An ultra-violent, mature take on super-heroics, family and puberty.

Main Cast: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, J.K. Simmons, Zazie Beetz Creators: Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley

The 144th issue of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible comic ended the series in 2018. I read this comic religiously (as well as The Walking Dead) and although I was not disappointed by how it ended, I was sad that it had. Invincible (Mark Grayson) is the son of Omni-Man (Nolan Grayson), a super powered being from a planet called Viltrum and Earth-born Deborah Grayson. At the age of 17 Marks powers manifest-the same abilities his father possesses, and he begins his rocky journey to becoming a superhero.

Invincible is loaded audibly with exceptionally talented actors: Mahershala Ali, Mark Hammill, Steven Yeun, Zazie Beetz, Jon Hamm, Sandra Oh, J.K. Simmons, Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Quinto and many more. The first episode begins fairly light, comical, reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon. While there are some mild and slightly significant changes from the comics to the 8-episode animated series, it does stay true to form with the arc of the main title character: seeking the approval of his father, the being let down by him later; the fear of not being good enough or being caught in the shadow of his all-powerful father Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy, Killing Eve) playing Mark’s (Steven Yeun) mother Deborah, is a standout. A human mother and wife of two of the most powerful beings in the universe, even more powerful in her own right. Her relationship with her husband and son, the dynamics are as important to their character development.

Introduced are mainly forgettable super-villains and heroes. One such superhero group is Guardians of the Globe, which is based off of DC’s Justice League of America, albeit slightly different. There is also Teen Team, based off of DC’s Teen Titans. The former group is more integral to the series. It is a bit more complicated in the comics, so I will be watching to see where they take this. Only three episodes of the animated series have aired so far (the first three premiered March 26 on Amazon Prime), but they have already presented a few revelations in the series that come later in the paper series. So far though, I am loving it. The first three episodes of Invincible are available now for streaming on Amazon Prime with additional episodes released every Friday.

In Retrospect ★★★★1/2 out of 5

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