UNIVERAL MONSTERS: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON LIVES! #4, by Image Comics & Skybound on 7/24/24, concludes the monstrous miniseries with all parties converging in the caves to kill or be killed.
Credits:
- Writer: Dan Watters, Ram V
- Artist: Matthew Roberts
- Colorist: Trish Mulvihill
- Letterer: DC Hopkins
- Cover Artist: Matthew Roberts (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: July 24, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of UNIVERAL MONSTERS: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON LIVES! #4:
First Impressions:
The final issue of this miniseries almost works. It almost gets there, but the one thing holding it back is the bizarre twist reveal at the end of issue #3. The twist gets an unsatisfying explanation here, and it hangs like a stone around the neck of the finale. Ahh, well. You can’t win ’em all.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Kate Marsden in issue #3, she made a deal with Dr. Thompson. The Creature would seek her out, and she agreed to be used as bait so he could catch or kill the creature, but only if Thompson and Christiano helped her get Darwin Collier first. The issue ended with a bizarre twist – Collier had somehow stitched himself into the Creature… or something like that… and captured Kate.
In Universal Monsters: Creature From the Black Lagoon Lives! #4, Trish finds herself a captive of Darwin Collier in the caves near the Black Lagoon. Collier explains how he transformed himself (sort of) by stitching shed pieces of the Creature he found in the caves onto his body. Through Collier’s mad ravings, we learn he has the same, painful “transformation” planned for Kate.
Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way. Collier’s transformation and explanation of how it happened don’t make sense. It’s shocking, to be sure, but almost goofy in its absurdity. How was he able to stitch gills, fins, and scale plating in perfect symmetry all over his body, even in parts he couldn’t reach with both hands or see? The idea is cool in that it homages The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) in reverse, but the execution is hand-waving silliness.
On the Black Lagoon’s shore, Thompson administers aid to Christiano, who sustained a serious head wound in the explosion that destroyed their boat. When Thompson sees the real Creature entering the mouth of the cave, his obsession drives him to follow, leaving Christiano to fend for himself. Meanwhile, Paulo’s men enter the caves in a separate entrance to take revenge on Collier for killing Paulo.
Here, all teams are converging – the Creature, Thompson, and Paulo’s men. Each is driven by selfish motivations which makes the potential for the imminent collision dramatic and compelling.
When Collier gets the drop on the Creature with his rifle, he can’t pull the trigger out of an empathic pity for the Creature’s loneliness. Paulo’s men are not as forgiving when they shoot Thompson from behind, thinking Thompson is Collier. The gunfire prompts Collier to temporarily leave Kate to investigate.
In the preceding and following scenes, the pace picks up considerably as the converging parties engage in a game of cat & mouse in the caves, hoping to get the drop on each other. To Watters and Ram V’s credit, the energy of the convergence is well done.
The issue concludes with hybrid man against men, beast against hybrid man, and ultimately, woman against hybrid man. The ending is open-ended enough for a follow-up with or without Kate.
Overall, the tension and pace are the high points of this finale, leading to a reasonably satisfying conclusion. If not for the almost ridiculous transformation of Collier, paralleling how Kate’s hunt for a serial killer is awkwardly stitched into a Universal Monster story, this would be a pretty cool miniseries.
Artwork and Presentation:
Matthew Roberts and Trish Mulvihill execute a phenomenal set of visuals in this last issue with cinematic imagery, authentic textures, dramatic panels, and unique character designs. Our minor nitpick is the lack of panel backgrounds in the latter half of the issue, but the high pace helps the readers gloss over the missing detail.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
As noted above, Collier’s transformation is a bizarre reversal of The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). In the film, which is the second Creature From the Black Lagoon sequel, the Creature is captured and surgically altered to make him more “human.” Needless to say, the experiment doesn’t work out.
Final Thoughts:
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UNIVERAL MONSTERS: CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON LIVES! #4 ends the miniseries with a strong pace, gripping, dramatic action, and a reasonably satisfying ending that leaves room for a follow-up. Unfortunately, the poor explanation concerning Collier’s “transformation” lands with a thud, mirroring how Kate’s hunt for a serial killer is poorly stitched into a Universal Monsters comic.
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