Given the massive success of Skybound’s Invincible, it’s no surprise that the Invincible Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures are among Funko’s most popular Pops this year, and a massive hit with fans of the comic and Prime Video series. So we sat down with Funko designer Jeff Victor to find out what went into the making of these charming collectibles. Here’s what Jeff had to tell us…

How did you discover Invincible?

I first saw it when the comic first came out. I was a reader; I was reading Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. I thought, “Oh, he's doing a superhero book now. That's cool! I would love to see his take on superheroes…” But I didn't actually start reading it until the trades came out. I didn't pick up the original first issue, which I probably should have, since it's probably worth a fortune right now. But once I started reading the trades, I fell in love with the book, and I've loved it ever since.

When it comes to designing Funko Pops like Invincible, how does it start for you? How does the design process begin?

Well, it was pretty easy in this case, because I’d just watched the Invincible animated show. So I really didn't have to do too much research. Generally, I have to if I get a show that I'm not familiar with. I have to do my due diligence and watch a couple of episodes and try to get a flavor for who the person is, how they move, how they hold themselves, what their specific accessories that people would want to see are. Just surround myself in all that. But I knew Omni-Man immediately. He's got to be flying. He's got to have that chest-out look, that very imperious attitude. Mark, on the other hand is in more of a defensive position, where he's got his fists up and he's ready to fight, which I thought was very appropriate for him. And Adam Eve, I thought, would be a great candidate for mid-flight – coming in for a landing with her energy powers manifesting on her hand. I thought that would be a cool look to do.

The “Think, Mark” Vinyl Moment is an especially nice gift for fans, since that's one of the most iconic scenes from Season 1.

Yeah, that one was really cool because we weren't sure if we were going to be able to do the bloody version or not. Because it is probably the bloodiest Pop that has ever been released, I think. I don't know. Maybe you could find another one. Maybe Carrie? I don't know. We actually did one that was covered in blood and then one that wasn't just to see what Skybound would think and I'm so happy they chose the bloody one because it's such an eye-catching piece. I even made sure the rock was sprayed with red around Mark just to give it even more violence, to suggest even more blood without necessarily painting everything. Yeah, that piece came out really well. I'm really excited about that one.

How did your career path lead you to Funko?

Well, I'd done some work with Hasbro, some concept art for toys there. I was searching for a job, and I had been doing some personal art called “Evolutions,” which have kind of a Funko style. Someone from Funko actually reached out to me and said, “We think you might be a good fit for our company, would you like to apply?” I did, and I was very, very fortunate that they hired me. I've been here for almost two years, and I couldn't be happier.

How did you come to design the Invincible Pops?

There are several different designers at Funko, and we each specialize in different things. I'm typically assigned superheroes, horror, ‘80s properties like Ninja Turtles and stuff like that. A lot of it’s based on our interests, and sometimes you just luck out. I really lucked out with Invincible since I was a fan of the comics and the show. It was just such a nice surprise to get to work on these. We have hundreds of Pops that we do, and they all just kind of get divvied up amongst the different designers. Some artists specialize in Disney properties, and another artist does sports, another artist does anime, and so on. It's always nice they care enough about the artists to give them stuff that they think we’ll like.

You've designed a lot of Funko Pops besides Invincible. Everything from DC Super Powers to Doja Cat. What are your favorites?

This is tricky because a lot of them haven't been released yet. But besides Invincible, among the other ones that were released, my favorite so far was my first one, which was a Jordy Verrill Creepshow pop. I thought it was such a unique, interesting choice for a character – I got to do the character sitting in a chair covered in moss, which is a very unusual look for a Funko Pop. And just to hold my very first product that I've ever designed, it was such a treat. I've got it on my shelf now and I love looking at it every morning.

Have superheroes and horror always been your jam?

Oh, yeah. I've been reading comic books ever since I could read. Superheroes especially have always been really interesting to me. Now with Invincible and certain things like The Boys, you've got an inversion of superhero tropes, playing out a meta commentary on superheroes. Like, it's very clear to a longtime fan of DC that the Guardians of the Globe in episode 1 of Invincible are obviously a very thinly veiled reference to the Justice League of America. So those kinds of nods to classic comic books are very enjoyable to a longtime reader.

What’s the secret to being a good Funko designer?

The most important thing in being a Funko designer is the ability to capture the essence of the character. I feel like I'd done that in doing my own personal work. I'd had a lot of practice doing that. So it comes easily to me. Where you've got to synthesize all these attributes of a comic book character into one pose. How do you do that? It's actually more challenging than you might think. Because you want something that will appeal to fans, you want it to feel authentic to the character, and sometimes you want to have them holding an accessory or a prop that's very meaningful. You want to make sure they're wearing the appropriate outfits. You don't want them to do anything that's out of character, because it's going to be immediately noticed by the fans. [Laughs.]

INVINCIBLE™ © 2023 Robert Kirkman, LLC & Cory Walker. SKYBOUND and all related images are owned by Skybound, LLC. IMAGE COMICS and all related images are owned by Image Comics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Creepshow™ © 2023 Cartel Entertainment, LLC. SKYBOUND and all related images are owned by Skybound Entertainment. IMAGE COMICS and all related images are owned by Image Comics, Inc. All rights reserved.