The Inhumans #7 - Marvel Comics

THE INHUMANS No. 7, October 1976

Featuring a truly pulse-pounding cover illustration by Comic Book Hall of Famer Gil Kane showing the Inhuman’s royal family about to be squashed by a giant robotic ant, Doug Moench’s narrative for “A Trip To The Doom!” sadly probably didn’t live up to many readers’ subsequent expectations in October 1976. Indeed, despite depicting an intriguing alien dust-ball where its seemingly sole civilisation is housed within a monstrous mechanical insect, the Chicago-born writer’s somewhat erratic pacing arguably causes this seventeen-page periodical’s plot to be a ‘bit of a slog.’

Foremost of these hurdles is debatably the American author’s decision to hurl his audience back to ruined Attilan just as the Black Bolt’s space Ark catastrophically crash-lands on a world which just moments before had blasted it from orbit. This incredibly dialogue-heavy flashback sequence proves as disagreeable to navigate through as Quicksilver’s holier than thou arrogance is to stomach, and resultantly all the momentum gained from the aforementioned spectacular collision is disappointingly lost amidst the numerous text boxes and word balloons; “Yes, Karnak. A weakness which very probably saved their ungrateful lives.”

In addition, once the clouds do finally settle, the speed of the story-telling becomes incredibly fast, with any and all bibliophiles being unceremoniously whisked through an extra-terrestrial court-room hearing, a rebellion from the marvellously named Squalor-Sector, a second surprise assault by the insurrectionist Shreel, and then finally an explosion so large that it completely separates one of the mighty, ever-moving metropolis’ eight limbs. Many of these threads could easily have been more patiently explored if allowed, particularly the suggestion that the behemoth beetle is actually just semi-aimlessly moving in a large circle – from water-hole to water-hole, rather than heading for a specific salvation.

Apparently determined to try and keep up with the script’s hustle are Kane and inker Don Perlin, who together do a solid job in depicting the extra-terrestrials' highly imaginative city, if not its awesome size from the outside. However, it’s probably the pair’s handling of the various fight scenes in this comic which is particularly impressive, as the likes of Medusa, Gorgon and Triton really show just what their super-powers are capable of against any foe.

Fantasy-Makers: Doug Moench & Gil Kane, and Inker: Don Perlin