Mystique's game is laid bare, and Moira, Xavier, and Magneto try to counter it in Inferno #2, by writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Stefano Caselli, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Joe Sabino. Hickman weaves another fantastic chapter, and that's all there is to it.

The story shows how Mystique pulled off Destiny's resurrection, and then they vote to see if Destiny is placed on the Quiet Council. More flashbacks show how Mystique got the votes she needed. At the Orchis Forge, Director Devo and his scientists work on their own transfer gates as Nimrod and Karima prepare to have a conversation about who the Omega Sentinel is. Back on Krakoa, Moira reacts as well as one would expect to the return of Destiny, and she, Xavier, and Charles decide to let Emma Frost in on the secret. She does not react well, which forces them to bring someone else on the Council they can trust more, which may come back to bite them.

After the mediocrity and empty calories of Duggan's X-Men, Inferno proves yet again just what the X-Men books are going to be missing once Hickman leaves. He's a master craftsman, and this issue is a wonderful example of that. The beginning is perfect; Mystique and Destiny's reunion is intelligently laid out and emotional in a way that little else has been in the X-Men titles lately. Mystique's manipulations are perfectly illustrated and show just how good she is. The moments at the end with Emma are perfectly in character, as her reactions are true to what's been shown.

What's really interesting is the reveal of Orchis trying to make their own gate tech, which mirrors what they did with Nimrod, their version of resurrection. They're copying Krakoa, and it's wonderful that Hickman is keeping this plot thread going and again shows just how great Hickman is. It's things like this that are missing right now from X-Men; the creativity and long-term plotting that Hickman brings to the table is gone. The reveal of the new Council member is played perfectly, with Hickman expertly building up the tension of the moment until the reveal, which complicates things, to say the least.

Caselli's art fits the script nearly perfectly. Everything looks amazing. Every single panel on every single page is just about perfect. The figure work, character, detail, and emotion are all there and brought to life on the page. Caselli takes everything Hickman put into the script and invests it with life.

Inferno #2 is amazing. That's really all there is to it. It blows everything else out of the water on a script and art level and shows why Marvel can't replace Hickman with Duggan or anyone else. This is storytelling at its finest.

Grade: A+