Sometimes it is best to allow the past to rest … rather than to stir their wrath.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Pat Shand
Artwork: Marc Rosete & Roberta Ingranata
Colors: Walter Pereyra, Fran Gamboa & J.C. Ruiz
Letters: Jim Campbell
What They Say:
When an old foe rises in modern times, Liesel Van Helsing must look to her past to see how she can fight this deadly adversary. The Mummy of Amun-Ra has returned, and even those who brought her out of her centuries-long slumber will not be able to contain her power!
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
As Liesel continues her assault on Matthews Tower, the ominous guest lingers reminiscing of a long forgotten past. Van Helsing and new companions have finally found the lost pyramid and as they breach the entrance, leave it to Valencia to navigate their path through the darkened passageways. It was via her visions she was led to find the group, and now they trust her perception as to what must be done within the tomb. However, that insight now comes into question as they discover the burial chamber and their guide suggest opening the sarcophagus; the team knows they have come far to reach this destination, but Kostas highlights to open the coffin could invite the curse. While they acknowledge it might be true, Valencia also affirms her dreams have lead this far and cannot rest until she discovers the mystery of those divinations.
As they begrudgingly come to a consensus, all know the coffin must be opened; it is agreed Liesel will stand guard as the rest force the stone lid aside. However as torchlight illuminates the musty ossuary, it is not a linen wrapped corpse which they find, but sadly the body of Lawrence Wessels, Gertrude’s father. While she is not surprised as to his end, his daughter still wonders how this happened to her poor parent and why he was presented in this manner. Valencia offers to answer her question by communing with his spirit: she sees Lawrence meeting with other obsessed adventures, and while they do eventually find the place, it is betrayal which ends their escapade and results in his death. But more importantly, it is through this treachery which awakened the protector – their blood which stirred eternal sleep and which may end this adventure as violently as it did those who had come before.
In Summary:
As we delve deeper into this engrossing story of Liesel’s past, Pat Shand takes us into a narrative which wraps the reader within its undead grasp and does not let go until it is time. I love how he intermeshes Van Helsing’s modern escapades of the chase into the tale which the God-Queen recalls from so long ago, seemlessly incorporating her vendetta as to what motivates her present vengeance. We now have an inkling as to why she hates Liesel so much, but the urge to find out her true goal only makes the audience read on to solve the mystery. This woman from almost two centuries ago has a grudge, but she is patient and conniving … slyly planning her revenge. Of course, it is those who play the long game who we have to watch out for – you never know when or where they will strike. But then again, it is also that suspense from the growing tension which makes the story all the better, stretching it out until we can’t stand the pain no longer, then finally striking. Although sometimes it is better to go in for the kill than to allow your prey to come up with a counter strategy, and when that quarry is Liesel, it is also smarter.
In the past I have lashed out of how I hate using opposing and multiple art styles to illustrate a single issue, the various techniques watering down the continuity of a story, making it weaker in both tension and emotional zeal; however, with this title, I am glad to be proven grossly uneducated and utterly wrong. Marc Rosete presents us with an amazing opening, encapsulating within a few panels the action and uninhibited excitement of Liesel going all out against such under prepared thugs. You can see her passion, confidence and all of that pent up anger on the verge of erupting past her calm countenance. But when you contrast her appeal to the arrogance of the God-Queen, the two are beyond compare. Add to that emotional flare which Rosete so subtly sketches upon their faces and the talent of Walter Pereyra as he heightens those moments with his awe inspiring colors, it only amplifies your admiration or hatred for the characters all the more within this minute moment.
But is it Roberta Ingranata’s sensational scenes within that pyramid which take the forefront of this issue. When I saw her first page, the thrill of adventure exploring a dusty crypt stirs your senses, making you wish you were there with Liesel. Although only Van Helsing could pull off that fashion statement: her companions are comfortable dressed in rugged and suitable wear, and yet she traipses into the inner confines of the tomb in a look only Lara Croft could pull off. But then again to make it her own, she adds her signature steampunk inspired hat and goggles … plus fishnet stockings. It just makes me grin seeing our heroine fighting in those leggings, she looks so self-assured, but at the same time, her allure oozes from that opening display. Ingranata so brilliantly sets up the moment, making it seem like a scene from any classic movie, but of course most notably it reminds us of The Mummy. You can almost feel the menace of that tomb, tons of stone being suspended from above, the eerie luminescence from a single flashlight, all surrounded by the stench of death.
However this moment could not be this effective if not for the chilling drama which Fran Gamboa and J.C. Ruiz present to us within their phenomenal colors. The setting is so wonderfully staged that it makes the ominous nature all the more gripping, our raiders cloaked within the darkness, sandstone walls looming over them as they attempt to explore the inner chambers, not knowing what is behind the next corner. The simplicity of the tones is what makes these pages so captivating, making the viewers enthralled by their actions, with the strategic use of light and shadows another actor within the setting. But it is when we are introduced to what lies within the sarcophagus that the team of Ingranata, Gamboa and Ruiz take center stage: the stark reality of death permeates the panel, you can almost smell the decay, embraced by the foulness of only blacks and greys.
I remember when I first saw Roberta’s art in Robyn Hood: the emotional fervor which she put into each panel, the compassion which she conveyed through the characters and most remarkably, the lack of any overt or overly graphic violence. However now … that has all changed, almost as if she were holding in some pent-up anger until this very moment. Those last pages of flashback are the most gruesome and yet fittingly appropriate to set up the terror, sadness, primal rage and desperation that were needed to close off the past and project us into the present, all connected with the same grip around a throat. THAT was a cliffhanger and a well deserved adrenaline rush!
Van Helsing vs. The Mummy of Amun-Ra is becoming something which I would never expected from such a descriptive title: a story which keeps us invested and on the edge of out seats. When I heard the name of the book, I at first thought it would be just another romp through some tomb with Liesel, swatting away monsters while she attempted to come to terms with death. But now, I am proud to acknowledge that this issue was worth the wait and I am expecting all the more excitement and drama next month! But why does thirty days now seem so far off?
Grade: A+
Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: February 22, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
