Review - Anti #2

Chances are there are a few wars that will never be won. The war on drugs, the war on Christmas and the war between heaven and hell with Earth caught in the middle. That last war makes for good stories though, including the continuing one in Anti #2 from 12-Gauge Comics.

Anti #2 is written by Peter Calloway, illustrated by Daniel Hillyard, colors by Charlie Kirchoff and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.

Zachary continues to run from his past while his new powers begin to manifest. There's a lot that's been going on in his life, with even demons posing as cops coming after him. He escapes with Jordan, a demon-hunter who he's forced to take care of learn to trust. Meanwhile, Charles Emmanuel and his message continues to be posed on the masses, which will likely lead to even more demons and hunting.

Calloway spends the second issue setting up the backstory behind the impending war with angels and demons at its core. He doesn't stray too far from familiar territory here, as the crux of the impending battle features Lucifer's fall from grace. Zachary is portrayed as naive enough to know something strange is going on, but not fully understand the scope of it all.

Jordan is coping with her wounds and is definitely battle-hardened. She's seen many aspects of the war and knows a lot about it, forced to reconcile her need for help with inability to trust. The new partnership between the two will likely lead to quite an interesting story and should prove to be a strong backbone for the series.

Hillyard's art works great. The scenes depicting Lucifer falling from grace are actually really well done and seeing some of the other demons make an appearance will be equally as intense. The scenes with Jordan show her in immense pain and suffering, really hitting home the predicament she's in.

Religious themes in comics can work if implemented well. Lucifer's fall from grace is a tried and true story and the second issue doesn't seem to be too much like Constantine. Zachary and Jordan have an uneasy alliance that will prove to be something that makes the impending war more fair.

Anti #2 is in stores now.