The superhero genre has been done over and over again, redoing the same storylines and having the same characters, but “Invincible” is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. “Invincible” is an animated series that is available to watch on Amazon Prime. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98%, it is currently being rated higher than recent comic book shows like those you may have heard of like “Daredevil”or “The Boys”.

The story consists of various cliches that are  combined to make an original story such as a teenager learning about his super powers, an alien launched to earth who becomes the strongest person on the planet, and  a superhero balancing his personal life with his hero’s life. These basic plot points combine to form an one original, character driven story.

Mark Grayson, or Invincible, is the main protagonist who has the same powers as his father, but is not nearly as experienced. Nolan Grayson, or Omni-Man, is Mark’s father who has all the same powers as Superman, but with a dark side. Mark’s mother, Debbie, is a normal person, so she struggles throughout the show to connect with her son, who starts to think less of her. 

Some noticeable cast members include Steven Yeun as Invincible, J.K. Simmons as Omni-Man, Zazie Beetz playing Mark’s love interest, Sandra Oh as Mark’s mother, Mark Hamill as the superhero costume designer, and Mahershala Ali as a troubled super human trying to provide for his family.

At first glance this show may look like another animated kids show, but its mature themes and gore stray far from it. The action scenes are something we’ve never seen before not only due to the brilliant animated choreography, but also the fights have stakes, which enables you to stay interested. You are genuinely concerned that some of your favorite heroes may not make it out of the fight. 

The writing is another big strength, probably due to Robert Kirkman, who also created “The Walking Dead.” The show keeps you on the edge of your seat for its entirety, because Invincible faces a new and stronger enemy nearly each episode, or the incredibly intriguing mystery of why Omni-Man murdered the protectors of earth.

With only eight episodes it is pretty tempting to binge it in one sitting, but the show could work just as well watching it episodically. So sit down, turn on Amazon Prime either by yourself or with a group of friends and take an hour to watch the first episode of this masterpiece.