Marvel are releasing an Inhumans movie in 2018. Want to know which comics you should read? We've got you covered.
After decades of being a fascinating but minor part of the Marvel Universe, the Inhumans are about to step up in a big way. Originally created as supporting characters to the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans were an early attempt to expand the length and breadth of the Marvel Universe, and allowed the great mind of Jack Kirby to stretch his imagination in his first foray in world building a lost civilization, a motif he would return to in the pages of New Gods, The Eternals, and Kamandi. During the Inhumans rich history, some of comic’s greatest creators took their shot at the lost tribe. See for yourself!
A Star Crossed Romance in the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four #45-48 (1965) Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
The Inhumans arguably appeared during the most creative time in Marvel history. Right before Lee and Kirby sprung Galactus and Silver Surfer on their unsuspecting fan base, they introduced another team that spoke to the boundless creativity of both creators during the pinnacle of the Silver Age. The introduction of the Inhumans was not just another Silver Age story. It was a tale that expanded the Marvel Universe and was fraught with unexpected characters and a fateful love affair that would change the course of two races. When an emotional Johnny Storm meets a mysterious red heard, he follows her and meets her family. Revealed as a girl named Crystal, the redhead was part of a race of super-powered beings hidden in the Himalayas.
The Inhumans, as they called themselves, were forbidden to interact with humans, and as Johnny met each member of the Royal Family, the story grew exponentially. One by one, Lee and Kirby revealed Karnak, a martial arts master, Gorgon, a cloven hoofed powerhouse, Black Bolt, the brooding and silent king of the Inhumans Triton, an aquatic adventurer, and most unexpected of all, Crystal’s sister Medusa, a former member of the Frightful Four, a team of villains that had previously plagued the FF.
By adding Medusa, Lee and Kirby added an air of foreboding uncertainty to the Royal Family. Were they heroes or villains, and why would they accept a member of the Frightful Four into their midst? By the time it was all over, Marvel had a new team of super-powered anti-heroes granted amazing gifts by the constantly revving story device, the Terrigen Mists, and a mysterious new locale. The Inhumans looked like heroes, but there was a mood of danger around them. What kinds of heroes were led by a man who could destroy cities with his voice and harbored known villains? This was the Inhumans, a daring new team of superhumans whose origin would define the cosmic confines of the growing Marvel Universe and would be major players for decades to come.
The Thor Back Ups
Thor #146-153 (1967-1968) Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
The backstory of the Inhumans was certainly mythic in scope. So much so that Lee and Kirby used the characters as a backup feature in Thor. The Inhumans archetypes would be used again by Kirby in other books as Kirby’s all too brief run on solo Inhumans stories became an unscratched itch for a lost civilization legend. Aspects of the noble but tragic ruler of the Inhumans, Black Bolt would later appear in Orion of the New Gods and Icarus of the Eternals. The loyal and regal queen, Medusa, would be mirrored in the Eternals’ Thena. Karnak, the cold and masterful strategist would be reflected in Metron, while aspects of Gorgon, his rage and primal fury, would also be seen in Orion. Even the Shakespearean familial conflict between Black Bolt and his insane brother Maximus the Mad would be thematically explored again in the New Gods’ core conflict between brothers Orion and Kaliback.
This was one of the first times Lee and Kirby explored the beginnings of the Marvel Universe, a pre-history that expanded the core universe and blurred the edges of its origins. Kirby introduced the concept that the Inhumans were Kree experiments, something that would become key to the Royal Family’s history. Black Bolt and Maximus’s background early tragic relationship was explored and rivals the Thor/Loki dynamic for sheer drama. The foundation was set for the Inhumans moving forward as Kirby began his love affair with lost mythic civilizations.
Amazing Adventures #1-10 (1970-1972)
Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, Gerry Conway, Mike Sekowsky
Spinning directly out of the Thor back-ups, Jack Kirby got to continue his tale in the pages of the anthology title, Amazing Adventures. Reportedly, Jack had been working on an Inhumans title for two years, only to have the book pushed back. Kirby’s work, instead of being a major new feature, was shunted to the back of Thor, which displeased the artist. Be that as it may, the craftsmanship on the Thor back-ups was frenetic, and Kirby’s work on Amazing Adventures was no different. Like any anthology of the time, the title sold less than any solo feature, which was a shame, as a Kirby Inhumans book at the dawn of the 70s could have ushered in an era of creative concepts that built off his Fantastic Four and Thor work. Instead, Inhumans became an afterthought in a low-selling anthology.
