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IMAge comcs PRESENTS ROBERT KIRKMAN WRITER 5 LETTERER RYAN OTTLEY PENCILER 5 INKER BILL CRABTREE Dragon, SuperPatriot, Mighty Man, Battletank, 5 Smasher created by Erik Larsen Doc 5 Gia Noble created by Jay Faerber Venture created by Jay Faerber and Jamal igle Shadowhawk created by Jim Valentino Superstar created by Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen Charade created by Eric Stephenson Jack Staff created by Paul Grist COLORIST COVER BY CORINTHAL J. WALKER AND BILL CRABTREE INVINCIBLE CREATED BY ROBERT KIRKMAN AND CORY WALKER Thanks for the loan, guys!! FOR IMAGE COMICS: JIM VALENTINO PUBLISHER ALLEN HUI WEB DEVELOPER ERIC STEPHENSON DIRECTOR OF MARKETING CINDIE ESPINOZA ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT BRENT BRAUN TRACI HALE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION CONTROLLER/FOREIGN LICENSING TIM HEGARTY JON MALIN BOOK TRADE COORDINATOR PRODUCTION ASSISTANT BRETT EVANS ART DIRECTOR @. WWW.IMAGECOMICS.COM INVINCIBLE VOL. I #8. JANUARY 2004. FIRST PRINTING. An Image Comics Group title published by Image Comics 1071 N. Batavia St. Ste A, Orange, CA 92867. Image and its logos are ® and © 2004 Image Comics, Inc. All rights reserved. INVINCIBLE is TM and © Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, 2004. All rights reserved. Dragon, SuperPatriot, Mighty Man, Battletank, & Smasher are TM and © 2004, Erik Larsen. All Rights Reserved. Doc & Gia Noble are TM and © 2004, Jay Faerber. All Rights Reserved. Venture is TM and © 2004, Jay Faerber and Jamal Igle, All Rights Reserved. Shadowhawkis ™ and © 2004, Jim Valentino, All Rights Reserved. Superstar is ™ and © 2004, Kurt Busiek & Stuart Immonen. All Rights Reserved. Charade is ™ and © 2004, Eric Stephenson. All Rights Reserved. Jack Staff is ™ and © 2004, Paul Grist. All Rights Reserved.Any similarities to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Publisher and creators assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials. PRINTED IN USA
I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY... I-- I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE ALL... PEAP. I CAN’T SEEM TO GET OVER IT. WHO COULP PO SUCH A THING? THAT'S WHAT I INTEND J ZÉ το FIND OUT. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BLACK SAMSON? HE ll I9 — 1 ШШ === — ss LY } WELL... YOU'LL HAVE TO PARDON ME... I’M ALITTLE SHAKEN BY ALL THIS. THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST I WAS CALLED TO THE TAILOR’S SHOP... HE'S A CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND OF MINE. HE HAD BEEN DEVELOPING A SUIT FOR SAMSON, TO RESTORE THE POWERS HE LOST BEFORE THE GUARDIANS KICKED HIM OUT. | THE SUIT HAD BEEN STOLEN. PO YOU THINK SAMSON WAS CAPABLE OF SOMETHING し IKE THIS? NO... NO AT ALL. HE WASN'T POWERFUL ENOUGH TO TAKE ON ANY OF THE GUARDIANS ALONE WHEN HE HAP HIS POWERS. GOOP POINT... STILL, HE’S THE PRIME DID STEAL THE SUIT HIMSELF... T CAN’T IMAGINE IT COULD RESTORE HIM TO FULL POWER. LET ALONE MAKE HIM STRONG ENOUGH TO DO WHAT YOU SAID HAPPENED TO THEM. x ΠΠ m > = ee εκ o = SUSPECT AT THIS POINT. ро YOU KNOW OF ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULP HAVE MOTIVE TO DO SUCH A THING?
