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Welcome back for part 2 of  X-Men: Inferno, right here in Ye Olde School Cafe’! This week will focus mostly on Illyana and the New Mutants, but also sprinkle in a little X-Factor as well. The specific issues are as follows: X-Men #241 ( Writer: Chris Claremont, Artist: Marc Silvestri), The New Mutants #72 & 73 (Writer: Louise Simonson, Artist: Bret Blevins), and X-Factor #37 (Writer: Louise Simonson, Artist: Walt Simonson).

When we last left off we had Sinister confronting Madelyne Pryor in his own lair. She was tricked into going there by the demon N’ Astirh, who made a deal behind her back with Sinister to double-cross Maddie. She tries to sick her pet beasts on him, but he swats them away like flies, and he then uses some restraining device to keep her at bay. We then see the X-Men trying to deal with all the demonic threats running wild in the streets; Demons running around killing, and regular everyday objects turning into bizarre creatures that have only one goal – to kill. Back at Sinister’s lair, he tells Maddie about how he created her to mate with Scott and provide him with what he believes is the ultimate mutant. The X-Men, fighting tooth and nail, start to act as if they are being mentally affected by all the chaos and evil magic swirling around the city. Back inside Sinister’s lair however, we see just how powerful Madelyne can be as she breaks her restraints and knocks Sinister on his backside. He cannot believe she did this, but the two mutually agree that this isn’t the time for a fight and Madelyne parts ways after she recovers her son. She exclaims that she’ll see the world burn for her pain and suffering in an Inferno

The next scene is a confrontation between N’ Astirh and Illyana in the streets chock full of demons and turmoil. She had made a deal with N’ Astirh to get out of Limbo, and the price she paid was being transformed into Darkchylde. S’ym shows up to tell N’ Astirh that their deal is over and he wants Darkchylde for his own. That doesn’t sit well with N’ Astirh or Darkchylde, so a huge melee breaks out with the New Mutants caught right in the middle. Darkchylde is trying to get her bearings and deal with what she’s become, when she is attacked and captured by some of the inanimate objects that have come to life. She eventually breaks free and is confronted once more by N’ Astirh, but refuses his offer to be his dark bride. She is left weeping on the floor while S’ym looks on in the background.

Next we see round two of S’ym versus Darkchylde with her life and Soulsword on the line. S’ym has been infected with the techno-organic virus so he is even tougher to kill then any usual demon. The two battle back and forth, but unknown to both of them, Colossus is making his way to his little sister, grabs a demon by the throat, and makes him tell where she is and why she has aged so quickly. Magneto is visited by N’ Astirh on a rooftop, and the demon wishes to make a truce and rule together. While that conversation continues, Colossus is brought before S’ym to be taunted about his sister’s transformation. He doesn’t take it very well and tosses S’ym out of a building. The two of them fight, and then some of the other demons lend a hand. Before things get too out of control though, the New Mutants show up to help Colossus. Darkchylde goes back to Limbo to try and figure out how to stop this madness. She then, with the help of Rahne, figures out that she can manifest one of her stepping discs, and using her Soulsword grows the disc to a gigantic size. She opens a portal to Limbo, and it sucks back S’ym and most of his legions. When all is said and done, only the crushed armor of Darkchylde remains and the New Mutants and Colossus are left weeping. Just when everyone thinks she is lost, they hear a tiny voice from inside the armor. It is Illyana, as if she never left before and grew up to become Magik.

Over in X-Factor, the team is battling hordes of demons when N’ Astirh shows up claiming to have been infected with the transmode virus and to be stronger than ever. He doesn’t stick around too long though, because he knows that Madelyne is coming to settle her score with the team. The Goblin Queen, as she now wants to be called, zaps Cyclops and threatens to kill the entire team for leaving her for dead. She again attacks Cyke, all the while condemning him for leaving her and never even really wanting her. She exclaims he always loved Jean and not her, and he’ll pay for making her feel unloved. Jean then enters the mind of the baby, which in turn enrages Madelyne, so she unleashes a blast on Jean then turns her attention to N’ Astirh. She sends him packing back to Limbo with a wave of her hand. The other demons that are still left start to attack the rest of the team, while Jean and Scott try to stop Madelyne and get the baby back. Jean realizes at this point that Madelyne has turned her parents into demonic slaves just to torture her, and the demons whip Jean because she won’t fight back and injure her own mother and father. The team finally convinces Cyclops to take off the kid gloves and throw everything they can at Maddie in order to save Scott’s son. That does very little because with one thought and gesture, Maddie stomps all of X-Factor  into the ground. The team is left pondering, what can stop this seemingly all-powerful Goblin Queen?

That’s it for this week, but tune in next time for the exciting conclusion to this emotional and certainly demonic tale! We will  see X-Factor vs. X-Men, the return of Sinister, and Madelyne vs. Jean and one will fall!

Inferno pt 1

Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net