Invasive by Cullen Bunn (Author), Jesús Hervás (Illustrator), Federico Sabbatini (Illustrator)
Oni Preess (October 22, 2024)
Reviewed by Joshua Gage
Cullen Bunn is the writer of comic books such The Sixth Gun, Shadow Roads, The Damned, and Helheim for Oni Press. He has also written titles including Harrow County (Dark Horse), Uncanny X-Men, and Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (Marvel). Cullen claims to have worked as an alien autopsy specialist, rodeo clown, pro wrestling manager, and sasquatch wrangler. He has fought for his life against mountain lions and performed on stage as the world’s youngest hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime and he’ll tell you all about it. His newest graphic novel is Invasive, illustrated by Jesús Hervás and Federico Sabbatini.
Invasive follows the tale of Dr. Carrie Reynolds, who is a skilled surgeon. However, there is a new type of “hospital” in town, one that will perform the most horrible surgeries. Her daughter, Heather, is addicted to plastic surgery to the point that she is now comatose and hospitalized. She’s not the only one, as the police are currently investigating a series of murders and mutilations, all of which are linked to this unknown hospital and its doctors. Dr. Reynolds and the police pursue their leads to the end, discovering a cult of surgeons who believe they can remake the world, one incision at a time.
This is a violent and bloody graphic novel. It reads like a noir plot, with lots of intrigue and false leads, but the bulk of the book is based around the simple idea of addiction to surgery. These addicts are portrayed in ways meant to both shock and horrify the readers, drawing parallels between current addicts and the way they’re ignored and marginalized by society. The socio-political critique is thick in this book, and Bunn examines not just the medical ethics behind plastic surgery but the effects it has on patients, their ideas about themselves, their body images, etc.
This plot is evocatively illustrated by Jesús Hervás and Federico Sabbatini. The images are very stylized, with the scars and infections visible and on display. This is meant to be splatter or body horror, and lots of red ink was used to color these pages. But nothing is so over-the-top or bizarre as to be inconsistent or unreasonable, which is what makes this book so much more terrifying. There is nothing in this book that could not happen. There are no fantastic monsters or aliens, simply human beings caught up in their own egotistical madness, and the results of their insanity are gorgeously, but disturbingly, inked and painted for readers to thrill over.
Cullen Bunn is no stranger to inventive horror and graphic novels, so it should be no surprise that this novel is equally as impressive. The psychological horror of this book, rooted in the nature of addiction, is disturbing. The layers of body and splatter horror, expertly illustrated, simply add to the discomfort for the reader. Ultimately, this is disturbing graphic novel about surgery addiction, and horror readers will absolutely want to check this out immediately .
