Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man #3 – Monocaine Monomania

James Tynion IV’s backlog of butchery expands yet again in the third installment of Image Comics’ four-issue limited series. While last month’s issue focused more on the resistance Jack Griffin faced from his mentor, Dr. Cranely, and colleague/competitor, Dr. Kemp, Issue #3 of Universal Monsters: The Invisible Man brings in a new force for Griffin to contend with—a young street rat named Tommy who is lured into Jack’s dark experiments by the promise of food and housing. Ironically, Jack actually fulfills both of these promises but only in the most horrifying ways. At first, Tommy is the unsuspecting victim, but as the issue goes on, we are reminded of the intelligence-enhancing effects of the Monocaine substance that was introduced in previous issues. Tommy begins to ask questions, questions that lead towards an unexpected yet likely inevitable end to this month’s issue.

DaNi’s art has been a significant strength of the series, continuing throughout all three issues so far to balance the darkness of Griffin’s mind and the necessary normalcy of his outward persona. However, in this issue DaNi’s art kicks it up a notch, managing to capture the grime and the stench of the city’s dark corners and gutters, as well as the pure horror of the human anatomy laid bare. Simpson’s colors also add a texture to each set piece and artistic element presented in this issue, making sure that the important subjects, such as human muscle or the splash of wine, manage to pop out against the dark and detached backgrounds.

The third issue of Invisible Man continues Jack Griffin’s unending spiral of insanity in lockstep with the past two issues thus far. And while the series continues to lack stronger side characters, the focus on Jack and his twisted inner monologue serves well to keep the pace from slowing or the psychological horror from getting too mundane and predictable.

If this issue had any weaknesses, I’d say they could all be examined through the series’ lack of larger world-building. No one comes into a Universal Monsters series expecting bright and hopeful characters, but the sheer insidiousness and invisible obsessions of Griffin seem to dominate each issue, leaving room for little else in the way of a fleshed-out setting.