It is what it is but in the end this is not my thing. Don't get me wrong, it is fun to watch the Marvel movie stuff coming out on the big screen as well as the little one but I really have never been a comic book guy. I won't be reading more of this type of graphic novel. ( )

Loved these books. Ward's art is, as always, phenomenal—"realistic," at least in terms of the comic-book spectrum, but also impressionistic, emotional, and evocative. His use of color is masterful. Ahmed's storytelling is intimate, personal, well-paced, and runs the gamut of human experience and emotion. There are definitely some impressive action set-pieces, but this run is primarily about relationships, and specifically about the work of humility, vulnerability, and forgiveness necessary to repair broken relationships. [same review for Vol 2: HOME FREE.] ( )

Marvel keeps trying to make the Inhumans happen.

And so we have a whole series devoted to the one Inhuman who rarely talks...until now. Turns out, he really doesn't have anything interesting to say, and we'll all be better off when he goes back to the elective mutism. The story is just a weird prison break mess about which, appropriately, the less said the better.

Well, okay, there's a nice little role for Lockjaw, and the quirky psychedelic art is worth a quick scan.

But overall, I think the Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel books and the Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee Marvel Knights outing have pretty much sated me for a lifetime. No more Inhumans...please. ( )

I was dreading reading this, because Marvel's push of the Inhumans is the least interesting thing about Marvel by a long shot, and Black Bolt is the King of the Inhumans. But it turns out that if you take the King of the Inhumans and put him into space prison, allow him to speak, and team him up with the Absorbing Man, a hood from Brooklyn who used to fight Thor, he suddenly becomes enormously interesting! Well, interesting enough to hang an enjoyable story off, anyway. This is fun and well-done, a prison break narrative featuring superheroes and -villains; in addition to Blackagar Boltagon and Carl "Crusher" Creel the Absorbing Man, there's an old alien man (apparently a Hulk villain), a kid with many eyes, and a Skrull pirate who refuses to shapeshift because she likes herself the way she is. Christian Ward's art is sometimes a little difficult to follow, but usually incredible, handling conversation and surreal space torture with equal aplomb. The best issue is the one where Black Bolt and Creel are trapped in a room together as the air runs out, and Creel reveals that amidst his superpowers, he has an all-too-human tragic backstory-- but also hopes and dreams. Funny and touching. All this plus Lockjaw! Who knew I could be made to care about an Inhuman? I think this is one of those ongoings that gets cancelled after twelve issues, so one more collection will see the series off; I'll have to check it out from the library.

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3003217.html

I'm not into Marvel mythology, but this seems to be an origin myth for the superhero Black Bolt, tricked out of his rightful kingship and imprisoned in deep space along with various other hard cases (most with their own super powers). He makes allies with his fellow inmates and breaks free. There is a certain amount of social commentary on the US prison system (though perhaps slightly pulling its punches). I think I would have needed to be more invested in the overall Marvel universe to really appreciate this. ( )