The Invisibles Book 1 by Grant Morrison, Steve Yeowell and Jill Thompson (graphic novel review).
Reading Les Dennis’ book, ‘DC Comics: A Celebration Of The World’s Favourite Comic Book Heroes’, last month, I came across a reference to Grant Morrison’s ‘The Invisibles’. I bought the first volume containing the first 12 issues from 2000 about 5 years ago but hadn’t gotten around to reading it until now.
Back in the day, I loved his version of the Doom Patrol, much of which was used in the TV series rather than its original creators’ material. It tends to make me nervous about anything else because it sets the bar for what follows.
I read ‘The Invisibles’, avoiding anything but what was in my hands.
We follow the life of delinquent Liverpudlian Dane McGowan. When he beats up his teacher, he is committed to Harmony House. In the opening, McGowan witnesses a conversation between John Lennon and Pete Best by the canal and thinks that dates the series to the early 1960s. It’s only revealed much later that McGowan has the ability to see into the past, although it wasn’t really that obvious. The method to make delinquents ‘normal’ certainly isn’t orthodox. This did make me stop and think, and then I realised that there are certainly elements of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ included here.
McGowan is aided in escaping by a hooded, gas-masked individual and taken under the wing of a tramp called Tom O’Bedlam, who tells the youth he will eventually be called Jack Frost and what it is to be invisible. This appears to be the authorities physically invisible. In the meantime, he educates him before they both jump off a skyscraper in Canary Wharf. McGowan survives and finally meets the Invisibles themselves.
From thereon, this graphic novel centres on the group themselves, based on the elements of earth, water, air and fire, although you would be pushed to recognise which is which. They also spend a lot of time travelling, but more in spirit than anything else. You also can’t tell much difference in their appearance from the art or how physical they can be. It also puts their bodies in 1995 at risk, although quite why only McGowan is attacked and loses the tip of his little finger beats me.
There is then a divergence into various stories, including one where a small squad of older English people are using some of the other invisibles as target practice a la the Hellfire Club.
There are a lot of unanswered questions. Establishing character names, even over 20 years ago, would have helped. The bald chap is King Mob, but the others didn’t sink in. quite who the chap with big hair and a gas mask is.
In some respects, I did wonder what Morrison was smoking as he wrote this material. I thought the same with the Doom Patrol back in the late 1980s, so no difference there, but it was a little more coherent as to what was going on. I doubt you would expect ‘ordinary’ with his personal projects, but you do need some perseverance when reading.
It’s also the first of six volumes, so if I want answers, I need to look at the next volume. It piqued my interest enough to find out where it’s going and locate a second volume.
GF Willmetts
September 2025
(pub: DC Comics/Vertigo, 2000 re-released 2020. 324 page graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-40126-795-7).
check out website: www.dc.com
