REVIEW: Inferno #4 – Ashes to Ashes

The end of the line.

Inferno #4

Stefano Caselli (artist), David Curiel (colorist), Jonathan Hickman (writer), Tom Muller (design), VC’s Joe Sabino (letterer), Valerio Schiti (artist)
Marvel Comics
January 5, 2022

inferno #4

Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men run has spanned 10 lifetimes and multiple dimensions, from mutantkind’s emergence in the ancient past to their near-extinction in the far-flung future. Like a seed growing into a tree, House of X #1 begins with the mutant island Krakoa and leads to the end of X-Men #21 and the first glimpse of the mutant planet Arakko.

Since 2019, Hickman, along with artists (including, but not limited to) Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva, Leinil Francis Yu, Mahmud Asrar, Stefano Caselli, and Valerio Schiti, has shocked the comic book franchise out of its long hibernation. Almost four years and one pandemic later, this era has brought radical change to the X-Men, but more than that, it opened a gateway for an eclectic crew of comic creators to explore the new, mutant Eden. Then came a change in the X-Men’s travel plans, with an early but amicable departure for the “Head of X.” Regardless of how X-fans feel about this massive shift, the promise of Krakoa has been locked in as the new status quo. But are the heroes who founded Krakoa in paradise or prison?

And that brings us to Inferno #4, written by Hickman and illustrated by Caselli and Schiti. We’ve reached the end of the line, Hickman’s narration hovering over Magneto and Professor X as they stand alone against the existential threat of Nimrod and Omega Sentinel. This final act fight between the makers and destroyers of the future is as heavy as the satellite Magneto brings down to crush his opponents. In the first “oh shit” moment of the issue, Omega Sentinel and Nimrod mow down the hapless Orchis scientists following them – humans have become so irrelevant to this war that, at best, they’re an annoying distraction. After nearly sixty years of stories about “mutants vs. mutants” and “mutants vs. humans,” the conflict between mutant and machine is a powerful new direction. How does a war end when both sides are beyond pesky human concepts like death?

The synergy between Xavier and Magneto is electric as they face impossible odds. We know from the beginning of Inferno #1 that they are (temporarily) doomed. But the scale of the fight is so big, so crushing, that I made increasingly desperate “OK, here is how they can still win—” mental notes as I scanned the comic. Magneto and Xavier are ultimately each other’s greatest strengths and weaknesses. Hickman understands this completely, giving the knife a sharp little twist.

Together, they’re nigh unstoppable – Xavier, pushed to the absolute limit of his powers, unleashes a rare telekinetic psi-bolt that dismantles Nimrod. But when the reassembled AI threatens to kill Xavier unless Magneto releases Omega Sentinel, Erik hesitates. He trusts Charles, who, even clutched in death’s huge metal fist, urges him to try to trust their enemies and accept. That eternal optimism kills them both. Still, when I think of this issue, Valerio Schiti’s depiction of them fighting together — Xavier raising his hand to Cerebro, Magneto hovering above him, eyes glowing – is the image that stays with me.

inferno #4

The second “oh shit” moment of Inferno #4 is when Mystique smiles at Moira X, the mutant whose death will restart the entire universe, and shoots her. Fade to white. Welcome to “THE DEATH OF MOIRA X.”

…But not the way you expect. Mystique’s weapon of choice is Forge’s power-neutralizing gun, given to her by Emma Frost. “When [Xavier] looks into the mind of someone else, he tends to see strengths…I, however, see weaknesses. I see flaws,” says Emma in flashback. Hickman has an innate talent for moments like this, his incisive dialogue cutting straight to the heart of the character he’s writing. I’ll miss them.

Mystique, however, is ready to cut straight to the heart of the character tied up in front of her. Now Moira X is simply Moira MacTaggert, human. What does she have to say for herself? Mystique and Destiny finally decode her, determining that she didn’t just hate them for killing her in a past life. Moira’s grudge was an extension of her self-hatred. Wounded, exhausted, and about to die, Moira confesses that after all her lives and losses, she doesn’t want to save mutants. She wants to cure them. But this confession won’t absolve her; if anything, it’s damned her. Maybe the “Inferno” of the title wasn’t referring to Mystique burning Krakoa to the ground, but rather the hell Moira MacTaggert’s made for herself.

Whatever state her soul is in, her life is saved with the arrival of Doug Ramsey, drawn with Han Solo’s swagger as he leans against the doorway. (Seriously, let’s never cast aspersions on this man’s coolness ever again.) He points out that turning Moira into a human gives her protection under Krakoa’s “Kill No Man” law, and while Mystique and Destiny might kill him, they probably can’t kill his large wife, his sentient arm (who is also his boyfriend), and the living island they’re standing on. (I will always, always love writing about X-Men comics.)

Inferno #4 serves as a closing of the circle. Familiar lines of dialogue echo throughout the issue, some harkening back to House of X #1. “It’s not a nightmare if it’s real.” “We are the future, not you.” “Did you honestly think we were going to sit around forever and just take it?” “And then…And then…”

We return to where we began in the first issue, as Xavier and Magneto are revived and restored by the Cerebro-wearing, wonderfully smug Emma Frost. The rest of the Quiet Council has been informed of their machinations with Moira X, but surprisingly, not much changes. Xavier and Magneto still sit on the Council next to Destiny and Mystique. With Moira’s mutant power gone, the present on Krakoa is locked in, the future unknown to (almost) all of them.

The truth isn’t liberating. The disparate members of the Quiet Council, the heroes, villains, killers, and true believers, must bear the weight of Krakoa’s darkest secrets. Secrets they can’t even take to the grave, because there are no graves on Krakoa. Hickman’s final issue is not the razing or the hard reset some readers may have expected, but it lands with an impact. True to the nature of serialized superhero comics, this is an end, his end, but not the end.

Inferno concludes with an aerial glimpse of the council members taking their seats, forming a wide circle around the all-encompassing letter X. The circle is now complete, there are no beginnings or endings for the X-Men.

“To be continued. Forever.”

Advertisements
Kayleigh Hearn

Kayleigh Hearn

Still waiting for her Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters acceptance letter. Bylines also at Deadshirt, Ms-En-Scene, The MNT, PanelxPanel, and Talk Film Society.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Close
Menu
WP Twitter Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com