Book Review: Universal Monsters: The Mummy by F. E. Hicks et al.

Universal Monsters: The Mummy written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks, colors by Lee Loughridge

This very faithful adaptation manages not to be a "movie-in-comic-book-form" by switching the focus to Helen Grosvenor, the woman who has an eerie resemblance to the Mummy's ancient paramour. Back in the day Imhotep was in love with a priestess of Isis named Ankh-es-en-Amon. She died from a plague and Imhotep tried to resurrect her using the Scroll of Thoth. He failed when authorities showed up. They buried him alive and cursed him with immortal life (while in a nameless grave!). This story starts with Helen as a young girl dealing with her parents--a British father and an Egyptian mother. They are rich and lean toward a British lifestyle. Helen only hangs out with the children of their servants who are all full-blooded Egyptians. The kids at the British school hold no interest for Helen. But the Egyptian kids think of her as the boss's daughter, and a half-breed at that. If that was not enough problems, Helen also discovers another soul trapped inside her who becomes her closest friend, though an invisible one, so others (British and Egyptian) think she's strange. Her life gets stranger as her father is involved in an archeological dig that discovers Imhotep's mummy, who comes to life when one of the assistants reads aloud the Scroll of Thoth buried also in the tomb. Plenty of troubles follow from this.

The shift in focus is interesting and provides a way to explore the story without changing the basic beats of the plot. Helen is an interesting person and her interactions with the other soul living inside her provide a lot of drama. The art is nice but less like a horror story than I was expecting. Hicks has a distinctive style (see her Nameless City series) that is a little more cartoonish than the story is. My quibble about the art is small because her writing is so fine, the whole is very satisfying.

Recommended.

Book Review: Scarlett Vol. 1 by K. Thompson et al.

Scarlett Volume 1: Special Mission written by Kelly Thompson, art by Marco Ferrari, and colors by Lee Loughridge

Shana O'Hara is a military spy operative for the U. S. government. Her first mission we see is to gather intelligence at an illegal auction but she engages to stop it once she spots old friend Jinx, a fellow spy who disappeared some time ago. Jinx gets out on her own and Shana is summarily dismissed by her handler. When she gets home, she finds a special operative who recruits her for a mission in Japan to hunt down a mysterious weapon that is being sought by the Arashikage Clan. The Clan is a group of ninjas with some greater ambitions, like infiltrating a high-rise vault that has the weapon. Shana gets in with the Clan, pretending not to know Jinx (who is already imbedded with the Clan) and gets on the mission to retrieve the weapon.

The story is entertaining enough. O'Hara is codenamed Scarlett and is one of the main characters of Hasbro's G. I. Joe line of toys. This recent reboot of the franchise includes crossovers with the Transformers, though nothing about that happens in this volume (other than an add for other graphic novels on the back page). The plot moves at a good pace and the art is surprising un-exploitive. Scarlett is in a small dress at the auction but is otherwise practically dressed and the emphasis is on her skills and character, not on the shape of her body. That's a refreshing change from a lot of other super-heroine comics. I am interested enough in the story to give some of the other ones a try, though I am very dubious about the crossover.

Recommended for G. I. Joe fans.

Book Review: The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind by C. Roberson et al.

The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind story by Chris Roberson, art by Andrea Mutti, and colors by Lee Loughridge

Investigating two separate mysteries, Simon Bruttenholm and Honora Grant go to the British village Noxton. Honora is investigating the local spring festival which has some very strange elements, least of which is the substitution of a Gray Man for the typical Green Man. Simon has come in search of his assistant who went to Noxton to investigate an ancient stone circle. The locals are very quiet about both mysteries, inspiring these members of the British Paranormal Society to dig deeper into what is going on.

The story moves quickly and has some nice moments. Quaint villages and customs naturally raise the hairs on the back of horror fans' heads, where the likes of The Wicker Man or Midsommar are floating around. The art conveys weirdness and tension without being needlessly graphic. The heroes are fun to root for and they make a good team. I hope some more stories like this are told of the British Paranormal Society.

Recommended.