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by Dave Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey   Cover Date- March 1989 Price- 50p Script- Gerry Conway Art- Sal Buscema Lettering- Rick Parker Colour- Bob Sharen Editor- Jim Salicrup Editor-In-Chief- Tom DeFalco Publisher- Marvel Comics synopsisThe madness that is 'Inferno' finally draws to a close, as Flash Thompson and Betty Leeds find themselves trapped in Betty's abandoned apartment block with the demons closing in, both literally and figuratively. (K) Dave So, this issue is the final chapter in the 'Inferno' saga. Kev It is indeed, thankfully. Dave Yeah, it's not really the genre for Spidey. However, there's nothing wrong with trying something different, it's just that, in the end, it doesn't suit the character. Kev I know what you mean. It's different alright. It's amusing in some ways, but it just doesn't sit well with Spidey, who isn't in this issue really. Dave I know, it's a bold move to use the supporting characters as the main protagonists. Kev Definitely. Particularly Flash and Betty, who haven't even been in the background much of late, never mind front and centre. Dave Beneath all the horror elements, this is a story about looking deep within yourself. It's very introspective really. There are some wonky pictures of Betty in this issue though. Kev Those pupils on page 2 for a start. Like piss-holes in snow, they are.  I think you've had enough, Betty. Dave Indeed, I think she is just as scary looking as the monsters in this. Kev Ha, ha! Dave The cover, in itself, is an interesting one. It really does catch your attention. Kev I think it's a fantastic cover. I've said this on numerous occasions now, but the depth of field in Sal Buscema's work is outstanding. Dave Yep and Conway’s writing here is about two troubled souls finding their inner strength when it's really needed. Kev Yeh, definitely. Nice George Romero reference and pun too. Dave Conway has worked that well into the title. Kev He has indeed. The character stuff in this is pretty interesting, as Flash and Betty are both quite tragic characters in their own ways. I like the ragged speech bubble for Betty. It really gives the reader a sense of the tone of her voice. Excellent work by Mr. Rick Parker.  No wonder Betty's seeing things. She's downed at least half a bottle of the hard stuff. Dave Flash reveals a lot of his inner thoughts and he is given a good bit of depth, as a character, with the self-reflecting here. For a guy who wishes he was clever, his self-awareness is a sign of intelligence. Kev Totally. Flash has been told by everyone, Peter included, that he's just a dumb jock and he's been told it long enough that he actually believes it himself. Dave Yeah. This is certainly a heavy, dialogue-laden, narration based story. Kev Definitely. It's a character exploration alright. Dave So, Ned Leeds was born in 1955. This gives us a good indication of the age of our characters as well. Kev So he'd have been 32 when he died? Dave On the first page, it shows that 1986 is the year he died. Kev Ah, right enough. So, 30-31 then. Ned Leeds being murdered in Berlin was the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man that I ever bought. Issue 289, where he was also revealed to be the Hobgoblin. I got it from the RS Macoll that was just up the road from where we lived when we were young. It was a double-sized issue and it felt like it took me forever to read. Being more familiar with the 11 pages of strip in the Transformers weekly comic at the time, meant it felt like a quadruple-sized issue to me. It felt epic. And it only cost me 40p, as well. Good times. Dave Now THAT'S value for your money. Kev Too right. Something like that would cost you anywhere up to a tenner these days. I totally forgot that Betty ended-up brainwashed by a cult for a while. Dave Yeah. There is a lot of stuff that happened to these characters that I completely forgot about. Kev Me too. Dave The colours used in this issue showcase a good variety of tones and it certainly does not go for a monotone look. Kev No, not at all. The editorial caption box, on page 4 panel 1, would suggest that Jim Salicrup feels the same way about 'Inferno' then, as I do now, "jaded."  Flash describes climate change in America under Trump in a nutshell. Dave I never noticed that, until now. He must be glad it was drawing to an end. No pun intended.  Jim's on the same wavelength as the rest of us. Kev He mentions it later too; as their "very LAST crossover plug." Maybe the entire crossover just felt like an inconvenience to him. Dave It could have been that it is such a time consuming story as well. Particularly with tight deadlines. Kev Yeh, especially if you were having to shoehorn these three issues into your schedule. Dave Before the attack ensues, Flash talks about himself as that teenage boy who still idolises Spider-Man. This is setting up the coming of age story for him. Kev Flash had definitely been through the wringer, and not too long before all this either. He'd been accused of being the Hobgoblin, he went on the run, he was homeless, he had a drink problem and he nearly died. So yeh, he'd been through a lot. "Since you used to date Peter Parker when we were kids." This and the following lines, "A lot's changed over the years...you, me and Pete most of all. Pete's not a nerd anymore, I'm no high school football star, and you're a widow...," show you just how much time must have passed between the early issues of Amazing Spider-Man and this point. Dave Yeah, that's true. That’s a great panel of Flash and Spidey sitting atop the chimney.  Hey, Spidey! U OK, hon? Kev It's superb, isn't it? In fact, that whole page is yet another Buscema master class. The Spidey body language, the New York rooftop, Flash's child-like grin at seeing his hero, all absolutely superb. I love how it's subtle touches that let the reader know, for sure, that this isn't Peter; the different body language, the narrower, more angular lenses and that little bit of shading on the mask. Fantastic. Dave Plus, the large forehead too. Kev Yep. Buscema definitely dropped the eyes down and accentuated the forehead to showcase some of the evilness to this particular Spidey. I love that sequence of 4 panels at the top half of page 9 as well, with Flash's internal monologue in the caption boxes. Superb stuff by the entire creative team.  