20 cool psychedelic comics to read after seeing Thor: Ragnarok
The Invisibles (Cover image via Vertigo/DC Comics)
4. The Invisibles
If you were to stroll into your local comics store and ask for the weirdest, most psychedelic comic there, you’d almost certainly be handed a copy of Morrison’s work.
Grant Morrison has certainly earned his place as one of the most daring and intellectually challenging comics writers alive. Morrison is also a playwright, musician, noted occultist, and a member of the Order of the British Empire. He gained significant attention for his work with DC Comics, first with a little-known character and title, Animal Man. He then worked on titles like Batman, JLA, All-Star Superman, and a surreal interpretation of Doom Patrol in 1989.
Even though he was gaining success in the mainstream comics world, Morrison continued to contribute to independent presses. These were also some of his more controversial works, including The New Adventures of Hitler and the anti-Margaret Thatcher St. Swithin’s Day.
But we’re not here to talk about Morrison’s superhero comics work, or not exactly. For, as much as he bent the edges of the superhero universe, you can only take Superman and Batman so far. That said, I’d pay a pretty penny to see Batman go on some sort of ODY-C type of adventure.
The Invisibles
No, we’re here to talk about The Invisibles. The series was published under DC’s Vertigo imprint, starting in 1994. It follows the exploits of a cell of The Invisible College, an organization that fights against psychic and real-world forces by using a whole mental toolkit of psychedelic and occasionally violent methods. The first volume follows Dane McGowan, a troubled British teen who learns magic, is abducted by aliens, travels through a few different dimensions, and feels the collective suffering of the human race.
It also introduces us to the decidedly odd team of The Invisibles. They’re led by King Mob, a former horror writer. They also include a time-traveling madwoman (Ragged Robin), a former NYPD officer (Boy), and a Brazilian trans woman sorceress (Lord Fanny) whose patron deity is Tlazolteotl, the goddess of filth (and who also provides purification for her believers).
Along the way, there’s plenty of mysticism and conspiracy theories, wherein the team visits the fabled underground, alien-hosting Dulce Base in New Mexico. The Invisibles is legendarily weird for a reason.