Attilan Rising Podcast

ROYALS #5

• AL EWING (W) • JONBOY MEYERS (A)
• COVER BY KRIS ANKA
• X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE
• Deep in the ruins of the Kree homeworld Hala, THE SECRET is revealed! Who — or what — are THE PROGENITORS? What is their connection to the Terrigen Mists? And how much does Marvel Boy know…?
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET WARRIORS #4

• MATTHEW ROSENBERG (W) • JAVIER GARRON (A)
• Cover by TRADD MOORE & MATTHEW WILSON
• SECRET EMPIRE TIE-IN!
• After narrowly surviving their battle with the X-Men, the Secret Warriors have to get back to New Attilan to use what they have learned in the fight against Hydra…but Hydra won’t make that easy. As the danger grows, so does the distrust among the Warriors. Karnak is clearly making plans of his own. But why? With Hydra breathing down their necks, the team is tearing itself apart, and the clock is ticking on their plans. But first Quake must be ready to lead the Secret Warriors into a confrontation with her father, the Hydra commander, MISTER HYDE!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

BLACK BOLT #3

• SALADIN AHMED (W) • CHRISTIAN WARD (A/C)
• VARIANT COVER BY BILL SIENKIEWICZ
• PRISON BREAK! The prisoners revolt! But are Black Bolt and his unlikely allies simply pawns in a bigger game? Plus: Death’s Head! Is he there to help…or hunt? And who — or what — is the warden of this strange place? Whatever it is, the Jailer knows only penance and fear. And soon, so will the Silent King!
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MS. MARVEL #20

• G. WILLOW WILSON (W) • Marco Failla (A)
• Cover by VALERIO SCHITI
• X-MEN TRADING CARD VARIANT COVER BY JIM LEE
• Kamala Khan’s older brother is in danger and she’s determined to help him at all costs — but to rescue him she’ll need help. But who can she trust when Jersey City is more divided than ever? It’s becoming clear that this unrest in J.C. might be more personal than Kamala ever considered…
• 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #21

• BRANDON MONTCLARE (W) • NATACHA BUSTOS (A/C)
• GOOD GIRL GONE BAD! The Omni-Wave Projector (the very device that bent time and space to bring Devil Dinosaur to the present) is on the fritz, so when Lunella and Devil return home, things are not quite as they remember… Why is everyone afraid of them? What happened to Yancy Street? And who exactly are DEVIL GIRL AND MOON DINOSAUR?!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #4

• CULLEN BUNN (W) • DAVID BALDEON (A)
• Cover by R.B. SILVA
• THE NEW INTELLIGENCIA : REVEALED! What if you were an 11-year-old boy who suddenly had the powers to bring giant monsters to life simply by drawing them? And what if you brought five brand-new monsters to life as instant friends and teammates for a new super hero team? And what if someone ELSE wanted those monsters for themselves? What if it was a whole group of people? Bad people, even?
• Find out what KID KAIJU and his amazing team of monsters — AEGIS, MEKARA, SLIZZIK, HI-VO and SCRAGG — will do when the NEW INTELLIGENCIA comes calling!
• 32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

The Royal Inhumans adventure into the cosmos starts here from the creative team of Al Ewing, Jonboy Meyers, and Ryan Kinnaird.  

It’s a desperate a somber time for The Inhumans of New Attilan.  The threat that the Terrigen Cloud would end all Mutant life on Earth forced Queen Medusa to destroy the cloud, essentially ending The Inhumans’ way of life.  No new Inhuman will again be able to go through Terrigenesis and their people must look toward to an uncertain future and the inevitable demise of their culture and heritage.  Feeling responsible for the events that brought this about, Medusa has decided that her people need a new leader to guide them on this new path.  She has abdicated her position as queen and dissolved the monarchy; handing leadership of New Attilan to the young Inhuman, Iso.

Now the Kree adventurer known as Marvel Boy has come to seek an audience with Iso and the formal royal Inhumans.  Marvel Boy hails from an alternate reality, a reality in which The Kree Empire had ended its unyielding wars and dedicated itself to peace and scientific discovery.  To this end, Marvel Boy possesses knowledge of Terrigen that could revitalize the Inhuman peoples and enable them to re-obtain the rite of Terrigenesis for subsequent generations.

Marvel Boy warns that the mission to gain the secrets of Terrigen is likely to be a perilous one, that were they to embark on this quest all might not make it home.  This ominous warning does little to sway the Royals.  The prospect of possibly saving the future of their race is worth any risk.  Furthermore, Medusa feels it her duty, her penitence to take this journey as redemption for past failures.  And her family is not going to let her go alone.

Iso, the new leader of the Inhumans, objects.  Having the Royals, the strongest among the Inhumans, leave New Attilan in this precarious time of change feels far too risky, but Medusa and the others will not be swayed in their determination.  The former queen had named Iso her successor, but it doesn’t seem she is actually willing to follow this lead herself.

Joining Medusa is her sister, Crystal, and their cousin, Gorgon.  Black Bolt, Medusa’s one-time husband and the former king of The Inhumans will also accompany the team; as will the young new Inhuman, Swain, whose one-time position as captain of the Royal Inhuman Vessel makes her the ideal candidate to pilot their star-faring craft.  Rounding out the team is Swain’s fellow new Inhuman, Flint.

The remaining Royals, Karnak, Triton and Lockjaw will remain behind.  They will be there if Iso were to need their assistance, yet this does little to quell Iso’s unease.  Making matters more difficult for Iso is the revelation that Iso and Flint have rekindled their romance; and she appears a touch heartbroken that Flint is so insistent on accompanying the Royals in this dangerous mission.

Prior to their departure, each member of the team makes their preparations and says their goodbyes.  Crystal sits with her young daughter, Luna, expressing the great import behind her leaving and promising that she will return in short time.  Crystal makes Luna promise to stay out of trouble.  If trouble is to find her, however, she is to use Lockjaw to seek out her uncle Karnak (a foreshadowing that I so hopes come to pass in that it enhances the likelihood of Luna meeting Karnak’s soon-to-be teammate, Moon Girl in the pages of the up-coming Secret Warriors series).

Elsewhere, Swain is a bit saddened that her girlfriend, Panacea, is less upset over her leaving.  Terrigenesis has significantly altered Panacea’s emotional process.  She doesn’t feel things in a typical fashion.  She cares for Swain, but the closest she can get to a declaration of tenderness is to state that she finds her fascinating and prefers that she stay alive.

We also see Gorgon beside the bed of his son, Petras, still convalescing in a coma-like state from his adverse reaction to Terrigenesis.  Gorgon had hoped that he would be at his son’s side when he finally awakens, but duty has called.  Panacea has been using her healing powers to treat Petras, as she had treated  Gorgon; yet it appears there are limitations to what she can do.  Gorgon is no longer paralyzed, but remains in a state of chronic pain, pain that substantially worsens whenever he uses his powers (not that he has allowed it to slow him down).

There is additionally a scene between Flint and Iso where we learn that the two have become an item once again.  Flint has a difficult time expressing exactly what it is that has so compelled him to volunteer for this mission.  Flint lost his adoptive family and discovered his biological family to be less than the idealized fantasy that he had hoped for.  The Inhumans themselves are the family he has left and aiding them feels like something he simply has to do.

Next we see Medusa and Black Bolt.  The relationship between the two has warmed as of late, but they remain a great deal distant compared to the intimate closeness they once enjoyed.  Medusa has something she needs to speak with Black Bolt about, but he refuses to discuss it.  Something is preoccupying Black Bolt, something likely having to do with the secret told to him by his brother in the pages of last week’s Inhumans Prime.

Finally, we see Noh-Varr, the mysterious Kree known as Marvel Boy.  It turns out that there is more than simple altruism and the thirst for adventure that has led him to bring this quest to The Royals.  Noh has motives of his own and whether or not they are sinister or benevolent remains to be seen.  I assume that is Noh’s old buddy, the living computer known as, Plex, that he’s talking with (but I suppose we’ll have to wait to find out for sure).

The seven adventurers depart at dawn aboard the starcraft, Astarion, named after an Inhuman hero of ancient lore.  Their destination the former Kree throne-world of Hala.

The issue begins with two prologues.  The first prologue shows the distant future of a mysterious realm known as Arctilan.  Giant armor-clad beings ride atop enormous pterodactyls above an alien city of glass and steel.  Yet is it an alien world?  Various hints suggest that this strange realm may be the earth of five thousand years in the future.

One of the riders descends down to a tower baring the flags of the House of Boltigon.  There he is met by ‘the ghost who ever sleeps,’ a frail and ancient being who bears a passing resemblance to an aged Black Bolt.  The rider refers to the older, much smaller man as ‘Inhu-Man.’  Solemnly, the old man trades salutations with the rider before returning inside to his lonely layer.  He looks up to a large stone carving in which mysterious words are inscribed in the Inhuman language of Tilan.

The man seems to be recalling back to an adventure from his distant past… a mission in which seven ventured forth and only six returned.

Who exactly this ancient Inhuman is and the dire nature of his statement is set to be revealed in subsequent installments of the story.

A second prologue shows Medusa, Gorgon, Iso and Flint battling to contain a new Inhuman who has awaken from Terrigenesis to find herself transformed into a giant monster.  Frightened and confused, this new Inhuman has lashed out and the others have come contain her and help her contend with what has happened to her.

Her name is Mrs. Bellhauer.  She was a recluse and her time in her Terrigenic cocoon was longer than most.  In all likelihood, she will be the last of the new Inhumans created on earth and the mere thought of it is enough to bring a tear to Medusa’s eye.

Iso and Flint make short work of subduing the rampaging Mrs. Bellhauer.  Though she is proud over just how far her pupils have come, Medusa is also given pause by how weak and tired she has been feeling as of late.  Something is wrong and it is getting worse quickly.  She had tried to confide in Black Bolt about this matter, but he hadn’t the time to discuss it.

At the end of the issue we see Medusa sitting in the command chair aboard The Astarion.  She notices that a sizable lock of her hair has broken free from her mane, brittle and sick.  She can push it to the back of her thinking no more.  Something is very wrong and she announces to the rest of the crew her grave prediction…

seven ventured forth and only six returned…

Wow!  What a great first issue.  This is the Inhumans that I have been so looking forward to seeing.  I’m one of those fans who greatly enjoyed Charles Soule run on The Inhumans, yet I understood that he was asked to follow a guideline to make the franchise more accessible to a broader audience, to make them more akin to traditional super heroics.  Al Ewing has clearly been given no such constraints and he delves right into all of the weird, cosmic, sci-fi coolness that has made The Inhumans so special to me.

Referring to the earlier scene, Medusa looks up at this poor woman who has been transformed into a giant slimy monster and sheds a tear that the majesty of this may never happen again.  There is not even the consideration that this Mrs. Bellhauer likely doesn’t feel the same; indeed she’s probably quite distraught over having been transformed into a monster.  Yet that’s not how Medusa sees it…  why?  Because she’s a weird alien queen from a bizarre and outré culture.  No apologies are given.  The Inhumans are all about sci-fi weirdness and Ewing is allowing it to go their full steam ahead.  It makes me almost giddy with excitement.

Though I’m certainly less excited and not giddy at all over this prospect that Medusa may be dying.  We all know that one member of the team is destined to perish on this mission, it has hung like an ominous cloud over the title since Ewing’s initial interviews regarding the project in which he stated a cast member wasn’t going to make it back.  Medusa was among the Inhumans I felt least likely to die.  There is of course no certainty that she will die, but it’s made clear from the onset that none of the Inhumans are safe.  It’s a matter that makes me equal parts excited and frightened to read the nest installment.

The dialogue captures the characters quite well and it is made abundantly clear that Ewing has boned up on his Inhuman reading in preparing for this run.  I’m especially happy to see so many of the plot threads from James Asmus’ all-too-short run on All New Inhumans being brought back into the foreground (such as Swain and Panacea’s relationship and the status of Gorgon’s son, Petras).  It’s impressive that the issue packs so much plot yet the characterizations doesn’t at all feel pushed to the back burner.

Lots of intriguing questions are asked not just about The Royals’ mission, but also over what is going on for each of the cast members.  What is Marvel Boy’s ulterior motives?  Why is Gorgon pushing himself so hard?  What secret is Black Bolt harboring?  Why is Crystal leaving so soon after reuniting with her daughter?  What so compels Flint to join the team?  Why is Swain so reluctant over her powers?  And most importantly, is Medusa going to be okay???

I’m happy to report that I very much enjoyed the art by Jonboy Meyers and Ryan Kinnaird.  The initial preview had me a bit worried that Meyers’ kinetic, manga style would not be to my liking… that it would look too similar to those 1990’s-era books from Image Comics that so turned me off.  There’s a lot of flash to Meyer’s illustration.  The poses are exaggerated and the action jumps off the page with dynamic energy.  Yet he also does quite well in using facial expressions to relay emotion.  Medusa’s sorrow, Noh-Varr’s smirky arrogance, Flint’s anxious determination and Black Bolt’s stoic unease are all extremely evident in the way Meyers’ details their faces and expressions.  Top marks.

Furthermore Meyers’ page composition and backgrounds are very nicely executed.  In short, I’m relived and excited that my reservations over Meyers’ art were completely unfounded.

A brand new chapter of The Inhumans mythos starts here and it is a truly fantastic (albeit frightening) beginning.

I’ll be very interested to hear what others thought about this debut issue.  As an Inhuman super-fan, I feel like I’m not very suited to write an unbiased review.  Nevertheless, with this issue, I’m feeling rather confident that others are going to share in my enthusiasm.

Of course recommended; Five out of Five Lockjaws.

It’s the beginning of a new era, wrapping up the end of the Inhuman/X-Men war and bridging the way to next month’s launch of The Royals.  Brought to you by the creative team of Al Ewing, Ryan Sook, Chris Allen, and Paul Mounts.

Issues like this, that are mostly set ups and are labels as ‘prime’ or ‘issue zero’ or ‘alpha’ are quite often perfunctory and usually entail short vignettes of various characters, acting as a kind of state-of-the-union that lets readers know where the players are at prior to getting the story under way.  Writer Al Ewing bucks this trend and tells an actual tale, with action, mystery and intrigue.  It’s still not essential reading and, with a lofty price tag, fans looking forward to The Royals, Secret Warriors, and Black Bolt can totally skip it without worrying that they’ll miss out on key details.

The story begins in earth’s orbit where Noh-Varr’s apartment/Kree drop-ship circles the globe.  Noh is watching the news on television and sees that the Inhumans and X-Men have ended their hostilities.  Their war had resulted in the destruction of the Terrigen Cloud, eliminating all Terrigen and essentially bringing to an end the future of the Inhuman race.

Noh is perplexed by this, but it quickly dawns on him that The Inhumans of this reality do not truly know what The Terrigen is.  Noh is from an alternate reality and he possesses knowledge about the origins of Terrigen that could save the Inhuman race.

The narrative switches to Arizona, where Maximus marches his band of ne’er-do-wells across the desert plains.  Max’s gang, made up of Triton, Lineage and The Unspoken, follow him because they have no where else to go.  He had promised them glory and redemption with his plot to generate synthetic terrigen (as detailed in Uncanny Inhumans #’s 18-20) but it had all resulted in little more than a romp whereby Max gained critical knowledge and a bit of fun and the others were just used as pawns.
Lockjaw teleports onto the scene, bringing with him Karnak.  Karnak is there to arrest these Inhuman criminals and bring them to justice on New Attilan.  Yet Maximus is not done having his brand of fun and he uses his psychic powers to force Triton to do battle against his brother.  Unable to resist Max’s influence, Triton attacks.

The fight is quick and decisive.  I don’t believe I’ve ever seen Triton and Karnak go at it before.  Even though Karnak has never gone through Terrigenesis his ardent training and ability to perceive flaws easily offers him the upper hand on his brother.  A swift jab to a critical point on Triton’s forehead renders him instantly unconscious.

Still, Maximus is not content to go quietly.  It turns out that he had save a last piece of Terrigen Crystal, feeding it to The Unspoken and endowing him with vast (albeit temporary) powers.  Perhaps Max is influences The Unspoken, because for the first time that I have seen he uses his abilities in a creative fashion, transforming himself into a giant fire-breathing beast.

Fortunately, Karnak’s arrival was merely reconnoissance and Lockjaw teleports in the remainder of Medusa’s forces.  Herein we get a neat splash page showing us all of the central Inhumans (new and old) who are set to play a part in the books moving forward.

As impressive a force as all these Inhumans are, The Unspoken is still a formidable adversary while his powers last.  He blasts Black Bolt from the sky and downs an embiggened Ms. Marvel with a spot of judo.   As long as his powers last The Unspoken remains a terrible threat, yet Reader is able to neutralize it all by reading a tile with the fast-forward symbol from a television remote control.  It causes the time in which The Unspoken’s powers last to speed up, making minutes into seconds and quite suddenly the Unspoken finds his powers spent, resulting in his shrinking back down into his withered and enfeebled self.

And still Maximus is not ready to quit.  Somewhere down the line Max has developed a much more potent version of his psychic powers.  He is able to take over the wills of half of the Inhumans, forcing the newer Inhumans to fighter the older ones.
The mayhem comes to an end when Lockjaw teleports in one last Inhuman.  The empathic Captain Swain shows up and, as guessed, her own powers of psychic manipulation acts to cancel out Maximus’.  Finally beaten, the mad prince is forced to surrender.

Maximus is taken to New Attilan and imprisoned in a specialized cell that nullifies his psychic powers.   Black Bolt visits his brother like he had so many times in the past.  And once more Maximus baits and cajoles his brother with rambling insults.

Just as Black Bolt has had enough of Max’s blithering, Max beckons him closer with the promise of a secret.  He whispers something to Black Bolt, something the reader is not privy to.  Whatever this secret is, it shocks Black Bolt, leaving him visibly shaken and disturbed.

Black Bolt leaves his brother’s cell and encounters Medusa.  She can tell that he is upset and asks what is wrong, but Black Bolt refuses to tell.  Interestingly, Medusa refers to Black Bolt as ‘my husband.’  I had thought their marriage annulled, but apparently this was not the case.  Regardless, Medusa respects that her husband does not wish to discuss what it is that has so unnerved him.

The trial of Maximus proceeds the next day.  Likely at Black Bolt behest, The Inhuman healer, Panacea has temporarily surpassed aspects of Max’s neurological functioning, leaving him in an unconscious state.  Gorgon wonders allowed why this has been done to him.  Panacea suspects that it is simply because no one wants to here his constant prattling, yet the truth is much more likely that Black Bolt doesn’t want him sharing his secret knowledge.

It’s never made entirely clear exactly what Maximus is charged with, what it is that has necessitated this trial.  Of course his many crimes are too numerous to list, but a little specification would have been nice.  In any case, Maximus is sentenced to a life in prison, but in a prison on another world off somewhere in the cosmos.  Exactly where this prison is located, who the jailers are, is left unsaid.  My guess is that medusa is referring to the same prison set to play a key role in Saladim Ahmed and Christian’s Ward’s Black Bolt solo series set to launch in May.

Following Maximus’ sentencing, Medusa gives a long speech addressing the future of Inhumankind.  She has not only abdicated the throne, but also dissolved the monarchy.  New Attilan will remain a sovereign state, but one under a new system of rule.  And the young Inhuman, Iso, has been tasked with overseeing the transition.  Iso gives a speech of her own, outlining her pledge to do her best to guide New Attilan into an uncertain future.  Without Terrigen there will be no subsequent generation of Inhumans.  Their culture and way of life has been put on a trajectory toward extinction, yet by remaining together, maintaining unity perhaps some semblance of what it means to be Inhuman may be salvaged.

Throughout Iso’s speech, where shown clips of what many of the other Inhumans are up to.  We see Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl playing with Lockjaw; Daisy Johnson, Synapse and Sara Garaza (hey, nice to see her again!) watching the speech from a Shield base with a secretly-sinister Captain America lurking in the background;

and Karnak taking his brother, Triton, to the Tower of Wisdom.  A final clip shows Black Bolt standing atop the tower of New Attilan, watching a storm cloud rolling in the horizon.

An epilogue shows Crystal and Swain talking in a suite somewhere in New Attilan.  Crystal laments the loss of the Terrigen and the eventual doom of Inhumanity.  As things stand, Inhuman children and their children’s children will never be able to go through Terrigenesis.  They will never know the wonders and perils of what it truly means to be Inhuman.  Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Noh-Varr.  Crystal asks who he is and Noh responds with his classic line from the Young Avengers: ‘I’m Marvel Boy, come with me if you want to be awesome.’

As detailed in the prologue, Noh is from an alternate universe and possesses knowledge of the Terrigen Crystals that may very well save the Inhuman race.  Yet what this knowledge is and what sort of adventure Noh has in store for the Inhuman Royals will have to wait until next month’s first issue of The Royals.

An interesting bridge between the older chapter of the Inhuman mythos and the one to come.  There was some very cool parts to this issue as well as a few things that left me a bit cold.

On the plus side of things, I’m hugely intrigued by the mysteries set up to play out in The Royals and Black Bolt.  I’m a longtime fan of Noh-Varr and I’m very happy to see him brought on board.  His advanced knowledge of the Kree from a parallel dimension makes him the ideal guide for The Royals’ upcoming sojourn into outer space.

The advertisements for future issues of The Royals have hinted at Black Bolt possessing some monumental secret that could alter the fate of the Inhumans.  Whatever this secret is, it appears that Maximus has learned it as well and whatever efforts Black Bolt has made to bury or suppress this key knowledge may no longer suffice.  I can’t wait to find out what it is.

The action was pretty cool as well, the fight between Triton and Karnak being the highlight.  And I was quite happy to see Triton offered a place in the Tower of Wisdom rather than being sent back to a human prison.  Hopefully this will entail the beginning of Triton’s redemption and we will soon see ol’ Fishstick standing once again side by side with the royal family.

There were two quick matters that I particularly appreciated (and that I feel bode well for the stories moving forward).  The first is Medusa’s acknowledging the folly of Attilan’s being a former slave state during her speech.  The matter of the Alpha Primitives were completely omitted throughout the entirety of Charles Soule’s run on The Inhumans.   It’s a good bet that Soule did so on the urgings of his editors; I’m guessing that sweeping the matter under the rug was an aspect of Marvel’s efforts to make The Inhumans more appealing to a broader audience.  Whatever the case, I’m glad to see the issue will no longer be left unaddressed.  It’s a shameful and disturbing aspect of The Inhumans’ history, but the mistakes of the past should never be forgotten.

The second thing I appreciated was Maximus’ condemnation of Black Bolt over how the Terrigen Cloud had so terribly effect the Mutants.  Although it was coming from Maximus, I’m glad to see the narrative relinquish the effort to recast the Inhumans as blameless on the matter.

It offers me confidence that Al Ewing understands that the Inhumans are cool and interesting because of their flaws, not despite them.

There were a few places where the dialogue was a bit stiff.  Based on interviews Al Ewing has been given, and tidbits gleaned from his twitter account, it seems as though Ewing is quite excited to get The Royals off the ground.  Writing this bridge issue may have felt kind of like something Ewing just needed to get through so he can tell the story he is more interested in.   The perfunctory nature of the issue seemed evident in parts.

The whats and wheres of Maximus’ prison seemed to be purposefully vague.  I’m guessing that Ewing did not want to step on Ahmed’s toes in terms of what is set to transpire in the Black Bolt solo series.   I suppose this could have been handled with a bit more finesses, but it’s a minor complaint.  Regardless, it’s looking more likely that Maximus may play a role in get Black Bolt solo, which is an exciting prospect.

I’m sad to see that the Royal Inhumans are doing away with their official titles.  It’s going to be hard not thinking of Medusa as a queen and Black Bolt as a king.  I hope that Swain continues to accidentally refer to Crystal as ‘princess’; perhaps it will act as a way of showing that this change is temporary, that the team will regain their royalty if they are able to succeed in quest to obtain a new source of Terrigen.

It also bothered me to see Medusa refer to Black Bolt as husband.  I’m hoping that winning back Medusa will be something that Black Bolt has to work on.  Furthermore, it doesn’t sit well with me that their marriage hadn’t been annulled… it means that Medusa’s affair with Johnny Storm was an extramarital infidelity.

Ryan Sook is a great artist, one of the best illustrators working in the field today.  That said, his penciling for this issue does not in my opinion represent his best effort.  A lot of it seemed rushed and some of the action scenes felt rather static.  Both Medusa and Iso’s facial expressions were also kind of static and odd looking at times.

While The Royals and Black Bolt received ample set-up, almost no attention was offered to The Secret Warriors.  This is likely in deference to writer, Mathew Rosenberg.   Rosenberg will be telling the story of what brings the Secret Warriors together amidst the backdrop of the Secret Empire event and it appears that Ewing is leaving the entirety of that tale in Rosenberg’s hands.  A good idea and I’m sure Rosenberg appreciates it… still a little more page-time for Quake, Ms. Marvel and Moon Girl would have been nice.

Minor complaints for a book that was overall quite satisfying.  Again, this is by no means essential reading.  It’s a fun read for Inhuman fans who have a broader comic book buying budget…  but by no means crucial to those looking forward to The Royals, Black Bolt and Secret Warriors.

Unnecessary but fun nonetheless.  Two out of five Lockjaws.

It’s the penultimate installment of The World’s Smartest storyline  and a tale that sees Moon G and Devil D teaming-up with none other than the Extraordinary X-Men!  All from the creative team of Amy Reeder, Brendan Montclare, Natacha Bustos and Tamra Bonvillain.

Okay, so at some point between the various occurrences that have taken place during The Wold’s Smartest story arc, The Inhumans Versus X-Men event must have gone down.  Long story short, The Mutant race were on the edge of extinction due to the Terrigen Cloud being poisonous to them.  Lunella playing a pivotal role in helping Forge create a machine that destroyed the cloud, saving all Mutant life on earth.
Lunella and Forge have been pals for a while (they first met way back in Extraordinary X-Men Annual #1) and at some point Lunella must have reached out to him asking for assistance with her current situation with Dr. Doom.

Lunella, Devil D and The X-Men all travel upstate to an abandoned mall where Forge has hidden away one of his many workshops.  Within this workshop, Forge is able to find an old Cerebro unit he had built some time back.   For those of you unfamiliar with X-Men lore, a Cerebro unit is a machine specially devised to locate Mutants (individuals possessing the X-gene).

Lunella plans to utilize the Cerebro device to locate Doom, modifying it by combining it with the circuitry of the Omniwave Projector.

The Omniwave Projector is an ancient Kree device that can open portals to different dimensions and times.  Combining it with Cerebro is sure to bring about an unexpected result, but before Forge can stop her, Lunella initiates the amalgam device and suddenly the lot of them are all sent back to the mid-1980’s!

It’s an interesting turn of events.  Quite suddenly the mall is no longer abandoned but is instead teaming with shoppers all dressed in gaudy 1980’s fashions.  The X-Men have changed as well, reverting to their younger-looking selves… with Old Man Logan transformed into his younger self and his classic brown-and-orange Wolverine togs (his best look in my opinion) and Storm transformed into her punk rock outfit (her best look in my opinion).  Fortunately, Lunella isn’t transformed into an unfertilized embryonic egg…

Despite being in their younger bodies, The X-Men retain their older consciousnesses.  Before they can figure out exactly what has caused all this to occur, they are attacked by Dr. Doom… and not just one Dr. Doom, but a legion of Dooms.

A battle ensues.  The X-Men and Devil Dinosaur fight valiantly, but even their combined might is hopelessly outmatched by the army of Dooms.  Trying to make sense of it all, Lunella makes an adjustment to the Cerebro/Omniwave device and it cause time to freeze in place.  Another adjustment and they are all sent back to the present with the singular Doom as their captive.

Logan’s enhanced senses tells him exact who (or rather what) this Doom is and a quick slash from his claws beheads Doom, revealing it to be a robot.  A Doombot to be precise, one of the many automaton duplicates that the real Doom has employed countless times in the past.  Logan speculates that the Doombot must have gone rogue once the real Victor Von Doom decided to try his hand at being a hero (as detailed in the current Infamous Iron Man series).

Whatever the case, the disembodied robot head informs Lunella that its threat toward her is far from over.   Its android intellect is still out there, it still possesses an army of fellow Doombots at its disposal; and it will not quit until Lunella has been vanquished hence proving that Doom is the smartest of the smart.

Moon Girl and Devil D part company with the X-Men, the X-Men promising to be there whenever she may need their aide in the future.  Lunella takes the Doombot head back to her secret lab where it is wonderfully posed atop junked stop sign.  Though disembodied, the robotic head continues to taunt Lunella, reiterating its claim that Doom is sure to prove victorious.

Listening to the despotic bot prattle on, Lunella comes to a conclusion quite befitting of her lofty intelligence: in order to deal with this threat, she is going to need to rely on the help of her friends.  Here the issue ends, setting up the grand finale in next month’s installment.

This was another fun read.  It was a bit softer on the general thematic coursing thus far through the ‘World’s Smartest’ arc, but a neat romp nonetheless.  With all of the doom and gloom going down int he X-Men books of late, it was really neat to see the Extraordinary team guest star in this much more light and fun tale.  Bustos and Bonvillain’s art is terrific and it’s great getting to seem them depict the X-Men.  Would I prefer to see Lunella and Devil D finally interact with the Inhuman Royal Family?  Yes.  But the X-Men are a fine consolation prize.
There a lot of fun details in Bustos’ pencil work.  I love that Forge’s secret lab is located in a deficit Sam Goody record store; and that Colossus takes advantage of it to add some new albums to his collection (Although The New Kids on The Block’s ‘Hanging Tough’ is an odd choice :3)

The most important part of the issue, however, is that Lunella has discovered what it is she truly needs to deal with Doom.  

As a child psychologist, one of the things I’ve found to quite often be the case with youngsters is the ability to be independent is actually born out of a healthy dependency… that the flower of autonomy grows from the soil of mutuality.  Our abilities to do things on our own and be self reliant is facilitated by the sense of containment that comes from knowing that we don’t always have to go it alone.  Kids who feel that their parents, or guardians, or friends will be there for them are emboldened with the strength to do things on their own.  And this is how the capacity for real self-reliance is imbued.

This appears to be the key lesson that Lunella is learning throughout the story line of The World’s Smartest.  Lunella has always felt that she has been smarter than everyone around her, and now she has been given proof that this is indeed the case.  Being so smart, the smartest of the smart, Lunella believe that she can only rely on herself and she has resisted the urge to be dependent on others.  It seems that Lunella pushes away her need to rely on others because she sees it as a sign of weakness; she doesn’t yet possess the wisdom needed to realize that such dependency can actually be a tremendous source of strength.

It’s fitting that Dr. Doom (or at least a version of Dr. Doom) should be Moon Girl’s adversary in this adventure.  Doom is just as smart if not smarter than his nemesis, Reed Richards.  Yet he always lost in his battles with Richards because while Doom saw himself as peerless and needing no one’s aide, Richards was always able to rely on the rest of his family among The Fantastic Four to have his back.  Richards’ dependency on his family (something Doom looked at with contempt) was the x-factor that always enabled Richards to defeat Doom time and time again.

If Lunella is to defeat Doom then she is going to have to get over her own sense of peerlessness and contempt toward depending on others.  She is going to have to call on her friends, reach out to the new allies she has made over the course of the story and utilize the containment of support they offer to give her the edge over Doom and emerge triumphant.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this pans out int he concluding chapter.
Highly recommended; Three and a half out of four Lockjaws.

It’s the grand finale, with the twentieth and final issue of Uncanny Inhumans, a post script to IvX, and Charles Soule’s last (just for the time being hopefully) Inhuman story.  With art by Ario Anindito, Kim Jacinto and Java Tartaglia and covers by Declan Shalvey and Frazer Irving.  Full review and recap following the jump.

Maximus’ madcap adventure to create synthetic Terrigen Crystals has taken him and his gang all over the globe as the various components and ingredients for the formula have been collected (along with some extraneous, unneeded ingredients gathered merely to keep the recipe a secret).  Their journey has terminated in India where they are met by the Inhuman gangster, Banyan.  Bayan has recruited his former crony,  Kludge, who has built the mechanism required to combine the ingredients into artificial Terrigen.

Kludge, an Inhuman who is clinically insane and loves to build deadly machine and Maximus, who is also quite mad and very much appreciates deadly machines, get along famously and they start right to work on building the device that promises to produce synthetic Terrigen.  The others wait idly by, busying themselves by playing cards and watching old Bollywood films on television.

Lineage expresses concern that Maximus will do away with them, as he had The Unspoken, once they are no longer needed.  Triton returns that he has played along with Maximus only to the extent that he can produce the Terrigen; once he succeeds it will be Triton who will do the backstabbing, ending the threat Maximus poses once and for all.

Maximus and Kludge finally finish, only what they have created is not a Terrigen creating machine at all.  Rather it is a giant killer robot.
Max’s explanation is that simply making Terrigen is boring, something ‘Maximus the Mundane’ might do.  No, a giant robot is more is fashion and offers the others room int he cockpit as he takes the robot off to go squash this no good evil Mutants.

Before anyone can respond to this unexpected turn of events, the plant they’re work at is besieged by a ginormous aquatic monster… a mega-prawn that carries inside it The Unspoken and his would-be queen who have sought out to extract revenge on Maximus for his betrayal.

Maximus wastes no time.  He and Kluge board their ridiculous power ranger-style giant robot to battle this equally ridiculous  power ranger-style monster.  And like any ridiculous power ranger-style giant robot, Max’s robot is equipped with a laser sword, which it uses the cut through the mega-prawn like so much sushi.

Unfortunately, the laser sword is actually powered by synthetic Terrigen, which The Unspoken is able to absorb and trigger his Inhuman abilities.  The Unspoken grows into a hulking version of himself, tearing Maxims’ robot in two with ease.  Max escapes the wrecked robot, crawling from its wrecked cockpit while continuing his warped self-narration, stating it is now up to him to save the day.

Banyan has had it.  Maximus’ plan to manufacture artificial Terrigen was meant to make him rich, yet all his investments have gone to this goofy robot.  He’s had it and lunges at Max.  Triton springs into action, fending Banyan off as Maximus focuses his telepathic powers on The Unspoken.  Lineage is quite surprised by the turn of events.  Triton had the perfect opportunity to turn on Maximus; why is he now acting to defend him?

The Unspoken’s Inhuman powers are quite impressive, yet his one glaring weakness is uncreative and, in the final analysis, rather dim.  As empowered as he is, The Unspoken’s mind is no match for Maximus’ telepathic manipulation.  Max is able to take control of The Unspoken’s will, causing him to fire off the Terrigen he has stored in him in the forms of force beams that shoot harmlessly off into space.  Depleted of this Terrigen, The Unspoken reverts to his former, enfeebled self.  Triton’s twin blades, meanwhile, has rendered Banyan into a harmless stump of his former self (un-fatal, however, in that he has shown the ability to regenerate his tree-like form with time).

Still monologuing, Maximus spins this clear defeat into a moral victory, stating that he chose not to produce artificial Terrigen because it is up to the Inhumans to finally learn to adapt and evolve on their own.  Truth be told, Maximus merely wants to keep his secret recipe for synthetic Terrigen to himself, making him invaluable to his people… offering him all the power and influence he so desires.  And it is for this that Triton chose to defend him rather than allow Banyan to kill him.  As long as Maximus possesses this secret he remains untouchable…

And it is here that this silly, unnecessary but nonetheless fun tale comes to a close.   With what will eventually happen to Maximus and his goon squad left to be addressed in the pages of next month’s Inhuman Prime.

The issue ends with an epilogue, tying off the events of IvX.  Medusa and Black Bolt are meeting in the Quiet Room.  Whatever procedures the X-Men had used to nullify Black Bolt’s voice are gradually wearing off.  In the meantime, however, it offers the two the rare opportunity to talk with one another.

They discuss all that has transpired, the war with The Mutants, the destruction of The Terrigen Cloud, and  Medusa’s abdication of the throne.  Medusa also looks back on all that has happened to them, the various trials and adventures they have faced, the battles they won, those they lost and the new challenges that their people now face.

Medusa asks Black Bolt bluntly if he had any knowledge that The Terrigen Cloud would prove fatal to Mutants.  Black Bolt offers an emphatic no; he never considered that the cloud would change in this fashion and he would never have triggered the Terrigen Bomb had he known that it would have resulted in so many Mutant deaths.

Flagman arrives and escorts the two to a banquet room where many of their colleagues have gathered to offer one last gesture of thanks and gratitude to their former queen.  Medusa counters their sentiment, tasting instead to the future and all that it may hold for them.    And it is here that the issue and the entire series comes to its conclusion.

Well, that was… something.
This three-issue tie-in to IvX did not really have much to do with the war between the Inhumans and X-Men at all, but was rather just a silly adventure.  Although its lightness and humor offered a nice counterbalance to the grave heaviness of IvX.  It’s true saving grace is that writer, Charles Soule so excels at scripting Maximus.  He channels Max’s unhinged and manic glee just wonderfully; and  Ario Anindito’s illustration with Max’s wild eyes and contorted features pairs perfectly with he dialogue.
The story is kind of a waste in that it could have been used to shore up the significant plot holes in IvX.  Instead we got an irreverent romp with a goofy giant robot and an even goofier giant sea monster.  And yet it’s forgivable in that Max and his let’s-go-ganging gang is so much fun to read.

Less fun is the epilogue scene.  It’s a nice recap of the series as a whole, yet Jacinto’s illustration is rushed and Medusa and Black Bolt’s discussion regarding the Terrigen Cloud proving deleterious to Mutants left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

There was a good deal of revisionist history in the ways in which IvX wrapped up.  The plot was tweaked in a fashion to exonerate the Inhumans’ culpability over all of the Mutants who had died due to Terrigen poisoning.  This is fine in and of itself, but it is also a bit antithetical to who The Inhumans really are.  The Inhumans, the Royal Family and those of Old Attilan, were never meant to be traditional superheroes with noble, lawfully good values.  They’re not evil, but they’re not good either; just different.  Medusa’s reframe that ‘an Inhuman’s right to go through Terrigenesis is not worth a single Mutant life’  is both contrary to her actions in the past as well antithetical to the true values of her people.  And Black Bolt’s statement that he would never have triggered the Terrigen Bomb had he known what it would do to Mutants seems… well, let’s just say I don’t believe him.

It seems to me that editorial wanted The Inhumans to look more heroic and sympathetic in the wake of IvX and Soule played along.  Not only did the attempt not work, it feels untrue to who The Inhumans are and what makes them so interesting to read about.

This gets at the root of the challenge Charles Soule has had to deal with throughout his tenure on Inhumans.  At this point I feel confident in positing that Matt Fraction left the book because Marvel very much wanted the Inhumans turned into ersatz X-Men and that was something he had no interest in.  Soul was brought on board last minute to fill in for Fraction and likely given the same assignment.  He did as asked, but managed to do it in a way that retained the true essence of who The Inhumans are.

Soule made The Inhumans into more traditional superheroes, but also held onto that key alien and unsettling quality hat makes them unique… balancing more conventional superhero tropes (Inferno’s origin and Linage’s dastardly schemes) with the outré weirdness more expected of The Inhumans (Reader’s origin, the introduction of Ennilux and the squad’s battle with Kang).

Some aspects worked quite well, with he addition of a bevy of great new characters and the rich development of Medusa’s character; while other parts didn’t work as well…  Soule’s version of Black Bolt is very much out of sync with my own impression of who the character is and Triton, Gorgon and Medusa spent too much time int he background for my tastes.   Not that I’m complaining, I grew up having to wait months, sometimes years, for appearances of my beloved Inhumans…  Getting new Inhuman books nearly every week has been all but an embarrassment of riches and I’m more than happy to take the good with the bad.

Rather than morphing The Inhumans into replacement X-Men, feared and hated for their differences, Soule took a different route and utilized the formation of New Attilan and its displaced populace of Inhumans as a metaphor for the immigrant/refugee experience in the West.   I feel that it worked quite well; as well as underscored how easily both he Mutants and Inhumans can coexist in the marvel Universe.   Tribalism, bigotry, cultural assimilation and xenophobia are matters easily big enough and important enough to be tackled in both The X-Men as well as The Inhumans

The whole Inhumans versus X-Men cross-over event ended up forcing the narrative in Uncanny Inhumans to streamline and consolidate so to fit in with the event’s plot.  A number of longstanding threads have thus been left unaddressed.  We still don’t know what the Sky Spears are all about; what young Ahura has planned as the leader of The Ennilux Corporation will have to be told later; and the romance between Medusa and Johnny Storm came to a conclusion in a quick, less than satisfactory fashion.  I have to imagine each of these matters might have been better addressed had Soule’s narrative not been forced to roll into IvX.

That said, Charles Soule’s tenure on The Inhumans has been wonderful and he has my great gratitude for steering these favorite characters into the uncharted waters of the big push to make them a more centralized part of the overarching Marvel Universe.

Whatever endeavors the future brings for Mr. Soule, I wish him the best of luck.  Welcome to the Astonishing X-Men, Charles, hope you survive the experience!

Two out of Five Lockjaws for the issue;

Five out of Five Lockjaw for the entire series

Kamala continues her battle with the mysterious Doc.X in today’s issue of Ms. Marvel, from the creative team of G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring.

In the previous issues, Ms. Marvel has matched wits with a nefarious internet troll known as ‘Doc.X’ who somehow knows her true identity and possesses the ability to take over machines and people.  Kamala sought out the true identity of this troll only to discover it has no identity at all; it is an artificial intelligence, a renegade malware that somehow gained sentience and is now testing the limits of its capabilities by so bedeviling Ms. Marvel.

It turns out that Doc.X has been particularly intrigued by Kamala because she is the only person it has encountered that it cannot possess and take control of; the program assumes this must have something to do with Kamala’s Inhuman physiology.  Unable to hijack Kamala’s will by way of neural-computer interface or whatever, Doc.X has decided to manipulate her by way of a more conventional rout: blackmail.

Doc.X demands that Kamala download its program onto a thumb-drive and use her clearance as Ms. Marvel to bypass Shield’s security and plug it into their servers on-site.  This will allow Doc.X unlimited control over Shield’s hi-tech surveillance array, vastly augmenting its power and influence.  If Kamala refuses to do as Doc.X commands, then it will tell the world her true identity as Ms. Marvel, as well as send messages to her entire high school revealing Zoe’s secret crush on their mutual friend, Nakia.

It takes a moment for this to sink in and Kamala has a hard time bending her mind around Zoe being in love with Nakia.  Kamala has been so busy with her various duties as a superhero she hasn’t noticed how much Zoe has changed of late.  Revealing this to the whole school would be hugely embarrassing it both Zoe and Nakia; it could ruin their whole lives.

Kamala cannot devise a way around it.  Putting her own life at risk as a hero is something she can deal with.  Risking the lives of her family and her friends, however, is all but overwhelming and she has no choice but to relent to Doc.X’s command.

The next day Ms. Marvel travels to Shield’s East-coast hub, The Triskelion, intending to go through with the dastardly scheme and plug the copied Doc.X file onto the protected mainframe.  She is met there by Sub-Director Phil Coulson whom she had previously become friend with (by way of their mutual love of fan-fiction).  There’s also a rare Monica Chaing cameo which is very much appreciated (we haven’t seen her since the conclusion of Avengers A.I.).

Coulson is blissfully unaware of the high treason Kamala is about to commit.  His total trust in her is more than enough to push Kamala over the edge, causing her to change her mind.  She just cannot do it.  She cannot give in to Doc.X’s demands, can’t let him bully her into doing his insidious bidding.  Being a hero is about making the hard choices and taking the right path, even if that is the one that scars you the most.

Kamala rushes from the Triskelion and b-lines back to Jersey as fast as she can.  It will only be a matter of time before Doc.X outs Zoe’s secrets and Kamala wants to warn her ahead of time.

And this leads to one of the single greatest comic book panels possibly ever…

Zoe takes it all surprising well.  She knows Ms. Marvel has made the right choice.  A former bully herself, she knows that giving into a bully only makes things worse.  Besides, she cannot keep her secret any longer.  She needs to tell Nakia how she feels.  Zoe has little hope that Nakia may feel the same way toward her, but all the same she needs to let her know and needs to do it on her own terms.

Ms. Marvel is impressed by Zoe’s bravery and comments on how she understands just how frightening the prospect of being ‘outed’ can be.  Kamala is actually referring to her being outed in terms to her secret identity, but it leads to a rather funny scene where Kamala has to stumble through the very awkward process of saying she’s not gay… not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Emboldened by Zoe’s bravery, Ms. Marvel seeks out a secluded area, devoid of any machines that might be taken over and used against her, and contacts Doc.X, telling the troll that she will not be controlled.  Doc.X can do as it pleases, spill her secrets to the world.  She will not bow down to the bullying!

Elsewhere, the narrative switches to a rather touching scene where Zoe divulges to Nakia the feelings she has for her.  Nakia is surprised by this revelation, but not dismayed.  She thinks that Zoe is wonderful and is very proud of how she has been able to shed the confines of who she feels she is supposed to be and become who she truly is.  Nakia doesn’t feel the same way toward Zoe, but she will never stop being her friend and will have her back no matter what.
A part of me was definitely hoping Nakia was going to reciprocate Zoe’s affection, but I suppose this is more realistic and it makes for such a moving and sweat vignette.   I have to imagine there are many readers out there who will find a great deal of encouragement and perhaps even guidance from this terrific scene.

Meanwhile, Kamala is desperate to find help in defeating Doc.X.  She needs a technical expert, but doesn’t have many options.  Tony Stark is in a coma, Kamala doesn’t really know Riri Williams yet, nor does she fully realize the genius of Lunella Lafayette…  There s only one person she can turn to: Bruno.  Kamala tracks him down and telephones Bruno in his dorm room all the way at his new school in Wakanada.

Bruno is icy toward Kamala, not yet ready to forgive her for all that had happened during the events of Civil War II, but he is willing to check out the data Kamala emails him regarding Doc.X.  Right off the bat, Bruno notices something quite odd in the code.  Every time it recycles itself it adds novel information.  It is absorbing new data and adding it to itself.  It is learning.

Kamala realizes something.  Doc.X is not just learning, it’s learning from them, from the younger internet users it has been so obsessed with.  The near unlimited curiosity and equally unlimited pettiness of these users has shaped Doc.X, empowered it and made it what it is.  And Kamala feels sure that this is the key to defeating it.  How exactly Kamala plans to do this remains to be seen, for it is here that the issue ends with the promise of conclusion in the next installment.

There is a quick scene at the beginning of the issue that explores Doc.X’s origins.  It started out as a complicated fishing program developed by an unscrupulous coder working for the ‘World of Warcraft’ analog that Kamala and her pals play.   The malware is designed to spread from player to player, adapting and altering its functional parameters in accordance to the behaviors of the players it infects.  The coder sees it all as some kind of social experiment, creating an artificial intelligence cultivated by the hoards of nasty, ultra-competitive, hugely insensitive ‘pooplords’ who pervade the internet.

Doc.X’s origin tale is kind of reminiscent of that of the slasher movie villain, Freddy Krueger, from the Nightmare on Elm Street series.  Freddy’s gruesome beginnings entailed a young and innocent nun who was accidentally locked inside of an asylum for the criminally insane.  The poor woman was assaulted by the various maniacs and murderers and later discovered she was pregnant, her son the progeny of countless madmen.

Doc.X’s own inception is slightly the same, only instead of being sired by the criminally insane, Doc.X is the product of thousands of the worst internet trolls, flame-baiters, meh-throwers, snowflake smashers, and cyberbullies that the world wide web has to offer.

Faceless anonymity is often a huge factor in what leads people to often be so nasty on the internet.  People say things from the safety of distance and obscurity that they would never say in a face-to-face encounter.  While this can sometimes be liberating, it is also easily abused and someone who is normally conscientious and sensitive can sometimes end up becoming total jerks online, not entirely aware of just how hurtful and damaging their actions can be.

Doc.X is something of a manifestation of this careless and faceless animosity.  And it may be that the only way to fight such a thing is to be true to oneself and unafraid to be honest about your feelings.  The threat Doc.X poses to Zoe loses its power once she tells Nakia how she feels.  Both Zoe and Nakia may be mortified were Doc.X to forward all of Zoe’s love letters to the student body.  Yet what really matters is that the two will still be friends and whatever jeers may come from their classmates will soon wilt once Zoe stands firm, shows that she is proud of who she is and that Nakia has her back.

Of course all this is much more easily said than done.  Someone Zoe’s age barely knows who they aremuch less how to be true to oneself.  What is important, however, is that Zoe did not suppress her feelings… she let them in and accepted them… even though they were confusing and embarrassing.  And this ultimately empowered her.
It’s a great model for how to stand up to bullying.  It’s never about gaining the acceptance of the bully, but rather an acceptance of oneself…

At risk of sounding like a broken record: another fantastic issue.  The writing, illustration and coloring merge just wonderfully together with Wilson, Miyazawa and Herring each firing on all cylinders.  I had initially thought that this whole Ms. Marvel versus an internet troll story-arc was just going to be a lark, a breezy and fun tale to balance out the intensity of the previous, Civil War II story.  Yet it has proven to something entirely different.  Still fun, but also hugely poignant… possibly the most powerful of the Ms. Marvel tales to date.

Again, highly recommended; Five out of Five Lockjaws.

The next chapter of Mosiac begins here from the creative team of Geoffrey Thorne, guest illustrator, Bruno Oliveira, and colorist Emilio Lopez: with an awesome cover by Mike del Mundo.

Following the intense melodrama that was the conclusion of IvX, Thorne and company’s sixth issue of Mosaic is the perfect palette-cleanser.  …A fun, smart comic that puts forward lots neat ideas without the burden of stern, over-seriousness and ham-fisted metaphor.

Last issue, the new Inhuman, Mosaic, leaned the terrible truth that his father had essentially sold his son to the biological weapons and development firm known as The Brand Corp.  Brand Corp was all about harvesting ‘seeds,’ individuals with special powers and gifts, Mutants, Inhumans and whatnot who could be dissected, reverse engineered and harvested in the development of weapons, medicines, and all manner of high-profit endeavors.

It was all a devastating revelation for Morris.  Fortunately he was able to utilize his body-jumping powers to escape and trigger an explosion within the Brand Corp’s downtown headquarters that prevented his father and the other bad guys from getting away with his original body.

In the aftermath, Morris leaps into the body of one of Brand’s search and recovery operatives in an effort to venture into the wreckage of the building and hopefully find his original body.  He finds it, along with those of five other poor souls who have been made the victims of The Brand’s sinister schemes.  Each have been encased in some sort of protective sarcophagus that Morris hasn’t he faintest idea how to open.  He figures he can ride things out inside the body of this Brand operative and wait until the opportune time to reoccupy his body and make good with his escape.  That’s when things turn sideways.

Lockjaw, the enormous canine Inhuman comes teleporting onto the scene.      …and he seems intent on grabbing the body of the operative Morris is possessing.   Desperate and unsure what to do, Morris tries something completely new, projecting his conspicuousness into Lockjaw and possessing the giant bulldog’s mind and body.
It doesn’t go as well as hoped…

Lockjaw’s mind doesn’t work like a human’s mind.  Senses are overly intense, thoughts are overly simplified; Lockjaw’s canine thoughts are basic, but the variable torrent of heightened smells, and sounds and sights are all so intense that Morris can barely hang on.
Morris struggles to make sense of the very different way in which Lockjaw’s neurology works.  Alarmed, Lockjaw teleports all over.  He goes to Asgard, The Moon, Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Santorum, and finally New Jersey where he finds Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).

Throughout, we get a snapshot of how Lockjaw more simple, animalistic thinking views the world around him and it’s pretty neat: The Watcher is ‘Bald Guy’ Doc Starnge’s assistant, Wong, is ‘treat guy,’ Ms. Marvel is ‘Blue Girl,’ Crystal is ‘Wind Girl’ and Medusa is ‘Alpha.’

Ms. Marvel can tell that Lockjaw is in distress and tells him that he needs to go home, that the Royal Inhuman will know what to do.  She points him in the direction of New Attilan on the Hudson and reiterates ‘go home.’  Which he does.  good dog!

Arriving in New Attilan, Morris and Lockjaw are still struggling over who control whom and Lockjaw tramples through the main square, knocking over various Inhumans.  John Storm, The Human Torch (who has been acting as the Inhumans’ superhero liaison (among other things ahem)) swoops in.  There’s something special about how Johnny’s powers work and it enables him to see Morris is his spectral form.

Morris exists Lockjaw to take a breather in his invisible form, but Johnny can see him and flies down to confront him.  Morris is quite taken aback, how is it that Johnny can see him in his ghost-like form?  Fortunately, in his prior life Morris was quite the party-goer and he and Johnny actually know each other from a romp in Rio de Janeiro.  In short, the two do not fight and instead Johnny brings Morris to Medusa and the others for introductions.

Only none of the Royal Family can see Morris.  Johnny can, but only when he is famed on.  When he flames off, Morris again becomes invisible to him.  The comic timing in this scene is top notch.

Johnny spent a long time learning to control his flame-based power, which seemed to entail coordinating a delicate balance between his voluntary and involuntary nervous systems.  His sister, Sue Storm, helped him in this process and he imparts her lessons onto Morris, getting him to concentrate and tune it, and before long Morris learns how to make himself visible.

Medusa and Morris walk out to one of the verandas overlooking the bay and discuss all that has happened to him.  Morris describes the his understanding on how his powers work, how he can utilize a person’s knowledge and skill set in the moment, but only trace memories remain once he leaves and possesses someone else.

Medusa suggests the title ‘Mosaic’ as his new Inhuman name, a reference to the kaleidoscope of disparate memories and skills that is able to retain.  Morris is initially reluctant to take on a new name, yet the fact that much of his life as  Morris Sackett has been predicated upon lies and deceit, it’s likely that he will soon come to embrace the name (and the new life it entails) wholeheartedly.

Morris’ story thus far has all taken place in the recent past of standard Marvel Continuity.  To be exact, Morris has come to New Attilan very soon after Tony Stark had abducted the new Inhuman, Ulysses Cain (as detailed in the early issues of the Civil War II event).  Medusa asks Mosaic to run a mission for her… she wants him to use his special gifts to infiltrate Stark Tower, possess Stark’s chief financial officer and use him to reroute the lion’s share of Stark’s funds to a off-shore, impossible to access local.  This will be done as a means of motivating Stark to return the abducted Inhuman youth.

Morris isn’t thrilled over the possibility of taking on Iron Man, but he is a thrill seeker at heart and the challenge of it all is too much for him to pass up. So he accepts and fulfills the mission (and this relates to Mo’s first appearance in the pages of  Uncanny Inhumans #11).

The whole endeavor is something of a lark for Morris and he takes comfort that nobody got hurt.  Unbeknownst, to Morris, Medusa and the others, however, Maximus the Mad has been plotting his own revenge on Tony Stark and Morris looks on in horror as Stark Tower explodes and crumbles down into ruble, claiming who knows how many innocent victims.

And this is where the issue ends, with Morris left likely believing that the Inhumans of New Attilan are murderous terrorists who had coerced him into taking part in a terrible scheme.

That last scene notwithstanding, Mosaic #6 was a hugely fun ride that injected some much needed levity and lightness into what had (in the last issue) become a rather heavy and emotionally disturbing story.  Excellent work on the part of Geoffrey Thonre in regards to navigating the tenner of the series.

I’m glad to see the narrative of Mosaic quickly catch up with the standard here-and-now of the Marvel Universe.  And even more glad to see Morris interact with the Inhumans of Attilan (and that we’ll get to see more of it in the next installment).

Morris’s quick foray possessing Lockjaw was a highlight of the issue and I really liked how the dialogue bubbles reflected the simple, straight-forward cognition of how a dog’s mind might work.  Identifying Medusa as ‘alpha’ was a particularly nice touch.

The ‘burning question’ of the issue is why Johnny Storm can see Mosaic in his non-corporal form while others cannot (others with the exception of Fife that is).  It’s an interesting matter to speculate on… although I imagine Geoffrey Thonre already has a very specific answer in mind, I’ll go ahead and offer my interpretation nonetheless:

Johnny can control fire.  In order to see while in a flamed-on state, Johnny must possess a sense of vision that can see on a broader wave-length of the visual spectrum.  Otherwise he would be blind whenever flamed-on.  Mosaic is not a ghost per see but rather a being made up of synaptic energy, invisible to the naked eye but visible on the ultraviolet end of the visual spectrum.  Hence Johnny can see Morris when flamed on, but cannot when he is flamed off.  Science!!!

As much as I miss Kharay Randolph’s stellar illustration, Bruno Olveria does excellent work filling in.  He particularly excels at capturing facial expressions of emotion and this really hammers home that particular scene where’re Johnny is trying to introduce the Royals to an Inhuman who doesn’t appear to be there.  My only complaint is that we didn’t get to see a ‘Mosaic-effect’ scene (with the honeycomb pattern of disparate memories and whatnot) from inside Lockjaw’s head…. that would have been awesome.
Emillo Lopez, as always, kills it on the colors.

Another fantastic issue!  Mosaic continues to be one of the better, more unique and innovated superhero comics on the stands.  It has been both baffling and disconcerting that the series itself is not seeing better.  And I remain hopeful that the upcoming release of the first trade paper back will help to amp up sales.  People really need to read this book!!!

Four out of Five Lockjaws!

The Mutant Inhuman War comes to it climatic conclusion in this finale from the creative team of Charles Soule, Jeff Lemire, Gerry Alanguilan, Leinil Yu and David Curiel.

It all comes down to this with the fate of two species hanging in the balance.  On the cold shores Iceland, The X-Men have only moments to destroy the Terrigen Cloud before it dissipates and leaves the Earth completely uninhabitable to Mutants.  Many of the younger, newer Inhumans have learned this perilous truth and have opted to assist the X-Men in destroying the cloud.  Emma Frost, in her zeal but gain revenge for the death of her love, Scott Summers, has ordered the X-Men to attack, not realizing that they are inadvertently taking arms against what may be their last best chance at survival.  Amidst the chaos, The Royal Inhumans arrive, but have they the strength to turn the tide?  Do they know the truth about the Terrigen Cloud?  Will they be willing to sacrifice the future of their own race so to save the Mutants?

Emma leads the charge.  She doesn’t appear especially concerned about the approaching Terrigen Cloud and the certain doom that it entails.  Perhaps she has become resigned to her fate and wants to make sure that as many Inhumans die alongside her as possible.  Rogue tries to remind Emma that their true mission is to save Mutants, not take out Inhumans, but Emma has other things in mind.

Merging her mind and mental powers with that of the Stepford Cuckoos greatly enhances Emma’s psychic powers.  Together, they take over the wills of Johnny Storm and the many of the younger Inhumans, turning them against the Royals.  Crystal manages to take to take out Magneto; and Naja takes out Storm (sort of), but Magik teleports in numerous X-Men reinforcements.  The Royals are quickly outmatched, overpowered and overwhelmed.

Though still in a weakened state from his time imprisoned in Forge’s stasis chamber, Black Bolt takes action.  He knows that Emma is the key, that taking her down may turn the tide and he darts in to engage her.  Emma knew it would come to this.  She had been practicing for months, honing the speed at which she can transform into her diamond form.  She anticipates Black Bolt attack and counters in a dash, taking on her diamond form and plunging her arm, like a sword, into Black Bolt’s chest.

The Inhumans are beaten.
But the X-Men may be as well…
The Terrigen Cloud is bearing down on the shore.  Three enormous zeppelins emerge from the cloud.  They are the vehicles of The Ennilux Corporation, the shadowy Inhuman organization currently run by Medusa’s son, Ahura.

