In the first issue, The Invisible Man sets a chilling stage: Jack Griffin, brilliant and unhinged, nearly hates everyone around him, and his ambition is the only thing stopping him from outright killing them. Now, in issue #2, James Tynion IV and Dani take Griffin’s madness further: his rivals’ small minds are no longer enough. To fulfill his vision, whatever that vision may be, Griffin must strike back, and the horrors he unleashes will test not just his enemies but the very morality of seeing what you can’t see.
The opening page of Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #2 is a near-perfect intro, delving into the way Jack thinks through the actions of a rat. He narrates via captions how he has always felt a watchful gaze on him and has felt vulnerable because of it. As he tells us this, the rat scurries by people on the street, and soon an invisible cat sees him and kills him with a gush of blood spraying out. It foreshadows the likely turn Jack will take when he goes invisible himself, as well as his paranoia that makes him dangerous even without his powers.
From there, we find Jack and his bride walking through a flower market. She loves him dearly, pining for him while he somewhat rudely brushes her off and seems uninterested. She seems incapable of seeing the disgust Dani draws in his expressions, or at the very least hopes marriage will bring them closer.
Invisible Man #2 variant by Mike del Mundo.
Courtesy Skybound
While Jack navigates a world where a woman wants him to reciprocate her affection, he’s also competing with another scientist in his lab. This creates tension, and a decision by Jack that’s certifiably psychotic. More and more, it seems Jack relishes death and immoral acts, with the final page all but sure he’s going to want to level up on his kills from just animals.
Dani continues to draw in a rustic, stark way that draws you in. Jack is scary and disturbed throughout, with his body language and facial expressions conveying all we need to know about his personality. His girl is also depicted in an innocent way that helps conceal the somewhat crazy notion that she can’t see Jack for what he truly is.
Outside of the psychological horror, this issue leaves you wanting. There’s a near full-page splash that’s supposed to be an alarming dream of Jack’s poking out someone’s eyes, but it’s not very striking. While an invisible cat is folded into this issue throughout nicely, it’s also a drag that we don’t see Jack transform yet. It’s starting to feel like he won’t change till the final act of the story arc!
The Invisible Man #2 builds on the unnerving foundation of the first issue, deepening Jack Griffin’s descent into madness while Dani’s stark visuals underline his cruelty and detachment. While the horror is more psychological than visceral and the long wait for his transformation risks dragging, the character study is gripping enough to keep readers invested in the dread of what’s to come.
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