Inferno #1
Jonathan Hickman's final X-Men story begins in Inferno #1, by writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Valerio Schiti, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Joe Sabino. Inferno #1 delivers, and for that reason, it's all the more bittersweet.
This is an interesting comic. It lays out Krakoa's continued attacks against the Orchis Forge, with Nimrod slaughtering Wolverine, Kid Omega, and Domino. Gregor, Devo, and Karima discuss the attacks, which have been ongoing, and realize that the mutants have learned nothing. From there, things get really crazy, as readers are brought back to Moira's third life, where she gets attacked by Mystique, Destiny, and Pyro. Back in the present of her tenth life, she visits Muir Island and Paris, where she's noticed by Orchis agents watching the gateway. Back at her No-Room, she, Charles, and Magneto have a discussion about Nimrod and Destiny. Later, at a Quiet Council meeting, Cyclops steps down as Commander of Captains, and Bishop takes his place. The Quiet Council meeting goes on, and Mystique drops a bombshell on the Council.
Inferno #1 is a great comic, but the huge problem with it is that moment that one looks at the credits page and Hickman is no longer Head Of X. Hickman started this new bold era of the X-Men, and now he's leaving because the writers all decided that they liked things where they were. That the story that Hickman laid out was going to be put on hold indefinitely. Look, Hickman's X-Men was not perfect. It spun its wheels and did set up when there were a whole bunch of other titles that could have done that. When it was on, though, it was on, and no other current X-writer comes close to Hickman when he's firing on all cylinders. Inferno is a perfect example of that.
This isn't the X-Men, or if it is, it's the Hickman of the Vault issues or the Mystique ones. This is Hickman bringing House Of X/Powers Of X realness again, and it's delightful. From cold open that serves as a terrible glimpse of what's to come to the opening battle against Nimrod on, this is peak-Hickman. In some ways, most of the stuff in this book are all things readers already know, but Hickman executes it in such a perfect way that it works brilliantly. All of that and Hordeculture, too. A lot of it seems like window dressing, setting the stage, and then the newest player walks out, and… well, things are about to change. It's a bombshell and a perfect ending to a perfect issue.
Schiti and Curiel are at the top of their game in this issue. If Hickman is firing on all cylinders, so are they, from the opening fight on down. The tension of the reveal of the last scene, panel after panel, where readers can kind of guess what's about to happen but can't see it is just too good for words, and when the moment hits, it's just chills. There's no other way to describe it.
Inferno #1 is a fantastic comic but also so very bittersweet. It illustrates why Hickman is the perfect person for the X-Men, as he presents a tale that mostly just reiterates what he's said before but in a completely new manner. This book is a perfect example of why so many are sad he's leaving. Schiti and Curiel are the perfect art team for this issue. Enjoy Inferno, as you won't see it's like in the X-Men books for a long time.
