Her Infernal Descent, Vol. 1

by Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Kyle Charles (Artist)

A modern retelling of Dante's Inferno.

Any good mom would march through the inferno of HELL to get her family back. Unable to cope with the burden of grief, a middle-aged mother descends the nine circles of hell to retrieve her forsaken family. Guided by the ghosts of William Blake and Agatha Christie journey into a bizarre underworld filled with celebrity sinners, surreal landscapes and absurd tasks.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Adult, Drama

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2019

About the author

Zac Thompson is a writer born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Canada. He's written titles like Marvelous X-Men, Cable, and X-Men: Black for Marvel Comics. Along with indie books such as Her Infernal Descent, Relay, and The Replacer.

In 2019, Zac became the showrunner of the Age of X-Man universe at Marvel Comics. His critically acclaimed miniseries, Come Into Me, was called the best horror comic of 2018 by HorrorDNA. His debut comic series, The Dregs, was called "lowbrow brilliant" by New York Magazine. His novel, Weaponized, was the winner of the 2016 CryptTV horror fiction contest.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billed as a modern day retelling of Dante's Inferno, I was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, this was way too dense and just a slog to get through. I had to force myself to even finish it. It's a real shame, because it's a cool concept with poor execution.

Received a review copy from Aftershock and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

actual rating: 2.5

This was an okay read, but I just couldn't get into it for some reason. The art is pretty good, although the style is a bit more sketchy than I would prefer. I like that it's a Dante's Inferno retelling with an older mom as the protagonist because that's just something you don't see a lot as far as protagonists go. There were definitely parts of this that were interesting and I liked they way they set it up and kind of modernized everything, although honestly at times it felt kind of like they were just trying to satirize every little thing and it got a bit muddled. Overall I think maybe it was just a bit too dense of a read for a graphic novel, although I can definitely see how other people would enjoy it more than I did.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries]

This had so much potential to be awesome. I mean, a retelling of Dante's Inferno in which an older woman makes the trip down through the circles of Hell in hopes of finding the souls of her lost husband and kids? 1) Talk about a sad agenda, and 2) how cool is that plot? Unfortunately, the graphic novel's execution lacked a lot for me. I didn't enjoy the artwork, the layout, the dialogue, any of it. I was way more bored than I had any right to be with a premise this cool, and I ended up just skimming the final third or so.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Jonathan Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lynn sits in an empty house, full of despair. Her family is dead and her will to persist is fading fast. Being alone in the house with the memories they shared is becoming unbearable. While unpacking boxes in her attic she is greeted by the ghost of the poet, William Blake. Unamused and at first uninterested, she listens while he speaks in rhyming couplets, explaining how he has been sent by her dead family to contact her. Blake shares that her family is in the ninth circle of Hell and that she must descend all circles to find them.

The two set out for Hell, stopping first at the river of Styx, where they meet Charon the ferryman of Hades. Charon is opposed the letting the living women cross, but after some wooing by Blake, he soon allows passage. In the first circle the Lynn and Blake find many famous dead shades, including Plato, Aristotle and Edgar Allan Poe. Lynn finds a man who believes he has seen her family, but before he’s able to help her further, she is sent to be sentenced by the judge of the next circle of Hell.

Judge Franz Kafka rules over the second circle of Lust, doling out punishments befitting the acts committed in life. Kafka threatens to lock Lynn in his desk until she is dead, in order for her atone for her life. However, with Blake’s help she is able to escape and enter into the third circle, Gluttony. In the third circle the two awaken Gluttony in the form of the five-headed beast Cerberus. Lynn and Blake strike up a deal with the beast, in exchange for their lives they are to a retrieve a special soup. Blake informs Lynn that he will not be able to accompany her to the next level, where the soup is located, but he has arranged for someone else to guide her. This person happens to be literary legend, Agatha Christie.

The next level Lynn must traverse is the circle of greed, lorded over by Andy Warhol. Mr. Warhol is the owner of the can of soup that Molly must acquire. He asks for something in trade for it. Lynn uses an original piece that Blake has given her to trade up for an item that Warhol would want. Once she trades for the soup, she returns to Cerberus and trades it for the whereabouts of her family. She is told that her family is in Dis, which encompasses circles six through nine. Lynn has a brief encounter with Dante who mapped out the circles of Hell and receives advice and the motivation she needs in order to find her family.

