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

Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX #4 - Marvel Comics

GIANT-SIZE LITTLE MARVEL: AVX No. 4, November 2015

Despite documenting the twins’ exploits with both the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Inhumans, as well as the series’ diminutively-sized titular characters, Skottie Young’s all-too familiar storyline for Issue Four of “Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX” doubtless disheartened many of the book’s 28,025 buyers with its worrying repetitiveness and over-reliance upon endless panels simply portraying Iron Man, Cyclops and their respective team-mates furiously yelling at one another. Indeed, this seemingly incessant conveyor-belt of shouting, threatening, arguing and gesticulating even appears to get too much for the Inkwell Award-winner himself, who towards the end of the eighteen-page periodical goes so far as to have an extremely agitated Zachary and Zoe scream at everyone to “Shuuuuutttt Up!” as they’ve “had just about enough of all of you!”

Admittedly such reservations about essentially reading the same plot repeatedly over the course of a couple of comics doesn’t necessarily apply to the entirety of this publication’s narrative, with the American author’s decision to incorporate the wide-ranging physical enhancements of the Attilans’ mutagenic Terrigen Mist arguably producing some of the series’ biggest laughs yet; “Ha Ha Ha! Hey we’re the Inhumans! Join us and you’ll get hit with a green fart cloud, wrapped in to a rotten egg and turned into one of these! Ha Ha Ha!” But even this sequence ultimately results in yet another round of everyone just squawking at one another after Black Bolt flattens the X-Men’s sarcastic leader with a single sound, and Zoe matter-of-factly hints she is “thinking of jumping over the zombie wall and calling it a day.”

Potentially of far more interest is Young’s ‘last gasp’ suggestion that perhaps the twins would actually prefer to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants rather than one of the superhero teams. Swiftly attired in black capes and cowls, courtesy of the speedster Quicksilver, and surrounded by the villainous ‘cutesy’ likes of Magneto, Loki, Doctor Octopus, Ultron and Venom, this plot development seems a far more likely source of inspiration and levity than the Fairbury-born writer’s mundane re-treading of old ideas. Sadly however, such a diabolically intriguing opportunity is infuriatingly never actually explored on account of the mini-series ending without warning or resolution on that very splash page…

Words and Art: Skottie Young, Colors: Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Letters: Jeff Eckleberry

The Thing #4 - Marvel Comics

THE THING No. 4, April 2006

Every now and then writers seem to think it would be a good idea to produce a storyline based upon the everyday exploits of super-heroes; a kind of ‘behind-the-scenes’ exposé on the ordinary lives of extraordinary people if you will. Issue Four of “The Thing” is one such attempt by Dan Slott, but rather than show us a simple ‘day in the life of Ben Grimm’, the American comic book writer also throws in some of the daily doings of his Fantastic Four team-mates as well as the Inhuman teleporter Lockjaw.

This inevitably results in the reader catching sight of a marital argument between Sue and Reed Richards and the sexual aspirations of Johnny Storm. Unfortunately this means there is nothing new here at all, and these ‘insightful everyday situations’ which gave so much character to Marvel’s foremost super-hero family during the time of Stan Lee and Jack “King” Kirby, have long since worn out their welcome. The treatment of the Human Torch’s character is particularly cringe-worthy, with Hothead displaying a staggering amount of immaturity as he spends the entire issue feverishly trying to reconstruct a female celebrity’s telephone number from a burnt piece of paper.

Fortunately the inclusion of Lockjaw, escort to the Royal Family of the Inhumans, does breathe some freshness into the proceedings. There’s some great scenes set within the City of Attilan depicting Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Medusa and Black Bolt ‘at rest’, as well as some action towards the end of the book which demonstrates just how formidable an opponent the alien bulldog-like being actually is.

Even so, the sheer banality of this comic book’s main storyline would cause this issue to become a particularly unmemorable edition if not for the superb artwork by Andrea Divito. The Italian comic book artist brings some stunning expressions to the face of the Inhuman with his “Hmph!” at an unhelpful Watcher being a particular ‘laugh-out-loud’ illustration. The beast’s sudden awakening of Triton, who moments before had been sound asleep within his water tank, is also drawn with great mirth.

As a result “Paws & Fast-Forward” is a fun readable experience with a slightly sickly sweet final message about money not necessarily buying happiness. And whilst there is perhaps one too many drawings of Lockjaw going “Hurr Hurh Huhh” whilst energetically humping Ben Grimm’s leg, there’s plenty of visual treats stored within the pages for the reader to enjoy.

Writer: Dan Slott, Penciler: Andrea Divito and Inker: Laura Villari