I will admit that I was very hesitant to watch Invincible when it was first announced. From a distance, the show is very reminiscent of the Justice League and the original Teen Titans animated series.

However, there were a few key things that drew me in: first, a series of recommendations from friends, and second, the absolute ocean of memes created a scene later on in the series, which I wanted to know the context behind.

Despite my reservations, I found myself enjoying the show so much that I watched the entire thing in one night with my brother.

The show features an incredible cast of voice actors. On the most famous end, there are huge names such as J. K. Simmons and Mark Hamil. Also equally good are actors Zachary Quinto, Clancy Brown, and in the leading role, Steven Yeun.

The story of the show is really difficult to get into beyond the first handful of episodes without spoilers. It follows a kid named Mark Grayson, son of Superman analogue Omni-Man, learning he has powers and getting used to balancing his old life and his new life as a superhero. At the same time, multiple groups are trying to solve the mystery of who attacked the series Justice League stand-in.

The real standout aspects of the show are excellent animation and voice acting, which together give a sense of humanity to every character.

The other important piece is the sheer brutality of the fight scenes, especially later on in the series. Suffice to say, the series does not even remotely shy away from showing blood or injuries. Invincible is the first superhero media I have seen in a while where I was genuinely surprised by how a fight played out.

While the show is certainly not billed as a comedy, the writing is excellent and keeps the show funny when necessary going much more serious when it needs to be. It is a hard balance to make, but Invincible maintains it masterfully.

To anyone tired of the standard superhero fare, and is willing to power through the first episode to get to the meat of the show, this is an easy recommendation. Be sure to check it out, and I cannot stress how much you need to watch the first episode all the way through before jumping to conclusions.