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Rating:  -
When I think of X-Men these are the stories I think of.
Rating: -
I remember when Inferno happened. It was one of my favorite comic storylines of all time. So I was real happy when I found this TPB that collected it all in one (rather thick) volume. It's one of those classic X-Men stories. Inferno also bled over into several other comics and I wish they had been included here (or maybe Marvel will release a companion volume that contains them)--those like Spider Man, Daredevil, and the X-Terminators. Still, even with just the X-Men and The New Mutants, it is a must have volume.
Rating:  -
Upon rereading "Inferno", I was surprised by the maturity and sensitivity in the crafting of this X-Men story. Lots of comic books that came out from the late 1980s until today try to portray "maturity" by resorting to post-modern themes or shock-value. Check out a number of D.C. Vertigo books to know what I mean. Not that they are bad. In fact, most of them (e.g. Sandman) are pretty good. Just that the bulk of them (even the best of them), at times comes off as merely artsy pretensions.
"X-Men: Inferno" is a straight-forward superhero story. It is the capstone of the whole "Phoenix" saga (incl. "Dark Phoenix Saga", "From the Ashes" and "Phoenix Rising"). Madelyne Pryor goes on a rampage as a woman scorned and she literally brings hell to earth. In the middle, we also get the final resolution to the whole Illyana Rasputin/Magick saga.
Why do I like this volume so much? Firstly, the craft and design of the work is akin to the three circles of Dante's Inferno. We have the first circle here dealing with each of the X-Men's weaknesses (sins), then the second circle of the Magick saga and the final circle of Madelyne's epic battle - and finally the revelation of the devil at the bottom of the pit, Mr. Sinister. Wonderful planning and design throughout. Secondly, I found the work dealt with issues of adultery, vanity, vengence, sibling rivalry, repentance, etc. all presented in a mature and sensitive manner - without the pretensions of today's comics. Read it again to see Dazzler's vanity, the Marauders' violence, Madelyne's pain, Jean's tenderness, Havok's insecurity and Cyclops' regret. Thirdly, we have the introduction to one of the most interesting, Faustian villain ever - Mister Sinister - and a resolution to the events set in motion during the "Morlock Massacre" prior to this story. In many ways, this story is a closure - many of the dangling plotlines are resolved. In other ways, this story, like the best X-Men stories, marks a new beginning - the X-Men finally comes face-to-face with the X-Factor and this marks the beginning of the "extended family" concept in the X-books, laying the ground for future storylines.
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From "The Phoenix Saga" to "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "From the Ashes" to "Phoenix Rising"--"Inferno" is the capstone of them all. The Phoenix has force dominated the Marvel world in her various incarnations since she first arrived on the scene, and Jean Grey's face haunted the Marvel world for years beyond her apparent "death" on the Moon. The mere memory of her haunted Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor's marriage--her return destroyed it. Maddy is left without a husband, convinced of her fear that Scott married her only for her resemblance to his ex, and caring for an infant son.
Hell hath no fury...
Reeling from the return of Jean Grey in "Phoenix Rising," the X-Teams have no time to prepare for the impact of her look-alike. More is explained of the fate of Phoenix, and the Phoenix powers. The climactic face-off between Jean Grey and Madelyne is, however, not the end of the Phoenix.
As always in Marvel, what is done can be undone... and no one stays dead forever.
For more Madelyne Pryor, look to the X-Man comic books. You'll find another battle between the two gorgeous redheads of X-Men fame. For more of the Phoenix, look to Rachel Summers and eventually back to Jean herself.
Phoenix is a force that never dies.
The comic is a real page-turner, spurred on by the haunted women at the center of it--Maddy, Jean, and Illyana Rasputin (Magik).
When hell breaks loose on earth, individuals have to come to terms with it-and it changes them all. Madelyne's duty is to fan the flames, even at the expense of her own son's life, and recieve shocking answers to questions that have plagued those around her since her appearance in "From the Ashes." Jean is a woman searching for answers, with pieces of her life missing after her stasis at the bottom of the bay. Illyana is a young girl, raised in that hell, coming to terms with her own role within it and the sacrifice she will need to make to push it out of the real world.
While this is not where new readers should begin, it is essential for the most important arc in X-Men history. Start with the "Pheonix Saga", but make it all the way through to "Inferno." It's worth it.
Rating:  -
The X-Men are mainly known as mutant crusaders, heroes defending mutantkind, both from humanity and from itself. When the arena changes, it's usually to a sci-fi space adventure (Shi'Ar Empire, etc.) or an alternate reality (Days of Future Past) rather than a more fantasy-based setting. So, being a fantasy buff, I was naturally excited to read Inferno and find out how the X-Men (and their spinoff teams) dealt with supernatural threats and adventures.
The story is complex, as is par for the course in a Claremont book. Cyclops's ex-wife Madelyne Pryor makes a bargain with a demon to find their son, who apparently vanished some time ago. The New Mutants are stuck in Limbo, the dimension that had up till now been ruled by their teammate, Colossus's little sister Illyana. She ends up making a bargain with the same demon (a lovely fellow named N'astirh) to win back the mystic artifact that marks her as Limbo's ruler. As expected when one deals with demons, both Maddie and Illyana are betrayed, Maddie to Mr. Sinister (whose connection to her is both surprising and not altogether unexpected), and Illyana to S'ym, her former subordinate and rival for Limbo's throne.
The result? Hell on Earth. Limbo's demons end up taking over Manhattan, turning the place into a devil's-funhouse parody of itself, and it takes the combined efforts of the X-Men (comprised at this time of Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Havok, Longshot, Dazzler, Colossus, and Wolverine), X-Factor (the original X-Men, including a Jean Grey who is somehow stripped of her telepathy by her resurrection), and the New Mutants (Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Warlock, Mirage, and Illyana herself), as well as a few minor mutants (including the future Rictor and Meltdown of X-Force fame) to break the spell over the city. The mutants go through a game of "tag, who's it?" with the bad guys, defeating S'ym, N'astirh, and finally Madelyne herself before finally realizing that Inferno's true mastermind is, though inadvertently, none other than Mr. Sinister.
Claremont, as always, does a wonderful job of storytelling with both the X-Men and New Mutants titles, but Louise Simonson (X-Factor's writer) doesn't quite live up. Her dialogue is disjointed and at times hard to follow, while at the same time having a kind of childish simplicity to it. As for Inferno's art...well, Silvestri ranks among the greats, like Jim Lee and John Byrne, but Walt Simonson's pencils seem simplistic and blocky, and the New Mutants artist (whose name escapes me) has a tendency to be more cartoony than anything else.
Flaws notwithstanding, Inferno makes for a good read, and its supernatural premise is a breath of fresh air from the human vs. mutant and space-alien invasions the X-Men usually put up with. It did have the potential to be much, much better, though.
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