Good guy Mark Grayson is a seventeen-year-old kid, not too different from many of us here at Cam High— except that his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man.

To some of you, such a premise might sound familiar; tired, even, after the glut of high-budget superhero films and television shows that have inundated American screens since time immemorial. But Invincible, a new animated series available on Amazon Prime, is one of the freshest takes on the superhero genre out there.

Part mystery, part drama, part action thriller, Invincible combines the high stakes and teeth-rattling violence typical of the genre with relatable teenage anxieties, served with a side of truly dark humor. Don’t be deceived by its lucid, colorful animation— Invincible is bloody. Like another irreverent Prime superhero series, The Boys, Invincible leans into gore and violence, and the screen is spattered with viscera as frequently as it is with the main character, everyman Mark. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes such big screen legends as J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogan, and Mark Hamill, Invincible introduces a cinematic universe’s worth of characters and storylines within the first few episodes, which can admittedly be overwhelming for the average viewer.

The series also negotiates a number of approaches to the genre, sometimes leaning into tropes, sometimes turning them on their head; at one moment, Invincible can resemble a Cartoon Network drama, complete with awkward teen romance and high school antics, and in the next it can offer social commentary amid Marvel-style action sequences and alien invasions.

All this said, while Invincible‘s tone may be very much in development, its status as binge-worthy is not. If you are a fan of the superhero genre, edgy humor, and/or gratuitous violence, then you should at least give the first episode a fair shake. Just be sure to buckle in for wacky plot twists, teen drama, and a lot of blood. A lot. Not even the title card is safe! And for those of you who have already devoured the first season, like this article’s author, never fear— two more are on their way!