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| Paul Jenkins' inhumans |
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Paul Jenkins' Inhumans miniseries is rightly praised as a classic. And it contains yet more proof that Lockjaw is intelligent, Lockjaw is the most important and powerful inhuman, and Lockjaw can probably speak. Some people think it says the opposite. So this page looks at the book in some detail. |
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| Above: Black Bolt has “nothing” behind his eyes. Sometimes people say the same about Lockjaw. Does that prove he is unintelligent? |
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Lockjaw is the real star of the book, for three reasons. First, the book appears to be about Black Bolt, but everything that is said about Black Bolt applies far more to Lockjaw. Second, Lockjaw is the driving force: he discovers the problem, provides the solution, and holds the Inhumans together. Third, the miniseries is full of clues that bring us back to Lockjaw. These points will be examined in more detail below. The common belief, that Lockjaw is stupid, cannot be sustained in the face of the evidence. If you are a fan of the Lord Of The Rings, it helps to see Black Bolt as Frodo, the official leader, but Lockjaw is like Sam, the real star of the show. |
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Lockjaw is Black Bolt's closest friend The clearest message that comes across in Jenkins' Inhumans is that Lockjaw is Black Bolt's closest friend. Again and again Black Bolt is shown as alone, and nobody understands him, but Lockjaw is always there. Even the fiercest critic must accept that Lockjaw performs an essential role in keeping Black Bolt sane under the immense pressure. Not even his wife, Medusa, can get this close or be this comforting. Without Lockjaw, Black Bolt could not function and all would be lost. Lockjaw's role in maintaining stability is far greater than this, as we shall see. Lockjaw is more significant than Black Bolt Jenkins Inhumans miniseries has a great deal to say about Black Bolt, yet everything we say about Black Bolt applies even more to Lockjaw. He seldom speaks, because there are no words that would help. This is exactly the reason that Lockjaw does not speak, as he told Ben in that famous Byrne issue: "never had anything to say, Ben." Lockjaw has even more difficulty than Black Bolt and there is even less that people would understand. Black Bolt has spoken more often than Lockjaw. He has never been defeated: Neither has Lockjaw. Both have had setbacks, but Lockjaw, with his teleporting anility, tends to escape first. And Lockjaw has often saved Black Bolt's life. He can level mountains. Leveling a mountain means just moving it a few thousand feet. But Lockjaw can move a mountain a few thousand miles, as we see at the climax of the series when he moves the entire city, buildings and rocks and foundations and everything. Sure, he requires a little extra energy, but he does it and nobody else can. He is often described as the most powerful Inhuman, yet we see (book 6 pages 6 and 16) that he is "powerless" against complex situations where simply hitting someone does not work. These are the areas where Lockjaw is at his most powerful, as he makes friends, can fetch help, and can influence events in very subtle ways. He eyes can seem to be empty, and people question his judgment. This is ten times more true of Lockjaw. He is the most unique of all Inhumans. Lockjaw is far more unique than Black Bolt. He has to keep terrible secrets: Lockjaw's secrets are far deeper and kept for far longer. He is misunderstood. Lockjaw is far more misunderstood than Black Bolt. He loves his people. Lockjaw has sacrificed more for them than Black Bolt, he has saved them more than Black Bolt, and he shows his love more visibly. He is a model of stoic consistency. Lockjaw is more consistent, more silent, and endures more. (Though if we are talking Greek philosophy schools then cynic might be more appropriate than stoic.) Black Bolt has the greatest power and thus the greatest status. Or does he? Black Bolt is restricted in what he can do because he must always keep the rules. Lockjaw is his closest friend and has all the benefits of being with the royal family, but is totally free to do what he wants. It is true that Lockjaw does not get instant obedience to his wishes, but he gets instant gratification for his simple short term needs and long term he gets exactly what he wants. What greater power or status could there be? Black Bolt is "a necessary god." Lockjaw is even more necessary: if Black Bolt was killed, there are other noble Inhumans and other physically powerful Inhumans who could combine to replace him. But no combination of abilities or powers could ever replace Lockjaw. Black Bolt is adored, but he also feared. Lockjaw is more adored. Black bolt is noble because he is loyal (book 1, page 12). No human was ever as loyal as a dog. The great themes: secrets and vanity The great themes of the Inhumans book are secrecy and vanity. All through the book, Black Bolt is misunderstood and his reasons are not revealed until the end. Lockjaw is also misunderstood, but his secrets are so great that they can never be revealed, though the book is full of clues. Almost everyone in the book is vain. That is, they believe that they have great importance but they do not. They plan and scheme and use human-style intelligence, and they think that they are controlling events, but they are not. Gorgon's intelligence is in vain. Maximus' intelligence is in vain. Stalyenko's intelligence is in vain. The only people who truly control events are those who appear to be passive and do nothing: Black Bolt and his closest allies. And the closest of all is Lockjaw. So we see that intelligence is not about planning and scheming and talking. The greatest intelligence is quiet, subtle, misunderstood. The wisest and most powerful beings say very little, and appear to be doing nothing, but they bide their time and make just the right movement at just the right time to achieve their ends. By this measure, Lockjaw is far more intelligent than all the military planners and all their posturing and talking. |
