From: [b--b--k] at [mack.rt66.com] (Bob Kelly) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.alternative Subject: The Invisibles Semi-Exposed #1 Date: 14 Jun 1995 13:08:05 -0600 The Invisibles Semi-Exposed: #1 The Meanderings and Thoughts of Grant Morrison's The Invisibles Published by DC/Vertigo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "This is the comic I've wanted to write all my life -- a comic about everything: action, philosophy, paranoia, sex, magic, biography, travel, drugs, religion, UFOs...." -- Grant Morrison, Invisible Ink, the Invisibles #1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This is not meant to be an annotated Invisibles, but a thought- and discussion-provoking tool to help us think about Grant Morrison's work. Rumors, theories and meanderings are welcome. I will try to add everyone's input once per every couple of weeks. Speculation is welcome, as long as it is brief. For those of you who want to see my less-prestigious work (along with Bill Sherman and John Bullough) on the Doom Patrol, try the following web location: Also, you can check out Sincerely, Bob Kelly - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dead Beatle$ Issue #1, Sep 94 Artist: Steve Yeowell Letters Column: Before I begin, I want to quote from Grant himself: "DESTROY THIS COMIC! That's my advice. When you're finished reading THE INVISIBLES #1, tear it up, burn it, feed it to your lizards, lock it in the trunk of a stolen car and push it off a bridge. You'll feel good, believe me. It's only a comic, after all." So, the sheer nature of "annotating" the Invisibles is against the grain of what Morrison wants us to do. So be it. I choose my own path and I am not ready to give up my Invisibles. I do NOT place them in plastic baggies, nor oogle over their resale value. I like to READ comics, not admire them from afar. -- Page 1, Panel 2 Some ancient Egyptian Mythos has the sun being a large ball rolled across the sky by a beetle. First appearance of King Mob. We immediately begin with a theme in the Invisibles: Polytheism. Page 2, Panel 1 Gee, meet Dane McGowan. He's such a witty guy. Morrison has a child throwing a rock, a molotov cocktail or a grenade at the establishment. He's done this in: Doom Patrol #52, Kill Your Boyfriend, anything else? Page 3, Panel 4 Someone needs to explain to the editors and comic artists that Molotov Cocktails don't explode like that. It's sort of a running theme in this book. Burning books: this is a standard revolutionary tactic used to "re-write the pages of history" for 2000 years plus. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. Compare this activity to "DESTROY THIS COMIC" statement: we can become trapped by that what we think is "real." For example, the revisionist history of Christopher Columbus as a "hero" for America -- a history that is now a hot bed of dispute. Page 4, Panel 1 Dane's t-shirt: Carlsberg. It's a beer, aint it? Page 4, Panel 2 "Bizzies" -- Police? Page 4, Panel 4 "We are the Boys! We are the Boys! We are the Croxteth Po-SSE!" Where is this from, folks? First Appearance of King Mob's tag. Page 5, Panel 4-5 "It's sort of like I've seen it before but I haven't." Read the letters column in issue #11: Could Dane be a Situationist International member reborn? Page 6, Panel 2 King Mob's first name is Gideon. He's also be "unchanged" since 1924. Why doesn't he age? Why does she? Page 6, Panel 4 John-A-Dreams is mentioned for the first time. It is later implied that he has converted over to the enemy and is betraying the Invisibles. Page 7, Panel 4-5 The Russian Anarchist theorist who denounced the October Revolution? I haven't read Kropotkin, but I think I'd like to now. Page 8, Panel 5 "Only Nazis burn books." Except the religious right, the PMRC, Gannett Syndicate, large multinational corporations... even historians burn books, metaphorically speaking. Note that Dane's wearing the same shirt... eeeewwww! Page 9, Panel 3 Gee, Mom, can you put any more crud on you face? Page 9, Panel 6 King Mob's really been following this guy. Pages 10-12 Dane is watching John Lennon and Stu ?. The foreshadowing Lennon's death is a little late. Dane can see across time and watch (participate) in events -- a precursor to how important he will become later in the issue. Page 13, Panel 2 First appearance of jack Front, Dane's alter-ego. Page 13, Panel 3 "Erdische methode gut, starker besitscher." "Seelisches land." I'll be arsed if I'm going to look them up when there's plenty of nice german-speaking people on the internet that'll do it for me. Page 14, Panel 1 "TDA" Is this the equivalent to juvenile home? drunk driving? Page 14-15 We see just how good of a car thief Dane is. Page 17, Panel 3 Hey! You left your lights on! Page 17, Panel 4 "I say we blow up the whole fucking school." To quote the Comics Journal: CJ: What's the best effect that the Invisibles could have? Grant: Just to inspire people to smash up their school desks. [laughs] Page 18-19 The evil influence of aggrandizing lsd to corrupt the young and the innocent children of the world. Fukin' A, folks, DO DRUGS! They're better than television! Healthier for you too. Grant says that these two pages were written on acid. Yet another Dead Beatle, the Apple from the record label... If someone wants a stab at these pages, go right ahead. Page 21, Panel 5 Dane isn't as stupid or crazy as he has been pictured as. Page 22, Panel 1 "Beyond the limits regarded as legitimate youthful rebellion against authority." Those are interesting words. Page 23, Panel 2 Hmmmmm, like those glasses Ms. Dwyer. She belongs to the enemy. Page 23, Panel 4 Harmony House. Looks like Heritage School in Provo, Utah or Bakkan (sp?) Control Training Center. A lot of these schools have worse treatment of the "students" than many prisons in America. Page 24, Panel 1 "Conformity" As ever, it's the age old nemesis that Morrison like to pick on. Mr. Gelt is servant of the evil ones. Page 25, Panel 3 Hmmm, that looks like a fun card game. "I win!" "No, you don't!" "Yes, I do!" Page 26, Panel 1 ISXIS? Isis? Give me hints! Page 26, Panel 2 Ragged Robin makes her appearance, and everyone in the world assumes it's Crazy Jane. Yeah, that's creative thought for you. K.M. and Robin discuss the recruiting of Dane. Page 28, Panel 2 Virtual Reality -- at least somebody has the right idea about what it is all about. Page 28, Panel 4 OK, Grant, We get the hint! Emotion is bad. Strange celery-headed, vaginal-eyed creatures are good. :) Page 29 Yeah, it's atypical evil Morrison creature -- but I *STILL* like it. Page 32-33 OK, so they look like sex organ-ish, brain-ish things. How do they scream? :) "Smooth between the legs, smooth between the ears..." No one but Morrison can make conformity seem such a wonderful prospect. Page 34, Panel 3 King Mob in full regalia! Note the way he hangs his gun. Page 37, Panel 2 the Secret Society Invisibles is first mentioned. Page 38, Panel 4 Dane's luck is showing through - so much for Mr. Gelt. Letter Column "I was also, to be brutally frank, shattered by the response to DOOM PATROL which I loved as a parent loves a gifted and misunderstood child, but which was either relentlessly panned by critics or completely ignored." Well, I wrote MY first letter as a response to issue #20, which god published in #25. I haven't stopped since. Grant outs himself as a "heterosexual (with possible latent homosexual tendencies)" Personally, until I notice that he's sharing a bed with me, I think the speculation is something left for Tiger Beat magazine. :) -- -Bob Kelly- < ThisIsTheMonaLisaSigVirus--CopyMeIntoYour.sigFileAndSmileEnigmatically > < RETROFLASHBACK-SIG: Time flies like an Arrow, Fruit flies like a banana >