Rick Ray's Reviews > The Infernals

Abraham Morgenstern was born as the antichrist, said to herald the apocalypse and bring Hell on Earth. But eighty years later, Abe lingers on as an old man now diagnosed with terminal cancer. Heading a massive corporation that serves as a front for the world's biggest criminal empire, Abe and his right-hand man Samael decide that one of his three children - Nero, Jackal and Baphomet - must be the one to inherit the keys to kingdom. The siblings don't get along and have rarely been groomed for leadership, so to prevent the ensuing power struggle, Abe decides to choose a successor before he passes on. It's basically Succession with demons, and it's a pretty fun time overall. The characterization of the three siblings works well enough (as good as it'll be for a five-issue series anyways), and the corporate humor blends in well with the hellish imagery.

The real draw for me was John Pearson's artwork, which I first saw on the brilliant sci-fi comics series, Mindset. Utilizing a somewhat abstract style, Pearson easily cultivates unease in the horror imagery that pairs well with the story. Pearson is joined again with lettering powerhouse Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou who complements the unique panel layouts and compositions used by Pearson so elegantly. Though the story is fairly predictable in its outcome, it's an enjoyable affair and Ryan Parrott's script is surprisingly subtle in its humor, most of which works pretty well. I can't tell if there's meant to be more since the ending isn't necessarily conclusive, but it also does work well enough as a standalone comic. I'd be interested in reading on though since the characters of Nero, Jackal and Baphomet made for a fun combination.