“Invincible” is one of the more ironic titles for a TV show or movie that I’ve seen, as the main character–as powerful of a superhero as he is–is far from invincible. As a result, the stakes are high in every episode. Even if it doesn’t quite seem like Invincible himself can die, he can definitely get hurt and feel pain.
I’m burying the lede. “Invincible” is a new animated show on Amazon Prime, and it’s based on a graphic novel series created by Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead). I’ve watched 6 episodes so far, and they each tend to be in the 40-45 minute range.
The show plays on classic superhero archetypes (and beyond–there’s a character based on Hellboy), which I mostly like. It’s neat to see a Superman-like character with the flexibility to explore the character without the limitations of Superman himself.
I thought the animated nature of the show might detract from my enjoyment, but the animation is really well done, and it allows for a greater range of characters and action that would require a massive CGI budget in a live-action version. Plus, the show is quite violent and gory, almost to the point of being gratuitous, but I think it may help to solidify the stakes and pain. They’re animated characters, but you feel for them when they take a punch.
Just 6 episodes in, the show has set up quite a few villains, mysteries, and plot points that I don’t expect to be resolved in the first season. As long as they aren’t completely ignored in the future, this makes the show quite compelling to me. Each episode stands on its own, but the show seems to be building a much bigger series of stories with in the world. I like that.
Have you given the series a try? What do you think so far?
The plot is intriguing. Both Danny and I are really enjoying it, although I find it too gory for my taste. So I crochet while half-watching.
At the end of each episode I really want to watch the next, but we’re spacing them out (I think we’ve seen the first four at this point).
I agree that animated was the way to go for this one. I can cope with a lot more animated gore than ‘real’ gore; I would have stopped watching before now if it was live action.
I’m enjoying Invincible so far, has a similar feel as The Boys – heroism is not all puppies and rainbows!
I’m interested to see what happens with the big/mysterious plotlines.
(P. S. I think it’s “bury the lede” https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/bury-the-lede-versus-lead)
I had no idea it wasn’t “lead”–thank you! 🙂
I agree on just about everything in your post. The producers and writers for Invincible have pushed satire of the usual superhero archetypes and used an ultra-violent representation of superhero life to shake up the viewer, which I appreciate. I sadly haven’t had the chance to read the original comic, but from what I can tell they’re sticking very close to the source material.
Jamey, something that you didn’t even touch on is the insane “A list” talent doing the voice work for the show. Steve Yeun as Mark/Invincible, J.K. Simmons as Mark’s father Nolan/Omni-Man and Sandra Oh as Debbie, Mark’s mother. Adding to that trio of actors there’s more doses of awesomeness with Mark Hamill, Zazie Beetz, Walter Goggins, Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Quinto, Jason Mantzoukas and Clancy Brown. Aside from Steve Yeun there are also some Walking Dead vets like Khary Payton, Ross Marquand, Lauren Cohan and Michael Cudlitz who voiced some characters. If all those great actors aren’t enough there are cameos by Jon Hamm, Jeffrey Donovan, Mahershala Ali, Michael Dorn, Chad Coleman, Djimon Housou, Ezra Miller and Nicole Byer. I feel that this insane team of actors did an amazing job bringing these characters to life.
This raises the question though, are there any of the cast that don’t match up well with their characters? For those who already read the comic, did you imagine some other actor in a role? Casting is such an important part of any kind of production, but with animated features or shows solid voice performances can truly make the difference.
Last thing, I wanted to mention another show that’s on the way. Jupiter’s Legacy, based on the comic by Mark Millar, will air on Netflix.
Cheers!
That’s a great point about the amazing voice actors on the show! So far I haven’t felt any big mismatch between the voices and the characters/animation.