Death of the Inhumans #1

By Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, Jordie Bellaire

There was a time not long ago when the Inhumans were being groomed to be the next big thing at Marvel. There were a couple of new comic series coming out, a movie in the works and even a few well-known mutants, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, were discovered to no longer be mutants, but Inhumans. This time has passed now and all the books are canceled, the movie turned into a bad tv show, and no one prominent is becoming an Inhuman. So, with all that said, Donny Cates is being tapped to write Death of the Inhumans. I know what you’re thinking, we’ve had these books before and no one significant dies. That’s not the case with this book. If you’re a fan of these characters, you may not like how this series turns out.



Donny Cates is a hot young talent that Marvel scooped up from his stellar independent work. He’s already had stints on Dr. Strange and Thanos, but now Marvel wants to give him something that will really put him on the map. Death of the Inhumans delivers what it promises in the first issue. Cates introduces us to Vox, a character that has made it his or her business to take out the Inhumans, in what appears to be a personal vendetta against Black Bolt. The thing that really works this issue is that Cates comes out of the gate firing. We lose characters we like right off the bat. This sets the tone for the rest of the book and series. Cates lets us know that everyone is a target and that anyone can go as we potentially lose several good characters. Aside from the deaths, we’re also intrigued to find out more about Vox and what Black Bolt is going to do to retaliate. Cates has given us a very good first issue. Even if you’re not a fan of these characters, this is worth picking up.

The pencils this issue are handled by Ariel Olivetti with colors by Jordie Bellaire. The art this issue is amazing. Great pencils by Olivetti that are very crisp and clean. We’re drawn to the art on the very first page as a gigantic ship is floating over some primitive men. The panel of dead Inhumans floating as Black Bolt watches is a very vivid image. Olivetti does a really good job of conveying emotion on Black Bolt, which can be a difficult task. We see that he is troubled by what he’s seeing on his screen. A great complement to the pencils are the colors by Jordie Bellaire. Her dark and moody work is the perfect fit for the tone of the story. Panels where Medusa is persuading Black Bolt to talk to the people are dark blue, which captures the mood in the room. Vox having red colors around him can signify evil, which is just a little touch that Bellaire adds to her wonderful work.

Whether you like the Inhumans or not, this is a great read. Cates succeeds in getting emotion out of you over characters you may never have liked. The art for the issue is amazing. Olivetti and Bellaire did a great job and together enhance the story even more. Death of the Inhumans is the book to read this week.