachowskis took some influence, but I don't think it's nearly as great as Grant often paints. I mean, hell, like a year or two before The Matrix there was a movie called Dark City that had almost the same basic plot as The Matrix. A lot of stuff about simulated realities and counter culture as being the true 'woke' culture was in a lot of stuff around that time.

This.

The Matrix is filled with so many influences fused into one, I can't see how anybody can claim one particularly source was a major influence to it. It's like I roll my eyes when people try to tell me The Matrix is a complete rip off of Ghost in The Shell. Not to mention, it's overarching story is literally The Hero's Journey.

 

[Kevinroc]

I picked up the omnibus a while back but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Maybe I should get around to doing that soon.

 

[Corpsepyre]

I picked up the omnibus a while back but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Maybe I should get around to doing that soon.

Definitely do that. Heady stuff to say the very least. Excellent writing and characterization.

 

[maxcriden]

My favorite issue is Best Man Fall.

A couple great articles about it:

http://amalgamatedwittering.blogspot.com/2011/01/issue-twelve-best-man-fall.html (couldn't get this link to work but I think I've read this one before)

http://comicsalliance.com/the-issue-empathy-for-the-henchman-in-the-invisibles-12-1995/

There's some good stuff about the issue here, too:

http://www.tcj.com/one-life-many-books-michel-rabagliatis-paul/

You don't really need to read any other issues of the series to appreciate this issue on its own merits. It's a standalone story for the most part...sort of. It does benefit in a sense from having read some other issues.

 

[Corpsepyre]

My favorite issue is Best Man Fall.

A couple great articles about it:

http://amalgamatedwittering.blogspot.com/2011/01/issue-twelve-best-man-fall.html (couldn't get this link to work but I think I've read this one before)

http://comicsalliance.com/the-issue-empathy-for-the-henchman-in-the-invisibles-12-1995/

There's some good stuff about the issue here, too:

http://www.tcj.com/one-life-many-books-michel-rabagliatis-paul/

You don't really need to read any other issues of the series to appreciate this issue on its own merits. It's a standalone story for the most part...sort of. It does benefit in a sense from having read some other issues.

I absolutely loved that issue. There are a couple of really good standalones here.

 

[karasu]

Grant Morrison is the GOAT

 

[Spuck-uk]

+1 for it being a magnificent mindfuck.

 

[Trojita]

https://www.comixology.com/The-Invisibles/comics-series/3493

It's cheaper on Amazon Kindle and it comes with a free comixology copy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3OIGA6

 

[Lord Frieza]

My favorite issue is Best Man Fall.

A couple great articles about it:

http://amalgamatedwittering.blogspot.com/2011/01/issue-twelve-best-man-fall.html (couldn't get this link to work but I think I've read this one before)

http://comicsalliance.com/the-issue-empathy-for-the-henchman-in-the-invisibles-12-1995/

There's some good stuff about the issue here, too:

http://www.tcj.com/one-life-many-books-michel-rabagliatis-paul/

You don't really need to read any other issues of the series to appreciate this issue on its own merits. It's a standalone story for the most part...sort of. It does benefit in a sense from having read some other issues.

Hmm, I don't know about the last bit. I feel like it would lose a lot of its impact on its own. I guess it would still be an interesting little story with a sad ending, but without the context of this guy just being another guy for the heroes to kill it their story, it loses the punch of the ending

 

[LordRaptor]

Yup, one hell of a trip. Morrison even tried to get people to use onanistic magic to support the series.

Its kind of funny in a schadenfreude way that the writers notes go from "Magic is TOTALLY REAL and WILL FIX YOUR LIFE" to "sorry for the continuous delays but my life has been fucked up in the most bizarre esoteric ways possible including mystery illnesses undiagnosable by medicine"

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Morrison is my favorite comic-book writer but I couldn't get into Invisibles. My last attempt was 10 years ago, maybe I should try again. I'm not a native english speaker and while I am used to Morrison's style, I couldn't understand half the sentences in the first collection, and most of the references went over my head. I had better luck with The Filth.

But once I'm done with Doom Patrol and his mainstream DC stuff, I'll go back to Invisibles.

 

[Corpsepyre]

Morrison is my favorite comic-book writer but I couldn't get into Invisibles. My last attempt was 10 years ago, maybe I should try again. I'm not a native english speaker and while I am used to Morrison's style, I couldn't understand half the sentences in the first collection, and most of the references went over my head. I had better luck with The Filth.

But once I'm done with Doom Patrol and his mainstream DC stuff, I'll go back to Invisibles.

If it's possible for you, read it alongside this. I've ordered it as well, and its supposedly an excellent guide book.

Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison's The Invisibles

 

[Dabanton]

One of fave graphic novels. My local library has the first volume in and after I had started transmetropolitan I wanted something along the same idea basically, no capes. I got deep into this book and used to pester my library to get the other volumes in.

What I liked is reading up on things after I finished an issue like the stuff with Marquis de Sade.

Magnificent graphic novel.

 

[LordRaptor]

FWIW I found the Invisibles vastly easier to parse than Infinite Crisis - even with vol 3 being presented backwards

e: I meant Final Crisis

 

[Lord Frieza]

FWIW I found the Invisibles vastly easier to parse than Infinite Crisis - even with vol 3 being presented backwards

Infinite Crisis? You mean Final Crisis maybe?

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

I had no issue with Final Crisis but Seven Soldiers was really difficult to get into at first. It was worth it though.

If it's possible for you, read it alongside this. I've ordered it as well, and its supposedly an excellent guide book.

Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison's The Invisibles

Nice, thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Spuck-uk]

Not to mention that The Matrix used actual sets from Dark City (mainly the rooftop chase).

Dark City is also the better of the two films.

 

[Corpsepyre]

FWIW I found the Invisibles vastly easier to parse than Infinite Crisis - even with vol 3 being presented backwards

It wasn't exactly backwards. It was meant to be read the way it came out. It's just that they were numbered backwards as a way to countdown the new millennium. Reading the last issue first would be disastrous as it hits you like a tonne of bricks when it ends.

 

[Lord Frieza]

I imagine reading Final Crisis in trade is fine, but reading it in singles as it came out was the biggest fucking mess ever. I have no idea what DC was thinking with that.

 

[LordRaptor]

Infinite Crisis? You mean Final Crisis maybe?

I do, my bad

 

[Spuck-uk]

My favorite issue is Best Man Fall.

A couple great articles about it:

http://amalgamatedwittering.blogspot.com/2011/01/issue-twelve-best-man-fall.html (couldn't get this link to work but I think I've read this one before)

http://comicsalliance.com/the-issue-empathy-for-the-henchman-in-the-invisibles-12-1995/

There's some good stuff about the issue here, too:

http://www.tcj.com/one-life-many-books-michel-rabagliatis-paul/

You don't really need to read any other issues of the series to appreciate this issue on its own merits. It's a standalone story for the most part...sort of. It does benefit in a sense from having read some other issues.

One of the best single issues of anything ever. Only one that immediately affected me as much was 'Cold' from Neil Gaimans run on Hellblazer.

 

[Grieves]

I loved Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol but The Invisibles never really clicked with me.

Maybe I should try again.