Hammer Comics/Titan Comics 2016
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Ronilson Freire
Coloured by Ming Sen & Dijjo Lima
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Before the blood sacrifice could be completed, a rival faction called the Pyramid Club, sworn to destroy the evil of the Sect of Anubis, raided the Sect’s London-based temple and in the confusion Angel was able to escape. Now she is lost and alone in the streets of London while members of both the Sect of Anubis and the Pyramid Club search for her. But they are not the only ones. The great demon dog, Ammit, guardian of the Land of the Dead, has travelled to the earthly plane to claim a soul and fill the void left by Nebetah’s departure…
One of the aspects of this story that I really like is that Peter has taken the whole idea of the old school Universal Monsters idea and updated it seamlessly into a modern setting. With clandestine organisations on opposing sides racing against time to complete their mission and a young woman’s fate in the balance it reads like a classic. The way he’s structured the story and with it’s pacing this really is fascinating.
The Sect of Anubis started their ritual of Palimpsest and young Angel has started to absorb the Ka of Nebetah. Should this ritual be ruined then the Sect will face the wrath of ancient Egyptian god and possibly be destroyed. Within the Pyramid Club there’s a young man who believes he can disrupt the ritual and save Angel but he’s going to have work against the wishes of the Club’s elders. Are his reasons altruistic or does he harbour feelings for the young woman he’s barely met?
The interiors here are absolutely fantastic! With the chance to showcase Anubis and the ancient Egyptian afterlife Ronilson gets to show off his creativity and imagination. Also I really like the way that visually this book has the feel of a cinematic event so it could easily fit into a movie-verse. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and the incredible use of backgrounds do wonders to bring this to life. The attention to detail here is amazing to see and all combined with the beautiful colouring really help draw the reader into this more fully.
I’m fascinated by the use of modern technology alongside things like human trafficking and ancient rituals that are so prevalent here. Peter really has done a magnificent job in showing how such secret organisations face new challenges in an age when people have video and cameras on their phone and post everything to social media. That he can so fully integrate the past and present in such ways to make it feel believable is fantastic to see.
Enter a world where secret societies use clandestine tactics to keep themselves up and running. It’s a world where life and death hang in the balance while the world at large lives in blissful ignorance. With plenty of action/adventure and history playing out before our eyes will Angel be able to write her own story or is she destined to a fate not her own? This is what we’re waiting to see!