Black Bolt

Black Bolt #1-2

by Saladin Ahmed, Christian Ward (Artist), Frazer Irving (Artist)

The king of the Inhumans has been imprisoned! But where? Why has he been jailed? And who could be powerful enough to hold Black Bolt? The answers will shock you - and Black Bolt as well! If he is to learn the truth, he must first win a fight to the death against a fellow inmate: the Absorbing Man! As a prison revolt begins, the bounty hunter Death's Head enters the fray - but is he there to help or to hunt? And who - or what - is the warden of this strange place? Black Bolt's jailer knows only penance and fear. And soon, so will the Silent King of the Inhumans! For if Black Bolt can somehow escape his hellish prison, the journey home will be even more deadly - and his welcome may not be a warm one!

COLLECTING: BLACK BOLT (2017) 1-12

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Crime, Science Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

Saladin Ahmed was born in Detroit and raised in a working-class, Arab American enclave in Dearborn, MI.

His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, and have appeared in Year's Best Fantasy and numerous other magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, as well as being translated into five foreign languages. He is represented by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON is his first novel.

Saladin lives near Detroit with his wife and twin children.

Reviews

[It's just Deano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Bolt was a genuine surprise!

I found it to be a very two toned book - one being your standard Marvel offering and the other a more surreal and poetic - almost avant-garde atmosphere. Both are delivered exceptionally well here.

It surprisingly has quite a lot of heart mixed in with the plot too. I certainly didn't expect it to have that, but the power of Saladin Ahmed's emotive writing is clear from page one and definitely helps this standout from the usual Marvel norm. The characters are really well represented - The Absorbing Man and Titania seem very real and quite beautiful, while Black Bolt himself has a darkness that seems to follow him through the pages.

The art work was pretty special here also. The psychedelic edge of the colour palette seem to give this a somewhat otherworldly feel and it absolutely fits perfectly.

Overall, I was surprisingly impressed with how good this was. It has its high and low points, but Black Bolt was a great read from start to finish and I'd definitely recommend it.
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My Score: 8/10
My Goodreads: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily in the top 5 best Marvel books I've ever read.

[Johan Thilander]

Har alltid tyckt om Midnattskungen, men det är först i Saladin Ahmeds händer som han fungerat som huvudkaraktär.

Unpopular opinion: föredrar Frazer Irvings illustrationer framför Christian Wards.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically I’d give it 3 1/2 stars.
First half was excellent, some big ideas about prisons and punishment. He second half was tainted by Marvel’s insistence that a Marvel title refer or rely on the ongoing storylines in the other bigger Marvel titles. Ahmed is a very good writer despite this (I’m guessing) editorial interference, and Ward (along with Irving) are some of the art form’s best artists.

[Lucas Lima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is gold, man, what a deep and human tale.

Black Bolt is in a prision. But why he's there? And who are the other inmates?

Great story, about a powerful king being a equal to the other prisioners. Saladin and Christian brought a story about redemption, about meeting yourself and, mostly, making friends. Crusher Creel plot on this one was amazing. You'll probably never gonna hear that again about him.

If you don't know nothing about the Inhumans, no problem. Just read something about the terrigen fog, Secret Empire and Black Bolt's family history and you'll be ok. Just don't escape this. If i may say, this book is for Marvel what Tom King's and Mitch Gerard's Mister Miracle was for DC.

[Xroldx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem in recent Marvel history. The art is overwhelming and the story is action packed as well as emotional. I would love to see Ahmed and Ward work together on a creator owned title someday.

[James De Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Bolt finds himself in a mysterious prison, without powers, and with no memory of how he got there. And no one is coming to save him. How will he get out?!


I mildly enjoyed this one. The dialogue can often be…unrefined. And the art is an acquired taste, one that I’m still acquiring.

The first half is much better than the second one.

I will say… the books is fairly reader friendly for those of us who don’t know/care about the Inhumans.



Overall, this one gets a 6/10 from my end for both art and story.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving the art some praise here, and the story shines in parts. But that dialogue…sort of cringeworthy at times. Not all bad, and the premise was interesting. Worth the read.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exceptional in every way!

