What Future Awaits The Inhumans In Death Of The Inhumans #5?
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Black Bolt, Medusa, and the Inhuman Royal Family narrowly escape the Kree, but they know now that the Kree have been kidnapping Inhumans and turning them into their deadly Vox agents. Worse yet, the Kree just kidnapped Medusa’s sister, Crystal. Black Bolt knows this cannot go unpunished, and, with the encouragement of Beta Ray Bill and Karnak, the Inhuman Royal Family turns their ship around to punish the Kree for their atrocities.
Death of the Inhumans #5 concludes the story with one last warcry from Black Bolt and the Inhumans against their creators and oppressors, the Kree Empire. It’s a very visceral read, focusing on Black Bolt’s decision-making and his need to see his people avenged.
The one main flaw in the book is Medusa being pushed into the background. Recent Inhuman-focused comics, especially Charles Soule’s series of Inhumans titles and Al Ewing’s Royals did a good job of spotlighting Medusa as a decision-maker and a leader, and it feels a bit like a disservice to the character and the Inhuman mythos to push Medusa to the background.
That said, I’d be lying if I said that Black Bolt isn’t personally my favorite of the Inhuman Royal Family of characters (with the possible exceptions of Gorgon and Maximus the Mad). Blackagar is an immensely compelling lead, and watching his struggle here makes for engaging reading material.
Ariel Olivetti finishes strong with another great-looking comic that surprisingly cuts against the grain of what one familiar with the artist would expect. This is a more classic comic style that less resembles a 3-D rendered aesthetic than other Olivetti comics. Olivetti is a talented artist, and this miniseries has shown his range. Jordie Bellaire is a great colorist too, and she does a good job giving color to this book.
Death of the Inhumans #5 gives a powerful ending to what seems to be the swansong of Inhuman Marvel titles for the foreseeable future. Black Bolt is given a powerful and terrible decision to make, some of the loose ends are tied, and we are left to wonder what, if anything, is left for the Inhumans of the Marvel Universe. It’s a good read and worthy of a recommendation. Check it out.
Death of the Inhumans #5 comes to us from writer Donny Cates, artist Ariel Olivetti, color artist Jordie Bellaire, letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles, cover artist Kaare Andrews, and variant cover artist Mike del Mundo based upon the work of Jim Steranko.