Invincible Animated Streaming Series

[Aberzombie]

So, I was bored and saw this series was new to Amazon. Doing a bit of research, it's based off a comic by Robert Kirkman (of Walking Dead fame).

It's been pretty decent so far. Animate super hero show, with a bit more violence and cussing than is typical. Good voice cast. It's not spectacular or even awesome, but more....adequate. Good enough, at least to keep me not bored.

[Thomas Seitz]

The comic is good. The show is better.

[Mark Hoover 330]

I love this whole trend the past few decades, subverting the "super hero" archetype. The Boys, Invincible, and so on. Thing is, no one gives credit to Pat Mills for his beloved Marshall Law from Epic back in the day. I'm sure there was more before this one hit the stands, but I remember being a kid and my older brother showing this to me. It was brutal and vile and everything good The Boys would eventually deliver.

Anyway, Invincible is exactly what you say A to Z, "adequate." The relationship Mark has with Amber seems, I don't know... forced and abbreviated for the streaming series? Otherwise, it's ok.

[Aberzombie]

For a guy who goes by "Invincible", these last two episodes sure do have him getting the s*%# beat out of him.

His dad's coming across as more and more of a dick, though.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Ok, so I know Mark has less than stellar grades, but nowhere in the series has he presented as an idiot.

Spoiler:

In the college visit ep, his best friend is clearly freaked out and his host just suddenly went dead in the middle of a phone call, AFTER a super villain monster attacked that same campus. He instead goes after a girl who, yes, he loves, but has just yelled at him, broken up with him, told him a second time she wants nothing to do with him and then left on her own to go to a frat party, presumably after telling him where she's going.

Mark goes after Amber, rather than Rick.

There's naïve and then there's just dumb. Like, he's not risking his secret ID so he's walking across the campus he doesn't know, looking for a frat house he only has a name of on a flyer, and obviously NOT checking in with Will to see if Rick's back the entire time he's wandering around. And just the episode before he acknowledged his own foolishness almost got himself and 2 other people killed.

I find myself more interested in Robot and the clone plot, or even the investigation into Nolan than anything the lead character is doing. I'm bored with Atom Eve. Like, she's had training and at the wave of her hand can ACCURATELY rearrange atoms to generate ANY matter she'd like. What 18 year old on EARTH would be like "oh, you mean I can just build myself a treehouse in seconds? WITH electricity apparently?" and would just be moping around at home with an emotionally abusive parent?

I am living with 2 renters who both chose to be homeless in their late teens rather than put up with that kind of abuse, and neither of them have perfect flight or atom rearranging powers.

This show is bloody, and some of the fights are mildly entertaining. Again, some of the more mysterious elements are interesting. But mostly I'm finding it tedious. Also it appears we're the only 3 watching this.

[ShinHakkaider]

It's part of my Friday morning watch.

I get up and watch my shows in order of interest:

FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER

THE MIGHTY DUCKS: GAME CHANGERS

INVINCIBLE

I think that the comic is paced way better but I see why theyre doing things the way they are in the show because I know whats coming up.

I'm not that person who automatically declares that the source material is better because I dont believe that it's always automatically the case. I think adaptations are just that adaptions and interpretations of the original material and not the original material itself.

That being said, the show is good but there's something lacking. It's probably the pacing. But otherwise I DO like it.

[Thomas Seitz]

I'm with Shin. Some times the source material needs an update or a fix. It doesn't mean the adaptations couldn't be better, just different.

I mean, Game of Thrones people! Hello!

For me though, while I might have a few gripes, I'm glad they're staying true to the spirit of the comic. Mostly.

A-zombie,

It's intentional. Kind of like John Walker.

Mark,

I'm sure we're not the only three EVER to watch it.

[Aberzombie]

ShinHakkaider wrote:

I'm not that person who automatically declares that the source material is better because I dont believe that it's always automatically the case. I think adaptations are just that adaptions and interpretations of the original material and not the original material itself.

One of the reasons I like both this show and The Boys is because I never read any of the source material, so I'm mostly unfamiliar with it all.

