At its core, Inferno Girl Red is a book about belief. The belief you have in yourself to pull off what seems impossible. The faith you put in others, whether they’re your friends, family, or people in positions of power. Even the faith you might have in the world, or fate, or God…or whatever you believe in. Inferno Girl Red: Book Two #3 explores various aspects of faith and how they interact.
It definitely has the room to pull off such an audacious feat. This issue runs 56 pages, meaning it packs two to three issues’ worth of story into a single format. The real miracle is that like the previous two issues, nothing feels too crowded or too lacking. There’s room for action sequences, emotional confrontations, and musings on the nature of existence, to the point where I’m convinced that Mat Groom’s real superpower is packing all of that story into a single issue.
Groom excels when scripting conversations between different characters, as it allows him to deliver some much needed truths. When Cassia Costa seemingly thinks she’s died after being flung into space, she finds herself in a strange house…whose owner isn’t what she expected. Cassia’s friends Lillian and Harriette both help her save the day, each using their unique strengths: Lillian relies on her science skills, and Harriette relies on her ability to connect with people. Costa’s mentor Dr. Caro even gets to talk to Thomas Park, convincing him not to leave Apex City. These moments hit just as hard as the fight scenes, reminding us that all of these characters are flawed yet have the potential to be better.
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It goes without saying, but Inferno Girl Red: Book Two #3 is a gorgeous book, thanks to Erica D’Urso. The opening pages are proof enough of this: they feature Cassia in full Inferno Girl Red gear walking toward a cozy-looking cottage, the golden rays of the sun shining down on her. The book’s major fight scene introduces a new power-up for a surprising character and the return of Silvio and Silvia Moretti, now powered by Entropy energy that manifests as Lovecraftian tentacles writhing from their backs. (It also leads to the best one-liner in the book, as Cassia refers to the Moretti twins as “literally narcissistic monsters.”)
Igor Monti and Becca Carey add the flourishes that make this comic feel like a modern-day Tokusatsu, especially in the fight scenes. Carey’s big, bold titles whenever a character makes a transformation are begging to be shouted out by an announcer, and Monti’s colors clash in a spectacular mix of purplish-black energy from the Entropy and Cassia’s bright red flames as Inferno Girl Red. Green is also a consistent color throughout, especially in the dome that protects Apex City; it proves to be surprisingly complimentary to all of the superpowered chaos going on.
Inferno Girl Red: Book Two #3 closes out on a blazingly brilliant note while tackling different kinds of belief. The ending hints that “Inferno Girl Red” will return, and I couldn’t be more welcome to it; it is currently neck and neck with Radiant Black as my favorite comic in the Massiveverse.
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