As of this writing, I’ve watched a season and a half of Invincible, a show that, for me, has been one of the few antidotes to superhero fatigue post Marvel’s Avengers putting an end to Thanos (though the fatigue set in a bit before that if I’m being honest). Along with The Boys, it’s given the superhero genre a much-needed dose of gritty realism. With the second half of the second season of Invincible having been released recently, it felt like a good time to revisit what came before, prior to dipping my toes back into this gory, violent, fantastic, emotional gut punch of a story.
For anyone who hasn’t seen Invincible yet, I can give it a hearty recommendation. I don’t like the tendency that seems all the more common these days to compare everything to Game of Thrones. At worst, it’s a comparison without depth and just a way to grab eyeballs. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I get it. It’s convenient shorthand and I’m doing it here. But in this case, I do think a comparison is apt in one regard: few of the characters in Invincible feel without risk of an untimely death or an evil turn and the stakes are better for it. This sense of danger isn’t unique to Game of Thrones of course, but that story’s influence in bringing this “no one is safe” aspect of the grimdark genre into the mainstream is profound. Sometimes it is done well. Sometimes not. In the case of Invincible, I think it’s done well.
I suppose I should admit something first though. I haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire (the Game of Thrones books). I know, I’m disappointed in myself too. My time has just been spent elsewhere. I’ll remedy that eventually no doubt. But oddly enough, the TV adaptation has actually held me back a bit from giving it a shot. Well, that and the fact it’s unclear to me whether the books will ever get finished. Absolutely no shade is meant to George R. R. Martin by me saying that. While I do think an author has a responsibility to readers to finish a story once begun, I also firmly believe authors have the right to do so in their own time and their own way. In any case, I watched all the episodes of the TV adaptation, though not without a few rage-quitting, favorite-character-dying induced breaks along the way (SPOILERS for Game of Thrones from here onwards. Thinking of Pedro Pascal’s character Oberyn Martell, and the Red Wedding, and Sean Bean’s Lord Eddard Stark, and … well … we’ll stop there before I get too sad). And now for my second admittance: I can only handle so much grimdark. I’m more of a fan of what I’m going to call grimgrey, if you will. It’s just my own personal preference, but it seems to me, if a story burns me too many times by taking characters I love and killing them off, or corrupting them, or showing they were corrupt all along, I pull back. A little to moderate amount of that, depending on the story being told, is good story telling, absolutely necessary even. But too much and I protect myself by calcifying my empathy, by telling myself not to care. What’s the point of caring about a character if terrible things, like getting their head crushed to a pulp due to a moment of arrogance, are just going to happen to them? Game of Thrones, the TV show, got that way for me. Of course, the heroes won out in the end, but that whole situation was marred by the lack of source material to keep the narrative aright. It didn’t feel earned in some ways, which was the worst of both worlds for me. It felt like the show just hurt me without adequate payoff. So, what’s all this got to do with Invincible anyway?
Everything. If you’ve seen the first episode, you know what I mean. Similar to Game of Thrones setting the tone early on by taking part in Hollywood’s favorite pastime and killing Sean Bean, Invincible sets the tone with a major twist towards the end of the first episode. This twist, well, I’ll admit it was almost too much for me at first. I’m a big old softy it seems. The final scene gave me flashbacks to pulling away from Game of Thrones. It took some time, but I eventually came back to Invincible through the urging of my girlfriend. And boy, am I glad that I did. The characters have a depth and feeling to them that would be lacking without the narrative as it is. At least so far, Invincible has dexterously managed the delicate tight rope of keeping it high stakes while keeping me invested. So, if you haven’t seen it, go give it a shot and come back later, cause now there be spoilers afoot.
Ok, Omni-Man. Mark’s dad. Nolan. Such a terrible person, but so well written. If the first season was about the unraveling of his façade, of Mark and his mother Debbie learning the truth of Omni-Man, the first half of the second season is about them processing the fallout. Tough to watch at times, in particular for Mark’s mom, but so effective. Debbie really needs a win, and I hope the newly released episodes deliver for her. The arc of her going to a therapy group for partners of dead heroes could only have ended as it did: with someone learning the truth. Her husband had been the source of so many of their losses. It hurt, but man did it make me feel for her even more, as if I wasn’t already a big fan. Such good writing. And Mark and his dad’s reunion … oof. I completely agreed with everything Mark said in that scene. Completely unfair of his dad to bring him there with unrealistic expectations. Utterly messed up that Nolan started a new family like that, but also completely in line with his character. Nolan was adrift, near suicide, and offered a chance to do good by the universe and did so, though not without benefiting himself in the process. He didn’t give proper thought to consequences and sired a child; Nolan is not a good person by any stretch and that shouldn’t be forgotten. But he’s also not a proper Viltrumite anymore, and that’s progress I suppose. I’m excited to see where the show goes next, I just hope it doesn’t lean too hard into the dark (why’d they have to do Allen the Alien like that???). I like my stories grey with an impactful, and generally optimistic, end.
All the best,
M. Weald
P.S. Currently in the midst of reading Stephen King’s Fairy Tale. It’s been too long since I last read any Stephen King. I think the last I read of his was that Bill Hodges detective series trilogy. Good to be back in a world of his creation. He is one of my all-time favorite authors and his infrequent dips into the fantasy genre have been some of my all-time favorite novels. Can recommend! Also, my YouTube channel has been a bit … derelict lately. Side effect of being busy. But I’m working on a Year of Sanderson post. Would give a timeline on that but would rather not jinx it.
M. Weald 