Has Sander leapt from the proverbial frying pan into the fire? I think he’s going to find out pretty quickly in this sixth installment of Lantern City.

Now the personal bodyguard of Killian Gray, Sander finds himself at the beck and call of the person he believes is the most powerful man in Lantern City. It is a lifestyle that he can easily get used to with fresh food, a real bed, and a hot shower. As his relationship deepens with Terna, Sander is torn between wanting to stay and his desire to find his wife and son. It might seem like an act of betrayal, but the pull of his new position is strong, especially with Killian open to hearing about his ideas about changing the city.  But, when Killian presents the council with Sander’s plan to reopen the schools in The Depths in order to defuse Brother Pont’s control, he is immediately shot down.  With Sander feeling defeated, Killian decides to introduce his newfound confidant to some of the city’s innocent pleasures in order to boost his morale.  While watching a puppet show, Killian is attacked and Sander once again saves his life. Not wanting to appear weak in public, Killian orders the head of the family connected with the killer to commit suicide. Sander is shocked by this act of cruelty but is even more shocked when Killian shares some very important personal news with him.

Like previous issues, the art and coloring are terrific, and I enjoy going back and looking it over a second and third time. The cover art by Benjamin Carré is richly texted and feels both warm and cold, giving us the feeling of the emotional territory Sander must traverse.  The story stays on track, and I appreciated Sander’s conundrum of wanting to stay in a place with a kind woman and all the amenities of life he previously lacked. I did find it odd that the council members didn’t at least feign respect for Killian since he is supposed to be their leader. Their disregard and disrespect for him was palpable, and it makes me believe that the true power lies with his mother.  It also begs the question of why did he wait so long to assert his authority? Could he be setting Sander up? I suspect so, but we’ll have to wait for Killian’s true motives to present themselves in future issues.