RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Inferno (minor spoilers)

Inferno – Mike Carey & Michael Gaydos

Having become aware of a writing talent only after they gain a measure of popularity, it can sometimes be fascinating to backtrack through their previous work and watch as they explore and refine the ideas that will eventually win them success. In the world of comics, where a successful series can lead to a slew of long forgotten or uncollected titles, by the same writer, being republished as trade paperbacks, we are often afforded this opportunity.

In Brian Azzarello’s and Eduardo Risso’s Johnny Double some of the themes and even the physical appearances of some of the characters were eventually reworked into their epic crime saga 100 Bullets. Likewise, Inferno, written by Mike Carey and rendered in shadowy black and white by Michael Gaydos, explores many of the concepts that Carey would later revisit in Lucifer.

Travis is murdered on his 30th birthday and finds himself in hell. In this case Hell is a seemingly endless city surrounded by desert. Overlooking the city from his tower (clearly modelled on the cork-screw design of the biblical tower of Babel) the perpetually bored Lord Baal – a model for Lucifer only with slightly less ambition – derives what entertainment he can from the power struggles of those trapped in his kingdom.

Boredom seems to be a motivating force in the city, driving an undercurrent of cruelty. It is very difficult to die but the still living human heads that line the shelves and alcoves of Lord Baal’s tower hint at fates worse than death.

Travis soon discovers that he has lived in the city before. Thirty years previous, he was a powerful sorcerer named Terence who found a way to leave hell but also arranged for his eventual return in order to put some kind of plan into action. Travis has no recollection of his life as Terence and is left following a trail laid out by his former self, as well as confronting Terence’s old enemy - the near indestructible Captain Malateste. With each fresh revelation, it soon becomes apparent that the character of Terence is a very different person from Travis and that his plan may not be for the good of everyone.

What is left unsaid in Inferno is almost as important as what is said. The minimalist artwork alternates between a dark and flickering style, as if it is being projected onto a wall, and something a bit scratchier. Likewise, the story offers us glimpses but it doesn’t tell us everything. This may be partly down to limitations of space but it also works to the novel’s advantage –you get some idea of how the city works without any overly-expressive detail that might place limitations on it and make it a somehow less daunting place.

Inferno is an intriguing book for readers of Lucifer who will be able to detect a certain familiarity in some of the themes and characters. The book also has a worth beyond simple curiosity value. It’s an engaging story that will hold its own alongside Carey’s best work.

This sounds interesting. Is it a mini-series? Trade paperback? When did it come out?

Originally it came out as five single issues through Caliber at some point in the mid 1990s. It was reprinted last year by Titan as a trade paperback.

One thing that interested me was, in Mike Carey's afterforward, he says that that Caliber chief, Gary Reed, told him what the comic was going to be about: "A guy goes to hell and that's where his troubles start."

That's a weird way to develop an original title - an editor or someone not directly involved with the writing giving the creative team a brief and then leaving them to get on with it.

It sounds as though many of the themes in Inferno were later fleshed out in Lucifer (including the title).