Inhuman Annual #1

Writer – Charles Soule
Artist – Ryan Stegman
Inker – Ryan Stegman, Jay Leisten
Colours – Richard Isanove

Lineage has made his big move and he calls for every Inhuman everywhere to throw off the yokes of those he thinks would oppress them or rule them or what have you. Whether it be Attilan, Ennilux or whomever, all Inhumans and Nuhumans should bow to no one and cast their own fates. To help that declaration come true, Lineage intends to use the Inhuman Codex to wipe out New Jersey. Thankfully you can never count Medusa and the Royal family out, especially when it matters the most. As the series winds to a close it is great to see the Nuhumans rise to the occasion and the Inhumans as a whole, overcome. The most memorable scene of all though goes to Karnak and his resurrection from the dead. To say that it is one you will not soon forget is one thing and not because it is disturbing or anything of the sort, but simply because it is slightly humourous and it makes you wonder if there is anything that Karnak cannot solve. Ms. Marvel puts in an appearance and it is good to see Lockjaw return to the book as you can never get enough Lockjaw and Eldrac, perhaps not being able to live with what he has done, removes his head from his new body after trying to make up for what he has done. Gorgon still finds himself paralysed which is a terrible thing, especially for one who loves to battle and is now unable to, but with the Inhuman Codex it is more than likely possible that his injury can be healed. The future is wide open for the people of Attilan now; all that remains is for Medusa to take Black Bolt back though that in itself will be a task and a half as the two have much to talk about. People may think that the Inhumans are not very interesting as characters and cannot hold a title of their own, but Charles Soule has proved otherwise as the book has been a lot fun.

4 out of 5

Masks 2 #2

Writer – Cullen Bunn
Artist – Eman Casallos
Colours – Adriano Augusto

Where the first issue of this series concentrated on the heroes of yesteryear, this book finds the heroes of today, notably the Black Sparrow and Miss Fury, in the spotlight. Both women end up meeting at the same party and fall into that classic pattern of fight first and ask questions later that has been seen many times over yet still proves to be fun when done correctly. Cullen Bunn and Eman Casallos continue weaving a mystery that takes place in two different times and in this issue it has to do with a mass murder in the present. Miss Fury was just out to help herself to some of what the one-percent has in the club when the Black Sparrow interrupted and the two had their disagreement. But after all was said and done and our two heroes recount their origin stories, because why would you not talk about your past during a robbery, they discover the tragedy that took place while they were otherwise occupied. With all of the people that died you have to wonder if it has anything to do with the Red Death who was introduced last issue and more than likely, it does. While the story is intriguing, this second book was not as strong as the first with very little of anything happening except the introduction of two more characters to the cast. Where the first book was exciting and had a lot going on, this book was quite the opposite. The artwork is still quite decent and Bunn is no slouch when it comes to writing a good story or dialogue but this issue merely felt tame in comparison to the first. Not bad overall, just not great. Perhaps issue three will pick back up.

3 out of 5