Invincible Universe #1 picks up right where the previous, short-lived Guarding the Globe series left off with issue #6. Like Globe, the new series is written by Phil Hester, with art by Todd Nauck. Here’s the official description from Image:

In the aftermath of INVINCIBLE 100 and “The Death of Everyone,” Dinosaurus has left his mark on the world. Can heroes from across the universe – Invincible, the Guardians of the Globe, Tech Jacket, the Astounding Wolf-Man and more – contain the damage done? Or are the end times of the Invincible Universe ahead?

The unfortunate elephant in the room for this first issue is its relationship to Guarding the Globe, which it both continues and replaces. Readers of GtG should start this new book with no problem, but if you happened to skip that series, you may find it hard to follow. Even more importantly, you’ll want to be caught up on events in Invincible proper, though that’s less likely to be a problem. Finally, it won’t hurt to familiarize yourself with some of the more far-flung characters of Robert Kirkman‘s superhero world. All these prerequisites may make it seem like the book should be called Impenetrable Universe, but Phil Hester actually handles it all pretty well, with some cursory explanations that keep things comprehensible, for the most part. He also offers some wonderfully humorous, yet nuanced exchanges between Cecil Steadman and his new(est) assistant.

As for the art, Todd Nauck kills it, as usual. No one in comics can strike his particular chord between cartooney and realistic. His characters have an undeniable humor, even when they are at their most desperate. Here, he excels at busy scenes, easy distinguishing large groups of characters, while delivering highly detailed backgrounds much of the time. If there’s one problem with his work in this issue, it’s the repeated use of a few expressions over and over, without significant variation.

While you”ll definitely want to catch up on some previous issues, particularly the Earth-shattering Invincible #98-#100, Invincible Universe #1 will be waiting with a gorgeous, albeit slightly crowded, look at the wider Invincible world.

3.5/5

Zac is glad the days getting warmer. He loves Icee weather. Follow him on Twitter.