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OH, MARK! HE WAS CHEATING WITH THAT... MULTI- SLUT! I WAS COMING BACK TO THE BASE THE NIGHT BEFORE LAST TO SEE IF HE WANTED TO DO ANYTHING BEFORE I WENT HOME... HE WAS THERE... OUT IN THE OPEN... WITH HER. I was So STUNNED... T JUST COLLAPSED. THEY DIDN’T EVEN KNOW T WAS THERE FOR A MINUTE OR TWO. I'VE BEEN AWRECK EVER SINCE.
MOM! WE'RE REALLY JUST FRIENDS! MOM! IT's NOT WHAT YOU MARK, YOU'RE TOO THINK! EVE AND YOUNG TO HAVE GIRLS T ARE JUST SNEAKING INTO YOUR FRIENDS. ROOM WITH YOU! Т THOUGHT WE HAD BROUGHT YOU UP BETTER THAN I WANT BOTH OF YOU TO SIT ON THE COUCH. WE’RE GOING TO TALK. LOOK, I REALIZE YOU’RE GETTING TO THAT AGE... BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU TWO UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS. 1 CAN'T ALWAYS BE THERE TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOU... ESPECIALLY YOU TWO. YOU COULD FLY OFF TO A DESERTED ISLAND FOR AN HOUR AND ТР NEVER EVEN MARK... WE’VE GOT А FUNERAL TO ATTEND TOMORROW... THE ; GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE ARE DEAD.
REGINGL GETTING READY FOR PHYSICS. THIS NEW TEACHER we've GOT IS KILLING us! Д JEEZ, THAT'S NOT WHAT T MEANT... AND I DIDN’T BLOW UP MISTER HILES, HE BLEW
IS THAT wHO I THINK IT IS2 YEP-- DEREK SANDERS. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS HIS FIRST DAY BACK. THE WHOLE SCHOOL IS TALKING ABOUT IT. WHAT’S IT BEEN-- A MONTH-- MONTH AND A HALF? THE GUY HAD MOST OF HIS ORGANS REARRANGED AND TURNED INTO BOMB TIMERS... I FIGURED HE'P BE OUT THE REST OF THE YEAR! I READ IN THE NEWSPAPER THAT ALL THE JUNK THAT WAS PUT IN HIM IS KEEPING HIM ALIVE. ALL THE BOMB STUFF WAS TAKEN OUT AND NOW HE’S PETTY MUCH BACK TO NORMAL... ASIDE FROM HAVING A MAN... METAL TORSO. YOU SAVED HIS LIFE WHEN YOU STOPPED MISTER HILES. HE’S PROBABLY COMING OVER HERE TO THANK YOU.
HMM. WASN’T EXPECTING THAT. YEAH... He = ALwAYS YOU BOING A BIT OF AN ANYTHING TODAY? Ass. CHAP ANP I WERE GOING TO HIT THE BURGER MART AFTER SCHOOL. I CAN'T, MAN... I'VE GOT A FUNERAL TO 60 10 LATER TODAY. KEEP IT DOWN, w MAN! HOW MANY CRAP. TIMES DOT HAVE TO TELL Ф. YOU マ ! Z <ë ーー I'M ON MY WAY TO THE LITTLE GIRLS ROOM BEFORE エ HEAD OFF TO PHYSICS... GUARDIANS OF THE GLOBE THING, RIGHT? I GUESS YOU GOT INVITED BECAUSE OF YOUR PAD... WELL, MARK... T NEED TO GET GOING OR I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR ΜΥ CLASS. WAS THAT DEREK? I JUST PUN AP WANTEP TO THE... THING THANK YOU IN FOR TALKING TONIGHT: TO ME ABOUT
HA! YOU WEREN'T HALF AS TOUGH AS YOU CLAWEP TO SON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE NEED TO BE GOING! WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE SOON. SORRY. I GOT SIDETRACKED ON MY WAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.
