Author: Greg Lozano
The cast of Invincible is vast, and one of the best characters introduced in that comic (imo at least) is Battle Beast. Anyone that has not read the comics or seen the show on Amazon (seriously, it’s well worth your time, especially if you were a fan of The Walking Dead) may not know about this character, but they may know of a similar struggle this character faces. For anyone that has competed in any competitive event, there is a chance you may have experienced the feeling of having a rival. That one person that is just good enough that they’re better than you (or vice versa) that you constantly level up during that match. Those that are watching can’t believe what they’re seeing, and that feeling you have just makes the rest of the world not exist. While there may be disappointment in a loss, that feeling never be forgotten, and so you strive to get better so the next showdown brings that thrill. Battle Beast is somewhat similar to that, but imagine never losing and having an insatiable sensation of needing to find an opponent strong enough to finally end that hunger, permanently. For the reason stated, Battle Beast makes for a great side character, and can easily fall into people’s favorite character, but with a character so two dimensional, it almost seems so questionable as to why a spinoff graphic novel was made.
The issue takes place after the events of issue 19 of Invincible (or episode 5 of the show) where Battle Beast is unhappy with the lack of challenge and leaves after vastly injuring the Guardians of the Globe. In the first issue of Battle Beast readers are given insight on his origins, his original name, and his unquenching thirst to fight a stronger opponent. The story sets off by Battle Beast acknowledging that he’s been alone for weeks on a spaceship, feeding off the crew’s body with only the ship’s automation being able to converse with him. The ship mentioned that the previous crew felt like family to it, so its plan is to try to kill Battle Beast, to which Battle Beast smirks with joy as it aligns their views with him being able to find something strong enough to best him.
The art is impressive for this series, especially when compared to the Invincible series. So much detail is put into the tendons and sinews of tissue. Movements in fights look like you can choreograph the whole thing in your mind based on the stills, and the color choices are well blended. It does appear that the artist in charge of this comic really enjoyed engaging in Battle Beast’s battles, so for art enthusiasts in the comic world, you’ll be in for a treat.
If people have read the Invincible comics, they already know how this story ends, so this spin-off serves as something to those that have not completed the series yet. This is not one of those stories where you get to see the villain before they became a villain, and so it feels like each issue will only display some fight up until it gets to the main story fights. I’m not exactly sure who this series is marketed toward, but if all you care about are fights, then this may be for you.