Review: Black Bolt #8

A comic about a character who doesn’t speak sounds rough, but it works in “Black Bolt #8”“. I hadn’t been following Black Bolt, but after 5 minutes of research, combined with Legacy’s good jumping on point, I was able to enjoy this issue.

Previously the silent king had been in a space prison. He went through a lot there, including the death of an unexpected friend (Absorbing Man). Now Black Bolt is coming home, along with a young ally, that he met in the space prison. The Inhumans don’t seem to give him a warm welcome, but their king is back nonetheless. It seems clear that it will take more than Panacea”“s healing powers, to repair Black Bolt’s demeanor. Now that he is done being a prisoner, he must be king once again. His people are tired, and worn from the events from “Secret Empire”“. The Inhuman population isn’t pleased that their king was absent from the tough ordeal.

I always wondered what a Black Bolt comic would be like and now I have my first taste. The thought and narration captions really dig deep into the character, perhaps more than speech bubbles ever could. This book portrays the character of Black Bolt quite well. I am tempted to look more into this unique superhero. I was very impressed with the writing capability that was shown. Black Bolt is a hard character to write, but Saladin Ahmed has left me intrigued and ready for more.

The art was ok, but it wasn’t awesome. I didn’t care for the coloring, and the drawing was alright. Fortunately, Christian Ward seems to have a handle on drawing Black Bolt, which is good since… this is a Black Bolt series.

Honestly, I enjoyed it. Part of me wonders how, and why I liked it, but I did find myself entertained. One thing that really saved the day, was the way in which Ahmed expressed Black Bolt’s thoughts without having him speak. Props to the creative team for producing a solid issue.

This comic leaves me wanting to find more by Saladin Ahmed. It leaves me wanting to go back and read the first volume. This comic leaves me wanting the next issue. This comic book accomplishes what comic books are supposed to accomplish. If you are like meÂ and want to jump on board, I recommend it. Don’t let this series slip under your radar. I“m going to have to keep an eye out for the next issue myself.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Saladin Ahmed (A/CA) Christian Ward