INFERNO

Great X-pectations

ISSUES 1-4 Sometimes, there is such a thing as “too successful”. Case in point: Jonathan Hickman’s 2019 relaunch of the X-Men – via the House Of X/Powers Of X event series – was one of the most dazzling superhero reinventions in decades, and was obviously the first chapter of a rigorously planned epic (like Hickman’s previous runs on Fantastic Four and Avengers).

However, the resulting Dawn Of X titles have done so well that Marvel has chosen to maintain the current status quo rather than follow Hickman’s original masterplan. Thanks to this, we now have Inferno –a four-issue miniseries that is Hickman’s farewell to the X-Men titles, as well as a climax of sorts to certain plotlines, but which definitely isn’t the full-on finale that was originally laid out.

The main focus here is on the secret at the heart of the new mutant society on Krakoa island: that it’s all happened thanks to the multiple lives of the enigmatic Moira McTaggart. If Moira dies, time will be reset and Krakoa will un-happen, and the biggest risk to her is the precognitive mutant known as Destiny.

Unfortunately, Destiny is the wife of cunning shapeshifter Mystique, who’s had enough of Professor X and Magneto’s lies and is out to unearth Krakoa’s hidden mysteries.

The story also includes the threat of anti-mutant organisation Orchis and the powerful AI entity Nimrod, but Hickman’s storytelling isn’t as propulsive here as in House Of X/Powers Of X.

At its best, this is dense, well-crafted superhero storytelling, but there are also significant pacing issues. The first two of Inferno’s double-length issues get bogged down in the politics of the Quiet Council, Krakoa’s ruling body, meaning that too much of the story feels like build-up, with the pay-off only properly arriving in issue four.

It’s also hard to ignore that even after the climactic action, not that much has actually changed, with the finale delivering a number of twists but also certain rushed developments, leaving Inferno stuck somewhere between being thrilling and frustrating.

"Hickman’s farewell to the X-Men titles, as well as a climax of sorts to certain plotlines"

The visuals, from a variety of artists (including Powers Of X’s RB Silva), are good but only occasionally exceptional, and while Hickman tries his best, he can’t meet the sky-high expectations he generated with his original relaunch.

Under normal circumstances, Inferno would still be impressive, but as a sequel/semi-conclusion to one of the wildest, most inventive superhero comics in recent memory, it can’t help but be slightly disappointing.