The Invisibles, Book 6: Kissing Mister Quimper, written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Chris Weston and Ivan Reis

This is how stupid I am: I was convinced that I already had this volume, so I went out and bought Book 7 (The Invisible Kingdom) and read it before realizing I hadn't read Book 6. Was I confused? A bit, but then a certain amount of confusion is to be expected when reading The Invisibles. Morrison's storytelling is dense with information and ideas, some of which inevitably go over my head. But that's part of the fun; I know that when I come back to this series in a couple of years I'll understand a little more, and take away different things.

On one level, of course, The Invisibles is an adventure story. There are guns and monsters and costumes and bad guys. But there is also dark magic, and conspiracy, and extra-dimensional monsters trying to force their way into our reality and take it over. There's sex and death and cross-dressing, combat training and dancing and psychic possession. What it is, is a tapestry of high-minded ideas and lowbrow culture tossed in a Cuisinart and poured out as the sort of chaos the Invisibles themselves fight and foment. There would be little point in trying to explain the plot of this volume, so I won't. I'll just say that it's a technicolor roller-coaster ride through the mind of a mad genius. Pick it up--but read it in order. It's less confusing that way.