This collection of installments of a serial from Warhammer Monthly
spins off from the popular British tabletop war game. Fortunately, readers don't have to refer to the game's detailed manuals to understand the comic's dark and violent action. Two hundred centuries from now, a universe-spanning war is being fought between humanity and Chaos. True humans who serve the comatose god-emperor must defeat demons and traitors, who are lurking everywhere, including within the ranks of humans. Inquisitors are empowered to do anything to root out hidden evil. In this mutant, septic extrapolation of Catholic history, the Inquisition is fighting a genuine, unconquerable foe. In the first volume, Inquisitor Defay defeated the Dark Powers on one planet, but then disappeared. Now his apprentice/disciple Gravier accompanies the dreadful Inquisitor Reiker in pursuit of the missing man. The young Gravier defends Defay against Reiker's accusations of heresy, insisting that his master must be following some secret plan to do good, for Defay is a good man. Gravier should know better. It's not easy to find anyone or anything truly good in the Warhammer universe. The book's b&w illustrations fit this gloomy mood. There's little variety in the art's relentless gray tones. Compositions are jammed with heaps of ruined buildings and machines, while human bodies are encased in bulky, fetishistic body armor, and everyone looks equally grim and ugly. Inquisitors evidently are as likely to suffer pain as they are to inflict it. Looking at their scarred, sneering faces, it's difficult to guess which gratifies them more. (Dec.)