That’s not to say the book wasn’t spectacular, as Kirby was at his best. The concept reinvigorated Jack and it was more than clear he wanted the characters to be a major part of Marvel’s past, present, and future. The Inhumans were cast in an eerie light...anti-heroes who did not trust or appreciate the outside world. It was a step beyond Marvel’s then recently (and ironically) canceled X-Men because with the Inhumans, the prejudice between their race and humans was completely mutual. Fans didn't know if they could fully trust the Royal Family, and in the first issue, Black Bolt is tricked into believing that the Fantastic Four had shot missiles at their refuge. Readers knew it was Maximus the Mad, Bolt’s insane brother, who committed the act, but casting the Inhumans in the role of hostile other set the tone for the series and many Inhumans appearances to follow. The conflict is resolved by the second issue but it was clear that the Inhumans were ready to go to war with humanity at the slightest provocation...a war they would not have to wait to long for as the next issue saw the Inhumans go up against the Mandarin.
With the end of the war with the Mandarin, Kirby departed the book with Amazing Adventures #4 and Marvel altogether. As for Amazing Adventures, things were in fantastic creative hands as the future X-Men team of Neal Adams and Roy Thomas took over and cut their teeth on their first group of Marvel outcasts. Adams and Thomas only stuck around for a couple of truly Amazing Adventures (boom), Thomas was replaced by Gerry Conway and Adams was replaced by co-creator of the Justice League Mike Sekowsky. All the creators before and after Kirby tried to give readers the sense that the Inhumans were part of the Marvel Universe, co-starring such characters as Thor and Magneto, but fans didn't support the anthology. Not even a title change for the final two issues (to Black Bolt and The Inhumans) could save it.
A Mutant/Inhuman Wedding (1974)
Fantastic Four #150 by Gerry Conway and Rick Buckler
No one knew it at the time, but when the Inhumans met Magneto to end their run in Amazing Adventures, it was quite ironic. Ironic because in the Inhuman’s next major story arc, the beloved Crystal, former belle of the Human Torch, was revealed to have become romantically involved with Magneto’s son, Quicksilver. This set the tone for the Inhumans for decades to come as the team now smashed up against the conflicts and intricacies of Marvel’s Merry Mutants and the Avengers as well as being major supporting players to the Fantastic Four. The romance culminated in a wedding in Fantastic Four #150 and it stood for a very long time, producing the first mutant/Inhuman offspring, Luna.
Inhumans (1975-1977)
Doug Moench, George Perez, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, Keith Pollard
Fans did not have to wait long for another go at an Inhumans solo feature, and this time Marvel dove into the Terrigen Mists feet first and finally gave the Inhumans their own book. The book, written by the steady hand of Doug Moench, also continued the tradition of A-list artists on the Inhumans. First George Perez and then Gil Kane drew the adventures of the Royal Family. There was still a tone of mistrust between the Inhumans and the outside world and Moench understood the character dynamics. Maximus continued to be the main villain and the title delved deeper in the Inhuman’s connection to the Kree. Sadly, the Inhumans were still major supporting players in the Fantastic Four so Moench could not make any seismic changes to any member of the Family. His adventures were entertaining, and always beautifully drawn, but they had no real consequence and hence no drama.
Inhumans Graphic Novel (1988)
Ann Nocenti and Bret Blevins
What begins as a joyous time, the pending birth of Black Bolt’s and Medusa’s child, turns into the opening shots of a civil war and a incredibly moving parable about woman’s rights. A brave and unexpected look into the Inhuman civilization and how it paralleled contemporary society.
Marvel Knights Inhumans (1998-1999)
Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee
When the Inhumans did return to their own series, they did so with a bang. Part of the four original Marvel Knights series, the imprint that ushered in the Joe Quesada era, The Inhumans was a ground breaking series that redefined the look and tone of the Inhumans for a new generation of readers. Jenkins returned the Royal Family to their alien roots, focusing on their Kree origins and their interfamily struggles as well as their place in a world filled with aliens, mutants, gods, and superhumans. Lee’s pencils portrayed the Inhumans as regal outsiders, eerie and gorgeous. The series was a true work of art and arguably the best book Marvel produced in the late 90s. Moving forward, in comics, television, or film, other than Kirby, this series is where other media will draw from the most.
Inhumans Versus the Kree (2000)
Rafael Marin, Jose Ladronn, Jorge Lucas
While Jenkins and Lee’s Inhumans maxi-series was more a deep psychological examination of a lost race trying to exist on the fringes of humanity, this 2000 mini-series that saw the Inhumans take on the Kree in an intergalactic conflict was a straight up superhero story. The highlight of the series was the Kirby-styled pencils of Ladronn who really stretched Kirby’s creative vision to new heights. The character work was not quite up to snuff with the previous series, but this book is beautiful.
