Written By: Betvin Grant
Art by: Kay
Publisher: Ether Comics
This issue kicks off with Micheal on the run from the mental institution and trying to fulfill what he feels is God’s will. Along the way he stops to help stop the beating of a homosexual man by a street gang. During the confrontation, Micheal and the leader of the gang have a weird little theological debate because Michael takes issue with the guy having the Virgin Mary tattooed on his arm and wearing a cross. The gang leader responds with Westboro Baptist’s catch phrase, to which Micheal responds that the Bible says “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. They try to beat Micheal but he uses his new antichrist powers to shoot lightning bots at them and scare them away. The gay man is grateful, up until Micheal tries to pray for him. Things only get stranger from this point on.
The art is amazing, especially for this being an indie comic. A lot of love was put into the eye catching artwork. It’s very lush and subversive. There is a sense of a very strange force at work especially as the book goes on. In the end, it seems Micheal is trying to re-enact the life of Christ and is heading into the desert to be tempted for forty days. This concept has promise to help grant the book a sense of clarity it has been missing. Rise of the Anti-Christ needs the presence of a true antagonist for our poor “hero”; Satan revealing himself will help strengthen the narrative, which has been a bit unfocused at this point. Hopefully issue #4 will clear up these issues for one of the strangest comic series I’ve ever read.
