I was inspired to create my new series The
Invincibles after realising that we hardly hear about superhero teams from the Southern Hemisphere
these days. Why is that?
North America has Captain America and his epic buddies,
and the UK has Captain Britain and his super sidekick Jackdaw. But we’re yet to
see a Captain Australia or Captain Kiwi defending truth, justice and our sunny,
beach-loving way of life in the 21st century.
I find this strange as our big screens are dominated
by Aussie and Kiwi actors portraying some of the greatest superheroes of all
time.
As a kid I soaked up all the Marvel and DC comics I could get my hands
on, but I would never in a million years have dreamt that so many of the
amazing characters and story lines would one day be brought to life by people
who talked with the same accent as I did.
It’s beyond cool!
Over time these thoughts led me to the creation
of my new series for 7-9 year olds, The Invincibles. In 2016, after I finished writing my last
Johnny Danger adventure I explored the option of creating a brand new superhero
series for kids.
I tossed ideas back and forth with Scholastic until we settled
on the perfect mix of having a super ‘sporty’ team of heroes.
Sport plays a
massive role in life Down Under. We’ve produced the best ever cricket teams, rugby
teams, hockey teams, netball teams, swim teams, Davis Cup teams, rowing teams etc.
and we’ve also conquered the world’s tallest mountain! Sporting heroes are in
our DNA it would seem.
I’ve channelled this love of sports into
the heart of The Invincibles. While larger than life characters like Thor stomp
around giving off a serious Viking/Nordic vibe, my characters suit up with second-hand
protective vests found in the lost property bin at the local footy club, and
don mouth guards and lightweight foam-padded head protectors instead. It’s a
laid-back approach of tackling superherodom.
The Invincibles receive their super powers
while innocently running across a footy field and being struck by a colossal
bolt of lightning that lights up them, the goalposts and the club sports clock.
Because they inherited their powers on a footy field, their usage is governed
by the same 80 minute time limit that you would find most NRL, AFL or Rugby
teams subject to. This unique twist supplies each book with a ‘ticking time’
deadline plot to help keep reluctant readers engaged throughout. It also gives
my heroes a tricky to manage weakness too.
The Invincibles are a mixture of sporty
boys and girls who don’t naturally gel once they inherit their all-powerful
abilities. But they soon learn that they are stronger together and that their
success depends entirely on teamwork not individuality.
To keep up with the epic Marvel and DC
themes I so enjoyed as a young reader I’ve given The Invincibles a super-charged Hollywood style trailer. And each book comes with a set of limited edition
superhero collector cards at the back of it.
Hopefully kids across Australia and New Zealand
will enjoy reading about the sporty adventures of The Invincibles, and I’m sure
that only Antipodean readers will truly understand how cool it is to have a
team’s mascot being a super sheep who can fly!
Peter Millett is a New Zealand children's
author. His books include the Johnny Danger
series and The Anzac Puppy picture book. His latest book
is The Invincibles #1: Power Up! published by Scholastic on 01 July 2019.
Visit Peter
Millett's website and Facebook page for
more information about his books and writing projects. You can find links to
all of Peter's YouTube videos at the Danger
Films YouTube Channel.