By Zack Quaintance — Today marks the release of Inferno #1, which also starts the clearest beginning of the end of writer Jonathan Hickman’s time on X-Men, which revitalized the franchise through the landmark dual series, House of X/Powers of X. Hickman’s departure is somewhat cloudy. There have been assurances he will remain involved (which seem at least partially influenced by PR folks, in my opinion), but it all feels to me like when a television showrunner/creator departs yet remains a consulting producer; some light input stays, but the full voice, vision, and guidance of the initial creator dissipates so that someone new can put their own creative stamp on things. All that aside, Inferno #1 is here today, and it’s the most exciting mutant comic since X-Men #7 (the crucible issue).

Yes, I absolutely loved Inferno #1. This first issue feels like a natural extension of everything Hickman has written in this X-Men era to date, from the incredible opening salvo in House of X/Powers of X to the one-off stories he did on X-Men to the light dabbling with X of Swords. So many seeds that Hickman subtly planted in earlier books start to blossom like a gate to Krakoa (sorry) in part one of this run-concluding story. The opening page is even an intriguing subversion of the House of X/Powers of X opening. From there, the book touches on a pair of long-simmering subplots that stand as the most interesting Krakoa Era X-Men questions.

Perhaps the most prominent plot thread that comes back around in this comic is Moira MacTaggert. One of House of X’s many interesting revelations was that Moira is actually a mutant, and her power is reincarnation. This reveal was one of the foundations of House of X/Powers of X, but for the past two years ago, Moira has been essentially absent from the X-Men comic books. In this issue, she returns, and the story gets back to the well-done reveals that marked its initial burst, establishing that the Mystique subplot from another Hickman comic is actually connected to Moira.

I won’t go into any further details about the plot of this comic, and I really only go into those to establish that with its first chapter, this story is doing a great job making the entirety of the run more coherent, feeling contained and thoughtful and Big Picture in the familiar ways most Hickman comics thrive. I spend a lot of time in online comics discussions circles (too much time, frankly), and there have steadily been complaints about dropped plot threads or neglected ideas. One of the main takeaways from this comic is that all of those concerns were a little hasty.

The comic itself is beautiful and well-paced, illustrated by Valerio Schiti, one of the best artists to work on this era of X-Men, and colored by David Curiel, who does a great job capturing the same palette Marte Gracia used to make House of X/Powers of X feel so cohesive. In terms of the pacing, this comic’s first 35 pages (it clocks in at an over-sized 51) absolutely fly by, with revelation after revelation about truths of the status quo we’ve all (X-Men readers, anyway) spent the past two years enjoying.

About 2/3s of the way through, this comic starts to pivot a bit and lay some new track for what might be coming not only in this series but also within the future of the wider line of X-Men comic books. In a very on-the-nose bit, there is a panel where Storm looks right at the reader and says, Change is in the air, it seems. I can feel it. It makes sense within the context of the story on the page, but it also felt like a message to the reader.

As has been well-documented elsewhere, Hickman is leaving these comics as an active writer. That means as much as Inferno #1 and the three issues of this story that will come after it will wrap up his own specific story interests, the wider X-Men ecosystem will also undergo change within that context. A few pages later, Professor Xavier himself notes, Maybe change will do us good … or you could all decide that I am wrong and a foolish old man for even considering such a thing…

That sure feels like a statement from Hickman himself, and time will (obviously) tell which side folks will land on. Me? I’m a little skeptical I will end up liking what comes next as much as I did the three Hickman-penned series: House of X/Powers of X -> X-Men -> Inferno. For my tastes, the line outside of those books has been fairly hit or miss. But if this first issue is any indication, I sure will enjoy Inferno as it’s burning.

Overall: The end of Jonathan Hickman’s time writing X-Men is upon us, and while the future of these comics remains as fluid as the timelines in this series, if this first issue is any indication, I sure will enjoy Inferno as it’s burning. 9.5/10

REVIEW: Inferno #1

Inferno #1
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Publisher: Marvel Comics
THE CULMINATION OF JONATHAN HICKMAN’S X-MEN BEGINS HERE! “There will be an island—not the first, but the last…” Promises were made and broken. The rulers of Krakoa have been playing a dangerous game with a dangerous woman, and they are about to see how badly that can burn them. Mastermind of the X-Men JONATHAN HICKMAN brings his plans to a head, joined by an incredible lineup of artists beginning with VALERIO SCHITI… as one woman follows through on her promise to burn the nation of Krakoa to the ground.
Price: $5.99
More Info: Inferno #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.