Rating: 
Summary: An Essential Read in the Phoenix Story Arc
Review: From "The Phoenix Saga" to "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "From the Ashes" to "Phoenix Rising"--"Inferno" is the capstone of them all. The Phoenix has force dominated the Marvel world in her various incarnations since she first arrived on the scene, and Jean Grey's face haunted the Marvel world for years beyond her apparent "death" on the Moon. The mere memory of her haunted Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor's marriage--her return destroyed it. Maddy is left without a husband, convinced of her fear that Scott married her only for her resemblance to his ex, and caring for an infant son.Hell hath no fury... Reeling from the return of Jean Grey in "Phoenix Rising," the X-Teams have no time to prepare for the impact of her look-alike. More is explained of the fate of Phoenix, and the Phoenix powers. The climactic face-off between Jean Grey and Madelyne is, however, not the end of the Phoenix. As always in Marvel, what is done can be undone... and no one stays dead forever. For more Madelyne Pryor, look to the X-Man comic books. You'll find another battle between the two gorgeous redheads of X-Men fame. For more of the Phoenix, look to Rachel Summers and eventually back to Jean herself. Phoenix is a force that never dies. The comic is a real page-turner, spurred on by the haunted women at the center of it--Maddy, Jean, and Illyana Rasputin (Magik). When hell breaks loose on earth, individuals have to come to terms with it-and it changes them all. Madelyne's duty is to fan the flames, even at the expense of her own son's life, and recieve shocking answers to questions that have plagued those around her since her appearance in "From the Ashes." Jean is a woman searching for answers, with pieces of her life missing after her stasis at the bottom of the bay. Illyana is a young girl, raised in that hell, coming to terms with her own role within it and the sacrifice she will need to make to push it out of the real world. While this is not where new readers should begin, it is essential for the most important arc in X-Men history. Start with the "Pheonix Saga", but make it all the way through to "Inferno." It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: An Essential Read in the Phoenix Story Arc
Review: From "The Phoenix Saga" to "The Dark Phoenix Saga" and "From the Ashes" to "Phoenix Rising"--"Inferno" is the capstone of them all. The Phoenix has force dominated the Marvel world in her various incarnations since she first arrived on the scene, and Jean Grey's face haunted the Marvel world for years beyond her apparent "death" on the Moon. The mere memory of her haunted Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor's marriage--her return destroyed it. Maddy is left without a husband, convinced of her fear that Scott married her only for her resemblance to his ex, and caring for an infant son. Hell hath no fury... Reeling from the return of Jean Grey in "Phoenix Rising," the X-Teams have no time to prepare for the impact of her look-alike. More is explained of the fate of Phoenix, and the Phoenix powers. The climactic face-off between Jean Grey and Madelyne is, however, not the end of the Phoenix. As always in Marvel, what is done can be undone... and no one stays dead forever. For more Madelyne Pryor, look to the X-Man comic books. You'll find another battle between the two gorgeous redheads of X-Men fame. For more of the Phoenix, look to Rachel Summers and eventually back to Jean herself. Phoenix is a force that never dies. The comic is a real page-turner, spurred on by the haunted women at the center of it--Maddy, Jean, and Illyana Rasputin (Magik). When hell breaks loose on earth, individuals have to come to terms with it-and it changes them all. Madelyne's duty is to fan the flames, even at the expense of her own son's life, and recieve shocking answers to questions that have plagued those around her since her appearance in "From the Ashes." Jean is a woman searching for answers, with pieces of her life missing after her stasis at the bottom of the bay. Illyana is a young girl, raised in that hell, coming to terms with her own role within it and the sacrifice she will need to make to push it out of the real world. While this is not where new readers should begin, it is essential for the most important arc in X-Men history. Start with the "Pheonix Saga", but make it all the way through to "Inferno." It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: a Claremont classic
Review: I remember when Inferno happened. It was one of my favorite comic storylines of all time. So I was real happy when I found this TPB that collected it all in one (rather thick) volume. It's one of those classic X-Men stories. Inferno also bled over into several other comics and I wish they had been included here (or maybe Marvel will release a companion volume that contains them)--those like Spider Man, Daredevil, and the X-Terminators. Still, even with just the X-Men and The New Mutants, it is a must have volume.
