Inhumans Prime #1

By Al Ewing, Ryan Sook, Chris Allen, Walden Wong, Keith Champagne, Paul Mounts, and Clayton Cowles

Inhumans Prime #1 picks up exactly where IvX left off, Medusa has dissolved the Terrigen cloud and peace has fallen over New Attilan.  Or has it?… Black Bolt’s mind controlling brother, Maximus is up to his usual shenanigans and it’s up to the Inhumans to put a stop to it. That’s just the start as this issue shows the decided collapse of the Inhuman monarchy. They begin to lead themselves into the future with democratically elected leaders, Medusa passes the torch to Iso, Black Balt says good bye to his brother, and a new face shows up to really throw a wrench in everything.

This premiere issue is a beautifully drawn book that covers a wide breadth of issues that are sure to provide future storylines.  Many seeds have been planted by Al Ewing, a prolific comic writer who weaves a story within a story within a story in this first issue.  There is so much information being thrown at the readers, but with the skilled team of Sook, Allen, Wong, and Champagne on pencils and inks, it is easy to take it all in.  With every transition between location and time, and every character introduction, the reader is taken care of.  There is clear narration of what is going on and the story is easy to follow with awesome panel layouts that are filtered in with splash pages.

There is something to be said about the use of splash pages, single or double, or even just large panels amidst a panel layout to add perspective.  During the conflict with Maximus, the added splash page allows some break during the action to allow the readers to see the players, namely which Inhumans are involved.  It also gives the conflict a sense of timing; it slows down the pace and makes the action after easier to follow.  The art in this book is tremendous overall, with a slight shift in art style and color choice toward the end when Medusa makes her abdication speech. There the colors soften and the facial expressions are friendly, giving out a sense of ease and calm.

This book almost serves as something of a rest for the Inhumans. There is little mention of the events of IvX, apart from the opening pages, and no sign of Johnny Storm. Medusa and Black Bolt appear to be a united front, and the Inhumans are approaching a new era of peaceful cooperation with the humans without Terrigen.  No Terrigen means no more Inhumans; they take that hit at the cost of saving countless mutant lives. This dynamic is the only stone Ewing left unturned in this issue, exploring all other shifting dynamics. Will this breed resentment, or will this lead to new advances to activate the Inhuman gene in humans? There is a lot left to explore with the Inhumans, not to mention the big reveal at the end of the issue that is sure to change the course of the Inhumans forever.

Inhumans Prime #1 is a great welcome back issue to Inhumans proper – Medusa and Black Bolt together, and it’s a united Inhumans taking on the future. There are a lot of good things to look forward to from this series and it is sure to attract plenty of new readers, especially with the TV show on horizon. This book crams a lot of action and story into a solid first issue, while still leaving time for some favorite characters like Reader and Karnak to have some page time. Inhumans Prime #1 is a great read for existing Inhuman fans and new readers, this book does a solid job to re-introduce fan favorite characters while also building a future with some new ones.