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Royals (Collected Editions)
Royals, Vol. 2: Judgment Day
If the Inhuman race was borne of Kree experiments, then who made the Kree? Enter the Progenitors! But before a cosmic family reunion can be complete, the Inhuman Royals will need some help — and they’ll get it from an unexpected source! Enter the Universal Inhumans, alien beings engineered by the Kree on other worlds just as they created the Inhumans on Earth — our heroes’ brothers and sisters in the stars! Unfortunately, sometimes brothers and sisters fight. Plus: Their name means “genocide.” But what exactly are the Inhuman-possessing Skyspears? Can our crew find out before the Snark War begins? The secrets of the Prima Materia, the original Terrigen, will be revealed at last. But it has been foretold that of the seven royals who left Earth, only six will return — and that prophecy is about to be fulfilled!
Collects Royals #6-12, Inhumans: Judgment Day.
Collects Royals #6-12, Inhumans: Judgment Day.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 21, 2021
I like that Al Ewing has brought back some of that strangeness that made the Inhumans unique, instead of just the X-Men on the moon. He's also due props for picking up those Inhuman storylines started years ago in Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four run. These are the kind of stories from the Inhumans I want to see. Also, thank you for bringing back the Snarks. I always thought they were fun in Power Pack. I was much happier with Javier Rodriguez and Kevin Libranda on art this time around.
October 16, 2018
The Inhumans continue to seek the source of the power. They are looking for the creator of their creators. In the future The Last Inhuman continues searching for something important.
Judgment Day had me holding out hope for a strong conclusion and a fitting ending to the question of Inhumanity. Unfortunately the story devolved into generic science fiction and shifted in one truly unexpected way. It's just a shame to get to the conclusion of another Inhumans series and to feel utterly let down.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Judgment Day had me holding out hope for a strong conclusion and a fitting ending to the question of Inhumanity. Unfortunately the story devolved into generic science fiction and shifted in one truly unexpected way. It's just a shame to get to the conclusion of another Inhumans series and to feel utterly let down.
2.5 out of 5 stars
July 8, 2018
Not quite as fun as the first volume, but still a worthwhile read. Some of the things that hurt this book is a very contrived romance and everything feeling a bit rushed in general.
May 1, 2018
If Al Ewing had been writing the whole time, perhaps Marvel's Inhuman resurgence would have worked. (Probably not, but it's nice hyperbole.)
Anywho, this volume has two parts.
The first part is a story about the Universal inhumans, which is a great callback to Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four and a plotline that's been rather annoyingly ignored by the recent spate of Inhuman comics. Though it's a great touchback, this is the weaker of the two stories, since it focuses on a SnarkWar that we don't care about.
The second part returns to the cosmic wonder of the first volume, as the Inhumans meet the Progenitors and the five-thousand-year-hence frame finally connects up with our modern-day story. This is once more some of the best Inhuman writing ever, really returning to some of the wonder of Kirby's origins. It even figures out how to make good use of Flint, one of the several dull-as-dirt Inhumans that Soule invented. The only deficit of this story is that it ends rather suddenly in a single issue, which much surely have been intended as an arc before the Inhumans TV show bombed.
Overall, this volume averages a 4.5, but I rounded up.
Anywho, this volume has two parts.
The first part is a story about the Universal inhumans, which is a great callback to Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four and a plotline that's been rather annoyingly ignored by the recent spate of Inhuman comics. Though it's a great touchback, this is the weaker of the two stories, since it focuses on a SnarkWar that we don't care about.
The second part returns to the cosmic wonder of the first volume, as the Inhumans meet the Progenitors and the five-thousand-year-hence frame finally connects up with our modern-day story. This is once more some of the best Inhuman writing ever, really returning to some of the wonder of Kirby's origins. It even figures out how to make good use of Flint, one of the several dull-as-dirt Inhumans that Soule invented. The only deficit of this story is that it ends rather suddenly in a single issue, which much surely have been intended as an arc before the Inhumans TV show bombed.
Overall, this volume averages a 4.5, but I rounded up.
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January 31, 2018“We’re through the outer membrane… Whole planets trapped in transparent tubes! Like hamsters in habitrails! And we’re picking a fight! Whose idea was it to ram-raid the gods?”
Yes, it went full Morrison. And defying the usual rules on this sort of thing, you should always go full Morrison.
“God is dead, fellow Inhumans! God remains dead! And we have killed him! Is not the greatness of this deed too great even for us? Yes! You’re right! Why stop now? Let’s steal God’s car!”
Alas, that was only the Ordinator class god. The Exterminator is about to be fired up.