Rating:
Summary: a classic!
Review: i think that this is the best x-men graphic novel i have ever read! it's very interesting, humorous at just the right times, and action-packed! i've re-read this book many times and it's always great! very entertaining! i recommend this book for any x-men or comic book fan. it's also great for newcomers because it's not confusing about past events.
Rating:
Summary: Strike a match
Review: I was still a kid when the Inferno saga hit Marvel Comics, and I remember it fondly. At that time all the Marvel books began to show traces of the demonic chaos emanating from NYC, but the mutant teams were right at the heart of it. I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who don't know the various X-Men plots; I'll just say that Mr. Claremont wrapped up the Phoenix saga in a way that was completely unexpected, creepy, over-the-top, and super fun. (But come to think of it, was it really wrapped up? I stopped reading comics shortly after this so I don't know.) I was always a big fan of Marc Silvestri's art. He was totally overshadowed by Todd McFarlane, who at the time was illustrating Spider-Man en route to a legendary career. I liked McFarlane and felt that he was perfect for Spider-Man, but Silvestri's mastery of draftsmanship, anatomy, and facial expressions were in another league altogether. He and inker Dan Greene put a rough surface on their art, giving it a rushed, sketchy look, but their attention to the form underneath was perfect. But I think this roughness turned off a lot of people during the Sharper Image 80s. Anyway, Silvestri's X-Men were terrific, and his demons were very cool, especially N'astirrh. The other artists were (if my memory serves me correctly) Rob Leifield on New Mutants, who was very good, and Walt Simonson on X-Factor, who really wasn't very good but didn't stink. Ultimately, the book is great because it's classic Chris Claremont, with an awesome villian (Mr. Sinister) and an ingenious damsel-in-distress (Maddie Pryor)-turned-femme-fatale (the Goblin Queen), and with masterful action sequences that are only less intense than the explosive personal confrontations. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes superhero comics: believe me, you'll enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: If you ever kept up with Chris Claremont's first run with the X-Men, you probably will know why this is one of the best plotlines developed for X-Men. This storyline affected the lives of many of the currently off the scene X-Men, like Polaris and Psylocke.
Rating:
Summary: Inferno Ignites Excitement: Best X-Over Yet
Review: Inferno is by far my favorite x-men x-over. It is so intriguing and exciting, and the art is superb, as is the writing. I found no cheesy dialogue whatsoever which is nice. There are a couple plot threads that intertwine, and the nice thing is that there is an introduction that explains the background. Anyways, the layout it this: Madelyne Pryor (The Goblyn Queen) strikes a deal with the Limbo demon Nastrith that through the sacrifice of her own son, a bridge will form between Limbo and Earth, and the Earth with be destroyed. Throw in the Mister Sinister factor, as well as problems with Jean Grey and Cyclops along the way. Meanwhile, the other major storyline focues on Illyana Rasputin transforming more and more into the Darkchylde as the New Mutants try to save her from damnation. Oh, and while all this is going on, demons from Limbo have already invaded via a teleportation disc and a pentagram, transforming all of Manhattan into Limbo itself. Its a lot to take in, but its very interesting and I was always left wanting more after each issue. There is tons of action and the villains include Nastrith, S'ym, Mister Sinister, The Marauders, and limbo demons. Our heroes include the X-Men, X-Factor, the New Mutants, and the X-Terminators. This is one huge x-over, consisting of 12 issues, 3 of which are double-sized. My only complaint was that the 2 Excalibur issues were left out and so were the 4 X-Terminator issues. The Excalibur issues were stand alone I guess, but the X-Terminator ones would have explained better some of the background. Nevertheless, I was completely satisfied with the 12 issues anyways. I guess the other ones would have interefered with the focus probably. Anyways, I definately reccomend this x-over if you are a X-Men fan. Espciailly if you like reading issues from the past, this is a good read. Alot of what happened in Inferno still echoes storylines recently. I know Amazon doesn't have this one in its own warehouse, but you can get it directly from www.bn.com (Barnes and Noble). Inferno contains: X-Men 239-243, X-Factor 36-39, and New Mutants 71-73.
