Review: Her Infernal Descent Vol #1

There are a few works of literature that transcend time.  They are so intertwined in this thing we call culture that those works, or parts thereof, are familiar even to those have not read them.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Once and Future King by T.H. White and Utopia by Sir Thomas More are three highly regarded examples.  One lesser known, but no less influential work, is Inferno by 14th century Italian poet Dante Alighieri.   Unless one has had the benefits of a classical education or had a desire to steep oneself in remarkably deep waters, one might be excused for not being familiar with this work.  However, the imagery and iconography present in this piece of literature have been the foundation for many of our, western society’s, perceptions of good and evil since that time.  Many modern words have originated here and much of the imagery we associate with hell and infernal punishment finds its genesis in this poem.

I gave you, the reader, this introduction so that you could imagine the Herculean task any writer would undertake if they chose to modernize this work.  To trifle with such a titan of literature is to court disaster.  To try to translate this work into not only the modern age but also to a modern medium, comic books; ludicrous.  Yet this is exactly what Lonnie Nadler (The Dregs, Cable) and Zac Thompson (Weaponized, Come Into Me) have done with ‘Her Infernal Descent’ by Aftershock.

I must admit that when I first received this book I was dubious.  The Divine Comedy, of which Inferno is the first part, is one of my favorite works.  I was somewhat certain that any attempt to translate this work to graphic format would either fail horribly or be so incredibly grotesque as to be unreadable.  To modernize the work seemed the height of folly and I half expected a derivative work of mimicry.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Every aspect of Dante’s original work has been transformed successfully.  The protagonist of the story is a widowed mother of three who searches for her family and finds herself taking the trek taken by Dante himself centuries before.  Virgil, the guide of antiquity, is replaced by William Blake and Agatha Christie.  Other established figures of our modern world find themselves inhabiting the Rings of Hell.  Salvador Dali, Vladimir Putin, Richard Nixon, Ray Bradbury and more find themselves punished for any number of failings as our protagonist proceeds on her journey of self discovery.  Nadler and Thompson have also expanded upon the concept of sin itself,  The third ring of Hell is reserved for those who are guilty of the sin of gluttony.   Kyle Charles (Rat Queens, ’68) has drawn some of these poor souls as bloated naked bodies with static filled televisions for heads.  Having been addicted to the constant self-gratification of social media for their entire lives; they cling desperately as they seek always for likes, retweets, nudes or shares.  It is a poignant example of gluttony re imagined for a modern age.  However, both Charles and Eoin Marron (Sons of Anarchy) have managed to avoid being grotesque in their artistic adaption of Nadler and Thompson’s vision.  It was a tricky line to tread and tread it they have.

Before I finish this review I must go back to Nadler and Thompson.  If all they had done was modernize this work they would have been successful.  These two ambitions were even greater though and they have also given us a compelling protagonist with a heartfelt and genuine story that unfolds over the course of her adventure.  Additionally, they have provided some incredible prose that provides real moments of introspection and self discovery.  In one particular moment, the protagonist reflects back on her life and she spoke to me in a very personal way.  I quote, “Being among the dead forces me to consider life.  Nothing more than a mysterious accumulation of futile choices.  Where the most you can ever hope for is some knowledge of yourself.  But it always comes too late, with too many regrets.”  This is powerful writing.

The amount of research and attention to detail that has gone into this work is evident from first to last.  This is a work of love and the commitment of its creators shines through.  This is an important piece of art and one I intend to add to my collection when I can.  It is the kind of work that can be read over and over again and each time you will take something different from it, much like Dante’s Inferno itself.  I urge you to pick this up for yourself and begin your own journey of self discovery.

Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 5 of 5 Stars

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Writing – Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson
Art – Kyle Charles, Eoin Marron
Color – Dee Cunniffe
Letters – Ryan Ferrier, Marshall Dillon

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.

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