War of Kings #5 Writer: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning / Artist: Paul Pelletier

Somewhere along the way, War of Kings lost me. I've enjoyed every issue quite a bit, but going back and looking at some of the trends, I realized something unsettling. With every issue, the story has become more disjointed and disturbing.

The biggest problem with this issue as that it feels like three individual stories instead of an overall story from three different perspectives. There's no cohesion amongst them. Gladiator seems to be doing nothing but taking out his aggression, the Shiar are talking about ceasing the war because Darkhawk told them to, and the Inhumans are on some purification mission. None of these look to have anything to do with each other because the only thing that maters is the showdown between Black Bolt and Vulcan. The war is in their hands, rendering the story of anyone else meaningless.

Another disturbing trend is Abnett and Lanning's callous depiction of the Inhumans. I mentioned their purification quest earlier. By this, they hope to use the Terrigen Mists (which created them) as a weapon that would make everyone in the universe an Inhuman. There can be no racism if everyone is the same. Not only is that reasoning lame, but it doesn't fit the Inhumans' character at all. I realize they are changing their ways because of the whole Skrull thing, but this is too far. They never considered themselves gods to other civilizations. As a matter of fact, they've always been a respectful and loving people. The purification is too far of a leap for them. Black Bolt's willingness to sacrifice himself for it does make it seem a little honorable, but it still doesn't fit who the Inhumans are.

Something else that worries me is that there might not be enough time to properly detail a fight between Black Bolt and Vulcan. The whole series has been built around this epic showdown and they will only meet in the last issue. With some of the time probably being dedicated to Gladiator's Hulk-out, Kree unrest, and Shiar civil war, the page count might not be hefty enough for an all-out brouhaha.

One part of this issue that definitely doesn't bother me is the art. As always, Paul Pelletier uses his colorful and dynamic style to perfectly tell the story. As a matter of fact, he's the only one who seems to get the Inhumans. In the opening page we're treated to a panel of Black Bolt playing with Lockjaw with the rest of the council. They're a loving family, not the crazy neighborhood watch from Hot Fuzz. Of course, his character stances and facial expression perfectly capture their moods and the fight scenes are brilliant.

What started out as an amazing tale about two warring kingdoms and its effect on society has quickly become a segmented mess. Hopefully the last issue can tie all the plot threads together. With a huge fight between kings most likely taking up a majority of the pages though, I fear there won't be enough space to properly end the once-promising story.