Review: Karnak #1

[baldeaglecomics]

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Inhumans and while this super-evolved race also had their very own series debut this week, I found Karnak to be a better overall representation of the mystery, intelligence, and pseudo selflessness that has characterized the species since their inception in 1965. Karnak’s very first solo series gives some very creative artists room to explore his complex persona as a way that dissects the rest of Inhumanity and their perceptions of the human world.

This article contains no plot spoilers.

Background and Selection

For those that are not familiar with Karnak, it’s important to note his storied history in the Marvel Universe. Inhumans were unknown to humans until Karnak first interacted with the Fantastic Four while attempting to save the life of his cousin, Medusa. As a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and court philosopher / high priest / overall badass, he’s heavily influenced King Black Bolt’s attitude towards humanity and has been a driving force in creating alliances between two races. Having never been exposed to the Terrigan Mists, the substance that unlocks Inhumans’ superpowers, Karnak doesn’t have any considerable physical abilities. Instead, he has the unique ability to “see the weakness in all things,” allowing him to pinpoint the flaw of any object, person, or strategy. This gift, paired with training in various martial arts, has made Karnak a formidable opponent to many would-be conquerors of Earth and of Inhumanity.



You may be asking “Andrew, if you love the Inhumans so much and Karnak is just one member of the species, why choose Karnak as your Book of the Week?” Well, reader, the answer is simple. Uncanny Inhumans is a good book but it tries too hard to establish a new status quo for a species with a 40 year history. When establishing a new storyline, the writer’s responsibility is to introduce key aspects of the characters before presenting us with the inciting incident of the story. Uncanny Inhumans takes the easy way out in this introductory process and uses forced dialogue to accomplish the goal, whereas Karnak provides the same level of background information in a smooth and unnoticeable fashion. Both titles have enormous potential and there’s a good chance that I enjoy Uncanny Inhumans #2 more than Karnak #2, but Karnak #1 was a far superior book to Uncanny Inhumans #1.

Plot and Words

This new chapter for Karnak places him as the Magister of the Tower of Wisdom, a collective of “religious” philosophers that study the natural universe and all of its intricacies. The first page only has four words (“The Tower of Wisdom”) and already I’m intrigued. The first thing you’ll be exposed to is a clear representation of the Inhuman-human relationship. It’s strained but peaceful and cooperative. Neither wants very much to do with one another but they know that they can mutually benefit eachother. This is what I mean when I say that Karnak #1 is superior in its establishment of the status quo; you understand what’s going on even though the first four pages only have three lines of dialogue. Following this, the story establishes the ideology of the main character in a beautiful monologue (which I actually wrote down for safe keeping): “While I am gone, consider the stone cairns on the ground floor of our Tower. Consider the stones as the visible manifestation of Blind Time. The stones cannot perceive us in any way. In a hundred generations of human life, they only grow more perfect. The stones matter more to the universe than you do. Even to a stone, you are nothing. And remember to clean the latrines.” That’s what matters to the story. The following fifteen pages contain a fine plot but none of that matters without Karnak’s unbelievably interesting philosophical approach to the universe. This book (and hopefully the rest of this series) are about how a stoic nihilist (I need to fully explore his ideology more before definitively characterizing it) interacts with characters in a Marvel Universe that focuses on finding the meaning in all people. As should be the goal with all comics, this story will make you think about the world and your place in it.

Continue reading on the Bald Eagle Comics Blog: https://www.baldeaglecomics.com/blog...-week-karnak-1

[Winterboy]

Karnak = Ellis
S.H.I.E.L.D. = Marvel

[Trident]

Good write up baldegalecomics! You hit on some great points. I especially like that you highlighted the Inhuman and Human relationship, along with Karnak's view on the world. I can already tell that Karnak's title will be one people will be talking about for months to come.

One thing to note though....each Inhuman, before the T-Mist Bomb at least, possessed a degree of enhanced physical traits that exceed that of ordinary humans. Mist exposed or not. So Karnak's physical traits are at minimum to the level of Captain America and at maximum the level of someone like Blade. I think this is an important element to the character that makes him more believable to a degree, since no man with "normal" human stats could pull off some of the things Karnak has done with to without his ability to see the flaw in all things.

Just thought you would be interested in that bit of info. I can tell you are a Karnak fan.

Also, be sure to check out the discussion here on the issue:

http://community.comicbookresources....Like-All-Of-Us

And to drop by Karnak's Thread here:

http://community.comicbookresources....78#post1434378

Be great to have you in the discussion and to hear any of your other thoughts on Karnak.