Something Inhuman This Way Comes…!

One Hour Ago…

With the Inhumans in danger, Triton has returned to New York to seek out their allies the Fantastic Four. However, when he arrives onshore he is chased first by local fishermen, then by the police. Struck by bullets, the amphibious Inhuman dives into the sewers for cover. When he returns to the surface it is outside Avengers Mansion where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are busy battling a team of SHIELD Mandroids.

Now

The Mandroids were deployed by H. Warren Craddock the head of the government’s Alien Affairs Commission. On the line with Nick Fury, Craddock believes that the Mandroids will defeat the Avengers. However, he soon eats those words when Iron Man uses the power pods attached to his armor to short circuit the Mandroids.

With the battle over, they notice Triton and offer him aid. He tells them that he was seeking the aid of the Fantastic Four when he was attacked. When Rick Jones reports that the Fantastic Four are not in town, Triton beds the Avengers for help. Triton explains that the Great Refuge of the Inhumans has been taken over by Maximus the Mad who has made contact with the Kree. He now needs to find their true leader, Black Bolt, who has been missing in California with amnesia.[1]

While most of the Avengers agree to accompany Triton, the Vision disagrees. He reminds his teammates that there is still the issue of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel who are still captives of the Skrulls. He and Iron Man almost come to blows but Goliath breaks them up and suggests they split up and tackle both problems. It is agreed that Thor and Iron Man will accompany the Vision into space while Captain America, Rick Jones and Captain America go to California with Triton. As Cap and the others depart, SHIELD technicians remotely reactivate the Mandroid armor forcing the Vision and his team to stay behind deal with them.

In San Francisco, Black Bolt and Joey, his orphaned companion has been cornered in an abandoned tenement by the local mob.[2] While Black Bolt tries to fight the mobsters one of them grabs Joey and holds him at gunpoint. That’s when Captain America arrives and uses his shield to knock out the gunman. Seeing Triton among the Avengers is all that takes Black Bolt’s lost memory to return. However, the happy reunion is short-lived as Triton reports that Black Bolt’s brother, Maximus, is seeking to form an alliance with the Kree. Black Bolt gestures that they must return to the Hidden Land with urgency. Joey is surprised when he is invited to accompany them back to Attilan. As they fly to the Himalayan Mountains, Black Bolt thinks back to the past…

Years Ago

In their youth, Black Bolt would observe as his brother Maximus would use his mental powers to manipulate those around him for his amusement. One day, Black Bolt happened upon a secret meeting between his brother and a visiting party of the Kree. The aliens explained that they created the Inhumans to be allies.[3] Maximus then pledged his people to the Ronan the Accuser once he has taken over the Kree and Maximus has usurped the Inhuman throne. Racing out to confront his brother, Black Bolt’s sudden appearance prompted the Kree to try and flee.

Seeking to stop them from getting away, Black Bolt used his destructive voice for the first time to destroy the Kree space ship. Although he succeeds in destroying the aliens it came with a heavy price. Hearing Black Bolt’s voice drove Maximus completely mad while the crashing alien ship ended up killing their parents.

Now

Back outside Avengers Mansion, Vision and his team defeat the Mandroids for a second time. In the aftermath of the battle, the Vision has changed his mind and decides they should accompany Captain America and the others. Using Mjolnir, Thor opens a portal that brings the Vision, Iron Man, and himself outside of Attilan where they cannot shatter the barrier that has been erected since the Super-Skrull’s failed attack on the hidden city. The barrier is shattered from a simple whisper from Black Bolt, revealing a whole army of Inhumans waiting to battle them. However, the battle quickly ends when Black Bolt speaks to his people, ordering them to put down their weapons.

Previously enthralled by Maximus, the Inhumans snap out of it and cease fighting. The Avengers catch Maximus having a meeting with members of the Kree. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes manage to drive off the Kree thanks to Goliath who is making the most of his growing power while he still has them since he has run out of Hank Pym’s formula. However, as they escape they nab Rick Jones. With the Kree having fled, Maximus slips into a catatonic state. Feeling guilty over his brother’s state of mind and decides to leave his homeland once again, taking Joey with him.[4]

Meanwhile, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Captain Marvel are still prisoners of the Skrulls in the Andromeda galaxy, the Supreme Intelligence — a seeming prisoner of Ronan the Accuser — watches events unfold and is pleased that everything is going according to plan. While back on Earth, Captain America vows that they will stop the Kree/Skrull War no matter what.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Goliath, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, the Vision), Rick Jones, Inhumans (Black Bolt, Triton, Maximus), H. Warren Craddock (Skrull impostor), SHIELD (Nick Fury, Mandroids), Supreme Intelligence

Continuity Notes

1. For more on the Inhuman’s foray in California and Black Bolt’s amnesia see Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #5-8. It should be noted that the Inhumans featured in Amazing Adventures was abruptly canceled in favor for stories about the Beast and that the remaining plot threads are (poorly) wrapped up here. (see below)

2. The mobsters ask Black Bolt to help them with a looting spree as he helped with some local African-Americans recently. This is a reference to Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #7. In that story, an amnesiac Black Bolt was manipulated into helping Lionel Dibbs force his prominently black tenants out of a building he wanted to demolish.

3. As detailed in Thor #147, the Kree were responsible for the creation of the Inhumans.

4. Although he leaves his kingdom here, Black Bolt is back in Attilan with no explanation of where he went or what happened to Joey when he appears again in Fantastic Four #129.

Loose Threads

As stated above, this story tries — poorly — to wrap up plot threads that were left in unresolved when the Inhumans feature was pulled from Amazing Adventures (vol. 2). Issues #5-8 feature Black Bolt in California where he is stricken with amnesia. He befriends a young orphan named Joey who later gets possessed by the Trikon an energy creature created when three Alpha Primitives were exposed to the Terrigen Mist.

In this story, Black Bolt’s memory returns upon seeing Triton. Joey appears to be back to normal, and what became of the Trikon is unexplained. However, it resurfaces on the Strange’s world in Quasar #15 among the various other entities he had collected over the years.

After tagging along when Black Bolt and the Avengers go to Attilan, Joey is never seen again. He later leaves Attilan with Black Bolt. Although Black Bolt will be seen in Attilan again in his next appearance, Joey’s fate is unrevealed. I guess Black Bolt found the orphan a forever family?

Topical References

• Rick states that he used his transistor radio to contact the FF. This harkens back to the days of his membership in Teen Brigade. This group was originally depicted as ham radio enthusiasts. However, this is a topical reference. Per Avengers: The Origin #1-5, Teen Brigade are now hackers that use the internet.