Secret Invasion: War of Kings One-Shot (Marvel – Abnett / Lanning / Pelletier / Magyar / Quiintana )
It’s finally here…WAR OF KINGS! The Secret Invasion may be over, but the Inhumans are still reeling from the terrible wounds inflicted on them by the Skrulls. And this time, the Royal Family and their massively powered people have been pushed too far! You have never seen the Inhumans like this – and it’s only the beginning! Plus: How will the empire-expanding Vulcan react to these recent universe-shaking developments? Before this double-sized shocker is over, vengeance will be had, daring alliances will be forged, and the first shots in a destiny-changing battle will be fired! The acclaimed team of writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and artist Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) unite to revamp heroes, reveal villains and rock the universe!
We enter following the remnants of the Skrull Fleet trying to put as much distance between them and Earth as possible. They are then obliterated by something that has caught up to them through space. Sixteen hours earlier, on Attilan, Black Bolt is taking the Royal Family to the Chamber of Devices. The Chamber is filled with inventions and devices created by Maximus that have been hidden away from the Inhumans. Black Bolt find the particular device he is looking for and it is moved to the throne room. Attilan starts to “fold up” and suddenly blasts off from its home on the blue area of the moon. The mere utterance of words by Black Bolt through the device propel Attilan across the stars. But to where? The weapons that are the Inhumans return to their makers, the Kree. The Inhumans penetrate the defenses left after the conquest by the Phalanx. Ronan, leader of the Kree, is confronted by Black Bolt and Medusa. Ronan believes the weapons have returned to destroy the maker, but to the contrary, the weapons have returned to become on with their maker. Ronan concedes leadership of the Kree to Black Bolt. In the epilogue, Vulcan becomes aware about three Shi’ar ships that were destroyed by Attilan at it hurled through the stars. Vulcan sees this as a territorial dispute that must be dealt with.
Overall, this is what the opening primer of a storyline should be. It shakes up the status quo and gets people excited for the event. Black Bolt has been with the Skrulls too long and is ready to put on a clinic when it comes to doing what is in the best interest of his people. The Inhumans embrace their destiny and are ready to kick butt! It is obvious that Vulcan is the one who is going to be needing his butt kicked. The storytelling is done very well through dialogue and artwork. While having a background in the recent Cosmic storylines definitely helps, it is not necessary to enjoy this book. I am hoping that including the Inhumans and Shi’ar in this event will give War of Kings the push it needs to bring the Cosmic characters to the forefront of Marvel. For my money, the Cosmic books have been some of the best books on the shelves for the last two years. The event doesn’t officially start until the miniseries comes out, but there are many tie in that have hit the shelves that I will review. As I have said, this is a great start to the storyline and it is worth a look, but beware the $3.99 cover price.
Issue Grade: A-/B+
For those who read War of Kings Saga, I’m sure there were some events referenced that you were unaware of. There have been many changes in the Cosmic realm at Marvel. Notably, Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, Silent War, Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar in Uncanny X-Men, Secret Invasion: Inhumans, and X-Men: Emperor Vulcan all have threads leading into the War of Kings. Silent War explains the reason for the rift between the Inhumans and Earth, which could be the reason that there are no longer any cities in the blue area of the Moon.
