The Anchor, Vol. 2
When a seven-foot granite bruiser with a biblical beard shows up to stop a monster attack on Iceland, it’s the beginning of an adventure that carries “God’s own leg-breaker” through Scotland, Rome, and the U.S. Army in a battle against demons looking to establish a beachhead on earth. Hester (The Coffin) has proven adept at investing stories with a dark, dire tone, and here he underscores it with heart in the characters of an Icelandic history student and the ghost of a recently slain boy who serve as the Anchor’s guides in this strange new world. Churilla’s art strays toward the cartoonish end for standard action-horror comics, but it serves the battles and monsters extremely well. The Anchor is a priest and speaks often of his trust in God, but absent any serious consideration of faith, it’s more of a narrative device than a resonating theme. Nevertheless, this is a splattery action extravaganza that will fit snugly next to Hellboy as you wait for upcoming installments to tie up some of this volume’s mysteries. Grades 9-12. --Jesse Karp