Credits


o Grant Morrison (Writer)
o Jill Thompson (Pencils)
o Dennis Cramer (Inks)
o Daniel Vozzo (Colors)
o Clem Robins (Letterer)
o Julie Rottenberg (Ass. Editor)
o Stuart Moore (Editor)

The Invisibles created by Grant Morrison
Summary


In September 1992, King Mob and John A'Dreams go to a Philadelphia church. John believes that somone is trying to use the Hand of Glory and the formula of the Voltigeurs to open a fracture into Universe B. They find biological masses, and begin to move into the next room. Meanwhile back in the present day, the team is recovering from the Windmill Time Machine. Commandoes (Myrmidons) outside begin to attack, as Jack says he wants to leave the group. While people are distracted he steals King Mob's car and runs away. The rest of the team start to defend themselves against the Myrmidon attack. King Mob's car is wired to explode, but Jack gets free before this. Finding himself in an impossible position he is forced to shoot one of the enemy. The rest of the team escape - but now they have to get to Jack before the enemy does....

Characters


o King Mob
o John A'Dreams
o Lord Fanny
o Jack Frost
o Boy
o Ragged Robin

Analysis


o Lovecraft, HP

Annotations


The I-ching hexagram on the cover is for number 27, not for the intended 23. A production error, says Grant. [PV] The title "Things Fall Apart" comes from a 1921 WB Yeats poem entitled "The Second Coming:"

"TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity." [DK]

o [pages 1-3]
This is John-a-Dreams and King Mob with a buzzcut.[JB] [panel 2] "Tsathoggua" is a H. P. Lovecraft creature. "Voltigeurs": ? "Hand": the stolen Hand of Glory first mentioned in 1.03 [PV] Pre-pierced King Mob! [JH] page two: The large dead beast is a quite similar to the "Old Ones" described in H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness (from a dissection report mentioned in the story): "Objects are eight feet long all over. Six-foot long, five-ridged barell torso three and five tenths feet central diameter, one foot end diameters. Dark grey, flexible, and infinitely tough. Seven foot membranous wings of same color, found folded, spread out at furrows between ridges... Around equator, one at central apex of each of the five vertical, stavelike ridges are five systems of light grey flexible arms or tentacles... At top of torso blunt, bulbous neck of lighter grey, with gill-like suggestions, holds yellowish five pointed starfish shaped apparent head covered with three-inch wiry cilia of various prismatic colors..." [DS]

o [page 3] Mushrooms? Toadstools? What's going here? Do these relate in some way to Jack's vision in 1.03, page 11? [JB] This is probally another McKenna reference. In a radio interview (published, I think, in Archaic Revival) he puts forth the theory that mushrooms are alien to our planet. Apparently they don't go back far in the fossil record. Also, spores are able to survive a vacuum. He puts forth the fun idea that another civilization could be using them as communication devices. An hallucination would be an alien message. [RaJ]

o [page 6] [panel 3] The soldier is referring to the assault team that appeared at the end of issue 1.04 [PV]

o [page 7] [panel 4] When King Mob asks himself who could be the traitor, Ragged Robin is drawn outside the circle formed by the other four Invisibles. [PV] Then again, this could be because she's preoccupied with detecting the Myrmidons' imminent arrival...[JB] : "Myrmidon": According to Webster's: Myrmidon, from Greek Myrmidon / 15th century / 1 capitalized: a member of a legendary Thessalian people who accompanied their king Achilles in the Trojan War 2: a loyal follower; especially: a subordinate who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously [MST]

o [page 8] [panel 2] Fanny's using a lipstick. As will we see in 1.15, her grandmother give her this lipstick to use it when Fanny was in danger. [PV]

o [page 9] [panel 5] "The Producers" is a brilliant Mel Brooks film. It centers around shares being sold in a play, and it being over-subscribed, so when it goes belly-up, the producers will make a mint. They pick the worst musical they can find, one based on the second world war, written by a pro-Nazi: "Springtime for Hitler". It is absolutely amazing and has aged quite well. [JBU]

o [page 23] [panel 5] The first mention of Mister Six. [PV]