Lynn finds herself transported to a brightly lit area with what looks like angels. Both her previous travel guides are absent. She talks to the angels and they inform her that she is still in Hell, just on a level that is being redeveloped for Heaven’s purposes. They send her on her way to the next level where she is reunited with Blake and Christie. Here Lynn meets the shade of a man who tries to make Lynn kill herself the same way her family died, by car accident.

Lynn drives off a cliff and lands herself right in Dis, her destination from the start. She finally shares with Blake and Christie that she blames herself for her family’s death. Dependent on alcohol, she was drunk and neglected her duty to pick up her kids from a public skate event one night. Instead, her husband picked them up and the family was in an accident that took their lives. When Lynn overcomes her guilt, she finds the strength to meet with Lucifer Morningstar and ask to see her family. He explains how her descent has been a test of her character and how he believed she would always make it. Lucifer introduces Lynn to her family and they have a heartwarming moment. They will her to let go of the guilt and pain she has felt over their loss and to move on and enjoy her life. With their blessing, she is able to return home and live a happier and much healthier life.

Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson have taken on an extremely difficult task in this book. Retelling “Inferno” by Dante and putting a modern spin on it is an undertaking and one that they have put a lot of time and effort into. This story is dark, deep and full of despair. However, there is redemption and the promise of better days. The literary characters referenced were well done and a pleasant sight to find throughout the story. Illustrators Kyle Charles and Eoin Marron do a superb job of mixing both realistic and whimsical art styles together in order to create a beautiful book that is both creative and eye catching.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book way more than the book itself. This branded itself as a retelling of Dante Inferno, which I want to read for years now but never read it yet... I wanted to like it and I like the fact that each issue is one of the Hell circles and all, but I would have like it better if it has been darker. I find it too «soft» even in the illustrations style, everything is too young and easy going to be a trip to Hell. Good concept but the execution failed unfortunately!

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Her Infernal Descent Vol. 1: Contrapasso' by Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler with art by Eoin Marron is an ambitious graphic novel that attempts to modernize Dante's Inferno.

A middle-aged woman is alone in her home. Her husband and children are gone. She decides to look for them and finds herself looking in the circles of hell. Like Dante's Inferno, she has a guide. This time around it's William Blake, and sometimes Agatha Christie. Throughout her journey are numerous "guest stars" that speak in their own voice. The circles of hell have been updated to reflect more modern takes on sin. Along the way, we learn what actually happened to her family. How far will a mother go to reunite with her family?

Conceptually, I loved this. It's a good idea and it's executed fairly well. Unfortunately, it left me a bit cold. The art and story couldn't keep my attention, and I kept finding other things to read. You may find your journey through this mother's hell different than I did, and it's clever enough that I'm glad I got to read it.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Aftershock Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

[Alex Sarll]

Billed as a reworking of Dante's Inferno, which I don't recall having a prison break plot, this sees a bereaved woman descending into Hell to rescue her husband and children, who are there for no reason that makes the least sense. The opening is promising, with the empty family home taking the place of Dante's dark wood – but it's all downhill from there, and I'm not just talking about the road into the Pit. Virgil's place as guide is taken by William Blake, who here talks in rhyme all the time, even though his charge mainly grumps and swears. You can tell when it's actual Blake poetry, both because all direct quotes are showily footnoted, and because of the massive leap in quality from the sub-Etrigan doggerel, dripping with 'thee'/'thou' mix-ups and similar lazy pseudo-Olde Englishe bullshit, which he spouts the rest of the time. The idea that he's allowed to wander Heaven and Hell because his marriage of both was so popular with the inhabitants raises a smile – except that at one stage, like Virgil, he has to hand over to a 'pure soul' for the next stage of the journey anyway, which renders it entirely meaningless. That 'pure soul' being Agatha Christie – you know, the Agatha Christie who theorised countless murders and has at least one deeply odd and shady incident in her own biography? But this sort of unsure grasp on historical characters, not to mention the whole structure of the Divine Comedy, is par for the course. Virgil and Dante met ancient poets in the first circle, so our travellers also meet writers in the first circle here – meaning that Milton and Leonard Cohen are apparently both counted among the virtuous pagans which, well, where does one begin? Also there is de Sade, who's been waiting – can you guess? – yes, 120 days for his sentence. And is appalled that he is to be the recipient of the flogging rather than dishing them out. Except that, etymology notwithstanding, the historical record shows him to have been a switch, not just a sadist. And so on, and on, and on. There are occasional nice touches, not least Kafka as a judge; it doesn't hurt that he's one of the few where you can see who he's meant to be, as elsewhere the likenesses are often so shaky that only the clunking references in the dialogue make it plain. And then we're off to the circle where the gluttons are punished, except they're all screen-faced monsters babbling txtspk because they're gluttons for attention! Like the Internet, do you see? Aaaaaah. Also, I can buy an American mixing up London Bridge and Tower Bridge, but when neither British guide sets her straight, I will assume that's just a goof. A few glints of light aside, and coming after the equally painful Betrothed and Lost City Explorers, this really does make me want to abandon all hope for Aftershock, ye lost Image rejections who enter here. And I don't even particularly like the Inferno in the first place, so imagine how much this travesty might piss off a fan!
(And if Dante megafans aren't called Stantes, they should be)


