Robert Kirkman talks adapting Invincible to animation

Prime Video's animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman's beloved comic Invincible is one of the best superhero shows in the world right now. Its rich, vibrant, and incredibly brutal world makes it stand out from the crowd.

In a recent interview with CBR, Kirkman weighed in on the process of adapting his long-running 144-issue comic to the screen. Having previously worked on bringing his comic The Walking Dead into live-action, Kirkman found the process on developing an Invincible show much less daunting.

"Well, I have to say, having done, and adapted comics to live action, the transition from comics to animation is actually way more seamless," he said. "The processes are different, but at their core, it's very much a writer working with artists to try to bring a story to life, which is something I'm fairly familiar with – which has been really great!"

Moreover, both Kirkman and Invincible comics artist Cory Walker are heavily involved in the production of the show. Unlike many comic-to-screen productions, the production of Invincible has embraced the original creators who worked on the comic, giving Kirkman and Walker huge control over how things go.

""I guess it's not really common for comic book creators to be as hands-on and as involved as Cory and I have been in the Invincible animated series. Cory was the lead character designer on Season One, and now he's the executive producer and helping to oversee the show. And I'm the co-showrunner, helping to oversee all the scripts, and really just kind of guiding the entire production of the show.""

So for fans of the comic, it's a win-win situation. Invincible is a fantastic adaptation, overseen by the original creators, but it's not afraid to go back and re-wire certain aspects of the source material. "It's cool to kind of go back to a comic that we did, with Ryan Ottley – I don't wanna not mention that guy! – and basically do a second draft in animated form, take what worked and make sure that it survives onto screen, or take anything that we think could have been better, or any new ideas we have – which is something that happens!"

Lastly, Kirkman thanked fans for responding so positively to the show. "Invincible is a huge part of my life – I've worked on it for sixteen years in comic book form, and working on it for five years now in animated form. So it's a huge part of everything I've done. So to have people responding to it as positively as they are, it's just a real uplifting thing to see it landing with audiences the way it has."

Prime Video's Invincible wrapped up its second season earlier this year. Season 3 is estimated to premiere in early 2024. Also, Skybound Entertainment is still in the process of bringing the comic to the big screen for a live-action Invincible movie. While the animated show is proving a very good distraction, a live-action movie is still being worked on!

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