Marvel has a habit of often collecting superheroes and putting them together in fighting justice gangs. The Avengers. X-Men. Fantastic Four. And these guys.
You know, it's weird but there are some eerie similarities between this and
The Silver Surfer. Both have their genesis in a Fantastic Four comic, both are highly intelligent and advanced civilisations (although the Inhumans originate on Earth) and both have a connection to an alien race, as we'll see. Also, both were created by Jack Kirby.
As Man struggles with the elements and tames fire, another race has managed to become far advanced, but wary of these superior beings
Homo Sapiens hunts and shuns them, and they eventually move to their own city, Attilan, where they devote themselves entirely to learning and science. Finally, their leader, Randac, decides the time has come to test the Terrigen gas, which they have developed, and which will either turn out to be the answer to man's own evolutionary advancement or will destroy him, unleashing a deadly plague upon the planet. Unwilling to ask his people to do what he would not, Randac volunteers to be the test subject while his people look on in awe. Meanwhile, a representative of the alien race the Kree (who feature a lot in Marvel) has been awoken from a sleep of thousand of years, and wondering what could have activated his program and roused him, the being known as The Sentry, seeing the gleaming city rising above the mud huts and caves of early Man, deduces that his master's experiment has been a success, and approaches Attilan.
The Sentry thinks back to when his masters arrived on Earth, trying out a small experiment by seeding a portion of the emerging human race with certain advancements, speeding up their evolution and rearranging their genes, to see, well, what would happen. But it seems the Kree lost interest and fu
cked off back across the cosmos, leaving the forgotten Sentry to wait down the millennia until their project came to fruition. Now that it has, and even if his masters are no longer bothered, the Sentry must follow his programming and investigate. And so he does. The people of Attilan do not however shrink from or fear his approach, but welcome the stranger. He has come at a very portentous time, as Randac is about to emerge from his exposure to the Terrigen gas.
The Sentry tells the inhabitants of Attilan about the Kree experiment, finally solving a mystery that has plagued the more advanced humans for generations, and though it is unlikely his masters will ever return, the Sentry still wishes to gain all the information about the experiment that he can, in case they ever do coem back and he has to report. He finds that Randac has been changed, that he has gained a power, specifically, to be able to blast people with some sort of ray from his hand. The Sentry nods, and tells Randac that after this his people must be called the Inhumans, for they are so much more than human. Randac agrees to let all his subjects enter the Terrogen chamber so that they can all be changed, and the Sentry buggers off.
That's the origin of the Inhumans, but it leaves me feeling vaguely unfulfilled. The next story in this particular issue deal with one of them making his way into the city and being, shall we say, not exactly welcomed with open arms? He reports back to Black Bolt, who I assume is Randac, but it's sketchy. I remember from the time I read
The Inhumans as a kid that something happened to Black Bolt – who is the leader of the Inhumans – that prevents him speaking. It's not that he's been struck dumb or anything, more something to do with some idea that if he ever speaks his voice could destroy the world, or something. But this issue doesn't make that clear, instead seeming to jump ahead, assuming we know who Black Bolt is. Well, it is a special, so maybe they do expect you to have read all the relevant issues. Meh. Perhaps, when we start reading their own series we may get more answers. For now though, here's a quick rundown of who's who in the Inhumans.
Black Bolt: Leader of the Inhumans, he is silent as above but has great mental powers which he can channel through the tuning-fork-like antenna on his head.
Medusa: His wife and also cousin. Like the gorgon of myth, she can use her hair almost as an appendage, and it is preternaturally strong.
Crystal: Sister to Medusa, she can control all aspects of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water.
Gorgon: His bull-like powerful legs can create an earthquake if he stomps hard enough.
Karnak: Technically not a true Inhuman, as he chose to forego exposure to the Terrigen mist, but he is a superb master of tactics and martial arts, and a cunning strategist.
Triton: Basically a human fish, Triton is very powerful and fast when underwater, can of course breathe easily under the sea but does not do so well on land, where he has to have artificial aids to allow him to remain out of water.
Maximus: Evil brother to Black Bolt, he is a genius whose control over the minds of others is almost total, and he constantly wars against the Inhumans, trying to unseat his brother and take his kingdom.
Ahura Boltagon: Son of Black Bolt, and another who has devastating psionic powers.
Luna Maximus: Perhaps the only non-”pure” Inhuman, she is the daughter of Crystal and the X-Man Quicksilver. She has many powers though, including being able to divine a person's state of mind and if necessary manipulate it, basically an empath on steroids.
These are of course just very basic sketches. Once I start reviewing these guys in detail I'll be going a whole lot more into each character's traits, personalities and powers, and where they stand in the power structure of the Inhumans.