Rating: 
Summary: Inferno did not burn very hot for me
Review: Inferno is not very interesting to someone who was relatively new to the X-verse (namely myself). It had follow-ons from many plot lines (Phoenix Saga, Colossus' little sister being in hell and infected with the Legacy virus, etc.) which I did not quite follow. Of course, a true X-men follower would have collected and read all the preceding comics and known the plots and subplots being discussed. My recommendations for a newbie: get the X-men novels ( i.e. Gamma Quest trilogy, GenX Crossroads, etc.) -- they generally explain each character's history a little better.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing new direction...but not quite the best X-outing.
Review: The X-Men are mainly known as mutant crusaders, heroes defending mutantkind, both from humanity and from itself. When the arena changes, it's usually to a sci-fi space adventure (Shi'Ar Empire, etc.) or an alternate reality (Days of Future Past) rather than a more fantasy-based setting. So, being a fantasy buff, I was naturally excited to read Inferno and find out how the X-Men (and their spinoff teams) dealt with supernatural threats and adventures. The story is complex, as is par for the course in a Claremont book. Cyclops's ex-wife Madelyne Pryor makes a bargain with a demon to find their son, who apparently vanished some time ago. The New Mutants are stuck in Limbo, the dimension that had up till now been ruled by their teammate, Colossus's little sister Illyana. She ends up making a bargain with the same demon (a lovely fellow named N'astirh) to win back the mystic artifact that marks her as Limbo's ruler. As expected when one deals with demons, both Maddie and Illyana are betrayed, Maddie to Mr. Sinister (whose connection to her is both surprising and not altogether unexpected), and Illyana to S'ym, her former subordinate and rival for Limbo's throne. The result? Hell on Earth. Limbo's demons end up taking over Manhattan, turning the place into a devil's-funhouse parody of itself, and it takes the combined efforts of the X-Men (comprised at this time of Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Havok, Longshot, Dazzler, Colossus, and Wolverine), X-Factor (the original X-Men, including a Jean Grey who is somehow stripped of her telepathy by her resurrection), and the New Mutants (Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Warlock, Mirage, and Illyana herself), as well as a few minor mutants (including the future Rictor and Meltdown of X-Force fame) to break the spell over the city. The mutants go through a game of "tag, who's it?" with the bad guys, defeating S'ym, N'astirh, and finally Madelyne herself before finally realizing that Inferno's true mastermind is, though inadvertently, none other than Mr. Sinister. Claremont, as always, does a wonderful job of storytelling with both the X-Men and New Mutants titles, but Walt Simonson (X-Factor's writer) doesn't quite live up. His dialogue is disjointed and at times hard to follow, while at the same time having a kind of childish simplicity to it. As for Inferno's art...well, Silvestri ranks among the greats, like Jim Lee and John Byrne, but Louise Simonson's pencils seem simplistic and blocky, and the New Mutants artist (whose name escapes me) has a tendency to be more cartoony than anything else. Flaws notwithstanding, Inferno makes for a good read, and its supernatural premise is a breath of fresh air from the human vs. mutant and space-alien invasions the X-Men usually put up with. It did have the potential to be much, much better, though.
Rating:
Summary: Great character-driven story with good demon-stomping action
Review: This book ties the transformation of Illyana Rasputin, the rebirth of Jean Grey/Phoenix, Cyclops' return to the superhero life, and even the New Mutants into an entirely new story with a minimum of confusion and clunky expository bubbles. X-Men comics are so soap-operatic in their continual explanations of what's going on that I can recommend this for new readers, although I would further recommend reading the two preceeding books, "The Dark Phoenix Saga" (or "Days Of Future Past") and "From The Ashes" first, for maximum emotional impact. I consider this crossover to be a small notch below the Dark Phoenix Saga (in my opinion one of the greatest comic stories ever published), because its tone is sometimes overly serious and mean-spirited. Also, there's a segment involving babies that's annoyingly sentimental and inconsequential. However, the action generally follows as a logical consequence of the conflict between ordinary people with extraordinary powers, making the emotional scenes even punchier. (Illyana's struggle with her own corruption and the climactic showdown between Madelyne Pryor and Jean Grey are highlights.) All in all, a great read.
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