On a side note, when it comes to adapting source material, I think that's where some of the older comics have a leg up. When you've got character's who've been around for decades, with probably thousands of stories, written by dozen's of writers, detailing their adventures, you've got a ton of stuff to choose from.

[Vidmaster7]

He sure gets beat up a lot. Which is fine. leaves room for character growth.

[ShinHakkaider]

Vidmaster7 wrote:

He sure gets beat up a lot. Which is fine. leaves room for character growth.

This is consistent through the series. Each time he gets beat up and eventually powers through a new foe he faces subsequently MORE powerful foes. And the foes that are coming aren't people where there's a small gap between them and Mark. Some of them are not only more powerful but are better fighters and/or are more ruthless.

This show and story are not for the squeamish.

It gets BRUTAL.

[Thomas Seitz]

Shin is correct about the level of brutality that ups itself each time.

[Haladir]

I've seen the first three episodes so far. I mostly like it and find it entertaining. To be honest, I don't think the show is terrible deep or has anything particularly new to say, but it is completely watchable.

That said, I've been watching the first season of Doom Patrol on HBO Max in preference to Invincible.

I'm not familiar with the source material, so I can't compare it.

Episode 2:

The scene at the end of Episode 2 when Omni Man murders the rest of the Guardians is brutal and gory in a way I was not expecting. It was an abrupt tonal shift, and I wish they had telegraphed what was coming. I'm not a big fan of gore, animated or otherwise.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Every single character wears the same clothes in every scene. There are 2 teenaged main characters - Mark and Eve. Mark never displays ANY sort of teen "angst" and Eve does sort of, though not to the extent I would think a daughter would if SHE could rearrange atoms and her dad continued to treat her the way hers does in the show.

A lot of this show just feels like, I don't know... vanilla pudding. Like, its a treat and all but the flavor of it is just boring. Then there's the violence and gore, I suppose to sort of balance out the vanilla of the rest of the series but it just feels gratuitous and forced by comparison.

As far as the plot goes, I'm really interested to see what happens to Nolan in his life as Omni Man and in his marriage. Otherwise I'm just not engaging with the other characters' stories.

By way of interesting characters, I really like Monstergirl and Robot. They at least don't feel like 2d cutouts. Mark and Eve don't feel believable. Rexplode just acts willfully foolish and ignorant, never really learning from or growing from his mistakes seemingly on purpose.

Even the villains seem pretty generic. Titan's twist ending was basically a super-fast version of Luke Cage from the Netflix shows; the bad guy cloner guy is more a plot device for Robot at this point, and the others, well... Machinehead might as well have been called Chippendale Chairface.

Having never read the source material I KIND of have an idea where the Nolan plot will go and how the Robot sub-plot will resolve, but who knows. Otherwise, I'm just having trouble really enjoying the show, but I keep watching anyway.

[Aberzombie]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

well... Machinehead might as well have been called Chippendale Chairface.

I will never not be able to think of him this way now.

[Phillip Gastone]

Aberzombie wrote:

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

well... Machinehead might as well have been called Chippendale Chairface.

I will never not be able to think of him this way now.

Taser-Face now has competition.

[Aberzombie]

It's metaphorical!!

[Aberzombie]

Well, that was a brutal new episode. I was happy to see Immortal come back, however briefly. I imagine if they sew his (now) many parts back together he’ll come back again.

At least it seems the truth is coming out regarding Omni Man being kind of a murderous d$*+$ead. Hopefully, his son has what it takes to actually kick his ass.

[Mark Hoover 330]

What is the age demo for this show? Like, the plot, even the twists and turns, feels very simple and a bit glossed over, like it's geared for high school kids. However, the amount of blood and gore in the show suggests this is more for adults. I still continue to be like "meh, it's super heroes and I'm home on Friday, so I'll watch it."

[Thomas Seitz]

I dunno about age demo, but the comic was clearly geared towards teens and young adults.

[Vidmaster7]

All I got to say is their had better be at least one more this season or I riot.

