Season Review: Invincible Season One

 

 

Television has come astoundingly far over the last thirty years. What was once one of the most worshipped things in our culture, cable television, is nearing irrelevance. Significant budgets and computer advancements have made epic fantasies and zombie horrors a part of our prime-time norm. But nothing has grown more substantially than that of the superhero genre.

It was not that long ago that superheroes were limited to comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. Even at the box office, superhero features had a tumultuous time growing into the mega franchises they have become. This year ever, the genre is taking a more prominent role in television with the MCU’s latest endeavours on Disney+.

Invincible has arrived to shake things up for superhero media, the same way the franchise did for comic books through the 2000s.

Invincible was a comic title that quietly hit stands in 2002. Creator Robert Kirkman was still building his massive following, but only really known for his previous work, Battle Pope. Though as the issues continued to be released, comic fans quickly began to pay more attention. Invincible wasn’t just another superhero comic book; it was everything you wished that they could be.

The series solidified itself for offering all of the high-flying and bright colours that are derivative of the genre and adding a realistic approach and impactful consequences to the heroes actions. Characters died and did not return, heroes got beat-up and needed to recover, and the world around them was as fragile as the real world. But, of course, the plot twists and subversive storytelling kept fans coming back for more. But the new-age approach to comic book storytelling was a much-needed wake-up call for an industry that was still riding the laurels of its own golden age.

To carry on the franchise’s success, Invincible would need to make just as much of an impact on the market as the source material had for the comic industry. And the creators came gunning, not only for the superhero genre but the adult animation sector as well.  

The series was given everything that is needed to succeed with a fresh approach to animation for television. Kirkman’s company Skybound partnered with fast-growing Vancouver animation studio Wind Sun Sky Entertainment. The massive comic storyline would get a complete overhaul to be more approachable for new audiences. And the show landed some significant signings for a cast list that would be impressive for even the highest budgeted programs.

Invincible’s list of voice actors is unlike anything that has been put together for an animated series. Of course, any show centred around a family that includes Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, and Sandra Oh would be Emmy worthy. But throw in names like Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, Jason Mantzoukas, Mahershala Ali, and Zachary Quinto, and it is almost unbelievable. Even Rick and Morty’s own Justin Roiland makes an appearance.  

Invincible did take its time in development. The series was first announced in June 2018, coincidentally a year after a live-action film adaptation was announced. But good things come to those who wait.

It was evident when the marketing campaign began that Invincible was going to offer something different for fans. The hype was built around the fact that the series’s premise shared many similarities with another successful Amazon Prime production, The Boys. And for months, the cast and Robert Kirkman pressured the warnings that Invincible was full of twists, turns, and over-the-top violence. 

Still, fans had no idea what they were in for.

Invincible the animated series, premiered in a big way. The intended Friday debut pleasantly surprised fans when the show would drop early on Thursday evenings. On top of that, the March 25th debut included the first three episodes to get viewers hooked. However, it would only take the first one to get everyone’s attention.

Aptly titled “It’s About Time”, the premiere episode set the pace of the series, defined its connection to the source material, and showcased just how brutal this series would get.  

One of the biggest concerns that fans had coming over from the comic book run was how long the source material took to establish the biggest twist that hooked readers. But the show wasted no time revealing that young Mark Grayson’s all-powerful superhero father was not the Superman he was made out to be.  

The final moments of the premiere episode has become one of the most definitive scenes of the entire first season. Not only did it lay the story out for new fans, but it did so with one of the most violent and heart-wrenching scenes. Watching Omni Man lay waste to the Guardians of the Globe is the equivalent of watching Superman murder the Justice League or if Iron Man had snapped his friends away at the conclusion of Endgame. But with head explosions and hearts being ripped out in a way that would never be seen from the two major superhero producers.

The central plot point is intelligently quieted down for the majority of the episodes. Each new edition after the premiere helped to establish Robert Kirkman’s massive universe and story. Allowing every episode to stand on its own with something interesting to add to the overall theme.

Episode two, “Here Goes Nothing”, delivered something that had never been done before and that no one expected. There isn’t just one alien invasion, but three, and each of them get incrementally more dangerous.  

The subsequent episodes all managed to deliver an equally exciting and unique plot. A trip to Mars, complete with a hostile alien race. A street-level war for control of the gangs. Zombie robots. There was always something to help each episode stand out.  

With that said, these 45-minute episodes are crammed with content. Mark and his evil father may be at the centre of the show, but there is much more going on. There is a whole cast of superheroes all dealing with their own issues. Like how Atom Eve struggles to find herself between a hero life and home life that are both unfulfilling for her. Or how a ragtag group of leftovers try to fill the shoes of the fallen Guardians of the Globe.  

Further still, there are more things at play that each episode of the first season continues to add to. There is an entire galactic civil war occurring far from Earth, and it is only slightly referenced throughout the season. Even villains that had a minimal appearance are set up for a more significant role going forward. Battlebeast is an excellent example of a character that substantially impacts the comic series but doesn’t even get mentioned by name in his singular appearance in “That Actually Hurt”.

There is just too much for the short eight-episode season of Invincible to pack in. Thankfully, the best thing that this series did is not shy away from any of it. With so many arcs established, it would be impossible to wrap them all up in one season. 

There was no fear in setting up stuff that may not pay off for years, if ever. So there must have been a more enormous sigh of relief from the creators than the fans when Amazon inked the show on for another couple of seasons.

To make it all even more exciting, the season ended with a bang. The final two episodes are hardly anything more than an action-packed slobber-knocker. Millions of people die, our hero loses, and the story’s fate is entirely up in the air. But even spending two hours watching punches be thrown was as enthralling as anything else you could find on television. And it was all thanks to the groundwork being laid and a season-long lead-up.

The biggest question heading into the Invincible animated series: could it hold up to the same standards of the source material? And after watching the entire first season, I don’t think anybody cares anymore.

This adaptation has successfully managed to stand on its own. The millions of people that will be binging this series will not care about the original comics anymore than MCU fans cared to read a single Iron Man comic book.

Even then, the fans coming over from the long-running Image title will all be pleasantly surprised. There may be some reshaping here and there, but it is all for the better. The rewritings help to tell the story in the new format. Meanwhile, the same message is there; this is not your average superhero story, as much as it might look like one. And the violence is even more poignant than the panels got across at times.

In the much bigger picture, Invincible held up to the franchise’s legacy. It has successfully given us a new way to look at the superhero genre and takes directions that the more prominent publishers would never dream of doing. And while the animation may not be anything new for audiences, the format changes the game of what adult animated sitcoms can be in the new digital age of streaming.

Invincible is unlike anything else on television. It takes aspects from different things that we see in media but blends them together in a perfectly baked cuisine. It is no wonder that this series has been gaining popularity at a breakneck pace. This is a massive step for animation, as this is the first to be seeing such excitement as the major budgeted programs.

Ground-breaking.

Revolutionary.

And of the highest quality.

Invincible is here and ready to change the industry once again.