‘Invincible’ originated as a comic created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker. Kirkman has since become one of the most successful people to come out of the comic-sphere. For those that don’t know his work he is the creator of ‘The Walking Dead’ and comic fans will also know him as the first person to become a partner at Image comics that was not a founder, he is also the chairman of Skybound Entertainment.
I talk of Kirkman because it is clear to see he is immensely talented and it is not a shock that ‘Invincible’ has become the hit that it is. The comic, now adapted into an Amazon Prime original has, on average a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99% with 4 seasons. The show adapts the comic book almost like-for-like, something manga has done with anime since the 1900s. With the show’s immense success, is it time for the rest of the Western comic business to take the hint?
Media based on books tends to sell more of its source material. We can see this now with ‘Project Hail Mary’. Right now, the book is #1 on Amazon’s best-selling science fiction list and #3 on The New York Times best-selling fiction list. Since Prime’s debut, the adult cartoon sales for the once cult-followed series have soared. On the same list, Invincible compendium one is ranked #16, ahead of any other comic from Marvel, DC or Image.
These statistics should be a message to the rest of the industry to create more ‘like-for-like’ Movies and TV shows. One of the most popular comics to date, dominating current charts is Absolute Batman. This is a perfect example of a book that follows its own continuity and could be a chance for DC to give a comic the ‘Anime treatment’
Manga has had a long history of adapting into anime without changing much. Some sources credit Astro Boy (1963) as being the first anime originating from manga. It was one of the first to make it to the Western world.
There are loads of reasons manga sells better than comics, like accessibility, easy jumping on points, culture and so on. The best-selling Manga of 2025 was ‘One Piece’, with over 4,000,000 copies sold for comics; it was ‘Deadpool/Batman #1’, a crossover between Marvel and DC. Official sales haven’t been published by Marvel, but reports are over 500,000. A stark difference.
Blind eyes could see there is a market for direct adaptations. For comics, creating media based on their source can create a jumping on point for new readers. They can watch and then go and read these iconic stories. From there, I promise it is not that hard to follow.
Of course, with positives come the negatives. ‘Invincible’ has suffered in the animation department. For studios, it can be hard to replicate some of the art in these comics. The detail that comic artists like Javier Rodriguez or Ryan Ottley put in is incredible, studios just don’t have the budget. However, for our ‘Big 2’, this shouldn’t be a problem. Marvel makes millions on every movie and DC grossed over $600,000,000 with ‘Superman’ last year.
Invincible is fantastic in whichever form you consume it. The show changes stuff from the book, as it was written 20 years ago and adds a layer of surprise to the show. The comic industry has experienced some positivity in the last couple of years with DC’s Absolute titles and shows like Invincible. The business must take this message and run with it. We are in a new age and change has to happen.
