Anathema is a horror comic with a twist: the protagonist is a lesbian werewolf. It was high time something like that happened to horror comics, which are usually rather straight-laced (pun very intended).
Sarah and her father
Centuries ago, at a time when religion still got women killed (obvious comment here), Sarah, the daughter of a preacher, is burned at the stake by her father for loving a woman, before the very eyes of her helpless lover. And then it gets worse, as her soul is stolen by demonic ravens. The lover seeks help from a friend of her, a learned man who tells her the sorry tale of the ravens. I won’t reveal the background here, but she decides that the only way to fight devil fire is with fire and agrees to become a werewolf to have enough power to recover the lost soul.
Dead Sarah visits her lover. Guess what happens next?
Does that sound like a combination of Hammer films and Creepy comics? No wonder, since writer Rachel Deering professes her love of the Warren titles, among other horror and fantasy staples. There’s something very traditional in this first issue of a planned six-issue mini-series, and I mean that in a good way. It feels comfortable but has enough punch to stand out, no small thanks to artist Chris Mooneyham, whose Mike Mignola-influenced style perfectly complements Deering’s striking ideas (color artist Fares Maese also brings an oppressive atmosphere to the pages).
There’s not a lot of character development in this issue, which of course acts as a prologue. But I already like the way the lesbian relationship is shown, matter-of-factly (well, apart from the fact that Sarah dressed very sexily for a preacher’s daughter) and clearly not as an object of titillation, contrary to what can still be seen in mainstream fiction.
A recent Kickstarter campaign brought writer Rachel Deering enough money to ensure the completion of the project, and I look forward to reading the rest of the story, which will undoubtedly have a high chill factor.
Though the comic can’t be bought online right now, you can find a preview on the writer’s site and you can follow Rachel Deering’s Twitter feed for information about the series.
——————————
UPDATE: The comic is now available here as print or pdf.
Bluesky feed