Marvel Gears Up for the “The Inhumans”

The newest release in Marvel's animated DVD series features the cult-favorite Inhumans

With the success of The Avengers and the upcoming release of "Iron Man 3," Marvel's dominance of the big screen has led the comic giant on a new quest: To take over your DVD player.

"The Inhumans," an animated feature based on the classic 2001 comic book run by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, will be released on DVD via Shout Factory on April 23 and is Marvel's newest addition to their ever-growing Marvel Knights animation line. Geared toward more mature readers, the series features adult themes and topics.

"The Inhumans" is no exception, as it focuses heavily on the role of government, but tackles slavery, love and even mental health issues in a deep story arc that features some of Marvel's most beloved cult characters such as the mute, but ultra-powerful Black Bolt and his beautiful hair-tastic wife, Madusa.

"The Inhumans are the ultimate outsiders," Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso said. "They are a ruthless nation of outcasts. At the center of all of that is a divided and embattled family. They are kind of the outcasts of the outcasts. They are a race of supernatural figures that were almost a mistake, but they went on to form this society. That, I think makes them very relatable to people."

While they aren't quite in the same league as "The Fantastic Four" or "The Avengers," Alonso sees them as important characters in the Marvel universe. He said a lot of that has to do with Black Bolt, the team's leader. Armed with a voice that can kill thousands in just a whisper, Black Bolt is forced to stay silent on the throne and depend on his wife Madusa and the rest of the royal family to help him rule the Attilian people.

"I think Black Bolt has maybe of one of the coolest costumes in comics," Alonso said. "It doesn't hurt either how enigmatic and powerful he is. But all of the characters are designed so beautifully and they echo the times they were created in, the hippy movement and counter-culture society. It definitely shows in their design. There's nothing conservative about them."

Marvel Entertainment Chief Creative Officer and founder of Marvel Knights, Joe Quesada said the idea to turn the comic book into an animated series came up over a year ago when the company was deciding what series would translate best from comic book page to DVD.

"They're a group of characters that are really important to us," Quesada said. "It's something down the road that we may want to elevate more."

Although Quesada wouldn't comment on any plans on a "Inhumans" live-action film, he did say that the series is an important part of the company's vision moving forward.

"There's a lot of great stories with 'The Inhumans' and this is one of the best arcs in the series," Quesada said. "This is one that we thought a larger audience would really enjoy."

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