[Aberzombie]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

What is the age demo for this show? Like, the plot, even the twists and turns, feels very simple and a bit glossed over, like it's geared for high school kids. However, the amount of blood and gore in the show suggests this is more for adults. I still continue to be like "meh, it's super heroes and I'm home on Friday, so I'll watch it."

Good question. I have no idea. Much like you, I'm watching it...because. In my case, it's because I'm bored and have nothing better to do.

[Thomas Seitz]

I'm watching it because I want to see the differences. Plus I need something to fill in the time between now and Loki's TV show.

[Greylurker]

ok wow...that last episode was...brutal

Spoiler:

he just kind of ....aimed him at people.
That wasn't just bystanders caught up in the thing that was very calculated and deliberate. He wanted to use every moment of that fight to illustrate just how fragile humans are compared to the two of them. just...damn

[Greylurker]

Oh and I hear they OKed 2 more seasons

[Thomas Seitz]

Yes. They did.

[Aberzombie]

Greylurker wrote:

ok wow...that last episode was...brutal

** spoiler omitted **

Yeah, what I saw of it was brutal indeed. Unfortunately, I fell asleep watching it, so I missed some of it. I'll have to go back and re-watch it.

[Phillip Gastone]

Anyone read the comic series?

[Aberzombie]

Phillip Gastone wrote:

Anyone read the comic series?

I do not. Only because I rarely collect anything that doesn't come from one of the big two. I've made exceptions over the years, but typically when I'm already familiar with it (TMNT for example), or when it catches my eye (the recent BRZRKR, with Keanu Reeves involved, is a good example of that).

It's possible, if I'm really bored at some future point, I may go back and buy some collected volumes.

[Phillip Gastone]

CHEW is good, if gross.

[Thomas Seitz]

Chew is decent, but it's not my favorite Image series. I do agree with A-zombie, BRZRKR is pretty interesting. Crossover though is the best Image right now.

[Vidmaster7]

One day invincible may win a fight but he wasn't going to win that one.

[Purple Dragon Knight]

Great show overall! love it!

[Thomas Seitz]

It's certainly one of the highlights of streaming in 2021.

[Mark Hoover 330]

I mean, its a fun show and all, but I still find myself caring more about Rudy/Robot and Monster Girl. Basically I'm watching one of these "what if Superman was evil" types of shows, only it involves Superman versus SuperBOY. Outside that conflict the main character has gotten everything he could ever want/need handed to him, can already withstand a 6 story building being dropped on him without a scratch and will only get stronger as he ages.

Help me understand why I should invest in this character. What flaws does he have, what does he struggle with? I mean, he's naïve but that's a given for a new teenage superhero. He's fairly well adjusted though, considering the home life he's grown up with. His friends and girlfriend love him despite a lack of growth thru series 1; Mark's development was from loved, well adjusted teenager without powers who is jonesing for them to loved, well adjusted teenager with them who wants to help others on his own terms (not a team player yet).

Rexplode and Black Samson have more of a growth arc this season. The Mauler twins show genuine respect and emotion for an enemy. Heck, even Cecil is admitting his flaws and trying for some level of redemption. By comparison Mark Grayson just comes off as like, the teenage power fantasy of a real kid.

Am I being too critical, too cynical here? Please, I'm genuinely saying I want reasons to get more invested in this show. Help me understand what nuances I'm missing, what inner turmoil I am not picking up on.

[ShinHakkaider]

Phillip Gastone wrote:

Anyone read the comic series?

I have.

[Thomas Seitz]

I'm not sure there's that much inner turmoil NOW, Mark. But as the seasons progress, it will.

[Phillip Gastone]

For those who know where to look, there have been fan-edits of the scene where Nolan beats up Mark. Changing it to JJ Jameson and Peter.

"I SAID I WANTED PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN!"

[Thomas Seitz]

Now that's a Lol. :) And a sad, Philip.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Here's where the sad came for me T-Soz:

I read Philly G's post and had the thought: remember when JJJ used to ask for pictures of Spider Man? Followed by: Remember when there used to be printed newspapers?

