Customer Reviews

The Inhumans (Marvel Comics, Fantastic Four)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Inhumans by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee is an incredible work. Told in 12 chapters, the story takes a bit of time to unfold and new readers will need a while to familiarize themselves with all of the characters. But once these two areas are handled...get ready for a fun ride.

It's impossible to describe the depth of this story. What other writers would present as a simple battle between government soldiers and a race of super-powered beings...Paul Jenkins pulls so much more from. There is slavery, penance, insanity, forgiveness, shame, understanding, heroism, loyalty, blind loyalty, manipulation, emancipation, love, and then there is family.

What makes The Inhumans work so well beyond the immense story is the uniqueness of the characters. The race of inhumans each have their own individuality expressed in their dialogue, their actions, and most powerfully in their appearence. What we might view as deformed...they would view as beautiful...two worlds that meet through a mirror (a symbol that is touched upon in the narrative). Pages could be written about these characters but then that would spoil the read and discovery so I'll confine mine to two characters.

TRITON - In what is probably the strongest chapter of the book, this character reflects back on his witnessing of the sinking of the Lusitania. It was his first encounter with humans in a positive light and lead him to think and rethink his thoughts on these creatures of a different race. The paintings of Triton standing on the decks of the Lusitania in present day are haunting.

BLACK BOLT - The king of the Inhumans who is not permitted to speak because his vocal cords can decimate mountains. He is also not permitted thought balloons because that would rob the character of so much. With the powerful king we have a character that will make you think. The weight of his people rests on his shoulders, and because of his complete lack of dialogue we are kept in the dark as to his motivations just as his closest family members are. Here is a character that could not exist in any other medium save the realm of the comic book (graphic novel to the elite). I found myself staring at every panel with this wonderful character present. The embrace between brothers Black Bolt and 'Mad' Maximus was especially gripping.

All in all I can not praise Inhumans enough. It has a creative energy that helps it stand apart from the typical superhero storyline. Much like each citizen of Attilan, there will never be another story like Inhumans.

Will you love it on the first read? Maybe not. Will you think about it when it's all over...definately. Will you want to return for another read?

While I have read Marvel Comics for a good portion of my life, my acquaintance to the Inhumans was only through the cursory exposure from various X-Men storylines. I purchased the TPB mostly because of positive reviews and an admiration of Jae Lee's art. Boy am I happy that I did.

This work serves as a superb demonstration of what the comic book can achieve as an art form. The multiple story arcs all hold the reader's interest well. The writing is tight and tells a surprisingly complex story in 12 issues with few wasted words/frames. Jenkins manages to introduce the book's characters and backgrounds in a natural, uncontrived manner, which is a rare feat in this medium.

The artwork is a pure joy. Jae Lee's style fits the material and sets the mood perfectly. The amount of detail in each frame, especially involving facial expressions, is remarkable and goes a long way to drive the storyline.

If I have one criticism, it would be that certain elements of Jenkins' writing style are overused throughout the book and become slightly irritating. Still, this book easily ranks as one of the best TPBs I have ever picked up.

This is easily one of the top 5 graphic novels I have ever read (and I have read quite a few of them). I'll keep this short and say that both the story and the art are breath-taking. Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee basically made a name for themselves with this series. It shines a new light on the so-called "superheroes," The Inhumans. More about politics, evolution, and power than any real superheroics, The Inhumans is not to be missed.

One other note -- 9 year olds will be completely lost in this story. This is definitely NOT a children's book, not because of content, but for sophistication. It's insulting to all graphic novel readers for Amazon to label them as children's books simply because of their medium.

This superbly crafted work of super-heroic fiction collects Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's inspiring 12-issue maxi-series 'Inhumans.'

No doubt this earns a place on the shelf against the likes of Watchmen, Maus, From Hell and select others. Certainly one of the better books of sequential art.

An extraordinary team-up of writer/artist. Very few mesh so well together to drive the story to levels that render emotional vehemence whilst providing undaunted prose (so clearly displayed in issue #9).

No knowledge of Marvel history/continuity is needed.

Please read also 'Sentry' of the same creators. Look for it, it will be here soon.

I'm not exagerating when I say that this is pretty near the best comic story I have ever read. The only thing that could compare is Frank Miller's work on Batman and Sin City. The first thing to catch my eye was Jae Lee's artwork. I still think of his work on WildCATs Trilogy as some of the worst art I have ever seen. But with each new page of Inhumans, I was blown away by his dark, forboding style. He has refined his technique into a thing of true beauty. The story, however, is what truly sets Inhumans apart. Paul Jenkins is able to juggle an incredible number of complex characters while still dealing with issues of racism, classism, fear, and hatred. Somehow, he handles so much and still prevents the story from ever becoming bogged down. Through it all, he uses a technique rarely found in comics today, subtlety. If you like comics, buy this. If you just enjoy a good story, buy this. If you know how to read, for Pete's sake, buy this. As a final sidenote, Lee and Jenkins are presently three issues into a five issue series for Marvel called "Sentry." If you have the ability to get your hands on them, I highly recommend these as well. Keep and eye on these two boys, they are by far the best Marvel has to offer.