OH! HOW LONG Ἑ HAVE YOU BEEN HOME? ABOUT A MINUTE OR SO. MARK’S GETTING S READY TOO. WE NEED TO LEAVE IN A BIT. THE FUNERAL IS TODAY? I GUESS SO... WITH ALL THAT'S YOU KNOW GOING ON... MARK... OUR SON. HIS BIRTHDAY IS NEXT WEEK. DON'T TELL Me YOU FORGOT! f JEEZ, HON I'M $0 SORRY... 1 DIDN’T REALIZE THIS WAS HITTING а YOU 50 HARD.
JEEZ, AND HERE COMES THE NUMBER ONE SUSPECT... OUT OBVIOUS THAT HE HADN’T LEFT HIS SE EEKS. HE WELL... THAT'S NOT V GOOD NEWS. Т' LET YOU KNOW IF I HEAR ANYTHING. SOMEONE’S
WE ARE GATHERED HERE TO REMEMBER I'VE BEEN THE GREATEST TEAM WORKING WITH OF SUPER-HEROES THAT アツ と THE GUARDIANS OF THE IMMORTAL, THE WORLD HAS KNOWN THE GLOBE SINCE DARKWING, THE EVER KNOWN. id I CAME TO EARTH... GREEN GHOST, WAR THEY WERE MENTORS WOMAN, THE РЕР RUSH, TO ME EARLY MARTIAN MAN, AND ON IN MY AQUARUS. NAMES WE’LL CAREER. NEVER FORGET. PEOPLE μα THAT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY... LEGENDS... TAKEN FROM US BEFORE THEIR TIME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! PLEASE CONTINUE... WE DO NOT WISH TO CAUSE A SCENE. WE ARE HERE TO PAY OUR RESPECTS TO A WORTHY ADVERSARY. NOTHING MORE, WE WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PROCEEDINGS. I DON’T THINK THEY'LL TRY ANYTHING WITH ALL OF US HERE.
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AT'S NOT IT. I’ve SEEN YOU SAD, I'VE SEEN JESUS, DEBBIE! SEVEN OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE JUST MURDERED!/ SAID ANYTHING.
YOU SON OF A IT'S BITCH. NOT A SHORT DRIVE OUT HERE I GUESS YOUR EX-WIFE FELT SORRY FOR YOU-- PULLED SOME STRINGS SO YOU COULD De N τὸ les ns 49 AA 内 2003 ү, NE gorge Mi № yos oS his М BE BURIED WITH YOUR FELLOW VETERANS... YOU WERE WHAT... A CLERK? WELL, I DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOU... I DON’T CARE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SON TO MAKE YOU PO WHAT YOU I CAN'T n DIP... BELIEVE THEY ` EVEN ALLOWED YOU TO BE BURIED μη, μον TC EAE Ἐς C/MON, HURRY! YOU WANNA GET CAUGHT?!
WELL? START B DIGGING. HIS SKULL? BECAUSE, BUT HE WOULPN'T ARE WE DOING THIS AGAIN? I READ ON THE INTERNET THAT IF YOU DRINK FROM THE IMMORTAL’S SKULL YOU’LL LIVE FOREVER. I THINK THINK WE'RE DONE!
