[Phalanx]

"Invincible" Takes place over a couple of issues...issues 10-13.
Various superheroes have been murdered by an unknown enemy, Invincible discovers the truth when he "flies in" on his father, thought to be one of THE most powerful superheroes murdering another. "Son, we need to talk".
It's revealed that our hero and his father are part of the Viltrumite empire, a warlike empire of superbeings that basically move in, research, then conquer to add to theire empire...and the time has come for them to do so on earth. "Your mother means nothing to me, these people are beneath us."
It was so cool to see someone who'd up until that point been a good guy go murderous...knowing that it wasn't a plot device for some "twist"...and the father/son fight to follow was one of the bloodiest I've ever seen in a comic...This title is well worth reading. It's by Robert Kirkman, the guy behind "the walking dead" and "marvel zombies". His take on the superhero thing is very, very good...and takes the piss outta the capes so much it's great, all without losing quality.


"The other: Evolve or Die" storyline that went across the "amazing spiderman" and "friendly neighbourhood spiderman" titles, In which Parker finds out he has a terminal condition. All the while, one of his most powerful enemies returns to kill him (Morlun) when he's at a disadvantage, obsessed with "feeding" on spider-mans unique energies...You basically see spider-man get the godeaweful shit beat out of him worse than ever before...get an eye ripped out, and end up at deaths door, comatose in hospital. His wife (MJ) goes to be at his side when Morlun attacks again...this is where it gets cool...Basically MJ wants to defend Parker at all costs, and attacks Morlun herself to little avail, so, the badguy slaps her 'round, breaks her am slowly and says he's happy to start with her.
THEN, in his comatose state, something dormant in him all these years wakes up.
"The man is gone, but the spider remembers.
Even dying, the spider knows when to go dormant,
when to spend its last breath. when...it is time.
Blessed and burdened he was with the legacy of the
spider, the gifts he would recognise and accept.
For spiders do not just leap and climb with great strength,
When cornered, when death looms, they bite, and they sting.
Now is the moment of cornered death, now is the promise.
Now...now...NOW!
Now the spider finds itself at last,
It stings.
It strikes with the fury of vengeance incarnate,
the power of the spider fully unleashed for the first time.
It stings again.
...and when the spider bites...when the spider feeds,
it always starts with the head."
Those are the captions by which you see the thought to be comatose Parker "awaken" into something entirely inhuman.
The eyes are red and insectoid, the teeth are sharp, he is pure
animal...then he jumps on the bad guy, throws him down, and impales him, again and again. Yes, he impales him with "stingers" that protrude from his wrists. Then, as the captions indicate, he feeds on the guy, before reverting to his human form, to say goodbye. He dies.
Of course he comes back, and actually through a pretty DECENT means...and he comes back evolved from that point onwards with new powers.
But yeah, the events I speak of take place during "the other" storyline, and in particular, issue 526 of amazing spiderman, and then issue 3 of friendly neighborhood spiderman.
Fucking great read. Brutal.