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Amazon prime’s animated series ‘Invincible’ is not for kids or the faint of heart. If you’ve enjoyed the ultra violence of ‘The Boys,’ which is on the same streaming platform, you shouldn’t miss out on this.
The animated series is so much more than graphic scenes and over-the-top action. Its well written characters, nuanced plot-lines, emotional depth and exploration of human nature are rare on superhero shows, animated or otherwise.
Based on the long-running comic of the same name by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, ‘Invincible’ is a coming of age story of Mark Grayson who inherits superpowers from his dad ‘Omni-man’ aka Nolan Grayson when he turns 17.
It’s hard to ignore the Marvel and DC references. Mark is a lot like spider-man who has to strike a balance between his personal and superhero life. On the other hand his dad Omni-man is basically a superman archetype. The Guardians of the Globe are also reminiscent of the Justice League.
For instance, War Woman is clearly inspired from Wonder Woman and Darkwing is basically a different version of Batman. By taking inspiration from these iconic characters and subverting the tropes that come with it, Kirkman has managed to tell a compelling and intimate story.
Invincible boasts a talented voice cast. The lead character, Mark Grayson is played by Steven Yeun. While his dad, Omni-man is voiced by J.K Simmons and Sandra Oh as his mom. The likes of Mark Hamil, John Hamn, Mahersahala Ali, Gilian Jacobs, Clancy Brown, Ezra Miller, Zachary Quinto are part of the cast, giving voice over for big to small cameo-like roles. Being associated with the animated series, Kirkman also involved a slew of the Walking Dead alums as part of the voice cast. They all did an outstanding job.
The animation is faithful to the source material. But there are some obvious uses of CGI which appear to be janky at times. Since the CGI scenes are only limited to the background scenes, it does not hamper the overall experience. The action scenes of the series are what truly stand out. These beautifully choreographed, fluid and visceral fight scenes are some of the best in animation.
From high school romance to world-conquering aliens, ‘Invincible’ branches out to multiple plot-lines in a span of just 8 episodes which may seem overwhelming for some. But if you stick to it, the show will pay off spectacularly and deliver the right sort of emotional sucker-punch that will make you yearn for more.
The good news is, ‘Invincible’ has been renewed for season 2 and 3 and you probably won’t have to wait for more than a year till the next season comes out.
The writer studies economics at Dhaka University.