Marvel's INHUMANS Origins, Explained by PRIEST & NOTO

[HsssH]

I like Priest and on technical level this issue was fine, but honestly Marvel has completely lost me on Inhumans with all their changes. I have read most of the old stuff with them and some of the new and I'm just lost, I don't understand anymore what is supposed to be in continuity and what isn't.

[millernumber1]

Well, today's issue was gorgeously drawn by Noto, as expected, but even better than last issue. I'm very intrigued by Bolt acting like a fairly standard superhero, and the interactions and machinations of the politics are really interesting.

[Daska]

I liked the artwork but that was about the only thing I enjoyed in the first issue. I can't help but feel this series is retconing way too much and I have some questions about some parts.

1) Maximus and Blackbolt's parents were mentioned to have died I assume they were accidentally killed along with the rest of the genetics council when Blackbolt talked. However, in the old cannon this is what caused Maximus to go insane and he was locked away almost immediately after the tragic accident. However, in this issue Maximus and Blackbolt are just hanging out being bros but their parents are dead why isn't Maximus insane or at least a little bit upset? I wanted to like this series and I may have forgiven it for other retcons but if this comic tries to retcon how Maximus went insane I will never forgive it.

2) If the isolation chamber made it so Blackbolt could talk how on earth is that supposed to teach him to control his power? If they have power dampeners why didn't they just put one on Blackbolt and not lock him away in isolation in till he was 19?

3) Why was Maximus shot with a power dampener? Only Blackbolt and their parents knew Maximus had powers. Maximus kept his abilities a secret from the others, they only found out he had powers when he used them to wipe Blackbolt's memory that one time. Does the person who shot Maximus know his secret? Or does he just have really bad aim and I don't know trying to hit the unspoken or Blackbolt multiple times? Also why did the dampener take away Maximus's super intelligence? Since when is being smart part of his powers?

[Mike_Murdock]

However, in this issue Maximus and Blackbolt are just hanging out being bros but their parents are dead why isn't Maximus insane or at least a little bit upset? I wanted to like this series and I may have forgiven it for other retcons but if this comic tries to retcon how Maximus went insane I will never forgive it.

This issue explains Maximus's insanity and why he's not always insane (which he isn't - the original FF issues implied he only went insane after the Negative Zone Barrier went down because he didn't seem insane earlier). But it doesn't hide the insanity.

2) If the isolation chamber made it so Blackbolt could talk how on earth is that supposed to teach him to control his power? If they have power dampeners why didn't they just put one on Blackbolt and not lock him away in isolation in till he was 19?

The power dampeners bother me, but it does not appear to be Inhuman technology, at least.

I like this issue. I like that you can't really tell who to believe and trust. It's possible the King is the good guy and Elisha the bad guy. The backup story was a ton of fun as well.

[Daska]

This issue explains Maximus's insanity and why he's not always insane (which he isn't - the original FF issues implied he only went insane after the Negative Zone Barrier went down because he didn't seem insane earlier). But it doesn't hide the insanity.

Thanks for your reply, I guess I'm just confused because in the limited series "something inhuman this way comes," Blackbolt has a flashback to when he accidentally killed his parents. Maximus was hit with the shock wave of Blackbolt's voice and the impact of the blast as well as the shock of his parents dying caused Maximus's insanity, and Blackbolt is said to feel guilt knowing "that it was he who first did drive his brother mad". Other comics such as Paul Jenkins run have referred this event being the cause of Maximus's insanity.

However, some other issues have hinted that Maximus has a legitimate mental illness such as Schizophrenia, and was beginning to manifest symptoms of the illness before being exposed to Blackbolt's voice, and the blast simply enhanced the progress of his illness. If this is the case it would explain why sometimes Maximus is completely crazy and other times able to function normally, as people suffering from schizophrenia often cycle being periods of irregular and normal behaviour.

I guess my major problem with this issue is Maximus just seems too mentally stable for someone who has witnessed his parents death and a blast from Blackbolt's voice. I guess his parents could have been killed months ago and Maximus has had time to deal with the shock of losing his parents. However, because the death of his parents has been referred to before as the turning point in Maximus's mental stability, the fact that Maximus seems happy go lucky in this issue seems to me like an attempt to retcon the cause of Maximus's insanity.

[Mike_Murdock]

Did you read Royals? It explains Avengers 95 and Maximus's insanity. Essentially, it's future Maximus sending messages to the past. This was a power that was triggered by Black Bolt's powers.

Also, have you read issue two of this run. They show the reason Maximus seems fine is he's being medicated.

[Daska]

Yes I am reading royals I just had completely forgotten about that issue, now that you have brought it up the details are coming back to me. I really need to start rereading things before I post on these forums. Thanks for the info Mike_Murdock. Is it issue #2 of Once and Future King where it mentions that Maximus is being medicated? I didn't realize issue number #2 was out, my comic book store didn't have it in my file. Now I just feel silly.

[Mike_Murdock]

Yeah, issue two. You just had bad timing asking the question. It's not a lengthy explanation and "cures" create continuity issues by themselves (but this one makes the most sense of any of them since it fits the real world with mental health).

[Daska]

Thanks for the info, I'm going to have to go find issue #2 now that I know it's out. So I guess the medication will eventually stop working in order for Maximus to slip into insanity, or is the unspoken the one providing Maximus with medication? Does it specify in the issue where the medication comes from?

[Mike_Murdock]

Just read the issue.

I'll just speak for the real world for a second. Often times, people with mental health don't like the way medication makes them feel because they upset their brain chemistry in other ways. Even though they should know better, they stop taking it and their symptoms return. I'm not saying that's the explanation here, but it's certainly a plausible one.

[gwangung]

Just read the issue.

I'll just speak for the real world for a second. Often times, people with mental health don't like the way medication makes them feel because they upset their brain chemistry in other ways. Even though they should know better, they stop taking it and their symptoms return. I'm not saying that's the explanation here, but it's certainly a plausible one.

Very real world relatable.

And not damaging to continuity, really.

[millernumber1]

Really enjoyed this week's issue. Some fun Medusa stuff, Crystal was a very interesting character, and Priest making us work to figure out what's going on. I'm a new Inhumans reader, so discovering all these characters is a pretty fun part of the book for me. Plus, the short story at the end was cute - a bit more fun than last month's. Plus, they had the Noto cover as an alternate, which was really nice!

[Mike_Murdock]

I like this issue. It's a bit hard to follow at parts, but it's enjoyable the whole way through. I've given up thinking about the continuity issues, though.

The character at the end feels the hardest to reconcile.

[Michael Watkins]

I like Noto as an artist. so I picked up an issue. I kind have no idea what is going on. I thought that the kid versions of the Inhumans were brought into the present, for some reason (but was mistaken). it's interesting to see Wizard and Trapster acting in this capacity.

[Holt]

This and Black Bolt are easily the best Inhumans books right now. Especially when the TV show is fumbling badly with the caste system handling, seeing Priest actually deconstruct and unpack the baggage that comes with the Alpha Primitives is quite fascinating.