Inhumanity #1

Writer - Matt Fraction
Art - Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, Laura Martin


The end is the beginning and the beginning is the end.  We've just come off the whirlwind ride that was Infinity, so it's the perfect time to start another event, right?  Hopefully, because the House of Ideas isn't wasting any time dropping is into this winter's Inhumanity event.

Picking up from the dramatic last stand of Black Bolt in the pages of Infinity, we are now experiencing Matt Fraction's quasi-event-slash-new-direction that is Inhumanity.  This issue served as a solid introduction.  It did what is needed.  We met the characters, got some background and, must importantly, some questions.   Accessibility will be the deciding factor in wether or not Inhumanity succeeds.  Bringing the Inhuman race to the forefront is a big risk.  I've long been a fan, but I really can't explain the difference between Inhuman and mutant beyond that the Inhumans are the product of genetic experiments done by the Kree ages ago.  This sticking point may cause some confusion and create this accessibility issues I brought up earlier.

Was this a thick book, story-wise?  Somewhat.  The Inhumans have long been second-tier characters in the Marvel universe.  They have had their moments, but are not widely recognized.  I look forward to that changing, especially with the fallout from Black Bolt and Maximus' scheming from Infinity.  Things are going to get interesting, that much is certain.  Probably the best aspect of this book is that for once Tony Stark and the Avengers really don't understand what is happening.  They know far less than the reader and we see through their eyes and share in their confusion throughout their interactions with Karnak and Medusa.

The art helps to tell the story here as well.  A great chunk of the story is the background of the Inhumans, which takes its to many different locales, each of which felt unique.  The Inhuman themselves all felt different than the rest of the heroes.  Medusa held a sense of grandeur about her that made her stand out all the more.   The stylistic storytelling here is great.  Shadows and angles come alive and make for great visuals.
 

The Verdict...

Not as interesting or as captivating an introduction as Infinity's, but well done nonetheless.  I'm unsure if this is a one-shot out part of a miniseries, so the ambiguity there lessens my anticipation as bit.  But, hey, there's a checklist at the end.  I love checklists.