The second issue of Anathema plunges us back into the gory world of a young woman who made a very hard choice to save the soul of the woman she loved: in the previous issue, Mercy changed into a werewolf to pursue the only thing that could save Sarah’s soul, the pieces of the heart of a dead vampire whose cult wants to resurrect him (yeah, it’s very gothic).
The episodic format works well for a stories shaped as a quest, and this one is no exception (it’s also a six-issue mini-series): in this episode, Mercy meets the anthropomorphic ravens who spread death and destruction in the name of their dead master, and locates the first piece of the heart, which of course is guarded by a fearsome creature.
Artist Chris Mooneyham and colorist Ian Herring shine here, with the very evocative pages dripping fog and blood, robust line art enhanced by vivid background colors. The imagery is suitably grotesque, with just enough mystery retained by the use of silhouettes and solid blacks.
Writer Rachel Deering shows us another facet of a world where innocents are not protected, either from evil birds or from enraged hairy beasts, and it is all rather chilling.
As a second chapter, and one intended to show us the “action” side of the story, this issue works perfectly well. Since this issue is mostly dedicated to (supernatural) fights, I hope the next one will bring us some character moments, and there’s one addition to the cast that makes me think this could be the case. You’ll have to read the comic to understand what I mean.
This comic and the previous issue are available here as print or pdf.
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