The Comics Thread: A History Of Inhumanity

[Lantern7]

This is a thread on the Inhumans in comic books, from their debut in Fantastic Four in 1965, to their current popularity generated by Marvel, because they don't own the film rights to X-Men. Thus, the Terrigen Mists turning people with Inhuman markers into superhumans. On the bright side, the new generation includes Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) and Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel).

The concept is nice . . . royalty with superpowers and maximum drama. The main cast is translated well to the show. The tuning fork-like devices on Black Bolt and Lockjaw's heads are gone. Karnak's tattoos are a recent thing. I read his series online, the one written by Warren Ellis. Apparently, he's not really an Inhuman. His family didn't subject him to Terregenesis, and his ability to find flaws was learned. I believe Maximus's deal is mind control, and I'm willing to bet that he's exerting that in the show on a very subtle level. Well, subtle for a superhero show.

Like I said in the first episode's thread, I recommend reading the miniseries from Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee from the late-Nineties. Very compelling twelve issues of intrigue and action.

[Morrigan2575]

Minor disappoint, granted Crystal seems way young, late teens? But this show just reminded me that we'll never get Little Luna Maximoff. ?

Comics wise, I have the most knowledge of Crystal due to reading The Avengers during that whole QuickSilver/Crystal/Black Knight/Sersi Quadrangle.

The rest of the Inhumans came from their relaunch, The Uncanny Inhumans, (not All New) from a couple of years ago.

[starri]

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Apparently, he's not really an Inhuman. His family didn't subject him to Terregenesis, and his ability to find flaws was learned

He's still an Inhuman, just one that, as you say, didn't undergo Terrigenesis.  I guess we're supposed to infer he did, here?

I have to wonder if they've just reversed the backstories for Karnak and Maximus here, since Maximus does have mind control powers.  Unless we learn later on that the show Maximus does as well.  Hell, they may have revealed it in the second episode, since I'm going to have to psych myself up to watch it.

[Lantern7]

CBR goes over Inhuman history. Was not acutely aware that Medusa predated the rest of the royal family.

[Morrigan2575]

7 hours ago, starri said:

I have to wonder if they've just reversed the backstories for Karnak and Maximus here, since Maximus does have mind control powers.  Unless we learn later on that the show Maximus does as well.  Hell, they may have revealed it in the second episode, since I'm going to have to psych myself up to watch it.

They could have hinted at it, they talked about Terrigenesis sometimes taking time and, they showed that people don't really understand powers that aren't obvious, like clairvoyance.

There's also been several instances where they showed Maximus has the ear of the people. Maybe we'll find out that Max I'm us has mind control powers

[NorthstarATL]

For me, the Inhumans always worked best as background characters. The CBR point about Crystal being the "Marilyn" of the Inhumans' "Munsters" was pretty much on-target. The IH were best as in-laws to be periodically and not enthusiastically visited. Their powers were weird and wacky, and didn't hold out under scrutiny (Wouldn't Medusa's use of her hair snap her own neck? Was Lockjaw a humanoid BEFORE the mists? etc.) Crystal, unfortunately, was SO powerful that she put the rest of the FF to shame, and, as a female character in the 1970s, that was a mistake, so they decided that the pollution in the air outside the Great Refuge was so toxic that she had to return, indefinitely. They also didn't want to have to rename the FF comic to the "Fantastic Five". Interestingly they would hook her up with another character that was deemed "baggage" at that point, the Avengers' Pietro Maximoff, AKA Quicksilver.

   It was the use of Quicksilver that reignited the desire at Marvel to popularize the Inhumans. Both FOX and Marvel Disney claimed Quicksilver, and Marvel/Disney, or Joss Whedon, his twin sister Wanda, the Scarlet Witch. Marvel got the bright idea to connect them to the Inhumans, rather than the Mutantverse, which FOX controlled, and, Voila!, we get the Terrigen mists, the twins, and the Inhumans infiltrating all aspects of Marvel comics and movie/TV porjects.

 IMO, they could easily have NOT pinpointed an origin for the twins' powers, used them as they wished in the Avengers, and subbed speedster Northstar, already having a history with Wolverine, but not raised with his twin sister, into the FOX movieverse. They missed the opportunity there to publicize having the first out gay superhero in a movie!

  But, back to the Inhumans, definitely better as background characters than title.

[Guest]

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 6:49 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

They could have hinted at it, they talked about Terrigenesis sometimes taking time and, they showed that people don't really understand powers that aren't obvious, like clairvoyance.

There's also been several instances where they showed Maximus has the ear of the people. Maybe we'll find out that Max I'm us has mind control powers

Maybe there is something to the fact that only Maximus has triggered the kids visions so far.  Maybe its not the kid with powers or maybe not only the kid with powers.

[rmontro]

I find myself rooting for the Crystal character, I was glad she escaped from Ramsay, I mean Maximus, in the third episode.  I realized why I like her.  She was a temporary member of the Fantastic Four back in the 60s when Sue was pregnant.  So seeing her on TV may be the closest I will ever get to seeing a member of the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  There are other heroes who were temporary members of the Fantastic Four, including Medusa, but IIRC only Crystal filled that role while the book was being done by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which was when the book was its height.

[HunterHunted]

And now it's an independent nation in the Hudson between New York and New Jersey.

@starri I imagine that there is an equal likelihood of a ferry to Attilan existing as the fully completed second Avenue subway line. Having to check passports must be a pain for Port Authority. I wonder if Attilan has territorial waters? I would be pissed if the ferry to NJ was suddenly longer in order to avoid Attilan's water.

[Lantern7]

Lockjaw gets his own miniseries in February. Apparently, he has relatives. I'm reading the current miniseries because of Christopher Priest. I don't know either creator, but I might need to pick that up.

Anybody reading Once and Future Kings? Interesting stuff, though I don't know if teen Inhumans mesh with early Spider-Man. Also, puppy Lockjaw is sofa king adorable.