So you watched Invincible on Amazon and loved it, you then went to your local Graham Crackers and grabbed all 3 compendiums and digested that wonderful series like the comic book reader that you are, what next? Well, there is the Boys, also on Amazon and then you can stop by your local comic shop and- Oh you read that too, well there’s also Jupiter Legacy on Netflix and I think the comic series is actually better than- you read and watched that as well, ok cool. Well I’m guessing you already checked out Umbrella Academy and read that as well? Yeah? If this rambling applies to you then you’ve come to the right place! There’s a ton of super hero content being thrown around on various streaming platforms and a good amount aren’t Marvel or DC, here’s a few series that are a favorite of mine that don’t currently have a live action or animated adaptation that you can sink your teeth into!
I’ll start the list off with the current obvious choice, Radiant Black. This series takes inspiration from Invincible quite a bit but also draws from some other series as well. Think Invincible meets Power Rangers, if you’re on board with that then chances are low that you won’t enjoy this comic series. One of my favorite things about Invincible was that there was never a true status quo, when something drastic happened in the series it stuck, or at least the ramifications did, and Radiant Black seems to be using that method of storytelling. Take all that, and some killer art from Marcelo Costa, and some great spin-off series that seems to be setting up a very fun shared universe from the mind of Kyle Higgins that continues to grow and grow!
Black Hammer is comic that’s basically a really good episode of the Twilight zone starring the Justice League. Years ago a handful of super heroes defended earth against Anti-God, who happens to be a Darkseid/Thanos mash-up, and somehow ended up getting trapped in a small town during the fight. After the title character Black Hammer attempts to leave the town and dies the group of heroes realize they are trapped and go on living their lives there. It picks up from there and just gets weirder and weirder. Black Hammer is the type of Indy super hero I look forward to. Putting character types you’re familiar with from Marvel or DC and putting them in scenarios you wouldn’t necessarily see in mainstream comics. If all my rambling doesn’t sell it for you, then just know the series became popular enough that it got an actual crossover with the Justice League in 2019!
Before I get into what I love about this series, I would like to say, each month this book comes out it is at the top of my reading list, and I genuinely love this book. From the creator of Invincible himself, Robert Kirkman, and art by a longtime favorite of mine, Chris Samnee is Fire Power. Anyone who’s been itching for a proper Iron Fist series can wait no more, Fire Power is not just one of the most fun and well written series from Image right now, it is also the prettiest. If for some reason you are reading this and the name Robert Kirkman alone doesn’t get you on board then just open a new tab up real quick and Google some of Samnee’s credentials and then try to resist his talents. This book felt like it came to me in a dream, I longed for more Kirkman dialogue and also craved for Chris Samnee’s art on an ongoing series, and the comic gods gifted me/us all of that in a single comics series.
Labeling itself as “the comic you’ve always wanted!” No One Left to fight is the comic series that knows exactly what it is and who it’s for. This one may not be for everyone looking for something after Invincible, but if the crazy battles in Invincible are what you want more of, then here you go. Being heavily inspired by Dragonball Z, No One left to fight is the story of what happens to Goku and Vegeta when they’ve become the strongest in the world and there are no more threats to face. Seems like a simple premise, but sometimes that’s all you need with artwork from Fico Ossio, and the easily the reason I stayed and kept with this and the sequel series, No One Left to fight II.
Now, now I know what you’re thinking, you said comic series without a live or animated adaption, and while there have been plenty of TMNT cartoons and movies animated and live action, there has never been one like this. The current IDW series is not just one of my favorite comic series but my favorite interpretation of the Ninja Turtles. If you like any version of the Ninja Turtles, you will find some sort of inspiration pulled from it here. Elements from the original cartoon are here, stuff from the original comics, and it even brings back stuff not originally well received from hardcore TMNT fans and made it enjoyable. Honestly this article is just click bait to try and get you to check out one of the best series of the last decade.
