The Uncanny Inhumans #0

Writer – Charles Soule
Artist – Steve McNiven
Inker – Jay Leisten
Colours – Justin Ponsor

No longer is Black Bolt the leader of the Inhumans and for now, he is a kingdom unto himself.  Medusa has cast him out and even though she still loves him, he has lost his right to rule.  Charles Soule and Steve McNiven send our hero out into the world with a mission all his own, though what that is exactly still remains to be seen.  In this particular issue Black Bolt stops some mercenaries from Ennilux from stealing the cocoons of those undergoing Terrigenesis, has a chat with his wife, at least so far as Black Bolt can do and then heads off through Eldrac to find his son who now resides with Kang.  Soule has crafted an interesting, if unusual tale of family with the first issue of Uncanny Inhumans.  Black Bolt, Medusa and the rest of the Inhumans were never the most traditional family, but they are a close one.  It is not just duty that binds them, but loyalty and love and you can tell that Medusa is still in love with her husband as she sends him away, and he obviously still loves her.  While she wonders if Black Bolt will bring her son home, she knows that he has larger things on his mind and that his thoughts range farther and concentrates on the many rather than just the needs of the one.  In this one instance though, Black Bolt does think of that one person and this time it is his son to whom he finds with Kang, where he sent him before he brought down the city of Attilan.  It is here as well that Black Bolt exposes Ahura to the Terrigen Mists and strikes a bargain with the devil if ever there were one.  Should and McNiven, with extremely beautiful pencils, create a great self-contained tale starring the former king of the Inhumans, but where the title goes from here once it really picks up is anybody’s guess.  There are no cliff-hangers, which is refreshing to see and if it is to introduce the theme of the new title, it has done little of that except to feature Black Bolt in a solo tale.  Still, it was done exceptionally well and was executed perfectly.

4 out of 5

The New 52 Futures End #48

Writer – Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen
Artist – Allan Goldman, Freddie Williams II, Andy MacDonald, Stephen Thompson
Inker – Scott Hanna, Freddie Williams II, Andy MacDonald, Stephen Thompson
Colours – Hi-Fi

This is it, the final issue of Futures End.  The one for all the marbles.  The whole enchilada.  Everything that has been building up over the course of the whole series finally culminates in this last book of the New 52’s second weekly series.  And the payoff?  What was the result of Terry McGinnis’ and Tim Drake’s actions?  Was humanity saved?  Did the future get reset and put back on track?  No.  None of that happened.  In fact, nothing was resolved or saved and there was no payoff except the simple fact of this series now serving as a prequel to the new Batman Beyond ongoing series launching after Convergence.  To say that the ending of this book was a slap in the face is like saying babies never cry and this book almost made you want to do just the same.  After so many issues of time and investment on the reader’s part, this story confirms what you might have realized midway through the series – that it was a waste of time.  With an amazing amount of dangling plotlines that will most likely never be tied up, they now proved to be the filler material that you always had an inkling they were.  This forty-eight issue opus to madness could have been a six-issue miniseries if told properly and most likely far more enjoyable.  The rest of the issue was all right, but the ending completely ruined it and it is hard to get away from that.  Instead of creating excitement for the next series you feel a little burned by it more than anything else.  Simply put, disappointing.

2.5 out of 5