Customer Reviews

The Invisibles: Bloody Hell in America

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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Morrison is arguably the best comics scribe around today, and thus far Invisibles is probably (still) his masterpiece.
Bloody Hell In America continues in the same vein as the previous story arcs, though this chapter is far more violent and "action packed" than anything we've seen before (as the title implies). These stories were of course written squarely in the Tarantino Era. In the midst of some blood-soaked & carnage-filled pages, even King Mob tells Jolly Roger that he is "beginning to question the already dubious morality of [his] actions". To call the violence "gratuitous" is missing the point.

And I wouldn't call this a good jumping-on point. If you're going to read Invisibles, start at the beginning.

The Invisibles' fourth volume begins their second major storyline in America, doing American things with American people.

Grant Morrison had just begun to write the JLA during this volume, and it affected the Invisibles to a major extent. The story becomes simpler; there are a ton of gun fights and the whole tone of the series changes. Morrison claims he did this on purpose, but it's unclear as to why he did it.

Regardless, Phil Jimenez really compliments the story's general feel, very Perez influenced and detailed, very American.

A necessary volume if you're reading the Invisibles and a very good starting point if you haven't started.

"Bloody Hell in America" kicks off volume 2 of Grant Morrison's punk/conspiracy brainchild, which began with "Say You Want a Revolution," "Apocalipstick," and "Entropy in the UK." A year has passed, and our oddball heroes have spent it recuperating in America after the harrowing rescue of their leader, King Mob. Now, rested and refreshed, they're ready to spring back into action with a gripping attack on a top-secret military base. Arrayed against them are gun-toting goons and desert poltergeists, not to mention the incredibly creepy Mr. Quimper. Several startling revelations follow, and...well, let's just say that the US military recovered a lot more at Roswell than everyone thinks they did.

The one major flaw of this tome is its length; it only contains four issues, as opposed to the seven or eight of the other "Invisibles" volumes. Also, there is no continuation of the intriguing "Division 6" plotline that ended volume one, and no new insights on Jack Frost's bizarre psychology or the mysterious entity known as Barbelith. I can only hope that the answers lie in the final three volumes, which I have yet to get my paws on.

"Bloody Hell in America" is a little on the thin side, but it's a good book to start with if you're new to the Invisibles and can't get "Say You Want a Revolution." Needless to say, fans of the series can't afford to miss it.

This is when The Invisibles enters the cream stage of its existence, smoothly entering the minds of the readers with the beautiful art of Phil Jimenez and action-filled experimental narrative set to make your mind trip. If you've never read the book, this might be the place to start since it's less literary than the first volume, and the first 25 issues can always be revisited if you like what you see here.

This short but sweet trade paperback colects the OTT beginings of the 2nd Volume of this wonderfull series.

This is a good introduction to the Invisibles, as this story reads like a highly entertaining, psychadelic blockbuster, making it more acessible than most of the other stories in this series, which can (at times) redifine the word "odd"...

Read it and, if you like it, check out the other trades... the series is really varied and is, literally, about EVERYTHING!

Sex, love, gnosticism, rebellion, music, art, death, friendship, drugs, science, magic, literature, meta-physics, ... its all in there somewhere...

Stories about sexy Anarchists dont get any better than this...

The Invisibles might be dead but it could be the most important comic book series yet. Revolutionary Grant Morrison mixes pop culture, the anti-establishment, mind expansion, magic, sigils, linguistics, conspiracy theory, and disinformation into a complex of meaning known as The Invisibles.

It is becoming an abstraction, a symbol and map of the potential of the counterculture.

Douglas Rushkoff says, "counterculture...is no longer valid as a label...Because the War is Over. We've won. Period. They - whoever they are - have surrendered to us...It's hard to be in the so-called counterculture anymore cuz as soon as we've figured out something it's at the mall two weeks later."

But Grant Morrison not only thinks we won, but that we can still change the world.

another reviewer wrote: Somewhere along the line in "Bloody Hell in America," you realize you're in over your head, that whatever well-worn turns you may have been used to in comic book storytelling have been turned completely around, and this ride is jumping the tracks.

i agree until the 'and this ride is jumping the tracks.'

there is a complete, actually quite simple, plot here if you move all the way thru... my suggestion is to read the chapters out of order.... chapter one makes much more sense if you read chapter TWO first.

It might seem like occult secret agents on a mission to find the aids virus, but its much bigger than just that... it's our old fave GOOD v. EVIL.

it's all terrific stuff, and terrific fun... slam bang superhero stuff with tantric energy and other worthy forces substituting for super breath or whatever....

warning: there are about 6 or 8 pages scattered thruout the book that don't seem to connect to the plot at hand...not to worry, they are simply forshadowing stuff in the following installments...

IF you dont want violence or object to a little bad language or drug use, DONT READ THIS BOOK. If you want what is a great jumping on point to one of the best series comics has to offer, then put your petty language concerns away and read a book that may even change the way you think about the workd around you.

This collection is meant as a jumping-on point for new readers, and considering how esoteric, deep, and complex 'The Invisibles' usually is, this book is a nice change of pace. The amazing thing is that Morrison slows down the merry-go-round without derailing it. He *wants* you to get on, but he also wants people who've been on it for a while to stay -- no mean feat. He pulls is off very well, somehow. Check this out, then dive in to the rest of this amazing, brilliant series.

Somewhere along the line in "Bloody Hell in America," you realize you're in over your head, that whatever well-worn turns you may have been used to in comic book storytelling have been turned completely around, and this ride is jumping the tracks.

How writer Grant Morrison manages to spin the end of time, the crash at Roswell, the Hindu god Ganesh, Aztec magic, and Quentin Tarantino movies into one story is a secret he'll probably take to his grave. But it all works, and the threads crackle and hum so intensely with pop-zeitgeist electricity you'll love getting sucked into the web.

Translation: It's really, REALLY cool. And one hell of a mind ride.

And honestly, if you can't get past the "swearing and blood," you should stick to the JLA. Or Bil Keane's Family Circus.