Through his work on Power Rangers and the Massive-Verse I’ve become a big fan of Ryan Parrott. When it was announced back at last year’s New York Comic-Con that Parrott was working on a new series with Noah Gardner and John Pearson I was immediately in. Based on the preview we got for The Infernals #1 it looks like we will be in for a hellish ride. I got the chance to check out an early copy of The Infernals #1. Find out how it turned out with our advance review.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Noah Gardner and Ryan Parrott
Artist: John J. Pearson and Lola Bonato
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
SOLICITATION
“Abraham “Abe” Morgenstern, the son of Satan, has one month to live. Before he dies, he must decide which of his three wayward children-volatile narcissist Nero, conflicted field operative Jackal, or troubled schoolgirl Bee-will inherit his shadowy empire. But will Abe ever be able to truly cede control of the Apocalypse? Or does the Antichrist have something else up his sleeve…
Writers Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun, Power Rangers) and WGA Award nominee Noah Gardner are joined by Eisner Award-winning artist John Pearson (The Department of Truth, Blue In Green) for an epic tale about family, power, legacy, and the end of the world!” – Image Comics
REVIEW
The Infernals #1 captures the energy from HBO’s Succession and gives it a satanic twist. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when reading this first issue. Much like Brian Cox’s Logan Roy, Abraham Morgenstern is ats deaths door. That is where the intrigue of this story starts. It’s not a problem of dealing with death. But what that death means for who will continue the legacy of the son of Satan after his passing.
Right away the thing that The Infernals #1 gets is that this is not a cast were the reader is supposed to connect with. Every character are terrible people. Just because Abe is dying doesn’t suddenly make him turn a new leaf where you start to care about him. The guy is the son of Satan through and through.
Where the intrigue comes from is the impact of Abe dying has. His situation creates the problem of who will pick up his empire. The unfortunate thing for Abe is that his options on successors are limited to his children. As we see throughout The Infernals #1, it is a true limitation none of his children individually have what it takes to take Abe’s spot.
There is a lot of great storytelling done through how Nero, Jackal, and Baphomet each interact with the world to establish their candidacy. They may each have a certain quality to fill their father’s role but none checks all the boxes. Even without telling us directly Noah Gardner and Ryan Parrott hint at how differently Abe and his wife approached raising their kids. Their parental approach caused Nero, Jackal, and Baphomet to become different extremes of their hellish bloodline.
While the Morgenstern Family are the focus of The Infernals #1 there is a lot of world building done. That’s done whether it’s through one of the Morgenstern Family members or those connected with them in some way. With that world building it creates even more meaning to the impact Abe dying has on the world. His death will not only impact the empire he created but other things going on in the world.
With The Infernals #1 being a story about a demonic family John Pearson and Lola Bonato artwork is strong fit for this tale. They fully get over how messed up the world around the Morgenstern Family is. There is a lot of great use of lighting done to showcase this dark world. The use of red in particular makes scenes pop even more. It all sets the dark tone this story is taking.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Infernals #1 is an unapologetic story about a hellish family legacy that you can’t help but be captivated by. The creative team of Noah Gardner, Ryan Parrott, John Pearson, and Lola Bonato capture what made Succession a hit for HBO and give it a demonic twist with the son of Satan’s legacy. The way the Morgenstern Family is portrayed creates a story you are left wondering what will happen next.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10