[Cameron H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m speechless…

[blueberry cony · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
read july 2022

[eric garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. The first half was a bit more intriguing than the back half. Loved the issue where Crusher and Black Bolt are sharing their past to one another (#4, I think). Christian Ward’s artwork is superb. I picked this book up on the strength of the cover art alone. Despite not knowing much about Black Bolt or Inhumans history, it was new reader friendly.

[Nile · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not quite finished this one but I feel confident there aren't any crazy twists coming that are going to change my opinion.

The art in this book is great. I feel like the story and character development could use some work. I found a few elements to be repetitive (e.g. they attack the jailer but end up in prison again... they do the exact same thing but this time it works?) and the characters are a bit two dimensional. In fact there were a few scenes in the middle that were so poorly constructed that it felt like the author and artist were just trying to meet a deadline.

Also there is a moment that made me laugh so hard although I'm pretty sure the author's intention was the opposite. So at one point, one of the characters (AN OLD MAN) is in a fever dream and is killing one of the other characters with his powers so one of other characters (A SKRULL WARRIOR) RUNS HIM THROUGH WITH HER GODDAMN SWORD. WHAT? WHAT???? YOU COULDN'T JUST KNOCK HIM OUT WITH THE HILT OF THE SWORD, YOU SOCIOPATH?

And then almost literally in the next scene (after they've done pages of melodramatic mourning for this guy they only kind of knew) the old man is back hence removing any stakes of what just happened. *shrug*

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raio Negro: O Rei Aprisonado consegue resgatar o auror que as histórias dos Inumanos necessitam. Eu me lembro bem quando acompanhei a minissérie dos Inumanos trazida toda picotada aqui no Brasil pela Mythos Editora nos anos 2000. Mesmo assim, eu achei uma minissérie sensacional, seja pelo argumento de Paul Jenkins ou pelos desenhos de Jae Lee, eram personagens complexos numa realidade complexa. Agora, com essa série do Raio Negro, premiada pelo Eisner e publicada na íntegra pela Panini Brasil, temos uma espécie de retorno à magia e ao encantamento que foi ler a minissérie Marvel Knights dos Inumanos. Temos um roteirista, Saladin Ahmed, que sabe trabalhar bem a fantasia e os momentos inusitados e também humanos dos personagens e desenhistas como Christian Ward e Fraser Irving que fazem uma arte quasi-onírica, trabalhando cores e traços como se fossem uma coisa só, sem limites de linha. Assim, temos um quadrinho que se não consegue superar a minissérie dos Inumanos, consegue trazer uma bela homenagem à ela com um personagem tão misterioso e enigmático como o silencioso e barulhento Raio Negro.

[Jean-Paul Lane Valley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is that feeling of falling in love with a story in the moment you are reading it, knowing that it will be with you for the rest of your life. I've read many comic books in my life, many of them I've enjoyed greatly, but there is a selection of stories that make me experience that feeling of truly falling in love with a tale... This is is definitely among those.

It's just excellent in every angle, or at least it is to me, it marks all of my boxes. I love stories about characters doing wacky trips/challenges that lead them to discovering new friends, new places and themselves. It's the kind of narrative that fits Black Bolt's character perfectly, merging his complex character traits, that have mostly been explored in separately fashion, into one big introspection about the King of the Inhumans.

A simply lovely comic book, and one that has my full recommendations.

[Shevek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lectura ligeramente decepcionante. Puede que sea por el pasado novelístico de Ahmed, pero el cómic no aprovecha las posibilidades narrativas que ofrece el medio. Se hace un uso excesivo y no siempre inspirado de los textos de apoyo, contribuyendo a que guion y dibujo no acaben de ir de la mano para formar un todo. Desde un punto de vista artístico, Ward alterna las de cal con las de arena: si bien se trabaja algunos fondos muy espectaculares y psicodélicos, flojea por momentos en el retrato de personajes, especialmente en sus caras. Aun así, el cómic genera interés y es creativo en cuanto a entornos y personajes, desarrollando bien la evolución de Rayo Negro y, sobre todo, de Aplastador Creel.

[Marck Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Increíble que está sea la primera obra del género de Saladin Ahmed, para venir de la narrativa sintetiza perfectamente la narrativa en viñetas. Los personajes y la historia encajan a la perfección con el arte de Christian Ward, me recuerda mucho al Doctor Extraño (Primera Temporada) de Emma Ríos.
Una obra genial para conocer al personaje, pero más que motivar un interés en las posteriores entregas lo hace en las anteriores y en todas las referencias que aparecen. Introspección, crítica social, consciencia de clase y redención, son algunos de los temas que trata.

