Image Comics have announced “The Infernals,” a demonic take on the subject of familial succession from writers Ryan Parrott (“Rogue Sun,” “Power Rangers”) and Noah Gardner (Calls), as well as artist/colorist John Pearson (“Mindset,” “Beast Wagon”), and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The ongoing series revolves around Abraham “Abe” Morgenstern, the Antichrist, who is dying, and must decide which of his three children will inherit his throne. “But will Abe ever be able to truly cede control of the Apocalypse? Or does the Antichrist have something else up his sleeve…”
Parrott says, “When Noah pitched me his concept for ‘The Infernals,’ I absolutely flipped. The themes. The characters. The imagery. The possibilities were endless. I love that it’s both epic and yet personal and intimate at the same time. We can explore commentaries on corporate culture and organized religion while also focusing on absentee fathers and sibling rivalries. It’s honestly just a complicated family drama… but the stakes happen to be the end of the world.”
Gardner, a newcomer to comics, had a similar start to his career as Parrott, as both of them worked at Bad Robot Productions in the early 2010s on films like Super 8 and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. (Specifically, Parrott was an assistant to J.J. Abrams, while Gardner worked for Bryan Burk.) He garnered a WGA Award nomination for the 2021 Apple TV+ series Calls, which he worked on as an executive story editor. He says, “I am so fired up (pun very much intended) to finally introduce the world to the first family of the apocalypse! Love them, hate them, or love-to-hate them — I hope you enjoy the ride, which has been rendered in such mind-blowing detail by the brilliant John Pearson.”
Pearson comments, “We’re dealing with the Antichrist, their Demonic family and the impending Apocalypse, so coming up with a visual approach to match that level of intensity meant making my own personal pact with the Devil. I’ve drawn inspiration from the lurid colour palettes of Italian Giallo cinema, the rawness of late ’80s painted comics, and the feel of Vertigo titles at their peak. This is a love-letter to everything that got me hooked on the medium in one glorious and hellish story.”
“The Infernals” #1 releases in February. In the meantime, check out the preview below:
