Uncanny Inhumans #2
Writer: Charles Soule
Penciler: Steve McNiven
Inker: Jay Leisten
Colorist: Sunny Gho
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Inhumans are complicated. Charles Soule’s mastery over the royal family, Johnny Storm, Beast, and the ever corrupting Kang shines in the second (technically third) issue of the flagship Inhuman title. In a series that involves time-travel, numerous plot threads and characters bleeding in and out of other titles, to have an opener featuring a love triangle is the most mundane this issue will get. For a man that can “crack the moon in half”, Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten, and Sunny Gho give Black Bolt all of the emotion and range he needs to get his silent point across. The expanded cast gets down to business to hear Medusa and about the impending threat of Kang doubled with Black Bolt’s apparent deal with Kang concerning their son Ahura.
McNiven and Leisten draw the council all distinctly enough to set them apart visually, and the colors and backgrounds left more muddled to give a realistic, gritty feel. Everyone has a set voice and say in the current happenings with their people. Minor facial consistencies aside, McNiven and the rest of the team nail the entire cast they have to out time travel induced problems. The fruition to Kang’s Inhuman revenge reaches a peak rather suddenly when Beast (everyone’s favorite time wrecker) actually learns from his time during Brian Michael Bendis’ X-Men run and devises a plan to save the time-stream before Kang eliminates all history of Inhumans altogether. Kang and Ahura are “bonding” through killing Inhumans through time and it shows! From Mesopotamia 924 BCE to Mongolia 1307 AD to the North Atlantic in 1942, Ahura has been conquering all in the name of Kang. Despite not seeing much of Ahura at all, his personality and physical appearance changes significantly for a more dastardly purpose that will no doubt affect Black Bolt to his core given the last page shocker.
Overall, the Uncanny Inhumans (featuring Johnny Storm and Beast) are doing big things in their corner of the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe. Soule puts forth the effort to include Beast, who is relatively new to the new cast, and have the cast interact with him to varying degrees in some fantastic scenes. The interactions between all of the players make the comic worthwhile given their history with one another. Johnny Storm being called out on his relationship with previously dating Medusa’s sister Crystal is complicated, yet funny to think about in the light of the events of the story. Uncanny Inhumans #2 is another big step in Kang’s plan of dominance, and another step for Charles Soule, Steve McNiven, and the rest of the art team to prove why the Inhumans are larger than life and can give the X-Family a run for their money.