[C. Chambers · Rating 2 out of 5]

First trade, issues 1-6, are an easy 4/5 for me. It's an excellent take on a prison escape with some neat characters and wonderful art. The writing and panel layout is fresh and propels the story forward without feeling cheesy. I think the "ex machina" regarding the disappearance and reappearance of certain characters powers was a little much, and some pages did end up jumbled to the point of confusion. Otherwise, it ended on a satisfying conclusion.

This didn't last.

Second trade, issues 7-12 are awful. Rough and cheesy dialogue peppers through all the characters with a mix of questionable art. Some of the close up character edges are so blurry they appear to have been zoomed in multiple times over to fit certain panels. The attempt to tie this book into Marvel's over-arching secret empire and X-Men vs Inhumans was painfully base when compared with the streamlined delivery of the first six issues in the collection. We never get a conclusion to Black Bolt's brother or his role in the story, even though it is his actions that made this whole arc occur. Multiple characters return from the dead, making the previous trade seem pointless...
Ugh.

I'll even it out at a 2.5/5, rounding down out of sheer contempt with the harsh drop in quality. To those interested; I recommend picking up the first tpb and stopping there. It'll save you time, money, and ultimately, disappointment.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's always a somewhat romantic or mythical tone to the stories of the Inhumans that dates back to the Kirby days and that's something I've always loved about these characters. And it's great when writers embrace this fully when they tackle these characters.

This Black Bolt mini-series is quite the trip with many elements that initially felt quite surreal and dream-like but really panned out into a rich story worthy of the leader of the Inhumans. And why our silent protagonist was imprisoned, without his powers and with the likes of the Absorbing Man as a companions make for a weird setup.

But the actual story exceeded my expectations and just had so many layers to it. As the initial focus was this being an interstellar prison escape, I wasn't prepared for how much story there was still to cover AFTER the escape, and it just made the whole reading experience even better.

[Allysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an introduction to the Inhumans, this was an accessible and enjoyable read. The work Ahmed is doing in his current Marvel runs, with Miles Morals and Ms. Marvel, motivated me to pick up this collection. It was both action packed with strong emotional moments. The imprisonment storyline was very strong providing reflection, action and scenes of emotional heft that carried throughout the entire collection.

[Alessandro Vella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting narrative and wonderfully written characters. Exceptional art, the use of colors are hypnotic. The humanizing conversations and internal warfare are it's strengths. Though the second half of the book doesn't hold as much weight and some inner dialogue is a bit much when some panels were probably better off left to breathe.

[TK · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's weird, somewhat experimental (esp for a Marvel book), and I love it. Ahmed brings depth to characters that have been relegated to the side lines, like Absorbing Man, that creates a highly fleshed out world that doesn't just relay on the typical Marvel world. Again, strange, weird, but terribly moving.

[Mark Katerberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle of the road. Some great pages that are beautiful, but a lot of the writing is just chasing the beauty of Bechdel’s therapy as prose. It doesn’t not work, but for someone not invested into Inhumans, I don’t feel the need for it. If I loved these characters I’d probably care more.

I did love the deepening of Absorbing Man’s character though.

[Amos Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun run, great introduction to Black Bolt and the Inhumans as characters so worked really well for me as a newcomer to the characters. The artwork is stunning with some really creative panelling on display.

[Ben Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like Ahmed's writing here. The art (from Ward, Irving, and Hans) is above normal comic book fare for me, too.

On the edge of 4- and 5-stars for me, but given that it's a main-stream comic book, it really stands out in that context.

[Juan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 estrellas es “I really liked it” y 5 “it was amazing”. Este Black Bolt son 4,5

[Sam Ditty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars

[Fernando Filho · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is a little overrated, but the art is gorgeous.

[ArK07 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que barbaridad, me parece increíble que este sea el primer comic que escribe Ahmed porque es buenísimo. Además el dibujo de Christian Ward es sublime

[Daniel C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part one was 4 stars, part two was 2 stars, so I averaged it out. The series was more enjoyable when it put Black Bolt into a cosmic environment where the vibrant art style really killed.