Invincible

So I usually hate superhero stuff. Everything after Toby Maguire's Spiderman movies is assumed to be copy-paste junk until proven otherwise.

But Invincible is different for me. It focuses on the everyday, personal aspects of being a superhero. The characters are all morally grey. Even though Mark is a bit of an every-man (bland relatable protagonist), his arcs - exploring death as a justified means, disproving he is a violent reincarnation of his father, and reforming criminals - is fantastic. Superhero cliches are served up with self-awareness which makes them fun again. The soundtrack is banging.

It's certainly gruesome. When I started watching, I had to take a break after watching the first episode because I was quite sensitive to violence. I ended up watching Attack on Titan to get used to animated violence again. But the violence, though sometimes gratuitous, is mostly used to convey the fucked up reality of being a superhero. Season 1 will leave you feeling that the great responsibility that comes with great power is far heavier than the awe of your super-ness.

Both an ongoing TV show and a comic. Both are fantastic. Read the comics if you can't wait for the show to progress (like I did). The show is being executive produced by Robert Kirkman, the author of the comic (as well as the author of The Walking Dead, and I've heard he's eager not to repeat the mistakes of that comic's palliative adaptation into TV).