Invincible: a spectacular first season that renews the superhero formula

In a sense, the industry superhero formula seems to be dominated by Marvel. Even DC Comics itself , its main competitor, is implementing strategies similar to it. Despite all the virtues that this implies, the truth is that this genre needs a breath of fresh air.

This is exactly what Invincible offers. Recall that, when the production of this series was announced within the Amazon platform, it came with the label of being part of the creator of The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman . That, years ago, could be synonymous with quality, but both the series and its comics – which have already ended – were in a clear setback during the last time.

Therefore, the animated adaptation of this superhero plot was a mystery. Luckily for everyone, the author has managed to reinvent himself and show that he is in his best form, with a first batch of high-quality episodes, to the point where, according to Esquire, a second and third season has quickly been confirmed. .

The success of Invincible

The first thing to mention is that Invincible is based on the comic strip of the same name , by, as we already mentioned, Robert Kirkman. Well, such was the success of this adaptation for Amazon that, according to La Tercera, sales of graphic novels were boosted, which has sold more than 100,000 units so far in 2021 .

At the time, something similar had happened with The Walking Dead. Those who were fanatical about this story, immediately resorted to the "original material", which allowed us to know the continuation of the plot, since the series was clearly behind the comic. Therefore, the success of the television adaptation is used to boost sales of graphic works .

Well, to understand the success of this adaptation, we must understand what the plot is about. Invincible tells the life of Mark Grayson: a teenager who has a father (Nolan Grayson) who is the strongest superhero on the planet, who is known as Omni-Man . After turning 17, Mark begins to develop his own powers … and realizes that his father is not as good as he seems.

One of the first things to highlight is the exquisite voice work. For the father appears JK Simmons, recognized for his incredible work as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films. In the leading role we have Steven Yeun, one of the most iconic actors of, precisely, The Walking Dead . The same series includes Michael Cudlitz, Chad Coleman, Lauren Cohan, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ross Marquand and Lennie James, which shows the parallelism between both productions.

Aside from loving these cool and charismatic voice acting, the first thing you notice is that it doesn't function as a mere knockoff of traditional superhero movies. On the contrary: it shows us a much more mature vision of the genre. Although it starts in a traditional way (a protagonist discovering his powers), we see that, little by little, real problems begin to exist that cannot be solved simply with his combat techniques .

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When his first abilities emerge, Mark must balance his social life with the dangers that appear in the story, both physically and emotionally. For example, at first he lives in the shadow of his father, considered an eminence on the planet . However, as the chapters progress, we see that not everything is what it seems: below the surface that he shows, there is something twisted that will drastically change the way he sees the world of Mark.

In its 8 45-minute episodes, this story arc is deepened, to effectively convey emotions and impress us with certain discoveries that go beyond what one can commonly see in the genre. For example, there are moments of gore that one would never expect to appear in a Marvel production.

On the other hand, the action scenes are excellently directed, with action sequences that are full of cruelty. Unlike Marvel or DC movies and series, here the danger feels real and the tension is felt in every episode . At no point do you have the feeling that superheroes will always get away with it, just like in the other franchises.

In short, Invincible became a notable appearance this year, which shows us that the superhero genre, although it seems to have a formula saturated by the main sagas, has enormous potential that can be harnessed through creativity and the innovation. We are looking forward to the second season!