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WRITE US 回 INVINCIBLE 6/0 FUNK-0-TRON P.0. BOX 54386 LEXINGTON, KY 40555-4386. [email protected] Als Ryan Ottley ladies and gentlemen! With Cory gone | know a few of you were worried about how this issue would turn out. Little did you know this Ryan Ottley kid was going to knock this one out of the park! This is an outstanding-looking issue and just wait until you see issue 9! Ryan and Bill are working wonders on this book, you guys will not be disappointed. Pd like to welcome aboard ol’ Ryan and thank him for coming on board and really hitting the ground running in an effort to get us back on schedule. It's no secret that this book has been slipping schedule-wise for some time now and I’m happy to say that this book being late will soon be a thing of the past. Ryan is currently hard at work on issue 10, Bill is hard at work on issue 9 and we should be caught up with our solicitations by the time issue 11 ships. And man o' man is there some big stuff coming up in the next few issues! Now, without further ado... letters. Robert/Cory/Bill, It was worth the wait. Another fun and exciting issue. | loved the gag with William and Mark commenting on how the girls at college were hotter than their high school girls. Astute readers like myself realize that those are THE SAME GIRLS. Not similar. The same. Funny. The baseball around the world, physics be damned gag was funny too. But not the Burger Mart one. Come on. That's just crazy. | like the new theme with your back covers by the way. Hope you don't run out of pros to give you quotes. I think I've figured out the cliffhanger ending where Atom Eve is shocked. Allow me to spoil it for the readers if you will. The clues were sprinkled throughout the issue so it's all there if you read carefully. Eve obviously stumbled upon Nolan and his wife's bedroom antics. 1) Will we see more of the zombie robot? 2) Does William's desire to protect his full name stem from anything personal, Robertbert? 3) When will Mark get an enemy that has a grudge with him personally? It's a superhero convention! 4) Would Nolan ever work alongside Bolt and the rest of the Capes crew for a few bucks or is he doing alright? Keep up the amazing work. The hiccup in the schedule is forgivable. Ultimates goes at a slower pace and it's still worth the wait. Kiss a panda, Chris Piers You didn't like the burger mart trash bag gag? | thought it was my crowning achieving in this book thus far! Folks... this just goes to show that mister Piers lacks vision. Now, for your conveniently numbered questions. 1) Of course... | guess people haven't really noticed yet but EVERYTHING that appears in Invincible will appear again in some fashion. Trash bags, guys who get their chests turned into bombs, zombie robots. They'll all be back... just give it time. 2) Yeah... you bastards that have read my message board rants over the years will probably recognize that William's plight mirrors mine. | got a little carried away with that and devoted to many pages to it... thanks for not complaining. | justified it by saying it gave William a personality, he's going to be a big character after all. 3) It’s coming... don't worry. I’m sure PII be in a rut and have to resort to that eventually. 4) Nolan makes a fine living off his small book career. He has worked along side the Capes crew before, as seen in Capes #1 fighting the Chronodile in that flashback (he's really little wearing his duds from issue 2). | thought | was out. | read the Superpatriot mini you guys did and it was dang spiffy. That lead to the Invincible comic. | stayed for 4 issues, and for budget reasons | was looking for a few books to cut. And | cut your book. Sad | know. Well, recently I've been moving over to TPBs over monthly. | like the complete story, extras and if designed well, the overall package looks nicer on my bookshelf. | saw the Invincible TPB and | figured what the heck. Dang am | glad | did! The TPB was beautifully put together. Paying attention to TPB design is something it seems the larger publishers are paying less and less attention to. | wish that wasn't the case. So coming back to Invincible in the TPB has brought me back to the fold. Reading the story in one collection, and seeing the work put into the book has reminded me what good and FUN superheroics are all about. And that's just the beginning, of course there is the writing and art, which are both first class. You guys are incredible. It's written with such a light spirit and yet with a keen intelligence. Go Kirkman! And Cory Walker makes me crazy. He's so damn good. How does he do it? It looks so simple and clean but that's had to pull off, but he can do it and in SPADES! The lettering and coloring are perfect for this book. Seamlessly blended in with the ART and STORY. Like Kurt Busiek said, | thought | was out and now there little hope for me. And | don't really care because I'm having a blast.
