Royals #1

Two Inhumans related comics in a row!  After watching the pilot of the TV series I didn’t think this would ever happen, but then the quality of the comics is leaps and bounds above that god-awful show.  This one came as a free digital download with another comic, and after Thanos #1 and Doctor Strange and the Sorcerors Supreme #1, I was have expecting this one to be mediocre too.  I love it when expectations are blown away!

The Cover

Jonboy Meyers handles the duties for both the cover and the interior art.  I dig it.  It looks in some ways a little exotic, mostly in Medusa’s face, and in others it looks like it could have been copied from a mid 90’s issue of Uncanny X-men.  I mean that in a complimentary fashion as Uncanny had a series of awesome covers back then.

The Art

Again, the art looks good.  It appears like Meyers is trying to make the Inhumans, and this book, look as futuristic and Science Fiction like as possible.  The art looks crisp, the colours are fantastic, and the layout draws the eyes in.  This is a well drawn and coloured book, and I’ll have to check, but if this same team is still doing it, I may have to pick up additional issues.

The Story

Al Ewing opens the book first with a cast listing, with some new Inhumans, as well as the bulk of the Royal family(hence the books title).

The story begins far in the future, with the last of the Inhumans visiting what appears to be a shrine commemorating the journey that begins later in this issue.  We learn right from the get-go that not everyone that leaves on this adventure is going to return.

The whole purpose of the journey is to try and find a way to continue their species, as the substance that triggered their inhuman genes, terrigen, had recently been destroyed by their Queen, Medusa, as the substance was poisonous to mutants, and would have killed the entire mutant race.  Medusa looks to the stars for answers, and assembles a team to look for answers in the past of the Inhuman race.  All told this was a really good book, it flowed well, it was an excellent set up for entire series, and it didn’t try and bog itself down anywhere.  I quite enjoyed it.  My lone complaint was this:  I believe it came out roughly the same time that Thanos #1 did, and both books have the same ending.  A revelation that a main character is dying.  First Thanos, now Medusa.  It seems kind of like a crutch when two books are using the same device to try and ratchet up tension.