6 Autobots
allhailgrimlock

Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I'm a well read grad student who's bluntly honest about all things, although I try to be most honest about myself.   

Currently reading

Separate Orbits
Yael Mermelstein
Progress: 119/427pages
BATMAN #53 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman53, TomKingBatman53
BATMAN #54 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
MattWagnerBatman54, TomKingBatman54
BATMAN #52 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman52, TomKingBatman52
BATMAN #51 ((DC REBIRTH)) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
LeeWeeksBatman51, TomKingBatman51
Infinity Wars: Iron Hammer (2018) #1 (of 2)
Al Ewing, Humberto Ramos
Champions (2019-) #4
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente
SUICIDE SQUAD #46 ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSS46, RobWilliamsSS46
SUICIDE SQUAD #45 ((SINK ATLANTIS)) ((DC REBIRTH )) ((Regular Cover)) - DC Comics - 2018 - 1st Printing
JosLuisSuicideSquad45, RobWilliamsSuicideSquad45
Champions (2019-) #3
Jim Zub, Jacinto Benavente

So, Marvel comics get so... dated

Black Bolt: Something Inhuman This Way Comes - Mike Sekowsky, Neal Adams, Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas

They just do.  They look older, they feel older, they read older.   From the kinda tacky dialogue, and the unnecessary exposition, to the rather garish colors, I find myself wishing that there was more of a modern sensibility to the older comics.   Silly, I know, but I just shake my head and say, 'oh, but Marvel, you do so much better later on.' 

 

Then again, this had an amnesiac Black Bolt wandering around San Fransisco and someone stealing his costume and pretending to be him.   It delves into the Maximus and Black Bolt relationship - brotherly competition over Attilan and Medusa.   May I remind you that Medusa is first cousin to both Maximus and Black Bolt here?   Because, y'know, why would that get less creepy.   (I feel like this is why they finally split the Medusa/Black Bolt couple up as well.  And while he doesn't go after Medusa here, Maximus certainly does later on.)

 

It had a lot of things I liked.  I just wish it wasn't so dated.  I wish Medusa wasn't so clingy with Black Bolt, although she continues to be right up until the Inhuman series from the 2000s.   Until then, she'd kinda fall apart whenever he died or got kidnapped or whatever.   During Inhuman, she kinda wakes up to what a d-bag he is, takes the throne of Attilan for herself, and goes all grrl power when she kicks him out.   He ever kinda bows to her then, which was awesome. 

 

 

And I'm kinda intrigued more by Black Bolt each time he shows himself to be a raging asshole, and I go, 'well, I still like him.   What, brain, what?   I do.'   First of all, it was noted in one comic that he does what's best for his people, even when they don't agree.  I'd argue that after all the things he's been through, maybe destroying Attilan seemed rational when he made that decision.  Maybe forcing Terrigenesis on the whole world - the ones who were Inhumans - seemed like the best way to save his people.  

 

Because, honestly, he had two pretty bad choices when he made those decisions.   He had to choose what he saw as the least evil and most beneficial to his people.   And maybe, just maybe, the isolation of not being able to speak is finally getting to him?   I wonder if it is.   More accurately, I wonder if this will be seriously delved into at some

point.  There have been chances to do it, but none have been taken. 

 

Ah, regardless, the Inhumans were rather different back when this was written and published.   It's kinda exciting to see the evolution of the characters.