X-Infernus #1 (of 4)

This is a book I picked up mostly for the nostalgic rush of X-Men past. But it also serves as a reminder of why it's more and more difficult to maintain any interest in the X-books.

This X-Infernus mini-series hearkens back to the days when writer Chris Claremont was still turning out some strong X-Men adventures, as the team fought its way through the hellish Limbo to rescue Illyana Rasputin, the little sister of Colossus. (Or was that an issue of New Mutants?)

Of course, that's the real problem with Marvel's X-verse. There are so many characters, so many X-comics, so many plotlines left unresolved and twisting in the wind, that it's almost impossible to keep them all straight.

Despite my nostalgia and despite having read those original stories, I arrive at this mini-series completely lost. Writer C.B. Cebulski drops us right in the middle of a battle in limbo, as Illyana has turned into a demonic killer. (Why? I have no idea.) She is on a murderous search for a couple of mystic objects that will help her restore her soul.

We see debates between demonic gods, and then back on Earth we find Pixie (who apparently has also visited Limbo - who knew?) behaving in a demonic fashion, too.

Frankly, I feel lost - I have no idea how any of this ties together, and with no attempt at bringing the new reader (namely, me) up to speed, I'm not sure why I should care or bother to come back next issue. I know, no one likes recaps - but writers can make them brief, and they're vital.

The art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Jesse Delperdang is quite good, and is only hurt in comparison to an outstanding cover by Miki and Keith Finch.

The X-books are successful because they have great characters, but with an army of mutants, it's up to the creative team to give us a reason to care about those heroes and villains. So far, I'm sorry to say, this series hasn't done that - and nostalgia only goes so far.

Grade: C