Invincible Universe #2 Review

Phil Hester has wasted no time before raising the stakes in Invincible Universe. Issue #2 sees Mr. Liu linger on the verge of death while his dragon half wreaks havoc on the globe. What can Cecil Stedman do but call in the heroes? All of them. This is an action-oriented chapter that can compete with the biggest battles the main series has to offer. But Hester includes enough character drama in between the punching and exploding to keep the conflict interesting.

Artist Todd Nauck deserves plenty of credit as far as the action goes. He's quickly starting to give Ryan Ottley a run for his money when it comes to dynamic figures and big, widescreen action. This issue includes a double-page spread of the many heroes of the Invincible Universe that's just gorgeous to behold. Meanwhile, Gabe Eltaeb's lush colors more than hold their own against Jason Rauch's. Eltaeb's more natural skin tones may actually give Invincible Universe the edge over its sibling in terms of coloring.

The action in this issue is enjoyable enough in its own right. And Hester manages to balance Invincible with the rest of the cast well, relying on Mark mainly for comic relief and a one solo action scene. Most of the attention is focused on characters like Cecil, Kid Thor, and Robot. The latter is enjoyable to read as he employs every trick in the book to bring Liu back to life, including one really disgusting quick-fix. Kid Thor gets a chance to shine as he embraces his second lease on life alongside Knockout. Hester also raises the question of just how much influence Kid Thor's hammer is exerting over him now.

But as with issue #1, it's Cecil more than anyone who stands out. This is a character I took a long time to warm up to in the main series. But Hester has done solid work with him thus far, and the final few pages of this issue are easily my favorite Cecil material in the history of the franchise. That bodes well as this new series continues to grow and focus on the various other members of the ensemble cast.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com