Review: UNCANNY INHUMANS #0

END TIMES
Writer:  Charles Soule
Penciler:  Steve McNiven
Inker:  Jay Leisten
Colorist:  Justin Ponsor
Letterer:  VC’s Clayton Cowles

EVOLUTION
Writer:  Ryan Stegman
Artist:  Ryan Lee
Color Artist:  James Campbell
Letterer:  VC’s Clayton Cowles

The Inhumans aren’t going away.  After stepping up to the big stage in the 2013 event Infinity, Inhumans have started appearing more and more across the Marvel universe.  The fallout of Infinity and Terrigen Mist spreading across the globe was explored in the series Inhuman.  That follows Medusa ruling over New Attilan and trying to acclimate NuHumans (new Inhumans created from the Terrigen cloud in the Earth’s atmosphere) to their new way of life.

Uncanny Inhumans will follow Black Bolt’s journey.  All we know from press interviews with writer Charles Soule is Black Bolt will be the lead character, and the first arc’s villain is Kang the Conqueror.

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What I Liked

I’ve been hesitant to jump on the Inhuman bandwagon.  It appears that Marvel is setting them up to occupy the same space as mutants/X-Men.  However, I went into Inhuman with an open mind and have not been disappointed.  Uncanny Inhumans follows along in the same vein.

It takes skill to write a protagonist who is known for not speaking.  It takes a team effort from the entire creative team (Soule, penciler Steve McNiven, inker Jay Leisten, colorist Justin Ponsor, and letterer Clayton Cowles) to frame panels and scenes in just a way that they still convey feedback to the reader.  One sequence in particular was a clever way to get around the “no speaking” problem.  Something else that was clever was what Black Bolt did with part of the Terrigen Mist in the sky.

The issue starts with a quick display of Black Bolt’s fighting prowess, then quickly moves to the meat of the story….Black Bolt, Medusa, and Kang.  Black Bolt returns to New Attilan for something, and its a pretty good reason.  This is what brings him into conflict with Kang.

I wouldn’t initially think of Kang as being an enemy of Black Bolt or the Inhumans, but his inclusion made sense story-wise.

The backup story is from Ryan Stegman taking a turn on writing duties, with Ryan Lee and James Campbell on art.  Some nice developments between two of the NuHumans.

Also, I’m a sucker for splash pages that tease “what’s to come” in the future of a series.  We get one of those in this issue.

What I Didn’t Like

I love Steve McNiven’s artwork, but something I am noticing is a lot of the people he draws have similar facial structures.  In some parts of the book, when there were close-up shots of Black Bolt’s face, he seemed very old.  Very rugged.  He came across more worn down and weary than a regal king.  Granted, this may be the look the comic is going for so I could be way off.

Also, how will this comic exist while everything ends in Secret Wars?  Will it continue publishing monthly?  Or will it take a break during the company-wide event?

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Summary

Uncanny Inhumans #0 continues the story told in Inhuman, but from Black Bolt’s perspective.  We see some of the supporting cast, the villain, and teases for things to come.  With the “Uncanny” adjective and the Free Comic Book Day cover revelation that The Human Torch, Johnny Storm will be a cast member, there are many things to look forward to for fans of Inhumans.

Rating:  4 out of 5

This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network.  They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/  

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE