UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE MUMMY #1: Uncovering the Gods

Universal Monsters The Mummy #1: Helen is royalty in the city of Thebes, born to an Egyptian mother and a British father all Helen wants is a normal life. Helen may be in for more than she bargains for as something stirs amongst her father’s dig site..something ancient..something evil.

Creative Team:

Faith Erin Hicks (WRITER, ARTIST, and COVER) Lee Loughridge (COLORS) Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (LETTERS)

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

The Story:

The story of the Mummy has always been one of forbidden love and tragedy (yes even with Brenden Frasier.) Faith captures the intrigue and the spirit of ancient Egypt and hose that stirs beneath ancient ruins. One particular interesting aspect that is captured by this tale is the rule of the British. Their empire was always vast, primarily in the early 1900’s and it is heartbreaking seeing Helen’s mother suffer just to give her daughter a chance at a rich life.

This story is more than that of a monster and I feel as though Faith is painting a poetically tragic story with this first issue.

The Art:

Faith is working the art and draws in detail building up a city of wonders as Thebes is drawn in such a way that you cannot help but want to be there despite the heat. The desert landscape and that of a dig site are drawn with detail down to every rock. The emotions that Faith captures with Helen’s mother bring sadness and depth to this tale. Lee plays in a palette of browns and sand that give texture to the artwork.

I enjoyed how Hassan rips the pages with the lettering as though ancient scrolls are throughout this issue. There is a lot of artistic texture built into this story making it feel almost 3D.

Overall Grade: 9/10

The Mummy #1 brings a lot of emotion to the classic story of this monster. It’s a tale of emotion and tragedy and issue 1 sets the stage and gives us background as we approach the story ahead. It’s yet another great entry into the Universal Monsters comics.

For more from Matt, including links to other reviews and his weekly podcast head to http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews. Make sure to find him, Lauren, and Megan At Galaxy Con Richmond this weekend where they have two panels at 10:15 pm Friday and Saturday drafting super hero teams and discussing comic book doubles!