Invincible: Family Matters (Comics) | Review

Ever wondered what happens when teenage awkwardness collides with family secrets and world-ending superpowers? Robert Kirkman's opening salvo reshapes everything you thought you knew about superhero storytelling conventions.

Writer Robert Kirkman (Marvel Team-Up: Master of the Ring, The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye) delivers exactly that volatile combination in the opening volume of what became one of the most talked-about superhero comics of the 2000s.

This isn't your typical origin story where the hero stumbles into greatness by accident. Mark Grayson has been waiting his entire life for his powers to manifest, knowing full well that his father Omni-Man stands as Earth's most powerful protector.

The foundation here feels deceptively familiar– teenage son of superhero finally gets powers and starts learning the ropes but Kirkman wastes absolutely zero time establishing that this world operates by completely different rules altogether.

Mark's journey from powerless high schooler to cape-wearing hero unfolds against a backdrop where veteran heroes get brutally murdered and the line between protector and threat becomes disturbingly blurred in unexpected ways.

The Teen Team serves as Mark's training wheels introduction to superhero work, complete with typical teenage drama and power dynamics. What makes this compelling isn't the team itself but how Kirkman uses these missions to establish Mark's moral compass while systematically undermining everything he believes about heroism.

The real story lives in the Grayson household, where seemingly innocent dinner conversations carry the weight of planetary consequences and father-son bonding sessions hint at dangerous cosmic-level deceptions that could change everything.

Omni-Man's characterization deserves particular attention. He comes across as the perfect superhero father figure– supportive, wise, truly caring about Mark's development. The subtle ways Kirkman plants seeds of doubt about his true nature create tension that makes every interaction feel loaded with potential significance.

When the other heroes start dying, the investigation threads back to troubling questions about who really knows whom in this seemingly straightforward superhero community and what dark secrets might be lurking beneath the surface.

The pacing strikes an effective balance between establishing Mark's normal teenage problems– girlfriend drama, school stress, social awkwardness– and the larger mystery brewing around the hero murders that threatens everything he believes in.

Kirkman understood that readers needed to genuinely care about Mark as a person before the bigger revelations would carry any real emotional weight. The final pages deliver a devastating gut punch that reframes everything that came before while setting up psychological conflicts that will define the entire series moving forward.

Mark's teenage voice remains consistent whether he's dealing with superpowers or asking someone to prom. The humor emerges organically from character interactions rather than forced quips during fight scenes that feel unnatural.

Artist Cory Walker (Invincible: Eight is Enough, Invincible: Perfect Strangers) captures the exact tone Kirkman needed– clean enough for mainstream superhero appeal but with subtle details that hint at the violence brewing beneath the surface.

His character expressions nail the emotional beats, particularly in quieter family moments where unspoken tensions matter more than action sequences. The costume designs feel fresh without trying too hard to reinvent superhero aesthetics.

Bill Crabtree's colors maintain a deliberately bright, optimistic palette that contrasts effectively with the darker story elements lurking beneath the surface. This clever visual approach becomes absolutely crucial for the series' overall impact– the art style promises one kind of story while the plot delivers something more complex.

Kirkman's dialogue shines brightest during family interactions. The Grayson household conversations feel naturally written– not the stilted exposition dumps that plague many superhero comics in today's market and destroy reader immersion completely.

Family Matters succeeds because it recognizes that the best superhero stories aren't about the powers– they're about the people who have them and what those abilities cost. Kirkman built something that looks like a standard teenage superhero tale while laying groundwork for a story that would eventually deconstruct the entire genre.

The real achievement here is making readers invest in Mark's journey before revealing just how complicated that journey will become. This opening volume works both as entry point for new readers and as foundation for the complex storytelling that would follow.

Recent animated adaptation for Amazon Prime proved the story's staying power but the comics remain the definitive version where Kirkman's vision hits hardest and delivers the complete experience that every superhero fans truly deserve.

You can pick up the Invincible: Family Matters paperback or hardcover editions from major bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and your local comic shop. For digital readers, the story is available via Apple Books, ComiXology and Kindle.