Picture this; It’s the 21st of July. It’s been two years since season one of Invincible came out, and you’re waiting for more news on Season 2. All of a sudden, suddenly a tweet drops that we’re getting a special episode focused on Atom Eve!
That’s how it got announced, and before I get into the episode itself, I’m really glad that this wasn’t teased or leaked (to my knowledge) anywhere like these things usually happen, it was a pleasant surprise, and I hope we get more random drops like this where they flesh out characters.
Now, as for the episode itself…
First and foremost, the animation. Wow. They finally gave this series a budget, and it really shows. Long gone are the segments of season one where it looked like a PowerPoint presentation at times, and only the fight scenes looked kinetic, and even then not completely. Now, every scene is given care, regardless of if it’s just a conversation or if it’s a full-blown action sequence.
It’s awesome to see these characters move with the fluidity I imagined in my head while I read the book, sometimes even cooler. The fight scene in that bridge absolutely rocks, easily the best fight in the series so far given how they have Eve using her powers in inventive ways to handle the situation.
The story is an adaptation of the two-issue Invincible Presents: Atom Eve comic series by Benito Cereno, Nate Bellegarde, Bill Crabtree, and Rus Wooton. It’s an accurate adaptation for the most part, with some liberties which enhance the story for the better, such as the ending, just how the rest of the show itself has been handled so far.
It follows Eve, from birth to her early days as a hero, figuring out her powers and all the personal problems that come with it. It’s a fun balance of it all, paced perfectly, so you’re always engaged and never bored. The progression of her growth and powers – along with the problems that come with it, is so well done it left me charmed.
I also love the additions to the story, such as spending more time with Eve’s babysitter and going more into their conversation surrounding molecular structures, giving her a childhood friend who she loses because of her powers (and thus learning a lesson about the secret identity). The ending being changed is good also, it works better with the story now versus in the comic where the ending doesn’t line up with her arc in the main book.
My only problem with the story is some of the language they use when describing the kids from the special school she ends up going to for a while. Of course, in the real world, a lot of people do use the terminology used to describe them ( “weird”, “freaks” ) in harmful instances, and within the story itself at first, this description is also used to show that Eve’s father is wrong in describing her that way. The issue is when they have Eve use the same descriptions, and never really learn from it, perpetuating that same harmful rhetoric, especially when there’s a good point in the story where they could have easily had Eve learn from it. It’s a shame that this is something carried over from the comic when it shouldn’t have in the first place.
On that note though, it is also a shame that the creators of the comic being adapted are never given credit in the credits of the show, and I hope this was just an oversight that can be edited in later.
That being said, this episode rocks. If you’ve been loving Invincible, check this out. Atom Eve is super cool, and this episode is just an exploration of how cool she is. Season 2 drops in November!