(Netgalley ARC)

[Sara Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one. The description just sounds like it is right up my alley. There is really only one word I can use to describe this graphic novel - pretentious.
The story is full of twists and turns that just become boring and only seem to show the reader how much the author knows. It was fun to see all the sort of pop culture references but even those became rather annoying.
The real problem with this graphic novel is that there are just far too many words. I have no problem with reading actual words but the amount of dialogue meant long bubbles and tiny print. Reading this electronically, it was exhausting. I made it about 2/3s of the way before I started just skimming. I got to the end and didn't feel like I missed anything (I've read the graphic version of Dante's Inferno).
There was no punch to this graphic novel. It might have felt differently if the creators had decided to stretch it out more pages so there just wasn't so many tiny pictures. (Some pages were so artsy that I couldn't figure out which way you were supposed to read).

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like this more than I did. Like most other peeps I found myself attracted to a modern retelling of Dante in the form given here. The delivery just never satisfied. It’s like I was waiting on a package from UPS the entire day. The house is quiet I can hear squirrels and cars outside, but no knock at the door. My upstairs neighbor’s footfalls leave me breathless and hopeful. The day haws largely past and I’ve now decided to leave and get groceries, if I miss the package then so be it. I open the door and there it is. Huh.

It’s too bad I’m on the way out. There are weird gimmicks I liked because it reminds me of other things I’m not sure Zac Thompson intended, like Blake’s rhyming. It reminds me of Etrigan from DC where demons of higher rank will speak in rhymes. Gone, gone the form of man bring forth the demon, Etrigan!! However the things I liked were off the wall and as above, I’m not sure if they were intended. I’m not familiar with a lot of the modern and pop folks that were represented, but I was able to follow the original Inferno better which really says something.

After reading a few reviews someone mentioned this was pretentious and that sounds true. The art was quite fantastic, but I was expecting more use? The art hit it out of the park; I think the direction needed more UMPH. People mentioned a graphic novel of the Inferno and I think that would be my next bite. 

[J Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her Infernal Descent from Zac Thompson is a modern reimagining of Dante.

I wish I could put my finger on what either worked or didn't work for me here but I can't. The art wasn't bad but it did not grab me and at times it was more of a distraction than an actual part of the storytelling. Without going back and looking, my recollection is that it seemed muddy to me. The use of William Blake and Agatha Christie instead of Virgil and Beatrice sounded interesting but Blake became tiresome and Christie just never seemed to come into her own. Some of the updated circles of hell were interesting but not much beyond that.

I admit that I love Dante's Divine Comedy but I have liked other stories that have riffed off of it so I don't think I was one of those who wouldn't like this version because I love the original. That said, when you update classic literature you are asking for some kind of comparison, even if not a direct canto for canto one. Fortunately, this one is different enough that there really isn't a comparison, this is its own story using a Dantean frame.

I can't really recommend this but I also wouldn't discourage someone from reading it either. I am glad I read it and there were parts that I enjoyed, just not enough for me to say I liked the whole thing very much.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Sie Kensou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuevamente las expectativas me juegan en contra. Arranque este cómic con mucho interés. Me encanta la divina comedia y ver una versión protagonizada por un ama de casa, entender porque ella está haciendo semejante recorrido me parecía una premisa, sino original, si muy llamativa. Pero el cómic desperdicia mucho de lo que tiene que dar y plantea una falsa profundidad a través de diálogos extensos que no generan interés sino hastío. Una lastima porque el trabajo gráfico es sublime y con un guión a la altura podríamos estar hablando de una obra maestra. Los dos escritores que hacen las veces de guía sin desperdiciados, muchas veces se usan apartes de su obra y eso es bueno, pero de resto se deshacen en una verborrea que aburre y hace que se pierda el interés. Y lo anterior aplica a la mayoría de personajes secundarios. Entiendo que en parte esto se debe a qué gran parte de los textos estaban en verso en su versión en inglés y al traducirlos se pierde parte de la escencia, pero esto no excusa el exceso de palabrería. Recomendado para amantes de lo Dantesco huyan de el dobles gustan las obras que van al grano.

