Some Thoughts On…Invincible

Invincible is a new animated series on Amazon Prime Video from creator Robert Kirkman – of The Walking Dead fame – and it’s based on his comic series of the same name. It takes place in a world many of us are familiar with at this point, one that is fill with superheroes like the ones we’ve seen in the blockbusters that have dominated the multiplex, with its own superhero team akin to the Avengers or the Justice League, here known as the Guardians Of The Globe. A frequent ally of that team is Omni-Man (J. K. Simmons), a Superman-esque crime fighter from an faraway alien world, who also happens to have a family, and a son who is starting to have powers of his own.

That son is Nolan Grayson (Steven Yeun), an at-times obnoxiously angsty high schooler who is struggling to get used to his new abilities like flying and super strength, but is given the proper guidance by his father and other superheroes to find his way as the new superhero, “Invincible,” all while balancing the responsibilities of his normal life. That’s the basic set-up of the show, and I was given the chance to see the first three episodes.

Within the first three episodes, there’s definitely a lot to like. I really enjoy the tone of the show. I like that it doesn’t veer into any extreme that I would imagine from an adult oriented animated show. It’s not a wacky joke-fest, but it’s also not an aggressively dark and edgy exercise like something you’d expect from Mark Millar. It’s a balancing act, which takes the characters seriously, throwing in bits of humor, some darker than others, and it doesn’t feel totally adult until it’s moments of violence which are very gruesome. It would almost feel out of place had the writers not properly balanced out the vibe of the show; it has a real impact, even if it isn’t realistic violence.

The characters are fairly engaging, mostly due to the work put in by the actors. Aside from Simmons and Yeun, the show is packed with supporting players voiced by the likes of Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs, Zazie Beetz, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zachary Quinto, Grey DeLisle, Clancy Brown, Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, and so many more, including some other Walking Dead alumni. Pretty much every character is voiced by a name you would recognize, and while I don’t think it was really necessary having so many celebrities present, they do their job well, and they do elevate the material.

Nolan is a compelling enough lead, though I did find his angst in the first episode to really push my limits. Once he gets his powers and tries to navigate his life with the responsibilities inherit to that, things do get interesting. Although, my hope is that it doesn’t lean too hard on the teen drama stuff, since the second and third episode imply the beginnings of a love triangle between him, another superhero, and a girl that he goes to school with. I honestly did not find that stuff to be particularly interesting.

What I did find interesting is the central conflict, which seems be setting up Omni-Man as someone who is not exactly as he presents himself to the world, and I think there’s a lot potential for where this could lead. I am especially curious to see how involved Omni-Man’s wife, Nolan’s mother, Debbie (voiced by Sandra Oh), will be, since the third episode ended on a note that could have her play more of a part in the story as opposed to being “the generic wife.”

The supporting characters are where the episodes often shine the most. While it can be initially frustrating to see very basic and obvious stand-ins for real superheroes that we know, the show brings in more interesting and unique players with amusing and distinct powers. One I found really cool was Monster Girl, who is a little girl that can transform into a powerful beast, but every time she returns to human form, she de-ages, so there’s a limit to how often she can do it. Definitely not something I’ve seen before, and the more the show provides stuff like that, the more I’m interested.

Unfortunately, there’s one thing that I’m struggling to get past, and it’s probably just be a “me” issue, and it’s the animation. The animation isn’t bad, however, it comes across like a Saturday morning cartoon from 20 years ago. There’s a stiffness and cheapness to some of the movements, especially with the mouths, and perhaps it was a way to capture the look of the comic (which I haven’t read). Either way, I feel like for 2021, this isn’t up to snuff, but the story itself is intriguing enough to make me look past it, and like I said, it’s not that the work is bad, but whatever style they went with, it’s not doing it for me. Maybe they spent most of the budget on all these stars.

There are eight episodes total, and like I previously mentioned, I’ve only been given the first three, and for the most part, it’s a promising start. I don’t have any familiarity with the comics, I don’t know if it’s a continuing series, or if it had a limited run, but I can see this story go into some wild places. I jumped off The Walking Dead train years ago, but assuming the folks behind this don’t feel the need to stretch things out beyond their effectiveness. Keeping an episode count for this season at eight makes it look like they’re going to keep things tight and efficient, and I hope that’s the case. I can’t say I’m going to be eagerly anticipating the following episodes, I don’t see this as being as big of a hit as something like The Boys – another adult superhero show on Amazon, however, I do see myself catching up with this down the road, perhaps once all the episodes have been released. There is so much superhero media out these days, and plenty that are deconstructions and subversions thereof. There’s nothing special about Invincible that is immediately apparent, but I am curious to see if there is a satisfying payoff. Though, if you are a fan of the comics, you might end up getting more out of this than most.

Invincible will premiere its first three episodes on Friday, March 26th, before being released on a weekly basis every Friday.