Battle Beast: Heart of Glory (Comics) | Review

What happens when the galaxy's deadliest warrior becomes the thing he fears most? That's the brutal question Robert Kirkman (Haunt: Apparition War, Invincible: Family Matters) and Ryan Ottley (Haunt: Beginning, Invincible: Head of The Class) tackle in this long-awaited exploration of one of Invincible's most terrifying characters.

Battle Beast: Heart of Glory doesn't just fill in back-story gaps. It transforms a one-note killing machine into something far more tragic. This collection bridges a massive narrative void between Battle Beast's first appearance in Invincible #19 and his shocking return in issue #55.

For nearly two decades, fans wondered what happened during those missing 36 issues. Now we finally know and the answer is darker than anyone expected. The legendary Invincible creative team reunites to deliver the most demanded spinoff in the franchise's history, proving that even monsters can carry unbearable burdens.

Thokk, the leonine warrior known throughout the cosmos as Battle Beast, carries a curse that threatens everything he once protected. After bringing peace to his homeworld of Dorrin through sheer brutality, he discovered something terrifying: he's addicted to violence itself.

Not metaphorically addicted, either. His physiology craves combat the way others need oxygen to survive. The more he fights, the stronger the hunger grows, until he risks obliterating the very planet he once saved. It's biological, unstoppable and progressively worsening with each hard-fought victory he claims across the galaxy.

So Battle Beast makes an impossible choice. He abandons Dorrin and begins a galaxy-spanning quest to find someone powerful enough to kill him before his bloodlust destroys everyone he loves. That's where Heart of Glory takes us on this desperate, blood-soaked journey.

The collection includes issues #1-6 plus the foundational Skybound X #25 story that first teased this series. Kirkman structures each issue around a different opponent, a different world, a different failure. Battle Beast tears through mercenaries, monsters and planetary champions with shocking ease, leaving carnage in his wake.

Too much ease, actually. None match his strength. None can grant him the warrior's death he craves. Each victory compounds his despair. The psychological deterioration happens in real time and it's unsettling to witness someone this powerful becoming this desperate for death.

The ship's AI serves as navigation and unwilling therapist. Battle Beast confesses his fears to this emotionless computer, revealing depths the main series hinted at. He's not searching for glory or conquest. He's searching for suicide with honor and that transforms everything.

The series introduces new characters and worlds without feeling disconnected from Invincible continuity. Battle Beast meets beings with regenerative powers, releases imprisoned cosmic horrors and faces creatures that would give Viltrumites pause. Each fight showcases different combat styles while reinforcing the core tragedy.

What makes Heart of Glory essential isn't just the action, though there's plenty. It's watching someone desperately try to save others from himself. Battle Beast fights with reckless abandon, hoping each opponent might be strong enough to end his torment and spare the universe.

Kirkman cleverly avoids making Battle Beast sympathetic in conventional ways. He remains brutal, cannibalistic and terrifying but understanding his motivations re-contextualizes every previous appearance. When he left Earth after decimating the Guardians, we thought it was disappointment. Now we know it was terror.

The writing seeds connections to future events without spoiling anything for readers. Fans familiar with the Viltrumite War will recognize how this positions Battle Beast for those conflicts. The story works independently, focusing on character rather than universe building.

The final issues escalate toward Battle Beast's imprisonment by the Viltrumites, setting up his eventual alliance with Allen the Alien and the Coalition of Planets. But the journey matters far more than the destination here. We see Battle Beast make calculated, brutal decisions about which civilizations to challenge next and destroy.

Ryan Ottley returns to the Invincible universe and immediately reminds everyone why he defined this series visually. His work here ranks among his most dynamic, capturing Battle Beast's savage grace in ways that make every panel feel kinetic and explosive.

Ottley excels at brutal choreography and Battle Beast provides the perfect canvas. Bodies don't just break in these fights– they rupture, shatter and explode violently. The gore serves its narrative purpose rather than shock value alone. Each injury visually represents Battle Beast's escalating desperation throughout the series.

Annalisa Leoni's color work deserves praise. She bathes violence in saturated reds and oranges while rendering quieter moments in cooler tones. The palette shifts mirror Battle Beast's mental state each issue, creating visual storytelling that enhances Kirkman's script.

Kirkman's script balances spectacle with introspection in ways that shouldn't work but do. Battle Beast's internal monologues to the ship's computer provide necessary context without feeling expository. The dialogue crackles with personality, giving even minor characters memorable lines before their inevitable deaths.

Battle Beast: Heart of Glory succeeds as both action spectacle and tragic character study. Kirkman and Ottley prove they've lost none of their storytelling chemistry, delivering the most violent Invincible content yet while making us sympathize with an irredeemable monster.

This collection works for different audiences in different ways. Longtime Invincible readers get satisfying answers to decade-old questions they've been asking. New fans drawn by the Amazon animated series can jump in without confusion. Gore enthusiasts receive some of the most spectacular brutality in mainstream comics.

Heart of Glory cements Battle Beast as more than a memorable side character. He becomes a genuinely tragic figure whose curse makes him dangerous to the people and places he'd rather protect. That complexity elevates the entire Invincible universe significantly.

The ending positions Battle Beast perfectly for readers familiar with the Viltrumite War arc while providing satisfying closure for this story. Whether this launches an ongoing series or remains a standalone exploration in the future, Heart of Glory delivers everything the title promises and considerably more than expected.

Battle Beast: Heart of Glory is available in the Battle Beast: Heart of Glory trade paperback and in standard Image Comics graphic novel printings. You can also read it digitally across major storefronts like Amazon Kindle, ComiXology, Image Comics app and other major platforms.