Invincible

Markus Sebastian Grayson — better known as Invincible — is one of the most celebrated superhero creations of the modern comic book era, born from the visionary mind of writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker at Image Comics. The son of Nolan Grayson, a seemingly model suburban father who secretly operates as the legendary hero Omni-Man, Mark begins developing his Viltrumite heritage powers in his teens and eagerly embraces life as a superhero. What starts as a classic coming-of-age story quickly reveals itself to be something far more complex and emotionally brutal, as the truth about his father's origins — and the terrifying agenda of the Viltrumite Empire — shatters everything Mark thought he knew about his family and his world.

For collectors, the origin story is everything. Mark's very first appearance came in Savage Dragon #102 in 2002, making that issue a significant pickup for anyone serious about tracking down the character's earliest footprint in print. His explosive solo debut in Invincible #1 (2003) launched what would become one of the longest-running and most beloved indie superhero titles in Image history, running 144 issues through 2018. Key early issues are highly sought after, particularly the arc spanning issues #10-13, where the Omni-Man twist rewrote the rulebook on superhero storytelling and cemented the series as something genuinely unmissable.

Mark's journey across the full run takes him from scrappy teenager battling knockoff villains to a warrior at the center of intergalactic conflicts, including the devastating Viltrumite War and the gut-wrenching "Reboot?" arc. His membership in teams like the Teen Team, the Guardians of the Globe, and the Coalition of Planets gives collectors a rich web of crossover appearances and tie-in issues to hunt down. The character's power set — combining raw Viltrumite strength and durability with a surprisingly human emotional core — made him a protagonist unlike anything else on the stands during his run.

With the Amazon Prime animated adaptation reigniting mainstream interest in the property, back issues of Invincible have surged in value and cultural relevance. First prints of early story arc issues, variant covers, and the original Savage Dragon appearance are all worth tracking down before prices climb further. Whether you're building a complete run or chasing key issues, Invincible represents one of the strongest long-term collecting plays in the modern Image catalog.