The Invincible creator’s taken from the lessons learned during his first adaptation.

It’s not often that a comic book writer gets to be heavily involved with their original works being adapted for TV, but for Invincible and The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, this has happened more than once.

With Invincible season 3 ready for the world to see, the industry icon has revealed a notable lesson from his time on The Walking Dead before going into the animated superhero adventure.

When asked what reassurances he could offer fans that the detail and spirit of the comics’ events would be kept in this latest adaptation of the show, Invincible’s creator went on to say they’ve been employing an approach that lovers of the original story will be happy to hear.

“With this show, I envision it is a kind of process of, ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,'” Kirkman said.

“So, when we sit down with the source material, if we feel like everything is working, we just try to make sure that we uphold what existed in the comics, trying to put a fresh coat of paint on it, trying to expand things where we can expand them, truncate things where you feel like that’s necessary.

“But if there’s big moments and events that absolutely landed in the comics that I know the fan base is excited to see, you’re going to get those moments.”

Steven Yeun as Mark Grayson in Invincible season 3. Prime Video

He then went on to clarify that any attempt to alter those moments will be “only to enhance”, adding a little bit of extra something to build up a moment so that when an adapted moment from the comics finally lands, “it’ll hit you in a different way”, whether it’s more emotional because you’ve had more time with certain characters or more intense because of that additional build-up.

The ultimate reassurance that Invincible season 3 is a faithful adaptation to the comics, however, is when Kirkman mentions how he’s compared Invincible with his time working on the TV adaptation The Walking Dead, where he learned that big changes from the source material aren’t always needed.

Mark against the ReAnimen in Invincible season 3. Prime Video

“It’s really a process of trying to enhance what was in the comics, not to change it for the sake of giving you something different. That’s something I learned from working on The Walking Dead”, Kirkman said.

“I was very much coming at things coming from a place of, ‘They’ve read this before. Let’s give them something different,’ and I was pushing to change things as often as possible on that show.

“Here, I’m like, ‘You know what? Let’s make sure we deliver that moment in a way that the fan base that’s experienced the comics, that loves the comics, will love all over again.'”

Carl & Rick in The Walking Dead season 3. AMC

For any Invincible lovers who have also been avid fans of both The Walking Dead comics and shows, it’s understandable to be breathing a massive sigh of relief.

Invincible seasons 1 and 2 have some differences from the source material, but have never taken away from its main story beats.

However, as the conflict with the Viltrumites starts to escalate in the comics, so does the frequency of intense, impactful moments that original fans would want to see faithfully adapted onto the small screen even more than before.

It goes without saying that while the earlier seasons of The Walking Dead’s TV adaption made its narrative adjustments away from the comics, it was still a cultural phenomenon in its own right.

Powerplex in Invincible season 3. Prime Video

In later seasons, though, large changes, like a big character’s death that made the comics’ beautiful ending impossible, arguably compromised the show’s momentum and led to its hefty drop in popularity over the years.

With that, being free of changes for the sake of them should get Invincible fans excited whether they’re lovers of the comics or the show is their introduction to the franchise.

While there still may be some alterations, Kirkman, Racioppa, and the rest of their team’s decision to more closely follow the comics’ key moments means everyone can share in the franchise’s beloved story no matter the medium.