List of The Invisibles Characters - Allegiances Unclear

Allegiances Unclear

There are several characters in The Invisibles who appear to take no side in the struggle between the Invisibles and the Outer Church - sometimes helping one, sometimes the other. They reflect the message that the struggle is, at some level, a false construct - something entirely else is going on behind the scenes.

• Barbelith – An artificial satellite hidden on the dark side of the moon. It functions as a psychic "placenta" for humanity, getting in touch with all humans who attain "higher consciousness" and gently guiding them through the transition. It is also stated that "we" created Barbelith to save us from ourselves. When in contact with Barbelith, some experience it as alien abduction, some anchor the experience in religious imagery - it depends on the individual at hand. Upon being discovered by astronauts, Barbelith explodes - at the moment of our universe's evolution to the next form.

• The Blind Chessman – The Blind Chessman appears in different disguises throughout the story, helping different sides in the battle. At one point, for example, he is seen to be the superior of Colonel Friday, yet his actual function at that point of the story is to guide Jack Frost through visions that greatly help him. He is surrounded by 'serpent' imagery, particularly apples, and at one point claims that his stories were written out of the Bible during the church meeting of Nicea.

• The Harlequinade/The King In Yellow – A group of three harlequins who occasionally guide the Invisibles. In their "King in Yellow" aspect, they are also seen as commanding Sir Miles. They at one point show Mister Six visions like those the Blind Chessman shows Jack Frost, asking Six to "rejoin the ultimate conspiracy". Mister Six later describes them as "as alien as the air between your fingers", and says that they are "like us" - but it is still never resolved who or what exactly they are. What is clear is that they hold ownership over the Hand of Glory, and are associated with the act of stepping out of linear time.

• John-A-Dreams – John-A-Dreams, the Invisible who introduces Ragged Robin to King Mob's cell, is one of the more mysterious characters in the series. He vanishes in Philadelphia under unclear circumstances, and is replaced in King Mob's cell by Jack Frost. The Invisibles encounter him again at the Moonchild ceremony, by which time he has seemingly turned an agent of the Outer Church, but he does not actually prevent them from intervening in the ritual. Instead he explains that the Philadelphia experience sent him into a 'time machine' (e.g. allowed him to see and move behind the illusion of lineral time) and attempts to explain something about the nature of reality to Lord Fanny. Apparently several of the other characters have an aspect of him in themselves, despite having their own backstories: Mr. Quimper, a corrupted being of the Outer Church who dresses like John-A-Dreams, claims to have "once been called John"; and Jack Flint, an anti-Invisible agent who turns out to be an Invisible under cover who had forgotten that his assumed identity was a cover story, at one point after having his identities deconstructed says that "John-a-Dreams is a complex structure... there's a name we all used for a while". The deconstructed Flint, who has realized that he is both 'Jack Flint' and 'John-A-Dreams' appears to know exactly what is going to happen during the Moonchild ritual. Grant Morrisson has stated that John is like a "midwife" for the world as it moves towards "birth", and that one should "always look for the white suit". Other characters in the series that occasionally wear white suits are Mr. Quimper, Elfayed, Orlando and The Blind Chessman.