[Nathaniel Darkish · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some things I really liked about this book, others I enjoyed less.
The good: the art is creepy, a lot of the ways it updates things seen in The Inferno (especially the more recent historical figures) worked quite well.
The bad: the protagonist lacks personality outside of her determination, which is a shame because this is a place where it could build even further on The Inferno, because Dante as a character was pretty blank-slate, as is the protagonist here. The ending was too easy and I really thought it kind of boring [SPOILER] for Lucifer to just be like "I was cheering for you! Here's your family!"[/SPOILER] It felt like a cop-out since it wasn't going to be followed by two more books of climbing through the afterlife.
Also, I'm a bit confused by this just being listed as volume 1. How can there possibly more volumes to follow?

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm… I've read a full graphic novel iteration of the original Dante, even with not that much interest in what it was like. This very loose version of The Divine Comedy, however, seemed a step too far. What it gains in taking a middle-aged grieving Everywoman down into hell to find her husband and children, it loses by having the rhyming verse of William Blake as company too much in contrast with the visuals, so some bits really are too unreadable, and diminishing the original by having people like Jimi Hendrix quote his own lyrics. The York Notes-styled section that closes the graphic novel version help to some extent, but still show it up as a thing of its time (ie not timeless whatsoever, like the original undoubtedly was) and not coherent enough for my tastes. I have no problem with people liking this, but I couldn't.

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her Infernal Descent is a modern retelling of Dante's Divine Comedy. A mother journeys to the depths of the underworld in order to retrieve her family. Along the way, she comes across famous people, some who help, and others that thwart. She engaged in many, often ridiculous, trials in order to progress. I just wasn't feeling this graphic novel. There's such promise here, but it just didn't live up to the promise. Divine Comedy is a rich philosophical, alchemic tale. It makes you think. Her Infernal Descent did not. There was a lot of telling, that would have been better shown, especially since illustrations could have been so impactful. This is a light, quick read. Don't go into it expecting the emotional depth of Dante's classic.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors/ Aftershock for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review

[Alan D.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her Infernal Descent, Vol. 1, written by Zac Thompson and Lonnie Nadler, with art by Kyle Charles and Dee Cunniffe, was a surprisingly nice retelling of Dante’s Inferno. I thought I would find a story loosely based on it, but it turned out to be a modern version of Hell.
Her Infernal Descent, Vol. 1 will be a good choice for both new and old Dante readers. Although it isn’t mandatory to read the original, if you already did it, you will be surprised to see how things changed in Hell since 1304.

Full review (30/03): https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/20...

[Beth Younge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this and managed about 75% before I gave up. The premise was cool and the art style interesting, I just felt a bit bored when reading this and ultimately, there wasn't much point me forcing myself to finish it.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This tried to be a lot of things. The page by page elaboration by the authors at the end of the book to explain their thinking gave this review 1 more star. I think the project was ambitious, it just missed the mark for most folks. Myself included.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

With cameos by Jimi Hendrix, David Foster Wallace and Phillip K. Dick's android head - this is my ALL time favorite version of Dante's Inferno!

[Marco · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull and poor execution of an okay concept.

[Carocompagno · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forced, inexpert rhyming prose is a chore to read.

Reading shouldn't be a chore.

[David Sanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ideas muy buenas, aunque se hace un poco pesado de leer.
Me fascina que haya una sección de Huevos de pascua página a página al final. Me ha recordado a From Hell y sus referencias.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I really liked the concept for this. A middle-aged woman, mother of three, descents into Hell in order to find her lost family in this modern take on Dante's inferno.

What I liked was the main character, she was a real person and not a likely main character. I also liked the concept, as I said, but I felt that in the execution is was sometimes a bit too crowded, and I felt less would have been more in this case. Virgil has been changed for William Blake, possibly because he wrote some works on heaven and hell, that I haven't read. Also, Agatha Christie alters as the guide. There are a lot of quotes from the works of people they encounter, but once again it was a bit too much.

Also, the artwork was not really my style. While I appreciate the desperateness that is clear from it, it was a bit too sketchy for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!