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The other great bulldog with secrets The book contains a very revealing tangent. Winston Churchill, the British Bulldog who saved his country and helped save the world, had secrets. These secrets sometimes meant he had to do things that did not make sense to others, but in the great scheme of things they were the right decisions. In the book, the words compare Churchill to Black Bolt, but the images compare him to the "real" Bulldog, Lockjaw. This is just one of many clues in the book. On a superficial level, the book is about Black Bolt. But on a deeper level it is about Lockjaw. The parallel is made with Black Bolt's decision , but as usual a much closer parallel; is between the two bulldogs, Churchill and Lockjaw Dogs and gods: a higher kind of intelligence In the book, the Inhumans are often referred to as gods. This leads to some interesting observations. In human society, the most powerful God (in terms of number of worshipers and influence on history) is the Christian God, seen through Jesus. The power of Jesus does not come through armies and arguments but through humility and suffering. How can humility and suffering defeat armies? By uniting people and creating a stronger society. As Lockjaw does. Incidentally, it is true that Christians throughout history have also been violent and argumentative, but at those times the Christian church has failed and been replaced by something closer to Jesus;' teachings. The Crusades and power of corrupt popes led to the Catholic Church losing its power over Europe. And whenever modern politicians use Christianity to promote wars, those politicians are soon discredited and their successes are soon reversed. The real power of Christianity, as with any other religion, comes from its ability to quietly and gently unite society. This is a higher kind of intelligence than the noisy bickering of warlords and politicians. This is the kind of higher power and higher intelligence that Lockjaw uses. Another interesting aside (if you will forgive the tangent) is that, in evolutionary terms, dogs created humans. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, dogs chose to live with humans because it was an easier way to get food. Since dogs have a better sense of smell, the humans no longer need their noses. Human noses got smaller, allowing more space in the skull for the mouth and voice box. This allowed humans to develop better verbal communication skills, so their brain size expanded, leading to the other developments that we associate with civilization. I'm not making this up: this is a reputable theory among those who study human origins. My point is that dogs have more importance than we think. And a beloved pet often has a much better life than their stressed and worried owner. So who is really the powerful one? Who is the intelligent one? There is more than one kind of intelligence. Lockjaw saves the Inhumans In the Jenkins book, as usual, Lockjaw saves everyone. It is Lockjaw who first notices that Maximus has joined Woz, the teleporter. It is Lockjaw who then follows Woz. It is then Lockjaw who is near to Black Bolt when Black Bolt develops his plans. When the plans come to fruition it all centers on Lockjaw. Without Lockjaw, the city could not be saved. As usual, Lockjaw is the beginning and the end of the adventure, the one who starts everything moving and the one who saves the day. Lockjaw is the driving force Sometimes we see Lockjaw clearly initiate the action, such as when he stares at the wall for an hour because he senses something that nobody else can see, then he works out how to reach it, he finds Woz, and all the other events are set in motion. Other times it appears that he is led by Black Bolt, but is he really? We know that he is Black Bolt's closest friend, and gives Black Bolt the strength to go on. And we know that Lockjaw and Black Bolt have some hidden connection. The numerous parallels, the silence and the antenna on the head that nobody else shares, it all suggests some closet connection. And how did Black Bolt know about Woz and hence Maximus' plans if Lockjaw did not tell him? All the evidence suggests that Lockjaw is more involved than he appears. Black Bolt's secret plan relies on using Lockjaw's power on the entire city at exactly the right time. How could he be sure that it worked? Remember that Lockjaw has an extremely useful power, and the Inhumans have extremely advanced technology. If they people could duplicate his power then they would. Clearly they cannot. So how do they know that simply plugging some wires into Lockjaw would work? Or that Lockjaw would take them