Invisibles, The: The Invisible Kingdom VOL 07 (Paperback)

There is some pretty deep philosophical stuff imbedded in here. I recognised concepts on the true nature of time that could have come right out of Ouspensky. In fact, that's what the whole grand opera seems to be leading up to here- Morrison is trying to shake us out of our complacent sleep walking and open us up to looking behind the accepted "reality" of things. This can lead to either individual transcendence, or, as Morrison seems to speculate, it can lead to a leap in evolution for the entire species. You see, all the strange and unexplainable stuff that is breaking into our world these days are just the growing pains of an expanded consciousness. Larval man is about to break through the veil, enmass. What is terrifying to us now will later be seen as aspects of reality that were only temporarily frightening because of their newness and strangeness. Even opposites unite at the next higher level.

My only criticism is with the unevenness of the artwork. With so many pencillers and inkers working on the project you lose consistency. You can go from an almost photographic level of draftsmanship in one section, to cartoonish caricature in the next. That can distract from the smooth flow of the story line.

Oh yes, and if you get to Benares- don't drink the water....

I've accumulated all of the editions since and feel immensely satisfied with the world. These books mind you are not for people who need a quick fix; they require both time and intense introspection.

This final book answered most of my questions and those that it didn't I'm delighted to answer on my own, happy they were posed to me. The book is read best as the Book of Changes is, with personal meaning and associations. If you try to read it in a linear style, you'll fail.

As for criticism, I have no pertinent ones. The artwork is spectacular, appropriate for the stories. I try not to associate the story with authors that influenced Morrison for I read into their frailties rather than enjoying the book in a pure form.

I cannot describe the book, nor it's meaning without betraying the message in it, so if you have an open mind buy it, steal it, photocopy it...whatever. All the people that say that the books could change your life are quite right.

As a final warning: Don't read them with preconceived notions. They have absolutely no place here, nor will you be able to find them when you're done.

Fortunately, Morrison parcels the obfuscating seven-volume meta-story out to readers in digestible chunks, usually in four-chapter story snippets. INVISIBLE KINGDOM contains three such snippets, and a final chapter that shows the characters decades in the future (albeit in typically hallucinatory fashion).

My favorite stories from the series include the first 4 chapters of SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION (where Jack Frost is initiated into the Barbelo), the single-chapter story "Royal Monster" from APOCALIPSTICK (where the guy has to feed that creature behind the mirror), Lord Fanny's biography tale (also from APOCALIPSTICK), and the 3-part title sequence from ENTROPY IN THE U.K (which deals with King Mob's interrogation).

Several colorful characters, particularly King Mob, Lord Fanny, Jack Frost, foxy Ragged Robin, and repugnant little Mister Quimper, kept me reading through even the most annoyingly byzantine passages of the series. However, I could have done without the wearisome Marquis de Sade altogether. Also, I don't think the time travel aspect was necessary to the story: I would think the idea of Ragged Robin writing herself into a piece of fiction could have been handled without the time-warping aspects, which only added to the confusion. And I wasn't completely clear on the significance of Jack Frost's Messianic status, which is hinted at throughout the series but not resolved to my satisfaction in the final volume. Also, I've completely lost track of the significance of that green hand.

Of course, I can recommend this last volume only to those readers who have read the previous six; you really don't want to pick this story up at the end. I can certainly recommend the whole series, however. This sort of thing has been done in books before (Pynchon, R.A. Wilson, and Philip K. Dick being examples) but not, I think, in comics.