Flint is finally reunited with his family!
But are they and their Inhuman tribe all that they appear to be?
And what exactly is Anna Kravinoff up to??
The Good
Art– Stefano Caselli is on art duties and everything looks detailed, and totally on point. Andres Mossa provides the colors which compliment the art very well. The facial expressions and body language are very strong with this one. This is a good looking book all around.
Black Heroes– Flint is here along with a whole city of African based Inhumans. I had a huge complaint that Inhumans had remained mostly while despite global dissemination and this right here is promising…granted the whole city is not slaughtered or destroyed by the time the story ends.
Black Villains– Flint’s sister Ikelli is up to something sinister….what is it? We can’t quite tell but we hope it’s deliciously evil.
Culture– So the Inhuman’s of Africa despite seeing Terrigenisis as a way to true enlightenment. They practice Eugenics just like the Inhumans of Attilan. Sure they have a nicer word for it…guidance but a rose is still a rose. They are xenophobic like the Wakandans. Their culture and technology has developed without outside influence. Unlike Wakanda though, their genepool stagnated because they lacked new genetic material. Terrigenisis had become dangerous as a result many died during the process. It’s for this reason one young lady tries to seduce Gorgan….can’t blame her when you consider he’s a royal whose only child has disappeared. The diversity she would be introducing into their genepool would be glorious! A maternal ruling council as opposed to a ruling singular monarch like in Attilan. The tale is just touching the surface of Utolan!
Cover- Courtesy of Jamal Campbell; this month it shows Flint being choked by the roots of a tree. Truly symbolic when you think about on Flint visiting his ancestral home to find his family…to discover his roots only to become entangled and endangered by those very roots. I truly like it.
Love– The tale of Flint’s mother and his father Dijyen was touching and from the perspective of the father you understand why he took Flint away. The Mother meanwhile has desperately tried to maintain her people’s culture. It’s understandable and relatable.
Sociological reflections- While the customs of Utolan may seem strange or even bizarre they allows us to realize the very same thing in our own culture. They have killed countless in the name of Transcendence; we kill each other in the name of differing beliefs. Have laws that discriminate against gender, ethnicity etc. We do many things out of tradition but never question them, we judge others by our standards etc. The Inhumans are best when they show us a distorted and exaggerated reflection of ourselves and this book is full of just that.
The Bad
Deadly game-So the Utolans after there genepool stagnated turned to Eugenics. But their failed rendition was to pair people then test if their first child survived the Terrigenesis process. If they did not the second child would be spared the process. If they survived then the other child would also be exposed. It was essentially a game of trial and error with many lives on the line. If they are inhumans then they should have had technology long before man and this is their answer?
The Ugly
This was a great read in a sociological Sci-Fi way. Utolan like Attilan before it has stagnated by adherence to tradition, belief coupled with isolation and seclusion. How many of them have died in the name of “spiritual transcendence”? This is truly the Inhumans at their best. Subversive, Yes! Thought provoking, Yes! Utterly Entertaining! We give this one 4/5 stars