to the right place? Clearly there is some kind of communication going on, and the simplest example is that Lockjaw suggested it. Probably not in words, but by his close connection with Black Bolt's mind. So at the very least, Lockjaw sets the adventure in motion. And it is very likely that he suggests the whole plan. Lockjaw holds the Inhumans together In Jenkins' book, we learn that the Inhumans are not always very nice people. They have no hesitation in sending Woz to live with the Alpha Primitives, and Gorgon would happily kill his students. And Black Bolt will happily break his promise to give the alphas freedom. In Issue 2 p.14, the only one who can recognize the Inhumans' deep level of denial is crystal, Lockjaw's usual companion. Tension is to be expected in a society of proud individuals, and this is Black Bolt's most important concern. the last few pages of issue one are devoted to this. The Inhumans are naturally argumentative and quick to anger. Above all, Black Bolt wants them to RELAX! This is more important than anything else: without some calming influence, Inhuman society would fall apart. (NB this page gives examples of all the Inhumans acting irritable. Yet this is out of character for Lockjaw: he only growls with very good reason and soon returns to his easy going nature. Probably the growl from Lockjaw was warning others NOT to act so irritable.) What can this calming influence be? Enter Lockjaw. Lockjaw is friends with everyone, and nobody can get to angry at Lockjaw. Lockjaw is friends with the strong and the weak, old and young, deadly enemies alike. Lockjaw understands the importance of chilling out. Lockjaw sees everything in terms of play and food and rest - the simple things on which we can all agree, the where we all agree. Readers might think that his love of play is a weakness. But it is his love of play that keeps the Inhumans from destroying each other. Jenkins' book reveals that this is no coincidence. The Inhumans are genetically programmed as a group. When a need arises, an unusual mutation will arise that helps the group. Clearly Lockjaw is an example of such a mutation: the Inhumans need to chill in order to survive as a species, so Lockjaw arrives. All the clues lead back to Lockjaw The Inhumans miniseries devotes a large amount of space to Lockjaw. He stars in his own issue (issue 8). He stars on the alternate cover to issue 2. He is a major player in the main sub stories: the children in the Terrigen mists and the story of Woz. He features prominently in almost every issue. He is pivotal to the start and the end of the drama. Whenever Black Bolt has his deepest moments, Lockjaw (and no-one else) is there. All roads lead to Lockjaw. Black Bolt "locks" others out with his silence (book 1, page 14). Perhaps that is the real reason for the name "lock jaw." His jaws are locked. perhaps his name does not refer to his great strength but to his unrivaled ability to keep a secret. Karnak wonders about the hidden flaw in Black Bolt. Everyone has a flaw, and Karnak can see them all , yet Black Bolt appears to have none. The book suggests several possible flaws: he is too secretive, he cannot connect with people, and so on, yet each of these is a necessary part of his perfection: they are not flaws. We are brought back to the hints of his carnivorous origins and his many links with Lockjaw. Soon after we have issue 2, devoted to Lockjaw and origins that go wrong. The great flaw in the Terrigen mists is that sometimes people can mutate "downwards." Could Black Bolt's flaw, the one thing that nobody can ever admit, his guilty secret, be his joint origin with Lockjaw? We learn that "downward" mutations are designed to help society as a whole. Is the great secret, the great flaw, that Black Bolt are part of the same great experiment, both sacrificing their humanity to the greater good? We learn (book 1 p.21) that Triton is not good at speaking in air - he sounds stupid. Yet he is not stupid: in his own element (water) he sounds highly intelligent. Why is this new detail added if not to hint that the same principle might apply to the other stupid nonhuman Inhuman? The whole first issue is about being different, unable to talk, and needing to help others to relax. It's Lockjaw's message. In book 5 p.10 we see that Black Bolt chooses to be silent. Black Bolt could use sign language more, but chooses not to. Does this apply to Lockjaw? In book 10 page 22 we are told that there is "emptiness" in Black Bolt's eyes. Does that mean he is unintelligent? Does that men that Lockjaw is unintelligent? Lockjaw, Triton and The Hulk Lockjaw operates on an emotional level. Emotions are how the brain copes with complex information. Emotions is often superior to intellect. Lockjaw's brain has to cope with multiple parallel dimensions and navigating in four dimensional space. Obviously his thoughts use emotion rather than words because words are not enough. Lockjaw speaks in terms of fun and rest, because that is how he keeps the people together. He is the ultimate diplomat. And note that he can have fun even at the most stressful time: of all the Inhumans, he has got it together, he is at peace and in harmony with the world. In the miniseries, Lockjaw speaks in simple, emotional terms. We saw elsewhere that he thinks in terms of emotions, not words. Do simple words mean he is stupid? Then so is Triton. In book 1 p.21 we see that when in air, Triton is not very good with words and sounds like a fool. But in his own element (water) he sounds very intelligent. Why did Jenkins add this detail if not to give a hint about Lockjaw? Another parallel is with the Hulk. In some of the early stories the Hulk sounds as if he has very low intelligence ("Hulk Smash!") but in other stories the Banner side of he persona comes through. An even better parallel is with an English speaker trying to communicate in a foreign language. If we have trouble with the language then the best we can hope for is point, grunt, and use very simple words. The point is that we cannot judge Lockjaw by the English words he chooses. We must judge him by his actions. And his actions are exactly what an intelligent person would do in the circumstances. Lockjaw in his own words This is what Lockjaw says in book 8, and why it is so intelligent. The words are very simple, but very powerful. Only vain people think that long words are a sign of great intelligent. "Scratchity scratch." Scratching means contact and social grooming. It unites people and calms them down. This is essential at times of stress. In addition, Lockjaw needs people to physically touch him if he is to teleport them somewhere. People did not evolve the need for grooming by accident, but because it bestows a survival advantage. The Inhumans use the world "evolution" the same way that others use the word "god." Evolution tells us that grooming and close contact are essential. "People noisy bark bark... sleep is gone." The first thing he identifies is the high level of tension. "Dog go outside." The logical first step is to gather more information. "Sniff sniff." It has been established elsewhere that, by sniffing, Lockjaw is able to gather enough information to track people across the world and even to other dimensions. he is gathering information. At this point he also lifts his leg. Even when on serious business he has fun. He is one relaxed and happy dude! (His antenna lights up.) "Dog hungry. Get food. ... Where is food?" It appears that he has discovered something (hence the antenna lights up). It has been established elsewhere that teleporting takes a lot of energy, and he needs food. So the logical step now is to quickly refuel before following what he has discovered. No army would go to war with half empty fuel tanks. "Mm. Chompy food" He enjoys his life. Others are afraid, they cannot cope and they are stressed. But Lockjaw is totally in control of his destiny and loves his life. The irony is that at this point Gorgon thinks that Lockjaw does not understand. yet in reality it is Gorgon who does not understand (as we discover at the end), and Lockjaw probably knows all the secrets. "Toy! Oh toy! Toy! Toy!" This is not just any toy: this is a model of Ben Grimm, the Thing, Lockjaw's closes human friend. In times past, the Fantastic Four has often helped the Inhumans out of trouble. No wonder Lockjaw is excited to find it! It will help him explain to others without any painful talking. Reed Richards cannot help (he has to maintain high profile neutrality, as we saw in issue 4) but Ben Grimm can get away with bending the rules. Lockjaw shows people Ben Grimm, in a hope that they will get the message. "Goat play with dog?" "Chill out! play with me! Trust me - this will help!" The moment that Gorgon touches the Ben Grimm model, then Lockjaw can teleport them both to see Ben and get his help. But Gorgon does not understand. His brain is not sophisticated enough to grasp Lockjaw's plan. He does not touch, so he cannot be teleported, so Lockjaw goes to try someone else. "Grr... danger in this place. Beware of bad enemy here." Lockjaw rationally concludes that the danger is not going away, and since Gorgon will not cooperate then he leaves to find help elsewhere. "Love! Woofity Woofity bark bark" At this point Lockjaw finds Crystal. Crystal is closest to Lockjaw (except for Black Bolt who cannot be seen to get Ben Grimm's help because it would jeopardize his secret and look like running away.). Naturally Lockjaw is excited that Crystal will understand. He thinks in emotional terms., so barks with joy "Play? Huh? Huh?" He offers Crystal the same opportunity, but like Gorgon, Crystal's brain is not large enough to understand what she is being offered. She reacts angrily. Lockjaw does not get angry - he is too wise for that. Crystal says that the telekinetics are the last line of resistance. At this point, Lockjaw gives up his attempts to make her realize that she does have more choices. She is just not smart enough to realize. He drops the toy and plans a different strategy. "Again! Play! ... Scratchity Scratch! He only needs her to touch him. If she touches him he an teleport her to Ben Grimm who will be able to help. He tries the direct appeal to their friendship. She is to preoccupied. Again her brain is too small to allow in the possibility of new ideas. "Yawwwwn." Lockjaw does not get angry. He does not get worried and stressed and fearful like the others. He has seen it all before, he tires of their foolishness. Incidentally, from a comics point of view it makes sense to keep Lockjaw's intelligence a secret. If we all saw things as Lockjaw does then there would be no tension, very little conflict, the problems would be solved quite easily and the comics would be less exciting. Lockjaw is too wise, too powerful , to be allowed too much influence. Most readers would not relate to his gentle long view easy going approach. "Here is noise. Dog is tired. Find sleepy place. No noise." Note that the assistance of Ben Grimm was never essential to the plan, it was only to make the others feel better since they did not understand the big picture. Since nobody wants his help, and the plan is on schedule, it makes sense to have a rest. Lockjaw is so calm! So in control of his life! So cool! But he is never selfish. He always does things to help others. He finds the one quiet place where he can do most good, and goes to comfort Black Bolt in his lonely vigil. And he does not really want to sleep. But with a brain the size of Lockjaw's, with so much to consider on an emotional level, he needs peace and quiet. In conclusion, everything that Lockjaw said and did was rational and intelligent, and revealed the people around him to be less intelligent. They were all stressed, confused, and following plans that would lead nowhere. Lockjaw was calm, part of the real plan, and offered them help that they could not understand. "Could just a dog do this?" The key to it all is the page in the last issue where Lockjaw is hooked up to the device that will allow him (Lockjaw) to save Attilan again. Paul Jenkins asks the questions that will determine whether we really understand what is happening: "Imagine you were just a dog. How would you know what was happening around you?" "Just a dog" would not understand. But Lockjaw always does the right thing. This could be coincidence but is more likely evidence that he does understand and is therefore not "just a dog." Of course, his brain is wired for emotions rather than words, so he does not understand in the same way that you or I would: his understanding is deeper. "How would you understand that the entire grid of computerized city functions had been rerouted into your neural network." A good question, and easily answered: you would understand by feeling changes in your brain. Note that this is conformation that Lockjaw's brain is very large and very complex, or else "the entire grid" could not be routed through it. If someone channeled a city through YOUR brain, don't you think you would notice? But how much would he understand? He must understand enough to control it, which means much greater understanding that anyone else is likely to have. Is it possible that the Inhumans could understand Lockjaw's brain enough to control it without his conscious effort? No, because if they had that level of understanding then they could duplicate it. More importantly, it is designed to "hitch a ride on your next journey, just as soon as your flight reflex kicked in." Note that it just hitches a ride, so Lockjaw is still in control. Lockjaw's "flight reflex" normally takes him to Crystal, then to Ben Grimm, then to some parallel dimension, in that order. It needs great concentration (as we saw in FF 118), and without that concentration it could be disastrous. So for Lockjaw to transport an entire city to a particular place, he would have to understand the situation is a very deep way. "If you were a dog, why would you care?" Dogs care about their families. They are pack animals. They care deeply. They wait for hours for their master to return. Whether you believe that Lockjaw is just a dog, o the smartest and greatest hero ever, there is no doubt that he cares deeply about the safety of his people, because that's what dogs do. More clues about Lockjaw's origins |
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Jenkins' Inhumans reopens the theory that Lockjaw is not a mutated dog but a mutated human. When Woz mutates we see Lockjaw metaphorically splitting out of his head. Woz then loses some of his speech ability and gains thicker limbs and the ability to teleport. Issue 2 is all about the children as they enter the Terrigen mists, and the alternate cover has Lockjaw dominating the page, with the children in the background. We also learn that in previous generations there was less control over who went into the mists. The timing is interesting: they apparently changed the policy some time after Lockjaw was created. The first issue begins with a fifteen page background story about Black Bolt's psychology and history. The main story then begins with Black Bolt on the right, Lockjaw dominating the scene, and Black Bolt's genealogy being given by an awkward and embarrassed looking man. The most important feature, the first thing we learn, is that Black Bolt's ancestors were carnivores. Is there more to the silent guys with antennas than we know? The role of servants in Inhuman society In book 11 page 7, members of the royal family are described as "servants." Perhaps this sheds some light on Lockjaw's origin: we assume that he cannot have been human, but seeing what happened to Woz, and seeing the other royals called servants, perhaps...? Conclusion: could Lockjaw speak? We learn from Jenkins' Inhumans that: * Lockjaw can make the full range of dog noises * He can think in words. * He is close friends with Black Bolt, a deep and tormented figure. * There is very strong circumstantial evidence that he is highly intelligent. * His origin may have been the Inhumans' darkest secret * He usually has nothing to say that people would understand. So if John Byrne wrote his famous "Lockjaw talks" story today, it would be perfectly in keeping with what went before. Indeed, it would be even more fitting now than it was twenty years ago. |
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