One thing that comic book companies love to do is create multitudes of races, all with their own story. Black Bolt, King of all Inhumans, is one of those examples. Before this series, I wasn’t really aware of the Inhumans, in that I’d heard of them, but had no idea who they were.
The novel, ‘Hard Time’ starts with the titular character waking up in prison which he soon comes to realize is one that was designed by his people to hold the worst of the worst. Figuring out that his evil brother Maximus must have traded places with him, he attempts to find a way out. Enter the other prisoners, including Absorbing Man, who have a plan to get out. For that, they need someone like Black Bolt, but without any of their powers, they find that the escape plan isn’t as easy to execute.
I’ll admit that Black Bolt as a character is fairly intriguing, and his character development within the novel was pretty thorough too. However, the storyline was a tad bit confusing in parts, and a tad bit boring in others which meant that I wasn’t completely impressed with the novel.
Being honest, I did not like the artwork of this novel. There was something about it that was really unsettling and the covers weren’t that much better either. Overall, I’m glad that this series ended after this novel because I wasn’t a fan.
Favourite Panel:
You can definitely tell that the guy is stupidly OP.
Favourite Character:
Lockjaw. Black Bolt’s dog was the most useful character in this entire novel.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★½
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★
Enjoyability: ★½
Re-readability: ★
Level: Advanced