Applause for Invincible

In my recent chat with actor/director, Kevin Perez, we discussed some of the issues within the superhero movie genre. My main gripe was the reduction in the quality of storytelling when you convert drawn images into a live-action adventure. I felt that somewhere in the process you lose something. It’s jarring seeing Jim Lee’s sketches and Chris Claremont’s writing become grown-ups running around in Under Armour. Maybe it brings me too close to reality seeing humans act out a poor adaptation. In recent years, the experience has been ruined for me. 

For both myself and many others, our initial introduction to superheroes wasn’t through comicbooks (though I eventually wandered that way), it was through animated series. Whether it was Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man in the 90s or shows like Static Shock, Justice League or Batman Beyond in the early 2000’s. These shows have consistently done the best job of bringing comics to life, even if they aren’t as lucrative or popular as their big screen counterparts.

I was disappointed when DC ended their broadcasted animated universe, but they’ve continued to put out feature-length animated films on DVD’s and streaming services. They hit far more often than they miss, and they’ve even worked to make the content of these films a bit more mature than cable would allow for a “kids show”. Still, these offerings are limited to just a few times a year, and often lack continuity between the stories.

Now, we have Amazon Prime’s Invincible. The platform has been releasing elite content for years now, even if the shows don’t always become household names. This show is no different. If you listen closely, you’ll hear that they hired an A-list cast of voice actors for a superhero story that is undoubtedly R-rated. The story is both deep, surprising, and relatable. The animation harkens back to the Saturday morning cartoons of years past. Even the length helps to cater to a wider audience with episodes that go roughly 45 minutes as opposed to the standard 22 for animated series.

Early returns say that Invincible has been a success, with Amazon approving both a second and third season. This is a step in the right direction for the genre. Animation that invites original artwork, top notch voice acting, and stories that take just as much risk as the source material. If this is what the future of superhero content will look like, count me in.