Invincible Review

By Jack Cheney

One funny, dramatic, and extremely bloody superhero tale.

Robert Kirkman, creator of the Walking Dead is best known for his nihilistic, grisly, and dark style of stories, but before his zombie Magnum Opus, Kirkman was famous for creating one other series, one that mixes both family drama and mature superhero themes and action, and that series is none other than Invincible. Invincible follows the story of Mark Grayson, your typical 17 year old highschool student, who also just happens to be the son of the world’s greatest superhero, Omni-Man. When Mark’s powers begin to develop, he embarks on a journey to becoming the next number one hero of the world, while releasing his father’s legacy may not be as heroic as he makes it out to be. And now that there is a new animated series, just how well is Kirkman’s saturation of superheroes hold up on the small screen?

One of Invincible’s strengths is that it is a perfect mix of family drama and superhero action. Mark, his mother Debbie, along with his father Omni Man (secret identity Nolan), all feel like real people, trying to hold a family full of ultra powerful superbeings. It helps that Nolan is voiced by the always great J.K Simmons, while Mark is voiced by Waking Dead and Minari star Steven Yeun. In fact, all of Invincible’s cast of characters are well likable and fun to watch in action. Actors such as Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen, and Jason Mantzoukas, all with their own problems and storylines. The animation quality is also superb, with fluid action and witty dialogue, Invincible delivers on a good superhero romp. What sets it apart from other shows and comics is that Invincible does not shy away from the brutal violence that can come with being a superhero. Seriously, these heroes do not pull their punches.

If there really had to be a con, I would say some episodes move quite slow, but this also the first season, so there is still room for improvement in pacing, but other than that, Invincible provides adults with what comic nerds in us all want: a mature superhero series that shows that being a hero is just as hard as being a highschool student. Just a fair warning, be sure you had a light meal before episode one.