Friday, February 16, 2007

The Invisibles #8: 'Arcadia: Part 4: H.E.A.D'

‘H.E.A.D’ is unquestionably the series’ best issue so far, simultaneously very entertaining in the present and illuminating of the series’ cosmology in a more clear way than the ending is. After reading ‘Glitterdammerung’ for the first time, I was deeply confused, and I wish that someone had pointed me back to this issue, because it pretty much sums up what the supercontext is and why The Invisibles’ mission is important. Of course, you’re not likely to flip back to this issue at the end of the series because that’s not how fiction usually works. But, this is a nonlinear, unconventional series, where sometimes we’re given answers before we even know what the questions are...

I've taken down my posts on The Invisibles because they're all coming out in book form. The book, Our Sentence is Up, features revised and expanded versions of each blog post, covering every issue of The Invisibles, plus an extensive interview with Morrison himself. Visit your local comic store and order a copy now!

2 comments:

David Golding said...

I can't see any solid connection with the Archons and the Filth. The latter are preservers of our cosy status quo, while the former are creators and enforcers of a status quo that will lead to a world like a concentration camp. The difference between the police and the SS. I think The Invisibles and The Filth are really getting at (perhaps slightly) different material, coming from different places.

Patrick said...

I'd agree that the two works are coming from different placess, I fel like the goal of The Filth is to reinforce The Invisibles' idea of breaking down dualism by showing us an entire series from the perspective of 'the other side.' The Invisibles is all about taking on the authorities, creating chaos and freeing minds.

The Filth flips things around and shows the way that order sometimes is necessary. The 'Pornomancer' issue is a great example of this, a guy who takes chaos to the extreme and turns dangerous. So, we're able to better understand the reason that authority exists. I wouldn't be surprised if The Filth was largely influenced by the culture that arose after 9/11, a culture which is totally different from the optimism of the late 90s when The Invisibles was going.

I'd agree that they're not exactly analagous. I don't think a book like The Filth would work in The Invisibles universe, but it's the closest thing to the series that Morrison has done since, and works well as a thematic counterpoint. I feel like The Filth was his last major work about the real world, right now I'd like to see him do another series, original series about where he's seeing the universe now.