Thank you kindly, Anthony Burns PS Around the time | read that DC was looking for new talent to bring back Superman, | immediately thought of the whole Invincible team. But as they filled the creator spots already, I'm glad because that means more Invincible is on the way. Maybe in time you guys will reach the big top, just don't forget your roots. (I'm sure you won't. And by the way a Superman/Invincible crossover would be cool too, don'tcha think?) Someone get Dan Didio on the phone... | gots me an idea! Glad you like the book Anthony, that TPB was a lot of fun to put together, [πι glad there's people out there that appreciate all the hard work that went into it. Glad to have you back. You'll all be glad to know that the TPB containing issues 5-8 will be out in March. It's called “Eight is Enough" and should contain close to as many extras as the first TPB. Great stuff! ...but what a cliffhanger ending! Is it Robot? Is he okay? Man, you better not have killed him. Keep up the great work! I try to read everything that we get in each week, so I can be familiar with the books we're selling. This week was a huge pile and | saved Invincible and Queen & Country for last as I like to end on high notes! Thanks, calum johnston strange owner Strange Adventures Comic Bookshops 5262 Sackville Street Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1K8 Canada As you can see in this issue Robot is just fine, he’s got a little more life left in him... a little, heh. Glad you like the book, it’s always nice to hear from retailers. Folks if you’re ever in the above area and need some comics... give this guy a shout. J Torres? You reading? Buy some comics from this guy... you’re Canadian, you’re practically neighbors! Invincible Crew: Well, the good news it couldn’t have been too long since the last issue. Granted, | only read the trade that came out collecting the first five, but that was a couple of months ago, and in that time I’ve seen so many shiny things, you wouldn't believe it. So many | almost forgot that I’m supposed to wear pants to work. And yet, without rereading, | remembered the Teen Squad, | remembered the tailor shop, and laughed hysterically at the garbage falling from the sky in London; now THAT’S an obscure reference, but | felt very rewarded at having caught it. Just a blast to read. I’m glad to see that Mark’s got not only some good catch-up time with Dad, but also found out that he chose his friends well. Almost enough to counter his return home. On the bad side, | think your ad for Issue #7 kinda set up another missed deadline. Unless youve found a way to send publications back through time. That'd be awesome. Sincerely, Ryan Walsh Actually the TPB only contains the first FOUR issues... so | think you may be missing issue 5, unless you just mistyped. If you DID miss issue five, might | recommend www.khepri.com? They’re a fine institution of on-line comic purchasing and keep abundant stock of my many fine publications. The guy that runs the place is a little kooky but that’s a plus in this biz... right? Oh and what is this wearing pants to work thing you speak of? I’ve been writing these comics in my undies for the last three years... | can think without a cool breeze blowing across my bare thighs... how do people who don't work at home do it?! And yes... issue 7 has been sent back in time to September but it created a whole new timeline so we won't ever really be aware of its effects. Robert: Well, I've followed Invincible from the beginning, and I think I'll follow as long as I've been Fin-Addict over a decade. Is Invincible a great comic book? Is it fun? Is it Dynamic? Let's put it this way; for over a ten-year period | have collected only ONE book---Savage Dragon--, and refused to collect any other book. Why? Because there was nothing on the market that grabbed me like the books of old. Then came Invincible, and your writing. | know collect Walking Dead and Invincible----hell, | feverishly await each issue. That hasn't happened in recent memory. Robert, | believe you are the first of a new generation of writers truly influenced by Erik Larsen; you should be proud. You write it, I'll read it. p.s. Brit is a masterpiece. Later Kent Moore Kitchener, Ontario Canada Influenced by Erik Larsen? That's probably the nicest thing anyone's said to me. That guys the greatest... you should all be reading Savage Dragon... and buying it at Strange Adventures if you live in Canada... I’m sure it's just a short drive away. And with that we come to the end of another letters column. Make sure you read Benito and Nate's strips this issue. | don't put those things back there for my health. Those kids a funny, check them out. And be sure to read Benito's Image book when it comes out closer to the summer... of wait... was | not supposed to say something about that? Oops. This month's pin-ups by Rich Woodall & Matt Talbot (buy their book “Johnny Raygun” find out more at www.johnnyraygun.com) , and Chris Piers (that guy again?) & Scott Iwahashi. See you all in a few weeks. -Robert Kirkman
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