Continuity buddies Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, Roger Stern and Peter Gillis were intent on injecting Jack Kirby's dormant Eternals into the mainstream Marvel Universe. The Eternals were too numerous and over powered to play nice with other heroes, so between them they conjured a plan to streamline Kirby's gods over the early 80's, laying the groundwork for Gillis' eventual Eternals miniseries.
What If #29-30 (1981) - Untold Tales of The Marvel Universe
Pencils: Ron Wilson
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Gruenwald had begun this occasional back up strip to tweak continuity and wrap up loose ends. Gillis contributed this two part Inhumans story, which not only introduced them to The Eternals, but also tied up a lingering thread... Lee & Kirby's 1967 Inhumans backup strip in Thor concluded with Black Bolt in pursuit of a new home for his people. Gillis wanted to know how that story ended, so he finally got to tell his version here, which boils down to The Inhumans moving the whole of Attilan through inexplicable science from one place to another. There's not a lot more to this two part short, with The Eternals playing a fairly superfluous role. Sinnott's inks lend proceedings that classic Kirby feel required.
Thor Annual #12 (1984) - Untold Tales of The Marvel Universe
Pencils: Richard Howell
Inks: Sam De La Rosa
Gillis' wrote another Untold Inhumans short, but the series was no longer running in What If, so the strip eventually surfaced a few years later in the back of an annual. A brief 8 pager reveals that the bird people of Aerie are actually an offshoot rebel race of Inhumans. It could be viewed as minor commentary on how rampant prejudice can lead to civil war, even in a race as diverse as the Inhumans. Unless you're a big Red Raven fan or actually remember Aerie, which seems unlikely, it's a bit of a who cares shrug of a story. Also, never been a fan of Howell's art.
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