The world kind of ended, but there’s still evil to be thwarted for the new Inferno Girl Red! Your Major Spoilers review of Inferno Girl Red: Book One #2 from Image Comics awaits!

INFERNO GIRL RED: BOOK ONE #2

Writer: Mat Groom
Artist: Erica D’Urso/Lorenza Tammetta
Colorist: Igor Monti/Sabrina Del Grosso
Letterer: Becca Carey
Editor: Kyle Higgins
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: February 22, 2023

Previously in Inferno Girl Red: Book One: Inferno Girl Red’s new home is cut off from the rest of the world, darkness is pressing in from all sides, and her new powers don’t even seem to work right…how could things get any worse? Enter: The Griffin! The fearsome leader of Apex City’s invaders is here to stop Cássia’s superheroic ascent before it even really begins-and if he can’t destroy her, he’ll settle for taking what she holds most dear.

IN THE AFTERMATH

After the entire city was transported into another dimension and Cássia Costa took on the powers of Inferno Girl, Apex City’s protector, she and her mother Ana realized that they need to talk. Ana explains how she worked with the original Inferno Girl Red, the importance of the secret identity, and the secret Cabal behind the monsters that the original Inferno Girl Red battled. Ana suspects the members of that secret society are still in the city, and that their new exile may have been orchestrated. Not only that, she’s not entirely sure how (or IF) the transformation bracelet can be removed. They agree to work together, with Ana doing the investigation and Inferno Girl Red providing the muscle to stave off more monster attacks. The first one leaves Ana’s car crumpled into scrap, while the second puts Cássia face-to-face with The Griffin, her first real supervillain.

THINGS AREN’T LOOKING GOOD

By the end of the issue, Inferno Girl Red has lost the thing she holds most dear, as promised, with the issue’s back matter implying that worse may be coming. This series is, essentially, three double-sized issues rather than six issues of standard length, and as much as I found that to be a good idea last time, I find it working against the reading experience here. The issue starts with Ana patiently trying to keep Cássia on track as she panics about being a superhuman, but by the middle of the story, she’s whole-heartedly trying to channel her new powers. The transition feels sudden, but it comes at a point where Cássia is building relationships with her new classmates, teachers, and her roomie, slowing down parts of the story to establish character and develop Apex City. That’s all important work, but the double-sized issue makes the pacing feel somehow off.

BOTTOM LINE: I’LL BE BACK NEXT TIME ‘ROUND

Even with some pacing/presentation issues, though, Inferno Girl Red: Book One #2 expands the Massiveverse in a way that feels both expansive and, honestly, a little confusing, but the central relationship of Ana and her daughter, combined with some well-done art, holds together for 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. It’s very visually appealing and stylish, and even the story bits that struggle don’t wreck the experience, though, so I recommend that you look into this book (especially if you’re already into Radiant Black or Rogue Sun).

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