Other than the Manhattan bit, Flash describes living in a post-Brexit Britain in a nutshell. Dave You've got to laugh at Betty’s face when she screams and turns away from the Ned monster in the third panel of page 14, talk about a long face.  The Flash Thompson pinata. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. It's certainly dramatic. Conway's writing of Flash as the insecure adult whose glory days of high school are behind him now has always appealed to me. The "Over-age jock." There must be so many people, particularly school athletes, where it's difficult for them to move past that point in time. The highs in their lives are probably never quite that high again. It's pretty tragic really. It's a nice reversal of the bully/bullied dynamic of Flash & Peter's early relationship too. Dave Yeah, it is. I do like the hunched villainous Spidey pose, as he has Flash tied upside down hanging from the aerial. Just as well that, in all the carnage in previous issues, an aerial that big never got trashed. Kev Good point. If the power wasn't already out, you could've just watched some tele during this whole 'Inferno' debacle if you wanted, because that ariel was in perfect nick. Dave I'm starting to give this issue more credit as it is becoming more of a Spidey, everyman story again, just with the themes hidden beneath the lunacy of demons and monsters. Kev I'm the same. Again, the main thrust of the crossover is leaving me pretty cold to be honest, but Conway's character stuff underneath of all that is pretty damn good and it's what's keeping my interest in this issue too. Dave This is the old classic underdog story of the 80's Kev Definitely. Overcoming adversity against all odds. I like the line that the Demon Spidey uses on Flash, "What else do you call a man your age who still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up?" Ouch. That's a bit too close to home. Ha, ha! Dave Flash has the Johnny Lawrence, from 'Cobra Kai' thing going on. He's living in the past, dreaming of his glory days and unable to move beyond that memory of who he once was. Kev Totally, man. That's a great comparison. Flash's hair is not a million miles off Johnny Lawrence's barnet either.  "Are you talking to me?" Dave This monster Spidey looks like a bit Venom. That first panel of him, when he is unmasked, is like a computer graphic in a video game from the 80's. Kev You're right. It does have a little bit of a pixelated look, particularly the teeth. In fact, it looks an awful lot like the design that would later become Carnage. Dave Flash's commentary after he and monster Spidey crash through the window is good. He's getting the action buzz again. Kev Yeh, he's remembering the golden years. Betty's been through hell too. Losing her brother, losing her husband, being brainwashed by a cult, getting high on gas fumes, seeing the corpse of a dead Ned and doubting her own sanity, yet she still pulls it together and manages to save herself and Flash. Dave They make a good team. I like that when the building blows up Betty says, "Oh well. I'd been thinking about finding a new apartment soon, anyway." Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. That's a good line. It's a total Hallmark ending here. It's maybe a little on the cheesy side, if I'm being honest. They do make a good team, don't they? Dave Also, where the hell was Spidey anyway? Was it really necessary to have him in the second-last panel? Kev I think it was meant to illustrate that Flash had finally grown up and outgrown the need for his boyhood hero. Also that he had become confident enough to rely on himself and essentially be his own hero, but other than that, no, I don't think Spidey was really needed here. Not even in that one panel, in my opinion. I suspect the more practical reason is that Peter was probably tied-up in another part of the crossover in one of his other titles. Dave That last panel, of the two of them walking off, just in silhouettes, is great. I like it. It's a bit noir-ish. And "the End," is emphasised like an old movie from the 40's.  The ending of the 'Matrix Revolutions' before the Matrix was even a little 0. Kev Yep, with our heroes walking off into the sunset. Classic. Dave This is them closing the door on this story and much like yourself, they're a bit relieved. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, this is all wrapped-up very quickly. It's like it was a bit of a filler issue. There's some interesting enough character stuff with Flash & Betty in here, but considering the second issue of the Boomerang story felt rushed, I reckon you could've dropped this in favour of another part of that. This seems like it's just a bit of an aside from Conway's main, over-arcing plots. Dave It was probably because of schedules and deadlines to fulfil, again. Kev Yeh. Particularly with a crossover to write around as well. Dave Any closing points on 'Inferno' you wanna make? How do you rate it, looking back on it, compared to when you first read it? Kev I can't say I'm a huge fan. I feel like it just got in the way of other stories that I was far more interested in, but in all fairness, I didn't hate re-reading it as much as I thought I would. The main story is pretty nonsensical, but it's also quite amusing and Conway's character stuff is spot-on. A lot of the time, it's those elements that save these issues for me. What about yourself? Dave I would say that, in the hands of a lesser-skilled writer and artist, this could have been a disaster, but, Conway was still able to bring through the human elements and dramas to the story, which kept it in tune for Spidey. (D) & (K) Next: 'What About Carrion?!'  Another piece of prime Manhattan real estate bites the dust.
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