All this plus grand, tragic romances! Epic plots laid across millennia! A callback from the devastated far future to the modern Noh-Varr's awesome entrance in Young Avengers! I'm not quite so convinced by all the rotating artists as Al's farewell note suggests he was, but this is still fabulous stuff; while much cosmic material in Anglophone comics these days suggests homages to Jack Kirby which imagine what Kirby might have done if only he could actually write or draw, this one feels more like a vision of Jodorowsky's SF epics if only Jodorowsky weren't a bit of a creepy edgelord and somewhat lacking a grasp of structure.
Yes, it went full Morrison. And defying the usual rules on this sort of thing, you should always go full Morrison.
“God is dead, fellow Inhumans! God remains dead! And we have killed him! Is not the greatness of this deed too great even for us? Yes! You’re right! Why stop now? Let’s steal God’s car!”
Alas, that was only the Ordinator class god. The Exterminator is about to be fired up.
All this plus grand, tragic romances! Epic plots laid across millennia! A callback from the devastated far future to the modern Noh-Varr's awesome entrance in Young Avengers! I'm not quite so convinced by all the rotating artists as Al's farewell note suggests he was, but this is still fabulous stuff; while much cosmic material in Anglophone comics these days suggests homages to Jack Kirby which imagine what Kirby might have done if only he could actually write or draw, this one feels more like a vision of Jodorowsky's SF epics if only Jodorowsky weren't a bit of a creepy edgelord and somewhat lacking a grasp of structure.
December 13, 2021
1,5 stars.
June 11, 2018
It's so weird to read this so close to Black Bolt series, the style of story and art is completelly different (and I prefer the other series, that's like one of my favorite books so far this year, and this one was a high 3 stars)... but even set at the same time, the mental place the characters are is so different, especially comparing Medusa and Black Bolt, but you definitely see growth in both
The Judgment Day issue was definitely my favorite, because that was really what I was looking forward to reading, since it tied in nicely to the tenth issue of Black Bolt. The other issue I wasn't a fan and still a bit confused about story and characters and also scifi is normally not my thing, and this one was a bit too much of that for me
Again, not a favorite, besides Black Bolt, I haven't found an Inhuman comic I've really liked, which I was looking forward to after watching the show and loving Medusa and Black Bolt and being "meh" about everything else in it...
The Judgment Day issue was definitely my favorite, because that was really what I was looking forward to reading, since it tied in nicely to the tenth issue of Black Bolt. The other issue I wasn't a fan and still a bit confused about story and characters and also scifi is normally not my thing, and this one was a bit too much of that for me
Again, not a favorite, besides Black Bolt, I haven't found an Inhuman comic I've really liked, which I was looking forward to after watching the show and loving Medusa and Black Bolt and being "meh" about everything else in it...
October 16, 2019
Art was still awful at parts, but I liked how this story unfolded. I particularly liked the moments when it crossed over with the Black Bolt series and the scene with Medusa and Black Bolt in the desert was absolutely beautiful artistically and narratively.
February 2, 2018
[Read as single issues]
The Inhuman Royal family end their quest across the stars in these final issues, before returning to Earth with their true enemy hot on their heels.
This volume collects the middle storyline of Royals, as well as the concluding Legacy story and one-shot. The Snark War story in the middle feels a bit random, to be honest, but it uses a lot of pre-established continuity from All-New Inhumans and Fantastic Four to further the ongoing plot of the Royals as well as focusing quite well on the individual characters. Gorgon and Medusa get a lot of focus, as does Marvel Boy, a character that's sorely underused elsewhere.
Fire From Heaven, the Legacy story arc, brings the Royals into conflict with the Progenitors, the true creators of the Kree, and it's absolutely stark raving bonkers. Al Ewing brings a frantic pace to the proceedings that keeps you on the edge of your seat, while his crazy concepts surrounding the Progenitors are great. The ultimate conclusion is awfully sad, but it's a shortlived sadness. The Judgment Day one-shot brings everything to a close, including the Black Bolt ongoing series that has been running parallel to this. It feels a tad rushed, even for an over-sized issue, but Ewing's story had gotten so big that it makes sense for it to collapse in this way. It's also quite a hopeful ending, which I was surprised at given everything that went on.
The art is divided between Kevin Libranda, who seemed to be a fill-in artist before this but has graduated to doing more than two issues in a row, while Javier Rodriguez brings his craziness to bear with the Progenitors storyline. There are also some Mike Del Mundo pages in the one-shot, which fit in perfectly with the zany mindscape setting. His painted pages do stand out, but for good reasons.
