X-Men: Inferno [Paperback]

Chris Claremont (Author), Louise Simonson (Author), Marc Silvestri (Illustrator), Walt Simonson (Illustrator), Bret Blevins (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1997 | Series: X-Men (Marvel Paperback)

The match is struck as the enigmatic geneticist Mr. Sinister and the demon-lord N'astirh set their respective master plans in motion - both centered around one woman: Madelyne Pryor, wife of Scott Summers, the X-Man called Cyclops. The flame is fanned as Sinister's agents, the Marauders, attack Madelyne's protectors in the X-Men, while a horde of N'astirh's demons prey upon the helpless, horrified populace of New York City. The inferno burns as Madelyne strikes her own bargain with N'astirh, and as the Goblin Queen, threatens to cast a spell that would render the entire earth a hellish wasteland where demons rule. And the sacrifice necessary is none other than her own innocent child, Nathan Christopher Summers! It's the X-Men, X-Factor, and the New Mutants in one of their most harrowing ordeals ever, with the fate of entire dimensions hanging in the balance - and the price for victory perhaps higher than any of them can bear! Collects X-Factor #33-40, X-Terminators #1-4, Uncanny X-Men #239-243, New Mutants #71-73, and X-Factor Annual #4.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (June 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785102221
• ISBN-13: 978-0785102229
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Claremont is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Uncanny X-Men, during which time it was the bestselling comic in the Western Hemisphere; he has sold more than 100 million comic books to date. Recent projects include the dark fantasy novel Dragon Moon and Sovereign SevenTM, a comic book series published by DC Comics. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.George Lucas is the founder of Lucasfilm Ltd., one of the world's leading entertainment companies. He created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film series. Among his story credits are THX 1138, American Graffiti, and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films. He lives in Marin County, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inferno Ignites Excitement: Best X-Over Yet June 19, 2004

By Kyle

Format:Paperback

Inferno is by far my favorite x-men x-over. It is so intriguing and exciting, and the art is superb, as is the writing. I found no cheesy dialogue whatsoever which is nice.

There are a couple plot threads that intertwine, and the nice thing is that there is an introduction that explains the background. Anyways, the layout it this: Madelyne Pryor (The Goblyn Queen) strikes a deal with the Limbo demon Nastrith that through the sacrifice of her own son, a bridge will form between Limbo and Earth, and the Earth with be destroyed. Throw in the Mister Sinister factor, as well as problems with Jean Grey and Cyclops along the way.

Meanwhile, the other major storyline focues on Illyana Rasputin transforming more and more into the Darkchylde as the New Mutants try to save her from damnation. Oh, and while all this is going on, demons from Limbo have already invaded via a teleportation disc and a pentagram, transforming all of Manhattan into Limbo itself.

Its a lot to take in, but its very interesting and I was always left wanting more after each issue. There is tons of action and the villains include Nastrith, S'ym, Mister Sinister, The Marauders, and limbo demons. Our heroes include the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, and the X-Terminators.

This is one huge x-over, consisting of 12 issues, 3 of which are double-sized. My only complaint was that the 2 Excalibur issues were left out and so were the 4 X-Terminator issues. The Excalibur issues were stand alone I guess, but the X-Terminator ones would have explained better some of the background. Nevertheless, I was completely satisfied with the 12 issues anyways. I guess the other ones would have interefered with the focus probably.

Anyways, I definately reccomend this x-over if you are a X-Men fan. Espciailly if you like reading issues from the past, this is a good read. Alot of what happened in Inferno still echoes storylines recently.

I know Amazon doesn't have this one in its own warehouse, but you can get it directly from www.bn.com (Barnes and Noble).

Inferno contains: X-Men 239-243, X-Factor 36-39, and New Mutants 71-73.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dante would've been proud... March 1, 2004

By Edmund Lau Kok Ming

Format:Paperback

Upon rereading "Inferno", I was surprised by the maturity and sensitivity in the crafting of this X-Men story. Lots of comic books that came out from the late 1980s until today try to portray "maturity" by resorting to post-modern themes or shock-value. Check out a number of D.C. Vertigo books to know what I mean. Not that they are bad. In fact, most of them (e.g. Sandman) are pretty good. Just that the bulk of them (even the best of them), at times comes off as merely artsy pretensions.

"X-Men: Inferno" is a straight-forward superhero story. It is the capstone of the whole "Phoenix" saga (incl. "Dark Phoenix Saga", "From the Ashes" and "Phoenix Rising"). Madelyne Pryor goes on a rampage as a woman scorned and she literally brings hell to earth. In the middle, we also get the final resolution to the whole Illyana Rasputin/Magick saga.

Why do I like this volume so much? Firstly, the craft and design of the work is akin to the three circles of Dante's Inferno. We have the first circle here dealing with each of the X-Men's weaknesses (sins), then the second circle of the Magick saga and the final circle of Madelyne's epic battle - and finally the revelation of the devil at the bottom of the pit, Mr. Sinister. Wonderful planning and design throughout. Secondly, I found the work dealt with issues of adultery, vanity, vengence, sibling rivalry, repentance, etc. all presented in a mature and sensitive manner - without the pretensions of today's comics. Read it again to see Dazzler's vanity, the Marauders' violence, Madelyne's pain, Jean's tenderness, Havok's insecurity and Cyclops' regret. Thirdly, we have the introduction to one of the most interesting, Faustian villain ever - Mister Sinister - and a resolution to the events set in motion during the "Morlock Massacre" prior to this story. In many ways, this story is a closure - many of the dangling plotlines are resolved. In other ways, this story, like the best X-Men stories, marks a new beginning - the X-Men finally comes face-to-face with the X-Factor and this marks the beginning of the "extended family" concept in the X-books, laying the ground for future storylines.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Read in the Phoenix Story Arc December 29, 2003

By James

Format:Paperback

From "The Phoenix Saga" to "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "From the Ashes" to "Phoenix Rising"--"Inferno" is the capstone of them all. The Phoenix has force dominated the Marvel world in her various incarnations since she first arrived on the scene, and Jean Grey's face haunted the Marvel world for years beyond her apparent "death" on the Moon. The mere memory of her haunted Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor's marriage--her return destroyed it. Maddy is left without a husband, convinced of her fear that Scott married her only for her resemblance to his ex, and caring for an infant son.

Hell hath no fury...

Reeling from the return of Jean Grey in "Phoenix Rising," the X-Teams have no time to prepare for the impact of her look-alike. More is explained of the fate of Phoenix, and the Phoenix powers. The climactic face-off between Jean Grey and Madelyne is, however, not the end of the Phoenix.

As always in Marvel, what is done can be undone... and no one stays dead forever.

For more Madelyne Pryor, look to the X-Man comic books. You'll find another battle between the two gorgeous redheads of X-Men fame. For more of the Phoenix, look to Rachel Summers and eventually back to Jean herself.

Phoenix is a force that never dies.

The comic is a real page-turner, spurred on by the haunted women at the center of it--Maddy, Jean, and Illyana Rasputin (Magik).

When hell breaks loose on earth, individuals have to come to terms with it-and it changes them all. Madelyne's duty is to fan the flames, even at the expense of her own son's life, and recieve shocking answers to questions that have plagued those around her since her appearance in "From the Ashes." Jean is a woman searching for answers, with pieces of her life missing after her stasis at the bottom of the bay. Illyana is a young girl, raised in that hell, coming to terms with her own role within it and the sacrifice she will need to make to push it out of the real world.

While this is not where new readers should begin, it is essential for the most important arc in X-Men history. Start with the "Pheonix Saga", but make it all the way through to "Inferno." It's worth it.