Invisible Kingdom 3

 
 
Invisible Kingdom 3

In Other Worlds
by G Willow Wilson
art by Christian Ward

Dark Horse Comics

2021

 

 

Invisible Kingdom is a science fiction comic book miniseries. I read the first two parts last year, and was finally able to get ahold of the conclusion. 

 
The first volume follows Vess - a 'None' who has joined the ascetic Renunciation - and Grix - a starship captain who delivers packages for the online everything store, Lux. Vess is a true believer who comes to realize that the Renunciation is being financed by Lux. She gets aboard Grix's ship while escaping the other Nones, and the two decide to broadcast the truth.

 
In the second volume, basically no one cares that Lux is both the source of materialism and financing the source of anti-materialism ... except for Lux, the Renunciation, and whatever government is ostensibly in charge of regulating such matters. So Vess and Grix are fugitives. The try to hide out with some space pirates, but the pirates want to sell them out. The two women are falling in love, but Vess took a vow of chastity. But then Vess breaks her vow to save Grix's life when Grix is injured and it turns out that Vess's species coveniently releases some kind of healing magic when they have sex.

 
In this new volume, running away from the pirates and everyone else leads Vess and Grix to a tiny forested planetoid, full of Nones who claim they're going to break Lux's corruption and restore the Renunciation to its ascetic roots. Vess has another crisis of faith and asks Grix to leave her with the Nones. But then it turns out the planetoid is some kind of Death-Star-like superweapon, which the Nones plan to use to blow up various Lux and Renunciation buildings. Vess uses an escape pod to go after Grix, but simultaneously, Grix's ship is making a suicide run to blow up the Death Star, and Vess is bereft. Fortunately, we discover that Grix used autopilot, and she and Vess are reunited and reaffirm their love.
 

The art in these comics is very vibrant, but this final volume was a bit unsatisfying. The Nones with a Death Star feel very deus ex machina - they come out of nowhere to supply a plot-driven ending, rather than allowing the established characters and factions to achieve any real resolution. (Also, however did radical ascetics living outside civilization get ahold of a planet-killing super-weapon anyway?) 

 
The problem may be that there is no easy or happy resolution. The story in Invisible Kingdom is relatable because it's timely - consumerism and debt are rampant, corporate power is high, governments are weak and corrupt, and many major religions feel more like allies to (or apologists for) capitalism and authoritarianism than like solutions to them. 'Tell the truth' and 'love who you love' are both good advice, but by themselves, they aren't enough to inspire a revolution or build a better system in this one's place.