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aceinit's review against another edition
4.0
Saladin Ahmed is writing for Marvel Comics? You have my attention.
And, seriously, if you haven’t read Ahmed’s novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, you should go do that. Immediately.
Ahmed’s take on Black Bolt is my introduction to the Inhumans, and it definitely has me wanting to go find out more about the Royal Family. Black Bolt awakens, powerless, in prison. What follows is part mystery, part prison break, and part tale of the sacrifices we make for our friends. The writing here is top notch and the art and coloring (the coloring!!!) are a perfect match to the story.
Marvel has put together an A+ creative team, and they deliver on every aspect of the series. I hope they continue to work together for many issues to come. I know I’ll be around to pick up each new issue as it comes out.
And, seriously, if you haven’t read Ahmed’s novel, Throne of the Crescent Moon, you should go do that. Immediately.
Ahmed’s take on Black Bolt is my introduction to the Inhumans, and it definitely has me wanting to go find out more about the Royal Family. Black Bolt awakens, powerless, in prison. What follows is part mystery, part prison break, and part tale of the sacrifices we make for our friends. The writing here is top notch and the art and coloring (the coloring!!!) are a perfect match to the story.
Marvel has put together an A+ creative team, and they deliver on every aspect of the series. I hope they continue to work together for many issues to come. I know I’ll be around to pick up each new issue as it comes out.
evilchocho's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
drhoagie's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
violinknitter's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the characters. Definitely missing some continuity jumping in here as a comic newbie, so a few things were confusing. The art was gorgeous, but I couldn’t always understand what was going on in various action scenes.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Black Bolt wakes up in a prison somewhere in space with no powers and the other inmates are Crusher Creel, aka The Absorbing Man, the Metal Master, and others. Can Black Bolt unite this band of criminals and bust out of jail?
Aside from the Marvel Knights miniseries, I've never ready many Inhumans comics apart from their periodic Fantastic Four appearances. Someone on Twitter likened the series to the sequence in [b:Preludes & Nocturnes|23754|Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411609637s/23754.jpg|1228437] when The Sandman met The Martian Manhunter. Now that I've taken the plunge, it kind of fits.
Like I said in the teaser, Black Bolt wakes up in the clink and has to deal with being powerless, complete with being able to speak. After tussling with a couple of the inmates, Black Bolt is killed and resurrected. In fact, all of the prisoners are repeatedly killed and brought back to be killed again by The Jailer.
Saladin Ahmed does a great, believable job in making Black Bolt trust and befriend guys like the Absorbing Man. Hell, he makes the Absorbing Man a sympathetic character at times. Metal Master and the other supporting characters get similar treatment. Why isn't Saladin Ahmed doing a higher profile book? Also, the appearance by Death's Head was really cool. Yah, obscure 90s Marvel characters!
With a title like Hard Time, you know there's a prison break going. After some false starts, I was hooked for the duration. Before I knew it, I'd buzz sawed through the entire collection. Once Lockjaw showed up, it was pretty much academic but I was a little sad at the ending, although it wet my whistle for the next book.
It would have been easy to do a comic about Black Bolt and focusing on his powers but Ahmed focused instead on his (in)humanity and character, making for a great read. Four out of five stars.
Aside from the Marvel Knights miniseries, I've never ready many Inhumans comics apart from their periodic Fantastic Four appearances. Someone on Twitter likened the series to the sequence in [b:Preludes & Nocturnes|23754|Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411609637s/23754.jpg|1228437] when The Sandman met The Martian Manhunter. Now that I've taken the plunge, it kind of fits.
Like I said in the teaser, Black Bolt wakes up in the clink and has to deal with being powerless, complete with being able to speak. After tussling with a couple of the inmates, Black Bolt is killed and resurrected. In fact, all of the prisoners are repeatedly killed and brought back to be killed again by The Jailer.
Saladin Ahmed does a great, believable job in making Black Bolt trust and befriend guys like the Absorbing Man. Hell, he makes the Absorbing Man a sympathetic character at times. Metal Master and the other supporting characters get similar treatment. Why isn't Saladin Ahmed doing a higher profile book? Also, the appearance by Death's Head was really cool. Yah, obscure 90s Marvel characters!
With a title like Hard Time, you know there's a prison break going. After some false starts, I was hooked for the duration. Before I knew it, I'd buzz sawed through the entire collection. Once Lockjaw showed up, it was pretty much academic but I was a little sad at the ending, although it wet my whistle for the next book.
It would have been easy to do a comic about Black Bolt and focusing on his powers but Ahmed focused instead on his (in)humanity and character, making for a great read. Four out of five stars.
huhwait's review against another edition
5.0
this is such a must read for anyone who is looking for something good to read lkfdkgjlkdfjg
(re-read)
(re-read)
wesleyboy's review against another edition
4.0
Trippy story of Black Bolt in an intergalactic jail. Not like anything else I’ve ever read. Really great original story.
twowhoodles's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up knowing nothing about the character but as a fan of Ahmed’s prose. It’s a fantastic story, full of emotion and drama and danger. But my god - the art! Awesome sense of motion. Loved the blur between panels to show effects in parts. The colors, especially near the end, blew me away.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
2.0
Once you get to the end you realize not much happened. A thing would happen, then its opposite would happen. Something would wind up, then unwind itself.
Something I don't usually love is the story about a superhero who loses their powers. It's cool to do once in a while, but it's a really common theme, and it can be self-defeating. If Black Bolt can talk and doesn't have his powers, then why does it matter one bit that it's Black Bolt in the pages? It could easily be any number of characters slotted into this story, which makes it less interesting.
It's especially bad when characters lose and regain powers when the story needs them to. There's no real explanation or logic to it. It's not predictable what Black Bolt will and won't be able to do with his powers and when they won't work. It's just a matter of them working when it's time for them to work and end the story.
Absorbing Man was great. I liked that he was in there. But the rest of the crew was pretty dull.
The art was interesting. It was pretty to look at, although it was a little Batman: Arkham Asylum at times, by which I mean it gets messy and there are times when I can't really tell what's going on.
I'd recommend the Inhumans comic from Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. That's where it's at.
Something I don't usually love is the story about a superhero who loses their powers. It's cool to do once in a while, but it's a really common theme, and it can be self-defeating. If Black Bolt can talk and doesn't have his powers, then why does it matter one bit that it's Black Bolt in the pages? It could easily be any number of characters slotted into this story, which makes it less interesting.
It's especially bad when characters lose and regain powers when the story needs them to. There's no real explanation or logic to it. It's not predictable what Black Bolt will and won't be able to do with his powers and when they won't work. It's just a matter of them working when it's time for them to work and end the story.
Absorbing Man was great. I liked that he was in there. But the rest of the crew was pretty dull.
The art was interesting. It was pretty to look at, although it was a little Batman: Arkham Asylum at times, by which I mean it gets messy and there are times when I can't really tell what's going on.
I'd recommend the Inhumans comic from Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. That's where it's at.
rebeccaclarke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0