Invader Zim #3
Written by Eric Trueheart
Artwork by Aaron Alexovich, Megan Lawton
Colored by Rikki Simons
Letters by Warren Wucinich
Published by Oni Press
Invader Zim #3 has the Irken invader trying to pull off another dubious scheme to destroy life on Earth. Alexovich and Lawton create artwork that is reminiscent of the original series. Trueheart’s writing is hilariously morbid as it pokes fun at the postmodern movement of art. Invader Zim #3 is a fairly decent comic in its delivery and comedy with some minor flaws.
Zim and Gir go to a distant planet to collect what is known as the “Star Donkey”. Zim hopes to use the Star Donkey to get rid of all life on Earth. Once back on Earth, Zim poses as Schimnvader Schmim and opens an art exhibit at the Museum of Natural History Museum to display the pieces of the Star Donkey. It all comes down to Dib to stop Zim and protect the Earth from doom.
Alexovich, Lawton, and colorist Rikki Simons create the narrative in the artwork, which offers a dismal and grim palette to compliment the dark humor of the comic. For instance, the scene where Dib and Zim are facing the end of the world has cool colors contrasting the warmer tones. The stark contrast between the colors emphasizes the dark humor of the elimination of all life on Earth; especially with the scenes involving Gir celebrating his newfound friendship with a pen. The panels allow for rapid succession of storytelling. Each panel smoothly flows with action and drama. The shading offers the stark and dark images of the original show. The gloomy shades lend themselves nicely to the dark humor of Invader Zim, such as when Gir was guarding Dib in the Haters’ Closet. The panels are planned in such a fashion that the action of the comic is fast-paced and does not lose anything. Character expressions are over-the-top and perfect for the tone of the series.
Trueheart produces writing, which is wonderfully dark and fits in perfectly with the original Invader Zim series. The narrative achieves this by placing characters in dangerous and horrible situations, like when Dib is trying to outrun attack robots at the museum. The morbid nature of the whole affair goes along with the usual tone of the show, such as when Zim knocks down a wing of a hospital in order to display a part of the Star Donkey. Trueheart has characters poke fun at the art community with the levels of outrageousness to praise Zim’s artist persona with the humans flocking to it. Yet, there is no tolerance for the criticism of the art piece from Zim. And the art community is shown to be closed-minded to outside critique. Trueheart’s humor comes from poking fun at art culture.
Altogether, Trueheart, Alexovich, and Lawton combine their efforts to create a decent and funny comic. However, minor flaws may be found at the end of the story’s epilogue as all of the drama and tension may feel irrelevant. Yet, the flaw in the epilogue may further the humor of the comic as it shows it was all sound and fury. Truly dark humor at its best.
Rating: 9/10
