INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE: BATTLE BEAST #12 (SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT/IMAGE COMICS)

This is a battle worth dying for! As Battle Beast and Conquest continue their carnage filled epic fight. One of them will surely need to give it up and say hello to the next realm. But which one will that be and what will be left of the victor?

Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #12 – Written By Robert Kirkman – Art By Ryan Ottley - Colors By Annalisa Leoni – Letters By Rus Wooton - Edited By Ben Abernathy - Published By Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics

Credit: Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

STORY OVERVIEW:

The epic blood fueled war hits its crescendo! After calling a truce so they could defeat a giant worm creature, Battle Beast & Conquest pick up their fight where they left off. As the blood orgy of a fight continues, it gets more violent and disturbed. As both participants seem like they have nothing more to give, which one will dig down deeper and come out victorious. However, there probably won’t be a true victor as even the winner will have lost a lot more than they bargained for.

WRITING:

Action, action, and even more action defines this issue, and Robert Kirkman clearly understands exactly what kind of story this issue is meant to be. Rather than slowing things down for heavy exposition or emotional detours, Kirkman leans completely into the savage spectacle of Battle Beast and Conquest tearing into one another with everything they have left. The issue feels like the payoff to a fight that has been building toward pure excess, and Kirkman embraces that by making every exchange feel bigger, nastier, and more exhausting than the last. There is a relentless rhythm to the writing, where each brutal moment seems to challenge the next one to go even further.

What works best is how Kirkman treats the violence as the entire point without pretending the issue is something more complex than it is. This is not a chapter built around deep character reflection, political intrigue, or quiet drama. It is built around two monsters of war pushing each other past any reasonable limit, and the script succeeds because it stays focused on that promise. The fight keeps finding new ways to feel painful, absurd, and strangely thrilling, making the reader squirm at the damage while still wanting to see how far both characters can go. Kirkman’s dialogue and pacing keep the momentum sharp, allowing the issue to move quickly without feeling empty.

The lack of traditional drama may be a drawback for readers looking for a more layered story, but for the specific experience this comic is offering, it feels intentional. Kirkman knows the appeal of Battle Beast is rooted in his obsession with combat, honor, endurance, and glorious violence, and this issue captures all of that with confidence. The result is an issue that may not have much subtlety, but it has plenty of personality. It is loud, bloody, ridiculous, and completely committed to giving readers the kind of over-the-top battle they came for.

ARTWORK:

The artwork does most of the heavy lifting in this issue, and it is absolutely glorious from start to finish. Ryan Ottley brings the epic battle to life in every blood-soaked panel, making the violence feel massive, personal, and completely unrelenting. His art does not just show Battle Beast and Conquest fighting; it makes every strike feel like it has weight, force, and consequence behind it. The poses are exaggerated in the best possible way, the impacts look bone-crushing, and the facial expressions sell the rage, pain, exhaustion, and savage joy that both characters bring into the fight. Ottley understands how to make superhero violence feel operatic without losing the ugly physical damage that makes this battle stand out.

What really makes the artwork is how clearly Ottley stages the chaos. This could have easily turned into a mess of limbs, blood, and motion lines, but the action remains easy to follow even when the brutality reaches absurd levels. Each panel seems to outdo the last, pushing the fight further into grotesque territory while still keeping the reader locked into the rhythm of the scene. The damage inflicted on both combatants is disgusting in the best way, leaving nothing to the imagination and making it impossible to look away. There is a sense that every page is trying to top the previous one, and that escalation gives the issue a visual momentum that matches the nonstop energy of the script.

Annalisa Leoni’s colors enhance that violence even more by making the entire world feel like it is being consumed by the fight. The reds become more dominant as the battle goes on, turning the environment into a blood-soaked arena where every wound, splash, and impact feels amplified. Even when red threatens to overwhelm everything, it works because the issue is supposed to feel excessive, punishing, and primal. Leoni’s color work helps turn the fight into something almost mythic, as if the page itself is being stained by the hatred and endurance of these two warriors. By the end, it feels like blood is all the reader can see, which perfectly captures the scale of the carnage and the cost of this battle.

Together, Ottley and Leoni make this issue feel less like a normal comic fight and more like a full visual assault. The artwork captures the intensity, cruelty, and ridiculous spectacle of Battle Beast and Conquest better than words alone ever could. It is brutal, messy, energetic, and beautifully excessive, giving readers a front-row seat to one of the most savage battles in the Invincible Universe. For an issue that depends so heavily on physical action, the art delivers exactly what it needs to and then keeps pushing far beyond that.

Check Out My Review of BATTLE BEAST #11

Final Thoughts:

Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #12 is a brutal, fast-moving, and wildly entertaining issue that knows exactly what it wants to deliver. The story is simple, but the intensity of the fight, the savage artwork, and the nonstop escalation make it a thrilling read from start to finish. If you want blood-soaked action and two unstoppable warriors pushing each other past the limit, this issue more than earns your attention. This series may not be for the faint of heart, but if that isn’t you grab a copy at the LCS this week and enjoy the carnage!

FINAL GRADE: 8.5/10

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