When you make a demonic god angry … make sure you’re ready for the consequences.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Ralph Tedesco
Artwork: Antonio Bifulco & Jacob Bear
Inks: Jacob Bear & Alex Rivera
Colors: Erick Arciniega
Letters: Fabio Amelia
What They Say:
After being given a second chance at life by Lucifer, Mercy Dante is tasked with hunting down demons who’ve escaped from hell and sending them back to where they belong. As Mercy continues to acclimate to a life with no chance of salvation, she finds herself inclined to help an innocent woman in heed of her particular set of skills. Meanwhile, a man who feeds on the weaknesses of others stalks his latest victim and little does Mercy know, she’s on a collision course with an evil more powerful than she’s ever faced.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Mercy has violated the non-interference pact between Lucifer and Raum, so he is now allowed to roam free upon the world. Virgil has already suffered at his hands and with his power growing every second, neither our favorite bounty hunter nor Frank have much time left before he can open a gate to Inferno to release his minions. Since she is the one who allowed him free reign, there is no choice left but to go back to Lori at the advice of her mistress. Lucifer stated that this broker had a device which would allow Mercy to defeat the new demigod. So after they are joined by Masumi, the trio fight their way through the guards and convince the devilish mediator that Raum must be defeated, but it would not be easy. The only way to do it is with an instrument she calls the Pandora – it will open a door to the Shadowlands which will banish this tormentor, but to do so would come at a great cost.
Now armed with this new toy, the team finally storm Raum’s headquarters, only to find that it overrun with fiendish underlings screeching from every door and window. As they slaughter their way through the crowd, Mercy runs ahead, determined to clean up her mess. Endless surges of hellish spawn bar the way, but as she makes her way upstairs, the savage redhead finds what she only assumes to be the new grotesque form of the demonic monstrosity. His strength is overwhelming, his power undefinable, and his savagery without bounds. Try as she might, she cannot make any headway against the primal force who bars her way from closing the portal. Once Frank and Masumi arrive, their progress is no more successful than their companion. With their endurance waning and all hope seemingly lost, therre seems little they can do against this new ruler of the Earth. Even if they wanted to use the Pandora, what did Lori mean by paying a price and who would be willing to do so?
In Summary:
Since the last issue was released back in June, the story has picked up in pacing, but as a whole this finale feels rushed. During the previous four books, we were treated to Mercy doing her job as a bounty hunter for Lucifer, but after a failed attempt to help a friend, she turned towards introspection while trying to track down Raum. Though this was interesting and refreshing way to bring readers up to speed with the character, it also slowed down the action of the book. And due to this contemplation, it seems like the main premise was lost: tracking down escapees from the Inferno and returning them for punishment. While I can appreciate Ralph Tedesco’s attempt to broaden Mercy’s horizons for new followers, Lucifer has stated several times in this series and the previous ones that she is bound to her service, all in an effort to save her sister. So why does she even consider this saving grace if she can never be free from her mistress?
Heavily due to this plot sacrifice, we have now been shoehorned into a conclusion which attempts to fit too much subject matter into a single book which could have been, or should have been, expanded into at least two. Also due to the four month delay, it also appears that the narrative has been cut and pasted several times, with key points missing and subject to the reader interpretation – the most obvious of these is the subject of the Pandora; prior to writing this review, I re-read the preceding issues, and found no mention of any conversation between Lucifer and Mercy discussing the subject of that box. If this was so essential to the capture of Raum, then why was there no mention prior to this issue? Did Tedesco think that it was not important and that only quoting it in passing would suffice to satisfy the readers’ attention span? While I can understand space considerations, I wish that some subjects were lessened and others were given priority to ultimately give us a book which both serve to expand on the mythology of Inferno, but at the same time, allow us a deeper glimpse into the complexity of Mercy.
While we may have picked up the pacing from the last issue, the artwork of Antonio Bifulco, Jacob Bear and Alex Rivera still seems to be suffering compared to the complexity set from previous books. Perhaps it was due to the prolonged wait, but when you compare the action from the first issue, this finale seems to stutter in the story telling department. Instead of a smooth transition between panels like in a film, I would compare it being forced to watching a slide show of someone’s vacation photos; this hesitation is even more prominent when you witness an action scene: instead of flow between combatants, it appears to be stop, snap a picture, reset for the next take and repeat. While this might work for other subjects, the frenetic action established in the premier issues set the mood for the momentum, and this slipshod method of illustration makes the book suffer in every aesthetic way imaginable. Even the wonderful tonal inclinations of Erick Arciniega could not save the illustrations this issue.
But the most unusual flaw in this finale was the choice as to how best depict the Pandora, the supposed centerpiece for the defeating Raum. If this device was so essential, then why make it immediately noticeable as being the puzzle box from the horror classic Hellraiser? Even if you change the color, its purpose and form were synonymous with the Cenobite prize, so why try to pass it off as something else? Was it a tribute or did the artists honestly think no one would remember a movie almost thirty years old?
Inferno: Resurrection may have begun as a rousing adventure with Mercy Dante into accomplishing her goals as a demonic bounty hunter, but somewhere along the way it lost itself within redemption. While this is a great motive to drive the series, to have it underlay the foundation while turning it into a morality is a waste considering the actions which she portrayed previously. While this would have been acceptable with any another character, Mercy has always been depicted as someone who settled her debts, but now she seems to a person who is having second thoughts about the initial deal. This lengthening of Mercy’s wish to redeem herself is an underlying theme for the series, but since she already knows that her place in Inferno has been reserved, why go through all the trouble and grief? Part of the human condition? Then by adding the delay for the final issue and the decline of the artwork, all these factors just degrade what could have been a great addition to the anthology into something which might be forgotten as something itself being banished for contemplation to Inferno.
Grade: C+
Series Grade: C
Rating: M (Mature)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: October 05, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