The story of the Inhumans seems to have ended for now, but this is a great capstone for now.
The Inhuman Royal family end their quest across the stars in these final issues, before returning to Earth with their true enemy hot on their heels.
This volume collects the middle storyline of Royals, as well as the concluding Legacy story and one-shot. The Snark War story in the middle feels a bit random, to be honest, but it uses a lot of pre-established continuity from All-New Inhumans and Fantastic Four to further the ongoing plot of the Royals as well as focusing quite well on the individual characters. Gorgon and Medusa get a lot of focus, as does Marvel Boy, a character that's sorely underused elsewhere.
Fire From Heaven, the Legacy story arc, brings the Royals into conflict with the Progenitors, the true creators of the Kree, and it's absolutely stark raving bonkers. Al Ewing brings a frantic pace to the proceedings that keeps you on the edge of your seat, while his crazy concepts surrounding the Progenitors are great. The ultimate conclusion is awfully sad, but it's a shortlived sadness. The Judgment Day one-shot brings everything to a close, including the Black Bolt ongoing series that has been running parallel to this. It feels a tad rushed, even for an over-sized issue, but Ewing's story had gotten so big that it makes sense for it to collapse in this way. It's also quite a hopeful ending, which I was surprised at given everything that went on.
The art is divided between Kevin Libranda, who seemed to be a fill-in artist before this but has graduated to doing more than two issues in a row, while Javier Rodriguez brings his craziness to bear with the Progenitors storyline. There are also some Mike Del Mundo pages in the one-shot, which fit in perfectly with the zany mindscape setting. His painted pages do stand out, but for good reasons.
The story of the Inhumans seems to have ended for now, but this is a great capstone for now.
March 30, 2018
So, there's a reason my comics to-read list is 90% non-superheroes, and it's because of stuff like this. A bunch of miscellaneous non-characters in ludicrous outfits in search of a thing, involved with some other thing in their history, which relates to some other things - none of which makes sense unless you've read six other runs of other comics. Lest you think this an exaggeration, several issues in the first collection of Royals have, contained in their end matter, a little list. This list says, if you want to know more about Thing A, read Comic B, and so on. Heaven forbid we tell a self-contained story.
March 29, 2018
Read while I wait for the next volume of (the superior) Black Bolt.
I'd be interested to read something 'spacey' by Ewing where he isn't encumbered by pre-existing continuity. He has some cool ideas.
This is (for the most part) missing my three favourite Inhumans - Black Bolt, Karnak and Triton. Also Medusa doesn't have her long hair.
The art is generally average, except for the bit that Del Mundo did. But I could have liked that because it is the part with Black Bolt.
I'd be interested to read something 'spacey' by Ewing where he isn't encumbered by pre-existing continuity. He has some cool ideas.
This is (for the most part) missing my three favourite Inhumans - Black Bolt, Karnak and Triton. Also Medusa doesn't have her long hair.
The art is generally average, except for the bit that Del Mundo did. But I could have liked that because it is the part with Black Bolt.
December 14, 2017
Rodriguez' art gave this series a shot in the arm, but I'm partial to crazy cosmic stories with risks and ambition.
February 28, 2018
Trippy and fun.
March 13, 2018
They are going for a big cosmic epic here...but in the end it seems a bit rushed at the end and I found myself more interested in the future than the present.
December 13, 2020
Well that was certainly a rushed ending.
Towards the end, it got good. Full on Doctor Who, Steve Moffat, Grant Morrison, whatever have you, but with Marvel. Unifying the Kree and the Inhumans in a new direction, taking their entire histories and pulling a "but actually..." that gives them room to grow and expand. I still don't much care for how much time was spent on the future timeline (honestly it's a pretty big waste), but when it gets to the present day stuff with Medusa... that is most certainly my shit.
Charles Soule brought about a status quo where Medusa was separate from Black Bolt, where the world was different and Medusa didn't rule as his partner and voice but as her own person. She made decisions that she had to stand for, decisions no Inhuman in history has ever had to make. She made mistakes, she got taken advantage of (Civil War II was a mistake), and she kind of lost track (dating Johnny Storm does that to you). But she was her own. And at the end of Soule's run, Medusa seemingly went back to Black Bolt. Until Ewing comes along and tells us that no, it's not that easy. He's not easily forgiven, she's not easily convinced. So Medusa goes her own way in Royals, she hsa her own journey to take.
And along the way we get a lot of neat moments. Flint gets a neat prophecy, Gorgon reclaims his confidence that he's lost since the start of Soule's run, Swain finally becomes interesting, Maximus... well, too much of Maximus is spent on the future timeline, but at least present-day Maximus is fun and so gleefully poetic (almost literally channeling John Simm's The Master for most of this run). And then Medusa, Medusa is great. She finally starts to feel like one of the more interesting Inhumans compared to... literally every othe title she's appeared in.
I wish there were a stable art team, but at least some of the guest artists (like Mike del Mundo) are used effectively to convey an otherworldly tone for their specific section of the story. I wish this series had another arc instead of rushing to its conclusion. I wish the Inhumans mattered outside of this story, as the big Inhumans push stops around this time and they just fade out of consciousness. I'd love to see where the Inhumans go when they are eventually brought back, as I appreciate how Al Ewing managed to make them cosmic (as so many writers have done in the past) without completely invalidating their presence on Earth. The Inhumans have often been a politically-driven franchise, but this time the war isn't with humanity but some space gods. Terrigenisis has become something religious and spiritual again, but not ritual- less faith, more sci-fi weirdness. And I dig it. I like it. I wish there were more to it but hey, at least the next person to pick up the Inhumans will have literally *anywhere* to go with them.
Towards the end, it got good. Full on Doctor Who, Steve Moffat, Grant Morrison, whatever have you, but with Marvel. Unifying the Kree and the Inhumans in a new direction, taking their entire histories and pulling a "but actually..." that gives them room to grow and expand. I still don't much care for how much time was spent on the future timeline (honestly it's a pretty big waste), but when it gets to the present day stuff with Medusa... that is most certainly my shit.
Charles Soule brought about a status quo where Medusa was separate from Black Bolt, where the world was different and Medusa didn't rule as his partner and voice but as her own person. She made decisions that she had to stand for, decisions no Inhuman in history has ever had to make. She made mistakes, she got taken advantage of (Civil War II was a mistake), and she kind of lost track (dating Johnny Storm does that to you). But she was her own. And at the end of Soule's run, Medusa seemingly went back to Black Bolt. Until Ewing comes along and tells us that no, it's not that easy. He's not easily forgiven, she's not easily convinced. So Medusa goes her own way in Royals, she hsa her own journey to take.
And along the way we get a lot of neat moments. Flint gets a neat prophecy, Gorgon reclaims his confidence that he's lost since the start of Soule's run, Swain finally becomes interesting, Maximus... well, too much of Maximus is spent on the future timeline, but at least present-day Maximus is fun and so gleefully poetic (almost literally channeling John Simm's The Master for most of this run). And then Medusa, Medusa is great. She finally starts to feel like one of the more interesting Inhumans compared to... literally every othe title she's appeared in.
I wish there were a stable art team, but at least some of the guest artists (like Mike del Mundo) are used effectively to convey an otherworldly tone for their specific section of the story. I wish this series had another arc instead of rushing to its conclusion. I wish the Inhumans mattered outside of this story, as the big Inhumans push stops around this time and they just fade out of consciousness. I'd love to see where the Inhumans go when they are eventually brought back, as I appreciate how Al Ewing managed to make them cosmic (as so many writers have done in the past) without completely invalidating their presence on Earth. The Inhumans have often been a politically-driven franchise, but this time the war isn't with humanity but some space gods. Terrigenisis has become something religious and spiritual again, but not ritual- less faith, more sci-fi weirdness. And I dig it. I like it. I wish there were more to it but hey, at least the next person to pick up the Inhumans will have literally *anywhere* to go with them.
August 20, 2022
Here, the series really hits its stride, and catapults this book to official underrated gem. Ewing loves to play with huge ideas that threaten to break logic, and sometimes teeters on the cusp of intelligibility. I’d argue he sticks the landing here, as we see the other side of the coin of Saladin Ahmed’s Black Bolt series (which I love). The Inhuman’s (and the world’s?) last hope rush to meet the makers of their makers, and things get crazy. If you’re looking for quality Inhumans stuff, this should fall on to your list.
The dynamic duo of Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez is officially a thing, and I recommend this outing.
The dynamic duo of Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez is officially a thing, and I recommend this outing.
March 8, 2019
It's still pretty trippy but I'm not sure I get it. It's like the "villains" of Secret Wars are re-implemented plus they're also Celestials?
Plus a few characters morph because their hearts are pure?
Plus there are people from Snarkworld? Was that a thing? It seems like they should be more sarcastic than they are.
Like a lot of stuff at Marvel that ends in 1 to 3 volumes, I can't tell if this was rushed. Probably the main problem is not the pacing, but the sheer number of characters.
Plus a few characters morph because their hearts are pure?
