Over a decade before Prime Video’s Invincible became one of the finest superhero shows in the universe, there was a 2008 adaptation of the beloved comics. While it was thought that the naughties version was lost to time, folks on the internet have (sort of) found it.
Robert Kirkman’s Invincible is one of the finest superhero series out there in the world today. In an industry dominated by giants Marvel and DC, that’s a pretty big feat indeed. Season 3 of Prime Video’s animated adaptation has just concluded, with the season finale garnering a staggering 9.9/10 rating on IMDb, putting it alongside some of television’s most illustrious episodes, such as Game of Thrones episode The Winds of Winter and the Breaking Bad series finale.
Over a decade before Prime Video released its adaptation, there was a televised version of the comic from way back in 2008. Back then, the adaptation didn’t quite have the same calibre of filmmaking behind it as the Prime Video version does, and so it pretty much withered away to time. Plus, the ‘adaptation’ in question was what’s known as a motion comic. It flicks through the comic, page-by-page, panel-by-panel, with voice actors talking over the speech bubbles. Many utilised the “bomb-xx process,” which animates the original art. Even so, the late 2000s was a peak time for motion comics — some of the most notable include Watchmen and Batman: Black & White.
The Invincible motion adaptation, made in collaboration with MTV, was long considered lost media, but people on the internet had a little something to say about that. While there isn’t a full version of it, you can view some clips to see what it was all about. One person has uploaded the original trailer to YouTube and it’s certainly… of the time. Check it out:
The series ran for 36-parts (of around 10 minutes per episode) before being shelved. There was time when it was available through digital stores, but those times have long passed. In a past interview (resurfaced by Dexerto), Kirkman weighed in on the original adaptation. “It takes a second to get used to watching the stuff move because they animated the actual comics… [but] it’s thrilling to have actual actors saying lines that I wrote years and years ago,” he said.
The adaptation may have vanished from the archives, but there’s no doubt that people on the internet will continue searching for it. I wouldn’t put it past Redditors!
Invincible continues to grow and expand outside of the comics medium. Besides the super popular Prime Video series (which is showing no signs of slowing down), there’s also a movie adaptation in development. Not to mention a AAA video game that’s in early stages at Skybound Entertainment — you can find its crowdfunding campaign here. For weekly pop culture updates, consider subscribing to our newsletter by using the form below:
