Inferno #4 Review

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Stefano Caselli, Valerio Schiti, David Curiel, VC’s Joe Sabino, Tom Muller, Jerome Opeña, and Frank Martin

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 5th, 2022

Discovering Moira was missing, Professor X and Magneto pursued the tracker embedded into her arm directly towards an ambush. And who was waiting for them? Well, none other than the anti-mutant group Orchis, Nimrod, and the Omega Sentinel. Still, amidst the confusion, Mystique and Destiny are determined to get their revenge on Moira no matter what the cost. Nevertheless, how will Mystique and Destiny get their retribution if Orchis has captured Moira? And what happens if Moira is killed? Will the next life begin or will she just be resurrected back into THIS life? Let’s dive into INFERNO #4 as the final chapter in Jonathan Hickman’s epic era comes to its culminating conclusion.

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THE DISPATCH

What was Orchis’ agenda all along? We get that answer this issue! What was Moira’s scheme all along? Well, we also receive that this issue! What was Mystique and Destiny’s plan? And, with this being the end, where is everything left after INFERNO #4 comes to a close? Well X-fans, we get those answers too! INFERNO #4 is jammed packed with answers to so many questions, behind-the-scenes master plans, and even a few reveals that will provide some unique wrinkles that will cause some much-needed flavor after this Hickman era rushes to an end.

Now, some of my favorite aspects of this very issue of INFERNO involve an extremely violent showdown between Xavier, Magneto, Nimrod, and Omega Sentinel. Valerio Schiti and Stephanie Caselli elevate to all-new levels as these two show a brand new side of Charles, as well as how powerful the Professor and Magneto really are… especially when they work together. The detail drawn into the sheer power of Magneto alone is astounding. Plus, wouldn’t one expect the Master of Magnetism to have his way with two A.I. practically forged of metal? Well, I guess you’ll have to dive into the issue and find out!

Moreover, Schiti and Caselli help show readers Mystique’s plan unfold literally before their eyes which helped to iron out any dangling plot threads that one would think were plaguing the story. Furthermore, the anger and passion expressed on Moira’s face as well as the Professors told the tale of the passion and emotion to fit within the confines of the entire scope of Hickman’s epoch.

THE TWISTS

Readers will also discover some pretty killer reveals that contort the narrative a bit and add an extra dimension to INFERNO, as well as the entire scope of this X-MEN era. Nimrod and Omega Sentinel’s reveal was definitely shocking as well as Mystique’s declaration. Yet, as soon as her plan came to pass, her next step did seem a bit obvious. Alas, some more twists will certainly make fans cheer with excitement while also providing an interesting wrinkle for the future.

But, there are still some “chess pieces” that I feel got pushed to the back burner or forgotten amid the chaos of INFERNO, which heavily focused on Moira, Charles, Magneto, Mystique, and Destiny. I wish readers received more about how Omega Sentinel created Orchis using Devo which totally parallels how Moira used Charles along the mutant side. Heck, the similar nature between Omega Sentinel and Moira is truly uncanny. Moira shares her future visions with Charles just like Omega Sentinel did with Devo. And ultimately, Charles and Krakoa were pawns just like humanity, Orchis, and Devo. Hickman should have developed more within the landscape of each of these ideas.

Plus, if the main X-MEN book focused on more of a gradual build-up between these events, I think we could have received a more thorough understanding, less compression, and better execution of this entire age of HOXPOX let alone this INFERNO event itself. Yet, refocusing solely on this specific issue of INFERNO, readers will no doubt be pleased with the action, reveals, artistic nuance, and dynamite scope of this new generation of X-MEN.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Jonathan Hickman wraps up his run with the highly anticipated conclusion of INFERNO this week. Regardless of anyone’s opinions or personal beliefs, the X-MEN franchise was most certainly in the gutter. It needed something new, something fresh, and something innovative. And that my X-friends, is exactly what Hickman was able to do as the Head of X. We may not have received every answer nor was each issue of each series revolutionary, action-packed, or cluttered with edge of your seat excitement. But overall, INFERNO #4 closes Hickman’s chapter in one of the most astonishing, climatic, and dynamic stories since HOXPOX kicked his saga off!

You’ll most certainly leave this series clinging to every word and hanging on every panel. Somehow, Hickman manages to conclude his X-MEN saga like a child playing with his action figures being called for dinner. The toys are left out in the exact positions they were until dinner was finished waiting for the kid to come back and play all over again. It’s just that this time, their little brother who was watching in the wings will come back in to play right where his older brother left off. He’ll have some good ideas but it will be a bit different than it was when his older brother was playing. My point: Hickman elevated a starving franchise and put it back on the map. He concluded his story by answering most of the questions in an exceptionally impressive way with some overly skilled writers and artists waiting in the wings like Benjamin Percy and Gerry Duggan to name a few.

X-MEN fans will be pleased with how this story ends and I can’t help but take the last statements of this article to thank Jonathan Hickman for such an amazingly clever vision and story. Everyone should read HOXPOX, X OF SWORDS, HELLFIRE GALA, and INFERNO at a minimum. However, if you need the cliff notes version, don’t skimp on HOXPOX or INFERNO. These two bookends make Hickman’s run worth the journey. Let me know what you think, have a great, week, and God Bless!