Invincible: Amazon Prime Video Review

Based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Matt Gagnon, the latest animated series to hit Amazon Prime after Star Trek: Lower Decks is an intriguing mix of cartoonery and extreme violence.

Feeling more like a younger companion piece to Amazon's The Boys, and bedecked in an animated style that feels like a mesh of Saturday morning cartoons and Battle of the Planets, the series' first three episodes present as much mystery as they do mayhem.

Minari's Steven Yeun is Mark Grayson, the son of Superman-like protector of Earth Omni-Man (the ever impressive JK Simmons). When Mark comes of age and his powers finally come through, he steps up to embrace his destiny - with a bit of help from pops.

So far, so stereotyped origins tale.

But at the end of episode one, there's an utterly shocking twist that not only earns the Kirkman style of violence nod, but also provides a propulsive mystery through the first clutch of the episodes which arrive on March 26th.

To say more to non-fans of the Invincible series is to betray the shock they're owed, but needless to say, there's no immediate rush to resolve the reasons why what happens happens.

Invincible's animation is a mix of 90s X-Men TV series and a sort of staccato cut and paste approach to CGI battle sequences. The fights and invasions that take place in episode 2 feel like they've been ripped from a computer simulator and set to repeat; they're not massively engaging, nor are they freshly presented. Though they are functional for the show's needs. And there's an element of 2000AD's Zenith superhero in this series which is hard to shake, but welcome anyway.

There's the usual mix of romance to be had, and the show angsts when it needs to. But some of Grayson's human characters and comrades exist merely to propel him on his journey and end up feeling underwritten early on.

There's a mightily impressive vocal cast though, and the interconnectedness of some of the voice talent may blow geek minds.

Ultimately, Invincible's first three episodes show the scope of what it wants to do - it's not quite the right tonal mix of origins, high school romances, battle scenes and mystery you'd want for a start, but it does deserve time to stick with to see if all the elements mesh in a more cohesive way as the 8 commercial hour long episodes gel.

Invincible streams on Amazon Prime Video from Friday March 26.