Plus there are people from Snarkworld? Was that a thing? It seems like they should be more sarcastic than they are.
Like a lot of stuff at Marvel that ends in 1 to 3 volumes, I can't tell if this was rushed. Probably the main problem is not the pacing, but the sheer number of characters.
October 1, 2025
Oh, come on! We know the Inhumans were created by the Kree, and in the previous volume we found out that the Kree were created by somebody first. So, in their quest to find the sources of Terrigen, the Inhumans discover that they were really created by . . . giant space robots! So, the Inhumans are now the same as the Eternals and the Celestials.
That's not a spoiler, it's on the damn cover.
The thing is, taken by itself, the writing was decent and the art was good. Much more palatable than volume 1. But, honestly, giant space robots? Seriously?
That's not a spoiler, it's on the damn cover.
The thing is, taken by itself, the writing was decent and the art was good. Much more palatable than volume 1. But, honestly, giant space robots? Seriously?
November 5, 2018
This is the companion volume to Saladin Ahmed's excellent Black Bolt story. To avoid spoilers, read this one first. Read both volumes of Royals then both volumes of Black Bolt. You won't be sorry!
Six stars out of five.
Six stars out of five.
December 27, 2018
This was really good! It got all weird and cosmic-y! I love it when superhero comics get all weird and cosmic-y! The Universal Inhumans showed up again, there were time travel shenanigans, and then a whole astral plane battle. It was awesome!
November 18, 2018
Picked up towards the end, but it remained on a comfy level throughout without being outstanding
January 28, 2019
One of the most awfully contrived romances I've seen in comics in ages, with a rushed ending. But there are David Bowie lyrics, and the series as a whole was still a fun ride.
October 11, 2021
This is a solid book that gives some real heft to the Inhuman's concept. The Progenitors are a Type IV civilization in the Kardashev scale; they are the race who created the Kree, who in turn created the Inhumans.
The Progenitors were conceived as a sort of mid-point between the type of aliens that are the Celestials and the Kree, so to have an extremely advanced alien species that wasn't so advanced "as to be hanging out in the cosmic realms."
This story covered 5,000 years of "future myth". The series has been very artist driven; with some great art by Jonboy Meyers, Javier Rodriguez and Del Mundo.
The Progenitors were conceived as a sort of mid-point between the type of aliens that are the Celestials and the Kree, so to have an extremely advanced alien species that wasn't so advanced "as to be hanging out in the cosmic realms."
This story covered 5,000 years of "future myth". The series has been very artist driven; with some great art by Jonboy Meyers, Javier Rodriguez and Del Mundo.
January 1, 2024
The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 249
January 10, 2018
Waiting to see how the fire from heaven arc pans out before I buy the rest of the issues.
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January 22, 2019This was interesting, but a bit...weird. Not the surreal weird of the Blackbolt book, but definitely strange nevertheless.
Somewhere in the future Maximus and Noh Varr are preparing for a final battle with beings we haven't met yet. Ewing plays mysterious with them for several issues before, in what feels inevitable, they turn out to be the beings Medusa and co. have/had gone to search for in volume one. These beings are far enough beyond your garden variety Marvel Heroes that things should be hopeless.
The story that plays out remains slightly foggy on the details, as potential future and present meet and the heroes join to face off against these giant cosmis beings. The Blackbolt/Medusa astral plane/dreamscape meet up from vol. 2 of the Blackbolt book occurs again here, this time in Medusa's context.
The art's pretty solid, and I like the implications of the results of the volume for the continuation of any Inhumans stories. I enjoyed some solid character work with Medusa and company, although she's switching partners fast enough these days to feel like the James Bond (bag a girl an issue) version of Tony Stark that occasionally shows up.
Somewhere in the future Maximus and Noh Varr are preparing for a final battle with beings we haven't met yet. Ewing plays mysterious with them for several issues before, in what feels inevitable, they turn out to be the beings Medusa and co. have/had gone to search for in volume one. These beings are far enough beyond your garden variety Marvel Heroes that things should be hopeless.
The story that plays out remains slightly foggy on the details, as potential future and present meet and the heroes join to face off against these giant cosmis beings. The Blackbolt/Medusa astral plane/dreamscape meet up from vol. 2 of the Blackbolt book occurs again here, this time in Medusa's context.
The art's pretty solid, and I like the implications of the results of the volume for the continuation of any Inhumans stories. I enjoyed some solid character work with Medusa and company, although she's switching partners fast enough these days to feel like the James Bond (bag a girl an issue) version of Tony Stark that occasionally shows up.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews