Inhumanity #1 – Review

Matt Fraction (Writer), Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dustin Weaver (Artists), Israel Silva, Laura Martin (Colorists)

The Story: Karnak tells the Avengers and other guests the story behind the inhumans and what could be the possible future for this blooming species.

The Review: Launching franchises must not be particularly easy stuff. To get people invested in something that needs to be huge must be pretty challenging. Sure, most indie creators do that each time they launch a new series, but right now there must be a lot of weight on Matt Fraction’s shoulders.

Tasked with bringing forth the inhumans as a viable franchise, as a new race that can thrive in the Marvel universe as a whole is something rather big. With a track record which indicates that he might just be better at more ground-level and independent stuff, can he actually pull off a way to make these concepts and characters feel new again?

Unfortunately, it’s a mixed bag filled with elements that are executed really well, while others really aren’t. While it does leave a certain impression and does its job at bringing excitement about the new titles and some of the changes to the Marvel universe at large, there are multiple flaws in this story that makes it weaker than it needs to be.

Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3 – Review

By Joe Pokaski (Writer), Tom Raney (Pencils), Scott Hanna (Inker), and Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Story: Medusa, Crystal, Karnak, Triton, Gorgon, and Lockjaw make a risky visit to the Kree in order to set up an alliance that will help the Inhumans find the captured Black Bolt. Meanwhile, the Skrulls get ever closer to unlocking Black Bolt’s emotions in order to use his power as a weapon.

What’s Good: This visually attractive book seems just as interested in re-establishing the Inhumans within the Marvel universe as it is with being a piece of the Secret Invasion puzzle. It is a nice change of pace from the more action oriented tie-ins. In addition, Joe Pokaski does some nice character work and clearly understands what must be done in order to ensure the Inhumans remain relevant, following the event they are being tied to.

What’s Not So Good: By the end of the issue, the plot seems needlessly complex considering that there is only one chapter left in this arc. I sense a rushed, messy conclusion in the near future. Also, while Tom Raney’s pencil work is attractive, there is some facial inconsistency that proves distracting on more than a few occasions.

Conclusion: Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3 scores points for doing something different, but it is still a fairly average book all around. Worth checking out if the characters interest you or the future of the Marvel universe is a concern, but not exactly what I would consider a must-read.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny