Anathema #2

Anathema #2
Story by: Rachel Deering
Art by: Chris Mooneyham
Colors by: Ian Herring
Cover by: Joe Querio
Published by: Tiny Behemoth Press

Earlier in the month I looked at one of the best werewolf, related books to ever grace the world of comics entitled Anathema.

“The story revolves around Anathema a young woman who suddenly finds herself in a desperate situation to save the one she loves. Persecuted for their love, Sarah, the object of Anathema’s deepest affection is taken from her in the night and sentenced to burn at the stake by her very own father. Suddenly after a conspiracy of ravens with red glowing eyes show up to take Sarah’s soul, Anathema finds herself thrown into a tale of revenge and occultism.”

When we last left Mercy, she was just honing her new shape shifting abilities, allowing her to turn into a vicious Lycanthrope. Using her new powers she tracks the ravens to a cliffside fishing settlement intent on destroying them, putting a stop to the resurrection of their master. Where the first issue focused on introducing the characters and taking its time setting the tone for the rest of the series, the second issue is much more action packed with a focus on battle sequences all of which are done flawlessly. By the time you reach the final panel you find yourself almost out of breath due to the fast pace nature of the action and the fact that it never lets up once it begins.

I’m really enjoying the way the story is progressing, it does such a good job at leaving you wanting more that I see myself sitting down and re reading the entire series back to back once it is completed. As a die-hard horror fan, I have a feeling that I will be revisiting this series from time to time throughout the rest of my nerdy life. Another factor I really enjoy about this series is how the artist manages to make Mercy look feminine even when in full wolf mode. The artist’s interpretation of how a female werewolf would appear is one of the best I have ever seen. Not to mention the beautiful amounts of blood and gore featured in this issue to ensure hardcore horror fans walk away with sinister smiles across their faces.

Readers are granted a brief amount of additional backstory on Mercy at the end of this issue, focusing on her up bringing and the way her village saw her as she became older. I really appreciated this little detail, as it causes the readers bond with Mercy to grow just that much stronger. After this second issue, I am completely attached to Mercy and have to find out how her story ends. I am finding it hard not to refer to this series as “my stories” the more invested I find myself becoming with each passing issue.

On top of another stellar issue, readers are also given the treat of eight extra pieces of pinup art from Chris Mooneyham, Tradd Moore, Christopher Peterson, Dave Stokes, Amin Amat, John Statema, Bill Thompson, and Charlene Tackett. I highly recommend all horror fans pick up the first two issues that are currently available in both psychical and digital formats via the author’s official web store. This is one of those indie series that you want to get in on during its first run, as it is sure to become a cult hit with its high level of quality and beyond interesting story.