What is the relative prestige conferred by an invited review article vs a research article? What exactly is an "invited review article"?  I have the opportunity to be an author on one of these, but I have no clue how this looks in comparison to research articles.  (I am referring to invited review articles for reputable journals well-known in the field only.)
What exactly is an "invited review article"?


It is an article that appears in one issue of a journal. The article goal is to review the recent development of a specific topic (sometimes it goes with a special journal issue in that topic). 


  how this looks in comparison to research articles.


Research articles contain original ideas and contributions to the field done by the authors. In contrast, a review article usually has no absolute originality in a sense that the authors are not coming up with something totally new. They are nicely summarizing what is happening in the field and identifying possible challenges. 

The benefits you get out of publishing a review article in your field (specially when you are at an early stage of your research career and with a reputable journal) are numerous 

1. You get to know your topic. 

This has the advantage of organizing your thoughts and identifying possible contributions into the field. 

2. A Good Critical Review = High Citations. 

Good review articles tend to have many many citations. This means many people going to know your name (and possibly look for your other publications).