The Anchor

Gr 8 Up—Beginning with a prologue in which the main character is single-handedly waging war in Hell, the action shifts to contemporary Iceland where the first of a series of infernal beasts emerges to lay waste to the surrounding area. A large man with no memory appears to fight them, claiming that as he fights on the mortal plain, his soul is in a parallel war in the underworld. He is told he must slay five monsters to reclaim his memory, four of which are fought before the volume's close, which feels like a bit of a cheat (in the true cliff-hanger tradition). There is a thick thread of mythology woven throughout, with references to iconography and folklore that attempt to make this book more than just a series of bloody fight scenes. But they are little more than brief notes, ultimately reading more like glancing justifications than the underpinnings of a large-scale story arc. The book invites comparison to "Hellboy" (Dark Horse)—a series with a similar balance of fun, action, and myth—but doesn't quite measure up. In part, this is due to the artwork, which lacks definition and detail. The design work behind the beasts is excellent, and yet their grandeur, menace, and movement are never successfully conveyed during the action sequences. That said, The Anchor seems to be meant to be more fun, pulp adventure than gothic myth-weaving, but it feels slight, a bit empty.—Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH