Comix Strip: The Invisibles

by Miriam

The Invisibles is a very strange British comic series, now released as a glossy-cover collection. It is written by the very talented, somewhat weird Grant Morrison (the gay boys in the audience should read the introduction to the first book). The Invisibles is unlike anything else I've read or seen anywhere in any medium. The closest thing I can imagine is a very long, very twisted, sexually explicit Twilight Zone.

The main heroes are an odd group. One of the five Invisibles is a black girl named Boy, and another is transvestite Lord Fanny, pictured here about to retaliate against a very evil character who'd attempted to dispose of her by slashing her chest open. Apart from a brief mention, Lord Fanny's sexuality is never discussed... she is simply part of the group, which is very unusual and very encouraging. It seems humanity is edging closer to accepting difference among its members.

Some of the peripheral characters in the long, meandering story are very interesting too. The poets Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley feature, and The Invisibles meet the Marquis de Sade whose portrayal here is utterly different to what you'd expect.

The stories feature some homosexual undercurrents, a transvestite hero, various depictions of bondage and S&M, but it isn't a porn comic. The Invisibles doesn't revolve around sex. The depiction of sexuality is unconstrained, but is not there simply for titillation; it really is just a part of the story.

The Invisibles is one of the weirdest things you will ever read. If you have trouble finding it, contact Peter at Alternate Worlds.