Back to the topic, I hope there is some kind of conflict coming for Mark, something BESIDES his dad and Viltrum. If not, I think the focus of the show should be Rudy and Monster Girl with Invincible showing up in the Nolan-fighting episodes.

[Thomas Seitz]

Mark,

You can just call me T. It's fine. Also I don't feel the sad for JJJ right now. Especially in his new comic book click bait format. (Also I still get a local newspaper.)

As for what other threats, I think at the end we saw a significant number of things that could indeed be a threat, not the least of which is probably the return of the Mauler Twins.

[Phillip Gastone]

For those who have read the comic, there is an event that happens that has me wondering how it will be handled.

Weee:

Invincible War. Basically, evil versions of Mark pop in from various dimensions and wreck havoc(Considering how the comic handles such things more realistically, Earth is getting depopulated rather fast.) Cecil calls in every super and super team he can and this includes supers from other comic series such as Witchblade,Madman and Pitt. If this is covered by the show, will they be able to include these characters?

Also Portal 2 rant Invincible style

[Thomas Seitz]

Philip,

Spoiler:

I think that seems unlikely. Mostly because I'm not sure that Image is interested in loaning out more characters just now. But I could be wrong. As for Invincible War...I mean MAYBE...but doubtful.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Thomas Seitz wrote:

Mark,

You can just call me T. It's fine. Also I don't feel the sad for JJJ right now. Especially in his new comic book click bait format. (Also I still get a local newspaper.)

As for what other threats, I think at the end we saw a significant number of things that could indeed be a threat, not the least of which is probably the return of the Mauler Twins.

What about T-dawg, T-bird, T-shirt, or Mr T? Also, all of this is in jest of course; I don't mean to be disrespectful so if you'd prefer T I'll stick with it!

Anyway, by threats I don't just mean other things in the show that will be plot complications. Rudy/Robot had to overcome some very serious physical limitations and it appears he may still have some damage from that electrical surge in his brain; Monster Girl is forever cursed; Rexplode grew from a total jerk to a team player, but there's still hints he's kind of a selfish jerk.

These characters have flaws they struggle with 24/7. Help me understand what Mark Grayson actually struggles with. I feel like this might be explored in season 2 but so far the character is pretty much flawless.

[Thomas Seitz]

Mark,

Just T is fine. The rest are not me. (So yes stick with T)

As for Mark's flaws, well he did have his face beaten in by his dad along with being indirectly involved in mass murder of lots of people in Chicago...so there's that.

[BigNorseWolf]

I loved how this series got into a relatively realistic view of what a superhero fight would look like for the civilians anywhere near it.... chunky salsa is a good starting point as a descriptor.

[Thomas Seitz]

Indeed Wolf. Very chunky.

[BigNorseWolf]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

Help me understand why I should invest in this character. What flaws does he have, what does he struggle with?

Dad issues obviously

He has great power but NO training OR experience and absolutely no idea what to do in a real fight. He threw on a costume and was fine when it was just an underpowered bad guy in a street fight, but in an actual battle with civilians getting their heads popped like overripe zits and explosions and tanks and people dying, he completely froze. (like most people would)

He REALLY needs to accept that he's not his dad, and there are people WAY... way more powerful than he is and either use his head or avoid the fight altogether. He's stubborn and unlike a manga protagonist, sheer willpower will only get you so far when the other guy has you out gunned and out skilled. This gets him and his friends seriously )#)($#$ up. Injured or killed doesn't even begin to describe it.

The usual girlfriend secret identity go to school save the world type stuff.

He could probably use a few more ranks in sense motive. Or a wisdom score.

Also the villain with a minor undergraduate in women's studies was absolutely hilarious.

[Thomas Seitz]

Big covered it all.

[Mark Hoover 330]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

He REALLY needs to accept that he's not his dad, and there are people WAY... way more powerful than he is and either use his head or avoid the fight altogether. He's stubborn and unlike a manga protagonist, sheer willpower will only get you so far when the other guy has you out gunned and out skilled. This gets him and his friends seriously )#)($#$ up. Injured or killed doesn't even begin to describe it.

