Inhumans inconsistencies

Discuss chronologies for characters in the main "Marvel Universe"

Moderators: Col_Fury, michel, Arthur, Somebody, StrayLamb

Post Reply
intp
Big Bad
Big Bad
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by intp »

Ugh, I just read "Decimation: Son of M" and "Silent War" and realize that the events therein really can't be reconciled with World War Hulk or Secret Invasion: Inhumans. See viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3997&hilit=silent+war+black+bolt. I read the discussion therein which mentioned the numerous serious (catastrophic?) continuity problems.

What I'm wondering is, have these questions ever been satisfactorily resolved in any way by Marvel in the interim? The prior thread was locked in Oct 2008, and it has been over six years. I am not "up" on current Marvel (I've stalled in my personal reading somewhere in the middle of "Dark Reign" although I continue to accumulate new books at an alarming rate...), so I wouldn't know. Is this just a lingering problem?

Basically, how the heck did Skrull-Black Bolt suddenly pop up for a beating by Hulky at the outset of World War Hulk, if WWH occurred after Silent War, and how did Medusa suddenly snap out of Maximus' mind control after Silent War (as was evident in Secret Invasion: Inhumans)? Also, am I correct that WW Hulk seemed to occur before Secret Invasion? And what happened to Luna?

I'm getting a headache just thinking about this.
intp
Big Bad
Big Bad
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by intp »

To clarify my previous post somewhat:

At the end of Silent War, Black Bolt is a prisoner of Maximus; Medusa is Maximus' love slave; Maximus has destroyed Attilan and is in charge of the Inhumans. Only Luna and BB were unaffected by Maximus' mind control powers, but BB is locked in the dungeons and Medusa is fully complicit with Maximus.

World War Hulk seems to occur shortly before Secret Invasion. (Please correct me if I'm wrong). Evidence: Dr. Strange is still with Echo (Maya Lopez) and Hawkeye (Ronin) in WW Hulk # 2, yet Dr. Strange abandons the New Avengers in New Avengers Annual # 2 (after an attack by the Hood and his thugs), which occurred prior to Secret Invasion.

Hulk pounded the (Skrull) Black Bolt in WW Hulk. At that time, Medusa was inexplicably with a completely free Black Bolt and Attilan seemed fine.

Yet, Secret Invasion: Inhumans seems to occur after Silent War. Here, Medusa learns of the dead Black Bolt Skrull. Maximus is still in control here, but Black Bolt is now missing (??), having been impersonated by the Skrull-version for some time. So how did the Skrull version escape from Maximus' prison? How did he free Medusa and confront Hulk in WW Hulk?

Did someone just make a mistake? Did someone just not read Silent War, and assume that Black Bolt was fine, with Medusa, and in control at the time of World War Hulk? Then how does one explain Maximus being in command in Secret Invasion: Inhumans?

Any help would be appreciated.
intp
Big Bad
Big Bad
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by intp »

Black Bolt's entry in the current project is as follows:

...
NA 24
SILWAR 1
SILWAR 2
SILWAR 3 (1 - 18)
SILWAR 4-FB
SILWAR 3 (19 - 22)
SILWAR 4
SILWAR 5
* SILWAR 6
* SECINV:INHUMANS 3-FB
* SECINV:INHUMANS 1
SECINV:INHUMANS 2
SECINV:INHUMANS 3
SECINV:INHUMANS 4
SECINV:WOK-FB
SECINV:WOK
WOK 3-FB
X:KB 4
* WOK 1
WOK 2
WOK 3
GOTG2 13-FB
GOTG2 14-FB
GOTG2 15-FB
WOK 5 (1 - 20:1)
WOK:A 4
WOK 5 (20:2 - 22)
WOK 6

While Black Bolt imposter is listed as follows:

BLACK BOLT IMPOSTER
SECINV:INHUMANS 3-FB
WWH 1 (1 - 9) IM4 19 (8:1 - 8:3:1)
WWH 1 (15) ~ H3 107 (10:5:5 - 10:5:6) ~ IM4 19 (10:3:2 - 10:3:3) ~ IRRANT 10 (5:5:5 - 5:5:6)
WWH 1 (16:1 - 16:2)
GR6 13
WWH:FL 4 (10:1 - 10:2)
WWH 4 (17 - 21)
WWH:FL 4 (11:2 - 12)
WWH 4 (22 - 36)
WWH 5 (1 - 35)
H2 600-FB
WWH 5 (41 - 42:2)
NA:ILLUM2 5

So is it safe to assume that someone at Marvel just made a mistake, and that, for reasons as yet unexplained, Black Bolt escaped from imprisonment by Maximus (at the end of Silent War # 6); then was switched out with a Skrull somehow behind the scenes; then encountered the Hulk in WWH 1? And I guess Medusa also somehow snapped out of Maximus' control.

Or is there some explanation given in later books, like War of Kings? I have the Tpb's for those books (sitting unread) but am curious if the inconsistency is ever resolved, or if it still a just a standing issue that is unexplained.
User avatar
Somebody
Director
Director
Posts: 3389
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2005 2:48 pm
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Re: Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by Somebody »

If there's an explanation, I'm not aware of it. (Basically, Silent War was meant to be part 2 of a trilogy. The third part never happened, since the Skrull Black Bolt thing derailed it).

These days, they seem to prefer to pretend it didn't happen, since there wasn't mass death in the Inhumanity thing.
intp
Big Bad
Big Bad
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by intp »

Thanks, I appreciate the response. While I generally like Bendis' writing on the whole, I find him to be looser with continuity than I would like. Although who knows if the fault lies with Bendis (Secret Invasion), Pak (World War Hulk), or someone else. Pak did a pretty good job in general IMO with his Hulk history, but he may have been hamstrung by the chaotic nature of events in the Marvel U at the time he wrote World War Hulk.
intp
Big Bad
Big Bad
Posts: 120
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Inhumans inconsistencies

Post by intp »

I also see from Dr. Strange's current entry that apparently the entirety of World War Hulk was sort of shoehorned to occur between New Avengers # 37 and New Avengers Annual # 2 (which seemingly occur sequentially in the New Avengers v.7 HC, "The Trust"), which also confirms that Secret Invasion occurs after WW Hulk (since New Avengers # 2 precedes the events of Secret Invasion; see e.g. New Avengers v.8-9 HC, "Secret Invasion" I and II). That's a lot of events to stick between two sequential issues, but it looks like that's the only way to kind of make it work.

Dr. Strange
...
* NA 36 (1 - 20:3)
NA 35-BTS
NA 36 (20:5 - 22)
NA 37-FB
...
* WWH 1
A:I 4
WWH 2 (1 - 9:2)
GR6 13
WWH 2 (29 - 35:3)
WWH 3
WWH 4 (1 - 15:1)
H3 111 (1:1 - 1:2)
WWH 4 (15:2 - 15:4)
H3 111 (1:3 - 2)
WWH:FL 4 (10:1 - 10:2)
WWH 4 (17 - 21)
WWH:FL 4 (11:2 - 12)
WWH 4 (22 - 36)
WWH 5 (1 - 4)
H2 600-FB
WWH 5 (41 - 42:2)
DAMCON4 1
DAMCON4 2
...
* NA@ 2

Edit: sheesh, I must be getting old. i forgot that I had discussed this very same issue (WWH as occurring between New Avengers Annual 2 and # 37) in another thread a few years ago. Oh well...
Post Reply