Invasive is probably the best horror comic I’ve read this year.

With its subject matter, part of which consists of crazy pseudo surgeons and people addicted to needless medical procedures just for the thrill of being operated on, it would have been very easy for this story to be one note and schlocky, leaning heavily on its premise and offering little else of value.

Invasive never veers into this pitfall however, and instead presents a compellingly original story with complex characters, stunningly rendered in beautiful line and color work. The result is a thoughtful tale and one I have no problem recommending to anyone with a reasonably strong stomach.

The plot, a lean and competent premise, is that a former detective and doctor team up to seek justice after the doctor’s daughter barely escapes the clutches of a mysterious group of murderous surgeons whose operations bring only mutilation and death to their unwilling patients. The daughter remains unresponsive in a comma and with no other leads detective and surgeon search for answers in support groups for people addicted to medical procedures and in back alley operating theaters headed by unscrupulous, partially trained doctors.

This story succeeds ably as a narrative and within its pages are stunning examples of gorgeous, if grotesque, artwork. The horror is definitely there, but it’s doled out with judicious restraint, making it all the more effective and shocking. This lesson is one many authors and especially creators of horror graphic novels, would do well to emulate, effective scares are often as brief as they are terrifying. The world Invasive creates is believable yet slightly askew, a shadowy, paranoid place that evokes nothing so much as an episode of the Twilight Zone written by Clive Barker.

If there isn’t more of this story in the works, then there certainly should be. Albeit, fans of a short, standalone tell won’t be dissatisfied in the least.

A real thrill ride that starts off as intriguing mystery, quickly moves into some great action, and ending on proper body horror. A fantastic read from start to finish.

The art style is polished, and the gloomy almost Noir aesthetic fits perfectly with the themes.

My only complaint is that it was over too quickly.

A solid 4/5

Book title: Invasive #1 by Cullen Bunn

Rating: 💀💀💀💀

Opinion: Thank you @netgalley and @onipress for the ARC of this really cool read! This is my first time rating a comic but I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it!
In a world full of nips and tucks, this is original nightmare fuel. There is definitely no lack of gore throughout the entirety of Invasive. I can’t wait to get my heads on the upcoming issues to find out how this twisted story plays out! 🔪🥼🩸

This quick read, transported me right back to 2008 when I watched “Repo: The Genetic Opera” for the first time. IYKYK and if you don’t know, you need to do a quick google search and watch immediately. Thank me later.

Summary: This story follows Dr. Carrie Reynolds whose daughter suffered from a very traumatic incident while attempting to overcome plastic surgery addiction. Slowly but surely, more and more individuals are being found missing vital pieces of their bodies throughout the city. It appears a new team of underground surgeons has set their sites on unsuspecting victims and will stop at nothing to get their gore fix.

Side note: The cover C illustration is awesome (swipe to third pic to see it)!

Cullen Bunn's Invasive is a lightweight but enjoyable work of body horror revolving around illicit surgeries and grisly deaths. A former cop, Vic, continues the investigation that cost him his career, seeking to uncover the culprits behind the brutal disfigurement of a young boy. He's joined by Carrie, a doctor and mother of another victim who had her vocal cords removed and lays comatose in the hospital.

Bunn's scripting is pretty straight forward and, at only four issues, makes for an incredibly fast-paced read. By the end of the second issue, Vic and Carrie have already uncovered there whereabouts of the gas masked, leather frocked murdersurgeons haunting the back alleys of the city, putting them on a collision course with the mastermind behind the slayings.

Art duties are split between Jesús Hervás and Federico Sabbatini, with Hervás illustrating the first two issues and Sabbatini closing out the series in issues three and four. Hervás's style is a bit grittier and rougher compared to Sabbatini's cleaner, more defined pencils. The two complement each other well here, maintaining a fairly consistent, and consistently dark, visual through-line that brings a suitably bleak and oppressive atmosphere to Bunn's scripts.

Invasive is showcase for style over substance, evoking a very particular mood reminiscent of David Fincher's serial killer thriller Seven, with a strong emphasis on bodily deformations, but little in the way of depth or compellingly memorable motivations.

This one was quite terrifying, but really interesting. It's pretty dark and you really should have the stomach for that and be in the mood to read something that will make you question a few things.

Invasive is an ok horror story. The idea of people being kidnapped and going through horrible surgeries performed by a mad doctor is good. The art is nice, there's a lot of gore for those who enjoy it. However, there isn't a lot of depth. The characters are underdeveloped. We don't know much about their lives and how they ended up in that situation, and though it's not always necessary, more background would have been nice. The pacing didn't need to be so fast, more pages could have improved the story. However, what really annoyed me was the ending. I was going to give this 4 stars up until the end. But the final pages were confusing and didn't make sense. I don't know if I'm the problem, but I didn't really understand that ending. So I took one star from my final rating because I of that.

I'm 100% a Cullen Bunn fan. The story was great. The entire story gave me Repo! The Genetic Opera vibes - folks addicted to surgery that will do anything to get it? Folks that let elective cosmetic procedures completely destroy their outward appearance? A journey through to the grotesque? Yes, please! The art work was great as well. Good stuff all around.

A great new addition to horror comics! Medical horror is such a fun subset of body horror and I can't think of many comics that explore it. The horror is delightfully grotesque and I love the art style used here. The color red pops so much and I love how it was used for the blood and the eyes of the suits. It feels like a companion to the movie "American Mary" and it's such a fun time. Definitely would reccomend.

Overall, I found Invasive to be an interesting story that played well with the themes of body horror and societal issues. The artwork done is incredible and really coveys the horror.  I did find it to be a little rushed at certain points and would have wished it were a little longer to expand on some decisions and character dynamics. 
Still a fun short horror read, great for fans of body horror and short fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and OniPress for an advanced copy of this!

I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel as I read through it. I liked the break down of chapters across the book and how it got from the start to the end. However, the ending did feel a bit unfinished. The ending happened, but didn’t give any reason to why it came about that way. I feel like this could’ve had an extra issue or two at the end to fully explain what happened there. Overall I did enjoy this and would happily read it again!

This was a great gory body horror graphic novel.

This is a collection of all four sections that make up the full story, which wraps up nicely, I am not a fan of stories that end on a cliff hanger.

The Artwork was outstanding, gritty and gory, and fitted the story perfectly.

The story was excellent and hard to put down, interesting characters, and with a good flow.

This is the first book by Cullen Bunn I've read, and I loved it, so now I have to see what else he has done that I can find.

If you like a good mad doctor, body horror Graphic novel, then you will love this.

I wish I liked this better.

It's a very quick paced, cult like story where our two leads work together to try to escape a mad scientist and his experiments. To be honest I was phasing in and out with the characters as it felt like every single trope we've seen happens. I will say the dark ending was nice, and some nasty kills, but overall this one will not stay in my mind past the read. Sorry Cullen Bunn.

Dr. Carrie Reynolds, a master trauma surgeon, faces a nightmare when her daughter, Heather, is found catatonic with her vocal cords removed—one of many victims of gruesome underground surgeries. Beneath the city, a rogue group of surgeons defies medical ethics, turning alleys into operating rooms and murder into medicine. As the body count rises, Carrie is the only one who can stop them.

Packed with blood and gore, this novel isn't for the faint-hearted. I absolutely loved its storyline, illustrations and attention to detail, and give it 5 stars.

Special thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Another enjoyable book from Cullen Bunn. As always, great characters, great story, and great pacing. A little darker than others, but still great. Can't wait to read more from him. #Invasive #NetGalley

My immediate response to finishing this one was "is that it" it felt like there should have been more, more depth, more before the story ended, more backstory, more character development.

I fully appreciate this is a graphic novel, but it did feel as though we were thrown in the deep end with a lot of gore and not a lot of plot.

That being said, what was there was really good and really captured my attention. I loved the premise of plastic surgery addiction and back street Drs there to deliver every single surgical whim that people might have.

The artistry of this graphic novel was super cool as well!

I just wish it was longer, more developed and had more plot.

Very creepy body horror mystery from one of the masters, Cullen Bunn. Dark, gory, funny, sad...wonderful!

Stunning Cover! I am obsessed with it! gory and def a book you should read just prepare yourself by not eating ha!

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

First, I really loved the art style. The illustrators did a fantastic job. However, that is all I really loved about this.

The story had potential but it felt like coming in to the middle of a story with the way it is written. I felt as if I missed a previous issue before this one. I ended up with a lot of questions and no answers.

The story isn't bad, it can just be a little confusing at times since it feels like being dropped into the middle instead of the beginning

Cullen Bunn is a master of comics that thrill. Invasive is a strong addition to his comics vitae. Stunning visuals, shadowy panels, and strong art/breakdowns.

A solid effort from Bunn and Co.
A medical thriller with touches of horror. The characters could have used a bit of fleshing out, but overall a solid read with tension throughout