Spoiler Alert
In issue #2 of Panya: The Mummy’s Curse, we get to see how some places of worship have rebuilt themselves after Akhenaten’s rule. Now that he’s fallen, the old gods are back. As for the title character, she’s much older now, and is quite the dutiful caretaker as life is as it once was.
But her days are being tormented in gentle ways. Something is calling to her in her dreams, and while what we see is her role in the ongoing fight between Apophis and Re in their animal forms, there’s something else calling to her in the aether. Also, like the past issue, there are lots of cats! As for who the new antagonist is, it’s hard to tell. Since the heretic king is no longer present, someone else will have to get involved.
The artwork of Christopher Mitten and the colouring job by Michelle Madsen is a lot more pronounced in this release. Not only do we get to see more details in what lies in the dreaming world, but also there’s a bit of pageantry involved in the living one when it comes time to venerate Isis. Worshippers can only get help for their problems in their dreams. And this girl is no exception when all she gets are visions of the snake and cat. And as for whether the shadow person appearing in Panya’s later dreams is her, I can’t say for certain.
The shadow figure is a feminine form, but as for who that is, not even I can recognise who it is. If I was to make a guess, I’d think the figure is Bast/Sekhmet. There aren’t many gods who can be polar opposites when properly provoked. While the former is a cat goddess, the latter is a lioness, capable of merciless violence when ordered.
The story by Chris Roberson doesn’t offer hints, but so far, I’m enjoying this second chapter. It lays out a few more details which shifts the spiritual moments to that of what we know happening in the Mignolaverse back then. Panya may well now be on the path to become the mummy we all know in the later comics, and that’s going to be scary!
This latest issue of Panya: The Mummy’s Curse is very good at suggesting that, and all those cats who’ve been with this character since issue #1 may well represent Bast’s all seeing eye than Ra’s. At some point in time, either this comic will recognise her, or we’ll see a lot more ancient gods emerge to grant Panya her psychic power.
As for what we can discover next about this mystical young lady, as she grows older, only the next remaining issues can tell all.