A New Generation (2003-2004)
Sean McKeever, Matthew Clark, Robert Teranishi, David Ross
In the early 2000s, Marvel tried to hit the anime wave and bring some of their established properties to a new group of readers. Some fell flat, but others, like the Inhumans, really shook things up. McKeever’s series focused on the next generation of Inhumans exposed to the mists trying to fit into both human and Inhuman society. The spotlight was removed from the usual players as Black Bolt, Medusa, and the other iconic Inhumans were relegated to background roles. It seems the upcoming Inhumanity will be borrowing some of the themes and characters from this all too brief run.
The Illuminati (2005)
Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev
When Brian Michael Bendis retroactively introduced fans to a secret society of super powerbrokers in New Avengers #7, Black Bolt was perhaps the most interesting and unexpected member of the group. Rubbing elbows with Tony Stark, Namor, Black Panther, Reed Richards, and Charles Xavier, the silent but omnipresent king of the Inhumans meant that the hidden people were indeed major players in the Marvel Universe. As the king sat silently, any change of expression had meaning to the shadow cabinet. By including Black Bolt, Bendis took the Inhumans from fringe players and made them a major part of the core Marvel universe.
“I Want You to Scream!”
World War Hulk (2007)
Greg Pak and John Romita Jr.
As portrayed as a member of the Illuminati, Black Bolt was the ultimate badass...he freaked out even Stark and Richards. So when a fighting mad Hulk returns from intergalactic exile forced upon him by the Illuminati and withstands Black Bolt’s voice, it is truly shocking. Even more shocking, Hulk demands the ultra-powerful ruler of the Inhumans scream to signal Hulk’s arrival to Earth. This moment resonated with fans making it ironic that the Inhuman’s greatest story moment might be when their king fell.
Son of M and The Silent War (2007)
David Hine and Frazier Irving
Starting with Paul Jenkins series and continuing into McKeever’s work, Quicksilver was not part of the Inhuman narrative. He was divorced from Crystal in the pages of Avengers and continued his discontent into X-Factor, but after the events of House of M, where Quicksilver was directly responsible for the destruction of the mutant race, Pietro was left lost and considered a race traitor. The Silent War returned the character to his Inhuman roots as Quicksilver steals the Terrigen Mists hoping to use them to rekindle the spark of mutantkind. The Inhumans were once again cast in the role of threat, as the Royal Family comes to the human to find who stole the Mists and end up going to war against humanity. By the time the series was over, the Inhumans were seen as aggressive antagonists to the human race. The series features the Inhumans going one-on-one against the Avengers, reminding modern fans just how badass the Royal Family can be. The series also sees the USA invade the Inhuman homeland of Attilan. By the time the series is over, the Inhumans had become even greater outsiders than they had been previously.
Secret Invasion (2008)
Joe Pokaski and Tom Raney
With the Inhumans finding themselves separate from the human race and their super human allies, the Royal Family must face the threat of the Skrulls. Black Bolt was revealed to be a Skrull and Medusa must do everything in her power to defend her home and save her king. Pretty much what fans expected, but where the series shined, was the spotlight on the first Inhuman to appear in a Marvel comic, Queen Medusa.
Realm of Kings (2010)
Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Pablo Raimondi
After successfully ushering in the new Cosmic Age for Marvel with Annihilation, the power writing duo of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning turned their sights on the Inhumans. This is where the Inhuman connection to the Kree really came to a head as Ronan the Accuser planned to use the Inhumans as the ultimate weapon against their enemies the Shi’ar. At this time, Crystal was forced to marry Ronan to foster a peace between Kree and Inhumans, and remained loyal to him. This brought Crystal into conflict with the Royal Family, specifically Medusa. It’s like Game of Thrones, in space, with a woman who has living, killer hair. Realm of Kings is the last stop fans need to make while prepping for Inhumanity. Abnett and Lanning are the writers that brought future movie superstars, the Guardians of the Galaxy into prominence and their take on the Inhumans should be experienced by fans eagerly awaiting the next step in the evolution of Marvel’s strangest heroes.
Which bring us to Infinity and the awakening of a new and hidden race of Inhumans. As the Royal Family moves forward as major players in the Marvel universe, it is only a matter of time till new legions of fans find out what Lee and Kirby introduced back in 1965. The Inhumans may not be the flashiest players in the Marvel Universe, but they very well might be the most dangerous.