Grant Morrison made Barbenheimer cool before it was cool! Join us for a trip in the Wayback Machine to the distant year, 1994 and the birth of Grant Morrison’s multi-dimensional epic, The Invisibles, the repercussions of which are still felt on this side of the Mayan Calendar! Watch the video for a preview of our new feature on the channel featuring an issue by issue walkthrough of The Invisibles. Oh, and go out and see Barbenheimer today! Barbenheimer[a] (/ˈbɑːrbənˌhaɪmər/ BARB-ən-HIGH-mər) is an Internet phenomenon that began circulating on social media before the simultaneous theatrical release of two blockbuster films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023, in the United States and several other countries. The word is a portmanteau of the films' titles. The dramatic difference between Barbie—a fantasy comedy by Greta Gerwig about the fashion doll Barbie—and Oppenheimer—an epic biographical thriller by Christopher Nolan about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II—prompted a comedic response from Internet users, including memes and merchandise. Polygon described the two films as "extreme opposites", and Variety called the phenomenon "the movie event of the year". The films' simultaneous release was initially an instance of counterprogramming. As their release date approached, instead of Barbenheimer creating a rivalry, many suggestions to watch the films as a double feature emerged—as well as in what order to watch them—and cast members of both responded by encouraging audiences to watch the films on the same day. Celebrity participation in this trend included actor Tom Cruise, who purchased tickets to watch both while his latest film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, was scheduled to be still playing in theaters. Both films received critical acclaim and exceeded box-office expectations.[6] While the phenomenon began as a joke about the two films' seemingly endless differences, some media commentators have pointed out some similarities between them; both films have been analyzed as exploring existentialism and the theoretical notion of the Anthropocene, both have an Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter and a large ensemble cast, and both were produced by a husband-and-wife production company (Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley's LuckyChap Entertainment for Barbie, and Nolan and Emma Thomas' Syncopy Inc. for Oppenheimer). The Invisibles The Invisibles is a comic book series published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication.[1] The series loosely follows the doings of a single cell of The Invisible College, a secret organization battling against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, meditation, and physical violence.[2] For most of the series, the team includes leader King Mob; Lord Fanny, a transgender Brazilian shaman; Boy, a former member of the NYPD; Ragged Robin, a telepath with a mysterious past; and Jack Frost, a young hooligan from Liverpool who may be the next Buddha. Their enemies are the Archons of the Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race without their knowledge. Follow me: Comic-Jutsu: https://comicjutsu.blogspot.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtmcroberts Phil K. Twitter: https://twitter.com/fatjitsu Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jtmcroberts/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtmcroberts/ MVP Mutant Radio: https://mvpmutantradio.blogspot.com/ Protofunk by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