Ok, that I can kind of get behind. Season 1's finale brought in some real stakes with his dad and I suppose that's one physical threat that really matters. The will to choose to be a hero and prioritize innocents, learning HOW to do that could be kind of compelling.

BigNorseWolf wrote:

The usual girlfriend secret identity go to school save the world type stuff.

He hasn't shown any particular aptitude for school, and why would he care anyway since 1. he's got the highest level government contacts and 2. his family is rich. School would not miss him and he wouldn't miss it, so no real conflict there. His GF already knows his ID and took him back without Mark doing ANY character growth at all (IMO)

BigNorseWolf wrote:

He could probably use a few more ranks in sense motive. Or a wisdom score.

Meh. Bumbling teen is bumbling. In the ep where a frat party happens, it actually kind of makes him LESS likeable (to me anyway) so MAYBE this is something to care about, or maybe it's just something he's not good at.

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Also the villain with a minor undergraduate in women's studies was absolutely hilarious.

The villains. Now THAT might be a reason to watch season 2. The clone brothers had an actual character arc and seemed to grow a bit. Robot developed, from cold, calculating leader, to someone doing questionable things, to having a (kind of) noble reason for doing those things.

In other words... I'd watch season 2, as of right now, to see the growth and development of the OTHER people, likely the villains, instead of Invincible himself.

[BigNorseWolf]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

Ok, that I can kind of get behind. Season 1's finale brought in some real stakes with his dad and I suppose that's one physical threat that really matters. The will to choose to be a hero and prioritize innocents, learning HOW to do that could be kind of compelling.

A lot of things in this setting are physical threats to him. I don't know if its because he's only half vrilumite or because he's 18 and his dad is 1,000 but he can be hurt by lasers, tanks, and the battlebeast pretty literally tore him apart.

Quote:

He hasn't shown any particular aptitude for school, and why would he care anyway since 1. he's got the highest level government contacts and 2. his family is rich. School would not miss him and he wouldn't miss it, so no real conflict there. His GF already knows his ID and took him back without Mark doing ANY character growth at all (IMO)

He said he wanted to go to college. Whether thats because his girlfriend is going or he wants to be normal or what I don't know. But it is something he wants.

Quote:

Meh. Bumbling teen is bumbling. In the ep where a frat party happens, it actually kind of makes him LESS likeable (to me anyway) so MAYBE this is something to care about, or maybe it's just something he's not good at.

Thing that takes life experience isn't given by powers.

Its hard to not be perfect and to not bungle something. Was there any point he was holding the idiot ball, but in a way that most 18 year olds WOULDN"T be holding the idiot ball? (save the guy that MIGHT be in troublke or go after my girl.. uhm.. let me think about this with ... GIRL) When he got tricked it wasn't entirely a trick and the other guy did go all out, even leveraging their own family for the ruse.

The series touches pretty heavily on how being a super hero is a lot like being a cop or being a soldier or a football player. You cant just get superpowers and walk into it. You have to know what you're doing, what the enemy is doing, what the team is doing and how to bring it all together or people are going to die. Or well, even MORE people are going to die (like that bus full of nuns rexplosion let by...) 15 minutes with dad outback in the woodshed gets you ready for a super powered bank robber. A alien invasion battle...notsomuch.

And its bungling to not know how to do that. Its very human, which is one of the things we like about superheroes. At their core they're still fundamentally human or we wouldn't empathize with them so much.

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Also the villain with a minor undergraduate in women's studies was absolutely hilarious.

Quote:

The villains. Now THAT might be a reason to watch season 2. The clone brothers had an actual character arc and seemed to grow a bit. Robot developed, from cold, calculating leader, to someone doing questionable things, to having a (kind of) noble reason for doing those things.

I really liked that even though the clone brothers are evil, they were pretty upfront with Robot (by their own standards) and were like "I'm not going to lie to you, this is going to HURT"