Inferno 2 review

The first issue of Inferno was excellent. It set up a world where in the classic X-Men event, Inferno, the bad guys won. New York is overtaken by hordes of demons led by Darkchilde, and only the X-Men and a select few allies remain to protect what’s left of humanity. But no matter how consumed Colossus’s sister seems to be by her demonic form, he won’t give up on rescuing her. The issue ended with his latest rescue attempt completely failing and his team seemingly destroyed.

Inferno 2, written by Dennis Hopeless, takes place not long after the first issue ended. It turns out that most of Colossus’s team was defeated by Madelyn Pryor (the Goblin Queen), and she’s not exactly on Darkchilde’s side. She and Colossus agree to dethrone Darkchilde together, in a joint effort for Colossus to try one last time to rescue his sister and Pryor to take the throne of Inferno. Their conversation is interesting, with Pryor making great use of invasive telepathy. “If you didn’t want me listening you’d have thought in Russian.”

Meanwhile, Domino meets a young, alternate universe Cable, Boom Boom is healed, and Darkchilde works her own dark powers to make Colossus’s situation worse. Cable’s appearance, along with Colossus and Domino, makes this issue feel like an unofficial reunion of Hopeless’s Cable and X-Force run, and that’s not a bad thing. Despite the story’s dark nature, this comic feels lighter in tone than the last and there’s a sense of hope by the end. The story could still go in a number of different directions considering the X-Men are working with the Goblin Queen. It’s kind of exciting.

Javier Garron’s art is great. Inferno is complete with destroyed buildings, cages made of fire and towers that look evil. The goblins, monsters and demons are varied in looks and usually well detailed. Facial expressions do a great job at conveying emotions, whether it’s Pryor’s malicious grin while testing Colossus in a fighting pit, young Cable’s curious look when he first meets Domino or Darkchilde’s simple glee for being evil. Despite the comic’s overall dark tone, it’s bright, colourful and appealing to the eye.

This is a great comic. Hopeless’s writing strikes a good balance between character drama, story development and action. I haven’t yet read the original Inferno event, but despite how a lot of people find it mediocre, this comic makes me want to hurry up and read it. If you like any of the characters involved or enjoyed Hopeless’s Cable and X-Force run, you should check this series out.