Review by Frank Plowright

Mercy Dante was introduced in Grimm Fairy Tales Volume Five as a young woman consumed by vengeance who became an assassin after her parents were murdered. She was subsequently given a chance of redemption, so which path will she take here?

Before she’s seen we’re shown the unfortunate life of her twin sister, now with memory problems about her earlier years, dependent on pills and exploited both by a lascivious employer and violent former boyfriend. When backed into a corner, though, Grace is very capable of defending herself. Ralph Tedseco’s reasoning as to why that’s the case is clever, and when revealed it switches the focus to a more supernatural form of horror.

Sela Mathers, constant presence in the parent series, also features, and Inferno is a continuation of her plotting toward something without readers being told exactly what. She needs someone, though, and while she can’t retrieve them directly, Mercy can, and she’s willing to take a trip into Hell. It’s a smart continuation of events not fully explained in Grimm Fairy Tales Volume Seven.

Gabriel Rearte drew that story and also draws this, very polished for the most part, but also capable of slipping into the bad habit of unnecessarily highlighting nipples. The focus is very much on Mercy, who occupies nearly every page, mostly drawn full figure, and he eventually delivers a credible inferno.

Once past the disclosures, Tedesco’s story is a simple quest not too far removed from a first person shooter game as Mercy wipes out one threat before moving on to the next. It sustains the action, though, and a deal with the devil paves the way for a sequel in Inferno: Rings of Hell, but much has changed by then.