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devinmzt's review
5.0
A surprisingly poignant conclusion to this limited series. Who would have thought that the story of a not-quite-human, mute superhero with tiny wings and a tuning fork on his forehead could conjure up some serious reflections about belonging, connection, community, sacrifice? Writer Saladin Ahmed has managed to tell a powerful tale with a unconventional central character. And the art is beautiful, too!
tabman678's review
4.0
Black Bolt volume 2 is more really good stuff from this series. I wish there was more of it, or at the very least there was another title that takes place after this that features Wishbone in a big role, he isn't exactly a major player except for briefly every now and then but I always like him when he shows up. A man of few words, and only when he needs to be.
The supporting cast of Blinky, Lock Jaw, and about half way through Titania. The book is untouchable when it's those four. The dialogue and characters feel so natural it's a joy to read. Guest characters show up and I enjoy them, It's friggin Captain America but how they just show up feels out of place, though I enjoyed them either way. How the title progresses towards the end feels natural, like it was always going to end that way. And the focus on character dynamics and depth make this a joyus read, and pique my interest in the team that worked on it. Saladin Ahmed has my attention.
The art by Christian Ward and Frazer Irving is suited well to the intimate nature of the story that examines Black Bolt and Blinky. And how the story is laid out lends itself to the colored visuals and great depiction of memory and how the powers of these characters work.
ALl in all I enjoyed my time with the Midnight King and look forward to more time with him in the future. I'll also be keeping my eye out for those who made it.
4 stars, a great time and worthy successor to and outstanding first volume.
The supporting cast of Blinky, Lock Jaw, and about half way through Titania. The book is untouchable when it's those four. The dialogue and characters feel so natural it's a joy to read. Guest characters show up and I enjoy them, It's friggin Captain America but how they just show up feels out of place, though I enjoyed them either way. How the title progresses towards the end feels natural, like it was always going to end that way. And the focus on character dynamics and depth make this a joyus read, and pique my interest in the team that worked on it. Saladin Ahmed has my attention.
The art by Christian Ward and Frazer Irving is suited well to the intimate nature of the story that examines Black Bolt and Blinky. And how the story is laid out lends itself to the colored visuals and great depiction of memory and how the powers of these characters work.
ALl in all I enjoyed my time with the Midnight King and look forward to more time with him in the future. I'll also be keeping my eye out for those who made it.
4 stars, a great time and worthy successor to and outstanding first volume.
read_yourself_happy's review
5.0
Note: This review is for Vol. 1 & 2 of this series
Black Bolt is the King of the Inhumans. Well, actually, he was King, but he abdicated his throne and now finds himself in an ancient Inhuman prison out among the stars. He had meant to place his brother, Maximus the Mad, in the prison, but Maximus used his technology and wits to change places with Black Bolt.
The prison is terrifying by anyone's standards. Black Bolt's powers are gone, and he has died many times at the hands of the mysterious Jailer, only to be brought back to life. He meets some of the other prisoners and befriends them, and they work together to escape. Their escape comes at a cost though.
This series explores Black Bolt's history, his relationship with his son, Ahura, and who he is versus who he wants to be.
I loved everything about this series, from the writing to the art. Especially the art. I remember picking the first few issues of this series up in my local comic book shop months and months ago. I wasn't a big Inhumans fan, but Black Bolt seemed like a pretty interesting character. After all, writing a character that cannot speak takes talent (Black Bolt's power is the ability to topple enemies and even entire cities with just his voice). The reason I ended up buying all of these issues, however, was due to Christian Ward's spectacular art. Every time I open up one of these issues, I'm blown away by the characters and the vibrant colors.
Good art is vital for a comic book series; I can't tell you how many issues I've picked up and abandoned because of how terrible the art was. After reading this Black Bolt series, however, I have found myself seeking out all of Christian Ward's art.
I need to talk about Saladin Ahmed's talent as a writer as well. As I mentioned before, a writer needs to get creative when telling the story of a character who cannot speak. Granted, there are parts of this series, such as in the prison, when Black Bolt loses his powers and is able to safely talk with his friends, but for the most part, he's still the same Black Bolt we've come to know. With creative storytelling and the art to back it up, Black Bolt is an incredibly dynamic character who wants to save his friends and return to the world he knows.
I appreciated the character of Blinky a lot. She's a child who was thrown into the prison after stealing at a bazaar and can use her Inner Eye to communicate with others and share memories. I love the childlike innocence her character brings to the story.
Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was the peek into Black Bolt's past, where he was completely isolated and experimented on by his parents. His son, Ahura, gets to relive his father's memories alongside Blinky, and the last couple of issues deals with Black Bolt's fragile relationship with his son, and Ahura learning about some of the reasons his father acts the way he does.
This is definitely a series worth picking up.
Black Bolt is the King of the Inhumans. Well, actually, he was King, but he abdicated his throne and now finds himself in an ancient Inhuman prison out among the stars. He had meant to place his brother, Maximus the Mad, in the prison, but Maximus used his technology and wits to change places with Black Bolt.
The prison is terrifying by anyone's standards. Black Bolt's powers are gone, and he has died many times at the hands of the mysterious Jailer, only to be brought back to life. He meets some of the other prisoners and befriends them, and they work together to escape. Their escape comes at a cost though.
This series explores Black Bolt's history, his relationship with his son, Ahura, and who he is versus who he wants to be.
I loved everything about this series, from the writing to the art. Especially the art. I remember picking the first few issues of this series up in my local comic book shop months and months ago. I wasn't a big Inhumans fan, but Black Bolt seemed like a pretty interesting character. After all, writing a character that cannot speak takes talent (Black Bolt's power is the ability to topple enemies and even entire cities with just his voice). The reason I ended up buying all of these issues, however, was due to Christian Ward's spectacular art. Every time I open up one of these issues, I'm blown away by the characters and the vibrant colors.
Good art is vital for a comic book series; I can't tell you how many issues I've picked up and abandoned because of how terrible the art was. After reading this Black Bolt series, however, I have found myself seeking out all of Christian Ward's art.
I need to talk about Saladin Ahmed's talent as a writer as well. As I mentioned before, a writer needs to get creative when telling the story of a character who cannot speak. Granted, there are parts of this series, such as in the prison, when Black Bolt loses his powers and is able to safely talk with his friends, but for the most part, he's still the same Black Bolt we've come to know. With creative storytelling and the art to back it up, Black Bolt is an incredibly dynamic character who wants to save his friends and return to the world he knows.
I appreciated the character of Blinky a lot. She's a child who was thrown into the prison after stealing at a bazaar and can use her Inner Eye to communicate with others and share memories. I love the childlike innocence her character brings to the story.
Another aspect of the story I enjoyed was the peek into Black Bolt's past, where he was completely isolated and experimented on by his parents. His son, Ahura, gets to relive his father's memories alongside Blinky, and the last couple of issues deals with Black Bolt's fragile relationship with his son, and Ahura learning about some of the reasons his father acts the way he does.
This is definitely a series worth picking up.
valgus's review
3.0
I'd probably would have liked it more if this hadn't been the first Black Bolt book I'd read, but it was good enough that I wanna go back and read the first book in this specific series, as well as other Black Bolt stuff! :)
marisacarpico's review
4.0
First off, this is really a 4.5. What a glorious end to a very layered and emotionally complex story. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give the creative team here is that they made me care deeply about a character and history about which I had no prior experience. Ward deserves a lot of the credit for why this crazy story and the unconventional storytelling works. Marvel and or disinterested readers were fucking crazy to let this end.
jlsigman's review
5.0
A gorgeous continuation of the previous story. Black Bolt goes home to find that sometimes you really can't go home again.
ehawk's review
5.0
Not easy to explore a silent character. This was so cinematic, and I love how action is portrayed in this book, as well as color.
willdrown's review
3.0
An ill-fitting conclusion for a book that started out with epicness and vulnerability. Not even an issue of Frazer Irving's nightmarish art helps seal the deal, all because the plot just doesn't cut it. Especially since a whole issue (and an emotional arc from earlier) is negated by a later "twist". This is precisely why superhero comics are giving people fatigue.
kurtpankau's review
3.0
After the spectacular first volume, this was a bit of a let down. The "story" is really about cleaning up some loose ends and dealing with, uh, an "event" that happened to someone in the previous book. It's fine. It's certainly not bad. But it didn't have a great deal of impact.
The big drawback is that the first issue has an artist other than Christian Ward, and it sticks out. It doesn't help that it's the draw-over-photograph style of art that I just HATE.
If you liked the first volume, this finishes things off, but it's inessential.
The big drawback is that the first issue has an artist other than Christian Ward, and it sticks out. It doesn't help that it's the draw-over-photograph style of art that I just HATE.
If you liked the first volume, this finishes things off, but it's inessential.