Mr Invincible

"Your identity isn't a secret."

Writer: Mark Morris

Format: Audio

Released: June 2012

Series: Torchwood BBC Audio 10

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen

Synopsis

Ross Chapman is one of life's losers. So when he survives a point-blank shooting, dons a superhero costume and becomes a crime-busting vigilante, something strange is clearly going on. 

And Ross's transformation isn't the only odd thing happening in Cardiff. Time is distorting – around the city, some people are ageing, dying and decomposing in a matter of minutes, while others are reverting to childhood. 

Sgt Andy Davidson knows he's out of his depth – so when Jack Harkness sweeps into the police station, he's glad of the help that only Torchwood can provide. But for Jack, the stakes are higher than ever. He's seen a vision of Gwen, dead, murdered by an unknown gunman. And if he can't solve the mystery of Mr Invincible, he can't save her...

Verdict

Mr Invincible was a strong audio adventure to conclude my listening of the Torchwood Tales collection! This has been a terrific little journey through the BBC Audio releases of the Doctor Who spinoff, and it has even seen us go beyond Miracle Day which was been a blast. I was quite surprised given how that fourth series ends on television with Gwen seeing Jack shoot off into space and the beyond with no indication of return, that they nearly end up reunited here. Rhys sees him and comments upon him, but with her life in danger Jack didn't want to see her. I thought that was a little harsh and felt a bit wrong with it seeming a missed opportunity, but I liked going beyond the television series. There's so much potential left untapped with Torchwood so I appreciate something being done here. I was a little surprised by the actual plot of the story and I guess in hindsight I ought not to have been. I wasn't expecting Torchwood to go down the superhero route but I really enjoyed what we got. It felt authentic and real which was fantastic and almost did feel like an origin story for a Marvel series! That's a strong compliment. We actually got some kind of rationale for how Ross becomes Mr Invincible. I think that's a pretty fun name for a superhero and the banter that came with him wanting to have a pun on mystery with 'Mr I' was good with Andy retorting that he should actually have a superhero name starting with the letter E instead. Somehow, Mr Excellent didn't have the same kind of ring to it. The link between Jack seeing Gwen die from Red Skies and Mr Invincible solving crimes before they even happened was strong stuff and I liked how it drew everyone together for the story that unfolded. The idea of Cardiff being home to a superhero is a fun idea and for me personally with it being my city of work, I could just picture him jumping around from place to place and stopping crimes! The concept of someone being invincible was also played with very well and the involvement of time around him as the explanation was great. Jodie as his daughter playing the part in making her dad a superhero was admirable but a little strange, although it was a nice idea from the child. She just wanted her father to be respected and who could fault that? He obviously didn't deserve to die so why not make him a superhero? It was how a daughter would certainly see their parent so I liked that. It was a nice touch, even if a little unexpected. I thought Tom Price did a good job as the narrator once again and it certainly helps for a familiar character to be in that role. Andy is a really likeable chap amongst Torchwood and it's good that he feels much more mature and senior at this point in Torchwood continuity. He's not wholly inferior to Jack which is a bit of a stark contrast to what we would see on screen. I thought the build up throughout was good and it was clear what we were working towards, and the pace was strong throughout. It was exciting! I thought it was a bit of a shame though that Ross actually perished at the end once he was no longer Mr Invincible as Jodie's powers were stabilised by the device from Jack. It's a bit of a kick in the teeth as well that he was killed off by a mugger. Overall, a really strong story to see out Torchwood continuity as far as BBC releases go! 

Rating: 8/10