Ahura and his Ennilux forces fight back the X-Men, offering Iso a moment to confer with her queen.   And here Medusa finally learns the truth of why The X-Men had waged this war on The Inhumans.  Iso explains that the cloud is causing the atmosphere to become saturated with Terrigen, that quite soon it will reach a point where all Mutant life on earth will be eradicated.  If only The X-Men had told her, surely some peaceful solution could have been achieved.  Yet The Inhumans hadn’t given The X-Men very good reason to trust them and the stakes had become too high to leave the matter to chance.

With Ennilux’s assistance, Forge and Moon Girl had rebuilt the Terrigen-nullifying device.  The entire cloud and all the remaining Terrigen could be destroyed with the push of a single button.  The Inhumans would lose their heritage, the very way of life, but the Mutants would be saved.

Moon Girl hands the remote control to the device to Medusa.  Iso states that the decision should be in her hands.  Medusa agrees and engages the device without the slightest hesitation.

A flash of blinding light is emitted from the zeppelins as a series of rays strike the Terrigen cloud destroying it in entirety.  The threat has ended, the Mutants have been saved.  It is over.
Or is it?

Emma is not content with the mere abolishment of the threat.  The Inhumans have been responsible for countless Mutant deaths, including that of Scott, and she insists that true vengeance must be extracted.
The X-Men are unwilling to continue the fight in this fashion.  Cyclops reveals that Emma had manipulated them, that the Scott who had died in Madrid was merely a mental illusions Emma had put int heir minds.

In truth, Scott had died from Terrigen poisoning at the very beginning when it was first discovered that Terrigen was lethal to Mutants.  All of this could have been avoided had she not insisted in seek revenge in Scott’s name.

The X-Men will no longer fight for Emma, yet she had planned for such a contingency.  For her this was always going to be about the destruction of The Inhumans.  During her months of planning, she had coopted Forge’s will and manipulated him into building a quartette of super sentinels, redesigned to target Inhumans rather than Mutants.

Emma deploys these sentinels and they attack, catching many X-Men in the crossfire.  The Ennilux zeppelins are destroyed, their crews killed.  The X-Men’s android ally, Cerebra, is also destroyed when Magneto joins Emma’s side in attacking The Inhumans.

The Inhumans and X-Men join forces in taking on the super sentinels.  A still gravely injured Black Bolt flies Medusa to atop one of the sentinels to take on Emma.  Emma switches to her diamond form to perry Medusa’s attack.  Altering into her diamond form incapacities Emma’s telepathic abilities.  In as such it is revealed that she had taken advantage of Magneto’s having lost his helmet to garner control over his mind.  Released from her control, Magneto retaliates and he, Storm and The Human Torch destroy Emma’s sentinels.

Emma is ensnared in Medusa’s locks.    The two queens argue back and forth.  Regardless of it not being the real Scott, Medusa still gave the order for him to be killed.  Medusa admits to this, but adds that she hated herself for having to make that call, for being unable to find another way.

Medusa constricts her hair, tightening it around Emma.  It seems for a moment as though Emma’s diamond form may crack, that she will be killed by Medusa.  At the last moment, however, Medusa is struck in the back by one of Havoc’s solar blasts.

Havok has saved Emma, but he explains that he hasn’t done it for her, but rather as a last favor for his fallen brother, Scott.  Using some type of teleportation device, Havok takes Emma and teleports them both elsewhere.
The fighting is done.

A series of epilogues shows the various outcomes of this war.  The X-Men are relived that this threat to their race has abated; that the months of hiding and running have come to an end and that they will enjoy a new day, a return to prominence in the broader world.  Yet many feel guilty for not having trusted their ally, Hank McCoy.  McCoy leaves the X-Men, it appears he no longer wants anything to do with them.

Emma Frost has gone to ground, hiding from retribution from The Inhumans, and Ennilux and possibly her fellow X-Men; and plotting her next move.  A scene shows her donning a new costume, an amalgamation of her own outfit combined with that formerly worn by Scott Summers.   This new costume seems connote her new life as an outsider and a villain.

Medusa doesn’t truly blame Emma.  She can sympathize with all she had been through.  She doesn’t see Emma as evil, but rather as heartbroken, driven somewhat mad by the gravity of her lose.

Reflecting on the matter, Medusa seems to decide that life is too short and too precious to hold so tightly to grudges.  That perhaps the penance her former husband has served has been suffice.  She breaks off her affair with Johnny Storm, thanking him for his companionship and wishing him goodbye.

The Inhumans are left with an uncertain future.  The Terrigen has been lost and with it their way of life.  The younger generation of Inhumans and the generations after that may never know true fulfillment, may never be able to achieve the splendor of becoming  their true selves.

Yet their ways and their customs could not be worth a single Mutant life much less all of them.  Medusa knows she has done the right thing, but it does not make the cost of it any easier to bare.

She chooses the abdicate her throne, handing rulership over New Attilan and The Inhuman people to Iso.  Iso, in turn suggests democratic elections.  Democracy over monarchy… The Inhuman ways and culture is surely coming to an end.  Yet perhaps change is what is needed, maybe the Inhumans can learn from their Mutant cousins and adapt so to survive.

Anything is possible and a final scene shows Medusa meeting with her former husband in the Quite Room.  He has recovered from his wounds and it looks quite possible that their marriage and relationship may recover as well.

A very satisfactory finale to a surprisingly good event book.

The whole ordeal was not especially necessary, the war between The X-Men and Inhumans was not needed.  Yet in that it had to happen, it was at least done well.
Event books are profitable.  And it’s clear Marvel was hoping that tethering The Inhumans with The X-Men would result in augmenting The Inhumans’ status.  Personally, I would have preferred that the two teams had stayed more separate… would have rather that Charles Soule could have been allowed to tell the stories he had planned and didn’t have to redirect things so to accommodate this artificial conflict with The X-Men.   Many of the plot-lines Soule had built up, the Sky Spears, Ennilux and the fate of Utolan, each had to be placed  on the back burner so to make room for IvX.  Hopefully these plot points will be picked up on by the new Inhumans writers.  It’s too bad that Soule couldn’t address them himself.  But again, in that IvX did have to happen, I’m glad that it was done well.

The art by Gerry Alanguilan, Leinil Yu, Javier Garrón, Andres Mossa and David Curiel is all just fantastic.  Their collective feat is particularly impressive in light of the rapid pace in which IvX unfolded.  The event sped through twice monthly without a delay and. though the middle act lagged a touch, the whole thing proceeded at a terrific speed that kept me thoroughly engaged all the way through.

I suppose a part of me is disappointed that my beloved Inhumans lost this war. Yet they lost with class and ultimately did the right thing.  I didn’t like seeing Black Bolt so thoroughly defeated, but my upset over it is easily overshadowed by how glad I was that Medusa trigger the Terrigen destroying device without hesitation.  In the end, The Royals proved that they are not the heartless, genocidal monsters that the necessities of the narrative at times made them seem to be.

In reviewing the previous installments of this series I’ve done a lot of pontificating over the thematics of race, culture, assimilation and accommodation.  I’m sure it all seemed quite pedantic (if not for the multiple spelling errors :p).

Rather than try to intellectualize the matter further, I’d like to share a rather personal reaction that came to mind in that ending scene where Medusa was sitting before her people mourning the loss of the Terrigen.  It reminded me of the last Passover Seder I went to at my grandmothers apartment.  My grandmother was quite old and rather ill and most of us were aware this was likely to be out last seder all together.  My grandmother was the last member of the family who was devoutly religious, who insisted on following the customs and doing things a particular way.

It didn’t dawn on my at the time, but in this last Seder I wasn’t just preparing myself to lose my grandmother, but I was also losing an aspect of my culture.  Sure the family would go on to have other seders in the future, but it would not be the same… no one would be speaking Yiddish and making sure everything was done just right.  The true sense of culture, ritual and custom just wouldn’t be there.

In short I can relate on a level with the loss endured by The Inhumans.  The ways of Attilan are weird and frightening and often problematic, but it is their ways.  And it is a tremendous loss.

Still, with every end there are new beginnings.  The X-Men are receiving a rather bright new beginning, with a large host of new titles; as well as a new villain who may have what it takes to finally replace the reformed Magneto.

The inhumans are getting a new beginning as well.  This chapter of The inhumans mythos is coming to a close ands though it is a somber end, it is not one without hope.  And the launching ‘The Royals’ this spring it’s entirely possible that Medusa will succeed in discovering a new source of Terrigen so that her people may truly live again.

Good stuff!  Four out of Five LockJaws for this sixth issue;

Three out of Five Lockjaws for the event as a whole.