UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE MUMMY #1, by Image Comics & Skybound on 3/26/25, takes a softer, younger look at the classic when a teenage girl finds her destiny intertwined with the bandaged monster.
Credits:
- Writer: Faith Erin Hicks
- Artist: Faith Erin Hicks
- Colorist: Lee Loughridge
- Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover Artist: Faith Erin Hick, Lee Loughridge (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: March 26, 2025
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE MUMMY #1:
Plot Analysis:
Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1 begins in Thebes, Egypt in 1912. A British-led archaeological group uncovers a cache of strange artifacts. The head archaeologist drives the workers forward to uncover as much as possible, as quickly as possible, while the archaeologist’s daughter, Helen, born of a British father and Egyptian mother, looks on in fascination.
Nine years later, Helen attends a British-run school as a 16-year-old girl blossoming into womanhood who desperately wants a connection with her peers. The children of the servants who work for her father like Helen well enough, but the differences in class and money keep them at a distance. Helen offers her “friends” a chance to sneak into a nightclub for dancing to win their favor. The ploy works until one of Helen’s father’s assistants tracks her down, prompting her to flee into the night.
Meanwhile, a research assistant examines the spoils from one of the recent digs and opens a sealed box containing a forbidden scroll. When the assistant reads the scroll, the Mummy awakens. As Helen flees into the desert with one of the boys from the group she likes, Essam, she somehow reacts to the reading of the scroll and passes out, only to be found later by her father’s men.
Later, Helen is chastised by her father for her reckless behavior and is sent to her room. Helen becomes enraged by her frustration while in her room and begins throwing things. She throws a hairbrush that smashes her vanity mirror, and in the cracked remains, she sees and hears the face of another girl who asks Helen to help her remember who she is as a spirit inside Helen’s body. The issue ends with Helen agreeing to help as the Mummy looks over the city.
First Impressions:
Okay, Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1 is going to be a tough one to critique. Why? Whether or not you enjoy this comic will be firmly rooted in your expectations going into it. If you’re a Universal Monsters fan and hoped that writer Faith Erin Hicks would take the same approach as the other Skybound adaptations by finding the story within the story of the 1932 film, this comic comes nowhere close. On the other hand, if you picked up this issue because you’re a Faith Erin Hicks fan and wanted a Young Adult (YA) tale of a teenage girl looking for love and acceptance in Egypt, with a little bit of monster goodness on the side, maybe this comic is for you.
Artwork and Presentation:
Faith Erin Hicks pulls double duty as writer and artist, so the results are exactly what you would expect from a Faith Erin Hicks cartoon. Erin Hicks’s compositions are solid, and the backgrounds are surprisingly detailed. However, the visual atmosphere and designs, particularly for the titular monster, are as safe and sanitized as a Scholastic Book Fair. Again, your feelings will boil down to expectations. If you want spooky and scary, this ain’t it. But, maybe that’s okay for you.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
Beyond Faith Eric Hicks’s art, Helen’s tale of woe about trying to fit in with her peers has a certain level of relatability for the right reader. To be clear, Helen does appear in the 1932 film as the modern reincarnation of Princess Anck-es-en-Amon, the object of affection for the Mummy, Imhotep, so readers may find the alternate take of a younger Helen placed in a teenage drama a fresh approach.
The Negatives:
In vibe, tone, atmosphere, and nostalgic appeal, Universal Monsters: The Mummy #1 is so far away from the source material that it could legitimately be re-classified into a different genre other than horror. Readers who pick up this issue because it says “Universal Monsters” on the cover and have a fondness for the original film will be disappointed because this issue is effectively a YA fantasy about a teenage girl grappling with social pressures. Faith Erin Hicks was likely given a free creative license, and sadly, it misses the mark for Universal Monster fans.
Final Thoughts:
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UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE MUMMY #1 will be a hit if you like reading mild YA fantasies about a teenage girl coming of age but a hard miss if you want a spooky horror comic based on the classic 1932 film. Faith Erin Hicks’s take on a classic Universal Monster is as soft and as safe as an afterschool special, but maybe that’s okay… for you.
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