Review - Anti #4

The anti-christ has to have a busy schedule. Subverting God, destroying the world...just all in a hard day's work. There's usually another that can stop him, but whether or not he actually does it always makes for good theater. Anti #4 from 12-Gauge is good theater.

The issue is written by Peter Calloway, illustrated by Daniel Hillyard, colored by Charlie Kirchoff and lettered by Ed Dukeshire.

Last time we checked in on Zachary and Jordan, they were holed up in the morgue. The morgue also happens to be the portal leading out of hell. While down there, they happened to run into the anti-Christ, who just so happened to have left them a trap with the hopes of turning Zachary. Zachary is forced to make a difficult decision thrust upon him by the anti-Christ, watching Jordan bleed out in front of him. It's all about tough choices that also seem to impact humanity as a whole, with Zachary imbued with the power to make a major difference.

The strength of Calloway's story is the relationship between Zachary and Jordan. Zachary goes from unsuspecting man to potentially saving the world and Calloway offers Jordan as a good foil and guide for his newfound quest. The ending is fairly standard, but it's presented in a way that is somewhat fresh in a sense. The Anti-Christ comes off as a little smarmy and callous; almost a little too much.

Hillyard's art is up to the task. He does a great job with the action sequences and--considering Jordan is bleeding out most of the issue--manages to set the scene very well. The art has a grittiness to it that really fits well with the entire theme of the book. The fourth and final issue features art consistent with the rest of the series and it's been quite strong overall.

Anti #4 completes an interesting four-issue miniseries that looks at the end of days from a slightly different perspective. Zachary grows as a character and manages to find something inside that saves the world. The series is a pretty quick read and worth checking out if you're into the End of Days type storylines.

Anti #4 is available now.

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