Silent War TP NM 1st print Inhumans declare WAR! Fantastic Four

Description

Silent War (Civil War, World War Hulk) Paperback
by David Hine (Author), Frazer Irving (Illustrator)

Old friends become deadly enemies as Gorgon leads a terrorist attack on New York and the Fantastic Four rally to defend their city against the Inhumans.

Silent War is a direct sequel to the events in previous Inhumans-centric limited series Son of M, where Quicksilver stole the sacred Terrigen Crystals (which give Inhumans their powers) and Black Bolt declared war on the US after the government wouldn’t return them.

Publisher Marvel (Jan 1, 2007)
Paperback 144 pages
ISBN-13 978-0785124252
Weight 1.15 pounds
Dimensions 6.75 x 0.5 x 10.25 inches

I love a good Inhumans story. I’ve always enjoyed these characters and thought they were among Jack Kirby’s more interesting creations during his time at Marvel.

The story takes place during Marvels registration act storyline and just before the Secret Invasion by the skrulls. The Inhumans are trying to retrieve the Terrigan Mists, a source of power and ritual for the Inhumans. It was stolen by Quicksilver and then in turn was stolen from him by the US Government. It is now being used to help create an army of biologically enhanced Marines. The Inhumans, lead by Black Bolt are intent on taking back what’s rightfully theirs. This brings them into conflict with both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

After Black Bolt was revealed to be a Skrull, I decided to go and check this out. Being a superhero comic book with ‘war’ in the title, I had expected it to be a book centered around big action scenes. However, I was pleasantly surprised when this story turned out to be much more about mental battles than physical ones, with a little bit of court intrigue thrown in. While it’s true that not too much happens until the final chapter, building to that chapter is endlessly entertaining, with great character interactions and imagery. And no offense to David Hine, but I think most of the credit for that is due to Frazer Irving’s art. He manages to perfectly create the mood of the scene, the tension, the madness of the characters. His roots in horror comics are very obvious here, and it’s exactly the kind of treatment the Inhumans needed.

A definite must have if you’re a fan of the Inhumans, or Irving’s art, also a good read if you want to keep up with the goings-on in the Marvel Universe, such as House of M, World War Hulk, or the upcoming Secret Invasion.

Collects Silent War 1-6. Near mint, 1st print.