Jenkins captured the essense we never knew about the Inhumans. I never read the Inhumans in my life. I only read reveiews and on-line comments on this series. So with extra money, I gave this a try. Like I said, Jenkins gave me the Inhumans I NEVER knew. They're pretty cool after the read. The art of course is indescribable. It's simply stunning. But the story is complicated and very fresh. No wham bam pow boom! It has political intrigue, schemeing plots, suspense, and downright horror. It's not might vs. might, it's might vs. right. The Inhumans could easily punched their way out of trouble, but they showed us how truely ingenius they are and in doing so, how heroic as well. Jenkins takes heroism to a whole different and provoking level as if he is telling us the difference between being human and being a superhero. The Inhumans tradepaperback is not cheap. But it is printed on good paper and is great to keep on a bookshelf. I'd recommend it, but I will reserve some caution. The story is compelling but also complicated and twisted. The artwork is supurb,but there's so much going on, the art will lose itself to the story and vice versa. Many readers may become bored or lose their minds reading this complex graphic novel. But fear not, if you are unfamiliar with the Inhumans, as I was, it would not hinder your enjoyment. NO backgrounding required. No buying other issues to get the complete story, it's all here. It's truely an imaginative work.

Since Watchmen, Swamp Thing, Sandman et al., there have been a great deal of comics published by mainstream companies that can be termed literary in their approach and/or quality, depending on which definition you use.

In 12 issues, Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee manage to give us a clear sense of everything in the world, a world that seems to be nothing like our own. They manage to give the characters depth (all of the characters except Triton and Crystal seem three dimensional, Triton and Crystal could have used a little more characterization) and compel you to finish the series. The story ends every issue on an amazing cliffhanger (well not the last one so much) and manages to do what a lot of great stories do: it uses the external landscape to reveal what the internal feelings of the character are (especially for Black Bolt who can not speak). The art is amazing from an artist who seems to slip under the radar sometimes. The story really says a lot about the human race and manages to look at it from a totally differnet perspective.

There are two subplots that I think could have been developed more,

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

the first being the boy that Triton saved from the Lusitania, which seems to be in there mostly as a scene to show that the Inhumans had good experiences with humans for once. The second being the subplot of the humans who made themselves into Inhumans (like Lockjaw as a bulldog with a fork on his head), it was such a cool idea and it could have been developed much more.

END SPOILERS

In spite of the fact that it is not the next Watchmen (which We3 being the only comic that, in my opinion, may [and I emphasize may] come close to breaking ground like that), Inhumans is definatley worth a read. While some comic fans would rather see continuity followed to the letter (even when it contradicts itself) and a huge epic fight in every issue and these people could find Inhumans to be a bit slow paced (and don't get me wrong, I love big superhero books with epic fights as much as the next guy but I can appreciate a story like this far more) instead of seeing the internal conflicts foreshadowing the big epic battle that is to come, if they sat down and read the entire series, they could be in the minority.

I highly recommend Inhumans for the comic book fan who likes superhero stories that are treated with depth, intelligence and sophistication.

Reading level: ages 9-12? NO WAY! A kid would be lost with this book.

This book is a slow moving character study... at first! But be patient; things really heat up in this book and are well worth the wait.

Jenkins writing style requires serious attention, this is not a casual read. But again, it's worth the effort. For the first few chapters I was saying to myself, "What the heck is going on?!?!" but then everything starts to come together in a clever way. Also, Lee's art is beautiful.

This book has some great appearances by Namor, and a cool sketchbook in the back.

Check it out!

At long last, the Inhumans get the star treatment they deserve, and by doing this, Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee set a standard that will more than likely be ignored by other Marvel titles... but anyway, it's a very well-written story with beautiful art. Jenkins approached this storyline in a rare fashion (for these days), for while the 12 issues composed one complete suspenseful story, every issue could stand on its own. Also, he provides the Inhumans with personalities, making them seem much more human than the actual humans they reluctantly have to deal with. Jae Lee's artwork has progressed tremendously since his time on Namor, Hellshock, etc., and his interpretation of the group is amazing. His work is very detailed, but contains a large amount of shadow, giving the story a sense of mystery. The Inhumans haven't been given such care since the birth of Crystal's child in Fantastic Four, and that was a looooong time ago.

This is probably one of the best books Marvel has put out in the last 10 years, don't pass it by.

I've read a lot of comics. Never have I felt that I understood and connected with a character such as Jenkin's Blackbolt. For Blackbolt to save his people's lives he had to sacrife their trust in him. AMAZING. To have to meditate an hour everyday so that a cough or a hiccup doesn't kill everybody you love and care about; that's INCREDIBLE. For your brother to be your greatest enemy and yet after he brings the whole city to the brink of destruction you feel sorry and forgive him like he just eat the last piece of cake? UNIMAGINABLE. This my fellow readers is a masterpiece. 1 of the top five books I have EVER read. Nuff' Said.