Inhumans: Attilan Rising #5

Writer – Charles Soule
Artist – John Timms
Inker – Roberto Poggi
Colours – Frank D’Armata

Now that Medusa has finally come to see the truth about Doom and about her city, there is only one thing left to do and that is to help Black Bolt and the Resistance blow it up in the hopes that their people can be free in some small measure. Charles Soule, John Timms and company wrap up this Secret Wars miniseries with a bang, one that sees our heroes fight the good fight and one that shows the reader just how much power Doom now holds. There is a ton of action to be had and the pace of the book never lets up. While it was great to see Medusa and Black Bolt at odds with each other as you rarely ever see that in an Inhumans book, you kind of had to know that they would get together in the end. Another great thing about this book is the different takes on the characters that we all know and love. While some remained fairly true to themselves like Karnak and Triton, Gorgon would be slightly different, Black Bolt could speak and combining that with some of the Nuhumans as well as a few others like Matt Murdock and Ms. Marvel, the book featured a really stellar cast. Great moments aside, the most interesting part of the book was the ending as it showed us a side of the new Doom that has not really been explored as of yet. It has been talked about and it has been taken for granted, but in this issue we finally get to see Doom flaunt a little bit of his power. To see him do as such and not really care an iota for the forces lined up against him shows not only the arrogance of the man, but that he has rightfully earned his title of God Emperor. Overall the story was a lot of fun and it breezed by in no time whatsoever due to the frantic nature of it. The artwork by John Timms was really quite exceptional and if the new Inhumans title ever needs a new artist, Timms has proven that he can handle the job. Attilan Rising may not have been the best out of the Secret Wars tie-in titles, but it was a really good one and is definitely worth checking out.

4 out of 5

ElfQuest: The Final Quest #11

Writer – Wendy Pini, Richard Pini
Artist – Wendy Pini
Colours – Sonny Strait

The Call has been going out for some time and almost all of the elves of Two-Moons are not gathered at the palace of the High Ones. There are still a few that need to arrive, but most who are not afraid, those who hear it and are curious, are present. The gathering represents the next step the elves must take. Whether it is together as one or separately, a choice must be made so that they can move forward as a people. Continuing their Final Quest, Wendy and Richard Pini bring a tale full of love and heartbreak as various elves try to discover who they are in this tumultuous time. For Skywise, he is finally whole, having found the person who completes him in Timmain, the eldest of them all. He has never been happier and he cannot wait to get on with the rest of his life with the rest of the elves hopefully joining him. For others, like Moonshade and Strongbow, it is a much harder decision to make. Though they are life-mates, Strongbow is at home in the forest, his wolf’s blood stronger than ever. Moonshade though is being torn apart and the conflict within her will not end unless something drastic happens. She cannot be happy if she leaves, nor can she be happy if she stays. What is known is that no matter what decisions any of the elves make, not everyone is going to end up with a happy ending and the tribes will remain split unless some outside force can make them come to be as one. As if planning for that very moment, the Pini’s end the book on a cliff-hanger with the Djunn’s forces entering the waters of the Wavedancers. Perhaps with this added element of danger, the elves will rally together and either fight as one, or flee to the stars to start life anew. With a story as captivating as ever and matched by the artwork, ElfQuest is a book that is just as good as it was when it started all them many years ago and hopefully, one that will continue.

4 out of 5